Overview
Join the Shell We Dance Academy Family!
As Shell We Dance Academy enters our 10th successful year, we are looking for the right ballet educator to join our small, close-knit teaching team and become part of what we have built within our community.
We are more than a dance studio. We are a family-centered training environment where strong technical education and age-appropriate instruction go hand in hand. We believe children should be allowed to remain children, and we are intentional about protecting their innocence through appropriate music, costuming, choreography, classroom conversations, and expectations.
Our Teaching Philosophy
Our approach to dance education is rooted in scaffolded learning and progressive training. We believe strong dancers are developed by building solid foundations first and progressively layering technique as their strength, coordination, body awareness, and maturity develop.
This philosophy is especially important within our ballet program. We want our students to understand proper placement, alignment, terminology, musicality, strength, artistry, and the mechanics behind their movement—not simply memorize combinations.
Our goal is to develop dancers who are technically educated, versatile, confident, disciplined, and respectful, while preserving the joy and innocence that brought them to dance in the first place.
Training Over Trophies
Competition is no longer at the forefront of our studio’s identity. However, that does not mean we train at a recreational standard.
We train our students with the technical expectations, discipline, performance quality, and classroom etiquette associated with competitive and pre-professional dance education.
Small competitive and performance opportunities may still be offered to students who demonstrate the work ethic, etiquette, consistency, maturity, and technical readiness necessary to represent our studio well.
We believe those opportunities are earned through a student’s work in the classroom—not simply because a dancer wants to compete.
The Ballet Position
We are currently seeking a ballet instructor who can commit to:
Tuesdays | Approximately 4:00–8:00 PM
The primary teaching responsibility would be our Intermediate Ballet program for dancers approximately ages 7–13, with students placed according to their developmental and technical level.
We are looking for an instructor who is comfortable working with dancers across this age range while maintaining a progressive curriculum that prepares them for increasingly advanced ballet technique.
There would also be opportunities for private pointe instruction on an as-needed basis for students who are developmentally and technically ready for that level of training.
Because of this, we are especially interested in an educator who understands that pointe work is an extension of strong foundational ballet training and who values proper readiness, alignment, strength, safety, and individualized progression.
Our studio serves more than 100 students each week, while intentionally maintaining a small staff. Every teacher therefore becomes an important part of the consistency and culture of our program.
We are looking for someone who wants to become part of a studio community—not simply teach a class and leave.
Most importantly, we are looking for someone whose values align with ours: family, integrity, age-appropriate education, strong technique, professionalism, kindness, and a genuine investment in the children entrusted to us.
We’d Love to Meet You
If our philosophy and approach to dance education resonate with you, please contact me if you would be interested in setting up an interview.
The interview would give us an opportunity to learn more about your ballet background, teaching philosophy, experience working with developing dancers and pointe students, and what you are looking for in a studio. It is equally important to us that you have the opportunity to learn more about our program and determine whether our environment feels like the right fit for you.
As we enter our 10th year, we are excited about continuing to strengthen the quality of training we provide our students and potentially welcoming another passionate educator into the Shell We Dance Academy.
About Shell We Dance Academy
No Seashell is ever alike, just like children, each one is special and unique. At SWDA, we encourage our students to "share their shell". Embrace their individuality, and grow through the discipline of dance!
