About Us

Dance Fremont is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and an inclusive dance community that inspires a lifelong love of dance in each student.

Founded in 1996, we now have over 200 students from ages three to 79, sharing a passion for dance in a nurturing studio environment full of joy and creativity.

We teach to every student, believing that high quality dance training should be available to movers of all backgrounds, bodies and identities.

Youth Program

Ages 3-18
From creative dance to pre-professional, we give young dancers the tools for self-discovery through dance in a culture of mutual support and encouragement. Our core classes of ballet, modern, and choreographic composition are taught by innovative, motivational, and caring instructors and working Seattle artists.

Adult Program

Ages 15-99
We offer weekly beginning ballet and modern dance courses and regular drop-in intermediate/advanced ballet class with a pay-what-you-can option. Classes emphasize placement, musicality, and anatomical knowledge. Our caring and experienced instructors welcome people of all ages, shapes, and identities in a safe and supportive atmosphere.

Mission and Philosophy

Dance Fremont is a non-profit community dance school for youth and adults, providing in-depth ballet and modern dance training since 1996. In an inclusive, empowering studio environment, we use the art of dance to inspire joy, creativity, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning. We believe that high-quality dance training should be available to everyone, and welcome all backgrounds, bodies, and identities.

The heart of our teaching philosophy is that students do best when...
- They feel welcomed in the dance studio
- We give them the tools to be active leaders of their own learning and creativity
- Joy motivates their progress and hard work

To this end, we teach dance with an emphasis on anatomical education and alignment so that each student can understand what is best for their individual body and dance with healthy longevity. We promote collaborative exploration, peer-to-peer support, and thoughtful observation and feedback in the classroom, enabling deep learning and creating a safe space for learning and growth. We help students develop their creative and artistic sense of self through improvisational movement games, choreographic composition, exploration of character and style in technique class, and public performance opportunities.

Dance Fremont is expanding access to dance instruction, performance, and resources to the wider Puget Sound community through scholarship programs, accessible public performances, subsidized rehearsal space, and community partnerships. We also seek to expand our students’ experience of and connection to the wider dance world, which we achieve through collaborations with guest choreographers and teaching artists who work in a wide range of dance styles.

What We Stand For

Dance Fremont is committed to creating equity in our art form and justice for Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color. We understand our responsibility to help dismantle white supremacy and other harmful structures in dance and ballet. We celebrate differences, including differences in race, gender expression, and body type, and see this work as crucial to our ability to serve youth, families, and adults. We believe that the benefits of dance should be open to all, and therefore offer tuition scholarships and pay-what-you-can open class and performance tickets, making dance more accessible to those impacted by systemic racism.

Dance Fremont acknowledges that we dance on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past and present, and honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe. To learn more and take action, please visit realrentduwamish.org

More racial equity efforts include...

- Providing Black, Indigenous, and POC artists with reduced-rate rehearsal space
- Providing scholarships and pay-what-you-can classes and performance tickets, making dance more accessible to those impacted by systemic racism
- Updating attire and hair requirements to welcome dancers with all skin tones, hair types, and cultures
- Formed a partnership with PRICEarts, a Black-founded, BIPOC-led, women-led dance company as our resident dance company. They received free studio space for rehearsals and worked with our youth program students teaching classes and staging PRICEarts repertory
- Formed a collaborative partnership with TINT festival, which centers People of Color in dance
- Sharing mental health and racial equity resources

Our studio is located in Greenwood at 8420 Greenwood Ave N, 2nd Floor. The entrance is in the alley on the East side of the building.

Our Greenwood studio features plenty of natural light, fresh air, and a modern HVAC system. The area offers many coffee shops and eateries, a library, and excellent transit connections.

Dance Fremont was founded in 1996 by Vivian Little on the principle that every interested dancer deserves a quality dance education, after becoming disillusioned with dance education at many studios that excluded and belittled dancers for their body type or other perceived faults. Little soon brought on Mary Reardon as co-director. Little was a founding Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer and San Francisco Ballet soloist. Reardon was a professional modern dancer with the Carl Ratcliff Dance Theater and others. Dance Fremont began in a small studio under the Aurora Bridge in Fremont, Center of the Universe, and moved to its location on Stone Way in the late 90's.

In addition to ballet and modern dance technique classes, performance opportunities have always been a central part of Dance Fremont's programming. Dance Fremont's annual holiday performance tradition, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, first premiered in 1996. The story ballet was choreographed by Vivian Little with original music and libretto by Kathleen Mills and incorporates Signing in Exact English. For over two decades, Fremont Danceworks, Dance Fremont's performing company for advanced dancers, gave pre-professional students with the opportunity to work with professional choreographers including Wade Madsen, Markeith Wiley, Kabby Mitchell III, and Catherine Cabeen. Dance Fremont also produces an annual spring recital performance for all students over age 7, the Rite of Spring.

In 2015, Dance Fremont was purchased by longtime faculty member Steve Casteel, with Karena Birk stepping into the role of Director. Over the next few years, Ms. Birk led the studio's transformation to a nonprofit organization, which was completed in 2019. Since this transition, Dance Fremont has incorporated a Board of Directors, created a scholarship fund, and continued to provide high-quality dance training to diverse students of all ages. Ms. Birk introduced Spring Repertory Workshop, a yearly performance opportunity for level 4-6 dancers to work with local choreographers and perform their own choreography. In 2024 Spring Rep became Impact Dance Festival, with the new name expressing the Festival's expanded scope, including offering free choreographer master classes to the public and building connections with other dance schools and dancers in the region.

During the pandemic, Dance Fremont provided programming continuity with emergency scholarships, online classes, and performances.

Dance Fremont continues to foster the traditions and core values that Vivian and Mary established over the years, through their remarkable investment of time and love.

“My daughter is so excited for her dance class each week!”

“Dance Fremont not only provided me with rigorous pre-professional training in ballet and modern dance, but provided me with a community and safe space to grow and take risks. I credit both the woman I’ve become, as well as the artist and technician, to growing up in this incredibly powerful place for dancers.”

“What I learned at Dance Fremont about my own abilities; the friendships I made, and the love of dance I gained, will be with me for the rest of my life.”

“Dance Fremont is like my second home.”

“I have been dancing my whole life, including 30 years of ballet and a few years of teaching. When my daughter wanted to start ballet, I was very particular about her training. Dance Fremont is the only studio in the area that offers solid, professional quality training that protects young bodies from injury, fosters a strong, positive body image, and teaches the joy of dancing.”

“The adult open class teachers are wonderful and really care about teaching us.”

About Us

Mission and Philosophy

What We Stand For

Support for reduced-cost and free access to Dance Fremont programs provided by 4Culture

30 years. One tradition.