In 2010, J’adore Dance opened its doors and raised the bar for dance education and performance for dancers across central Virginia.The team of “JD” faculty and directors have created a school that welcomes recreational, experienced, and pre-professional dancers ages 2.5 - adult. Over the past 12 years, JD has made waves in its community and beyond through its dedication to advancing dance education and exposure to its dancers. Editors from The Richmond Times Dispatch and Chesterfield Living have both followed the studio’s progress and covered the school and dancers’ success through published articles. JD was recognized as “The Most Technical Studio” by Dance Makers Inc. and has also been nominated and awarded for “Best Dance School” through various “Richmond Best” polls.

Each year, JD presents two professional productions. Through these performances, dancers are able to experience being a part of something that is much bigger than themselves. No matter their age, experience, or talent, every dancer comes together to create productions that entertain thousands of people each year. This sense of teamwork, and dedication is something they will carry with them for years to come. After the curtain closes, many dancers from graduate and move on to further their careers in the art of dance. We currently have dancers who have graduated or are currently attending school such as Point Park, North Carolina School Of The Arts, VCU, George Mason, JMU, East Carolina, The Royal Ballet in London, Radford, and Shenandoah.

To prepare dancers for college, professional life, and performances, JD works off of an exclusive curriculum designed by the team itself. Building the strongest, safest, most progressive technical curriculum has and will always remain the top focus for the school. Keeping the physical and mental development of our youth in mind, they’ve blended ideals, exercises, vocabulary, history, and movement for the ballet, jazz, and contemporary/ modern programs from companies and educational platforms such as; Cecchetti, Vaganova, Horton, Graham, and Luigi. The tap and hip hop departments also include a variety of music, styles, and history to help develop a more well0rounded dancer who understands grooves, technique, rhythm, patterns, and style.

Building a team of faculty to execute classes and inspire students has been a major key component to JD’s success. The studio nurtures and supports the ultimate “dream team” of faculty. All instructors hold college degrees, professional wrap sheets, or tenured time in dance education. Some highlights of the in-house resident faculty include: University of Arizona, VCU, RAW by Mia Michaels, Body Traffic, Atlanta Ballet, Joffery School, Richmond Ballet, Hubbard Street 2, Riverdance, Les Ballets Trocadero, Celine Dion, Dancing with the Stars, Atlanta Ballet, and SYTYCD. We are so proud of our faculty and the passion, knowledge, and experience they are able to share with our students on a daily basis!

Whether they have chosen to continue dance into their collegiate and or professional lives, the dancers of JD all hold something special that keeps them connected. That common bond is an enriched love and appreciation for dance, the performing arts, and the idea of being a part of a community. At the end of the day, the hope for all of the students that have been within the walls of JD is that they are able to carry a rich love and appreciation for the arts, fellow artists, the beautiful art of dance, and their community for years to come. Building strong technical dancers is our goal, but working together as a village to guide, and inspire our students to become strong, motivated, compassionate, creative individuals who are brave enough to change the world around them in a positive way is our mission.