About

Dear New CCD Family and Dancer,

We are delighted you’ve chosen to begin or continue your studies with us. Let me tell you a little bit about what you can expect…

CCD is a community school of the arts, which means we are dedicated to providing each and every student with methodical, detailed instruction, building a foundation for their healthy future as a dancer. We take seriously our responsibility to teach in a kinesthetically healthy way, and we continue to evolve how we teach based on current research and training from the world’s best body scientists. 

At the core of who we are as an organization is a deep commitment to providing a safe environment for both mental and physical health, and we say proudly that we are a body safe environment, where we encourage our dancers to set their movements free in a judgment-free classroom. We do this by teaching through the lens of “process” – rather than right versus wrong; success versus failure. We believe that every experience in dance is part of a life-long process. 

What you may notice is that our conservatory dancers don’t spend their time preparing for or attending dance competitions. This is purposeful. We want our dancers to focus on their own progress and path, rather than feeling pressured to attain the ideals of an ever-increasingly art-less, trick-ful, money-driven machine. We want to promote deep artfulness – vulnerability and authenticity – for our young performers. We do this by crafting meaningful performing experiences for them, the opportunities for which grow as they gain more expertise with their art form. 

Whether you are a dancer yourself or a parent of one, we hope you’ll proudly get involved with our organization. Beyond the immense activity you’ll see here in our Broomfield studios, CCD is also committed to utilizing our expertise to help our community become enlightened and enlivened through dance. In fact, we reach thousands of elementary-aged students through our community education programs each year. You can support our mission, and our great non-profit work, by toting the whole family to see a performance, attending our fundraisers, advertising your business in our playbills, and taking your fill of classes. 

We are proud to serve and partner with you on your dance journey. Thank you for trusting us with this important decision. 

Best wishes,
Julia Wilkinson Manley
Founder & Artistic Director, Colorado Conservatory of Dance