About us

Ballet School

Adagio Ballet School of Dance has been the leader in dance education for Northern VA since 2004. With locations in North Arlington and McLean, Adagio Ballet has grown from a two studio school, to a vibrant organization with over 1,500 students taught by an experienced faculty in two facilities with 10 studios and a black box performance space.

Built on the belief that children and adults of all ages benefit from a dance education, we designed specific programs with different levels of commitment, expectations, and goals. Adagio Ballet is known for both an established pre-professional Intensive & Conservatory Program as well as a comprehensive recreational Youth Program. Our Early Years Program curriculum is renowned for nurturing a love of dance and creativity in parallel with learning dance skills designed to help children meet essential developmental milestones. Whether aspiring for a career in the dance field or enjoying dance as an extracurricular activity, all dancers have a place at our school where they may experience the joy of dance and maximize their potential for the art form.

Courses are offered in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Hip Hop and Musical Theater with the Ballet curriculum following the Russian Vaganova Method. All programs follow a specifically designed curriculum with weekly lesson plans, periodic exams, and progress reports.

Adagio Ballet offers 3 core programs:

The Early Years Program (ages 2-6)

A uniquely structured program designed to build the ballet fundamentals while incorporating the imagination, creativity, storytelling and music.

The Youth Program (ages 6-18)

The extra-curricular program where students dance 1 time a week in any dance style with 2 performance opportunities a year.

The Intensive & Conservatory Program (ages 7-18, by invitation or audition)

Through this rigorous program students train multiple times a week with an intense curriculum, perform 3 times per year, and are eligible to audition for the student company.

Additionally the school offers:

The Summer Program

With options for students of all ages, skill, and availability with themed camps, weekly classes, and a Summer Intensive Program.

The Adult Program

With classes in Ballet, Contemporary, Tap, and Power-barre fitness.

Camps

Federal Holiday Camps, Summer Camps, and Spring-Break Camps

Birthday Parties

Offering birthday parties for children 2 and up. Birthday packages include a dance class with professional instructor, costumes/props, demo performance, craft project, and themed décor for food and cake. Contact us for more information.

Performance & Community

The school produces the Nutcracker and Spring Concerts as well as events in the Black Box Theater. Our student company, Adagio Dance Company (ADC), made up of students in the Intensive & Conservatory Program, presents an annual showcase performance and performs in community festivals and events throughout the region. Year-round Adagio families have opportunities to enjoy live performances by professionals in the field and interactive programs for children of all ages with the goal to inspire creativity and curiosity while nurturing a love for the arts in our culturally diverse region.

Faculty

The Adagio faculty are experienced professionals with careers as dancers and degrees as dance educators, many of whom continue to contribute to the dance field as choreographers and performers. Adagio invests in on-going professional development for the team to encourage innovation in our teaching methods while aligning our curriculum with the most current practices in education and childhood development.

Mission

To provide quality dance education in a nurturing environment for students of all ages and aspirations while engaging the community through performances and events.

Philosophy and Values

We value the development of the child as a whole, nurturing:

Nurturing confidence through self-achievement
Creativity through self-expression
Wellness through exercise
Work ethic through discipline and perseverance
Teamwork through collaboration for performance

We regularly enhance our curriculum, maintain small class sizes, employ professional and dedicated teachers, encourage a community of support and constantly invest back into our facility and programs.

Vision

Provide quality dance education for all ages and aspirations through a structured curriculum aligned with the stages of childhood development
Train the next generation of artists and professionals in the dance field through intensive training, performance opportunities, and exposure to professional performances and artists
Encourage a community of support, appreciation for the arts, and empowerment of our youth through outreach, performance, and through communities initiatives
Cultivate artistic expression and community engagement through the student-based Adagio Dance Company
Contribute to the advancement of dance education through innovation in the classroom, professional development, and partnerships with experts in fields focused on child well-being

Facilities

Adagio Ballet Arlington is located in the heart of the North Arlington community on the corner of Lee Highway and N. Glebe Rd. We are a short drive from Washington DC, Falls Church and McLean. We serve families from the DC area including: Maryland, Fairfax and Alexandria counties. The school is a 5-minute drive from the Ballston Metro station on the Orange Line.

Adagio Ballet McLean is located in central McLean, on a quiet street just off Old Dominion Drive, around the corner from Balducci’s Market. Located in a modern office building with plenty of parking, the studios are near both the residential neighborhoods and commercial plazas. Enter through the back door and take the elevator or stairs to the lower level lobby and the studios and office are on your left.

Studios

Adagio Ballet Arlington’s spacious facility includes 7 studios with sprung and marley flooring, floor to ceiling mirrors, wall mounted ballet barres, sound systems, piano, and Ipads in each studio.

Adagio Ballet McLean features 3 studios with sprung floors, mirrors, barres, sound system, Ipads, dressing room, lobby, and patio.

Performance Space

Our Black Box Studio Theater presents class showings, camp presentations, winter performances, and professional showcases.

Waiting areas

Parents are welcome to observe classes from the lobby on the large classroom monitor or through the 2-way windows on the classroom doors. Dressing rooms, play area, and healthy snack vending machine are available to families.

Dance Apparel Store

For your convenience we maintain an inventory of dance apparel including ballet, jazz, and tap shoes, leotards, tights, skirts, and Adagio apparel.

Front Desk

Administrators are available to assist with registration, apparel, trial classes, and all other customer support. School Directors are available for conferences by appointment.

Parking

Adagio Ballet Arlington has a number of reserved parking spaces available to our customers. Additional unreserved parking spaces are available on the Glebe Rd side of the plaza. Please refrain from parking in the neighbor tenant McEnearney’s reserved spots, or they may tow.

Adagio Ballet McLean has an open parking lot for all customers of the office building. Enter through the back door and take the elevator or stairs to the lower level lobby and the studios and office are on your left.