Registration is now open for our 2020-2021 September-March New Season!
Live, Outdoor & Virtual Classes & Pods
SAFETY FIRST
Strict COVID-19 Protocols Enforced
SAFETY FIRST
Dance & Fitness Class Pods For All Ages
Outdoor, Indoor and Virtual classes. Call to schedule a consultation. See our class schedule or let us customize a program for you or your child. Private, semi-private, medium or large group instruction.
Summer 2021 Outdoor Workshop Morning Sessions - Space is limited - Sign up now to reserve your child
Come dance with us! Outdoor Dance Workshops for grades 3-12 in Harrison and Tarrytown. Private pods of all ages and genres, outdoor and virtual Zumba and fitness classes for adults.
Virtual classes (from anywhere) preschool - 12th Grade, adults and seniors.
About Us
Our Mission
Our Mission at Dance Works is to deliver high quality yet affordable dance & fitness education in a fun, nurturing, yet disciplined, goal-setting and challenging atmosphere. Our mobile studio's goals are to inspire dancers and humans to reach their fullest potential as dancers technically, artistically and athletically, while promoting dedication, hard work, fostering friendships and leadership and encouraging creativity in a supportive, safe and non-competitive environment.
Dance Works Founder
Wendy Wood Barletta is the Founder, Executive & Artistic Director, Instructor and Choreographer for Dance Works since 1999. Her mobile studio partners with municipalities, schools, gyms and corporations to bring dance, fitness and movement available to people at any age, whether recreational, beginner, intermediate or aspiring professional. Dance Works is recognized for its broad repertory, development of the whole dancer and for a vision that keeps dance, fitness and creativity alive affordably in our community.
Wendy began her dance-teaching career at the University of Massachusetts in 1982. She received her BFA degree in Dance from the UMASS 5-college Dance Department in Amherst, Massachusetts. Wendy has a performance degree though her concentrations were aligned with Dance Education, Choreography and post-graduate work in fitness. Wendy has performed, taught and choreographed for all ages and levels in New York, California, Canada and in Europe. She studied with Alvin Ailey, Bella Lewitsky, Luigi, Gemze de Lappe and many other well renown dance pioneers and their disciples. Wendy brings well-rounded experience to her classes. Many of her students have gone on to perform professionally in movies, TV and on stage. Others have entered into dance teaching, dance therapy and other dance and fitness related fields. Wendy has a unique approach, emphasizing fun in her classes, while teaching safe and proper technique, alignment and overall body strengthening and flexibility. She provides a creative, happy and rewarding learning environment for all levels to help each dancer develop her/his own style. For those expressing the desire to do so, teacher training is available.
Under Wendy’s direction, dancers this season will perform pieces from her portfolio of 150 works choreographed since 1982 (including some new interpretations). Her diverse repertory offers powerful entertainment for all audiences. Wendy encourages her company members to create and perform their own choreography, giving rise to young talent in the performing and creative elements of the craft. Choreography workshop is an integral part of her program.
In addition to her BFA degree in Dance, Wendy is an authentic AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Licensed Zumba®, Zumba® Gold, Zumba®Kids, Zumba®KidsJr, Zumba®Chair/Fitness Instructor and is CPR/AED Certified. She is a member of the IADMS (International Association of Dance Medicine & Science) and NDEO (National Dance Education in Arts) organizations.
Why Dance Works?
- We provide more personal attention and instruction.
- Our younger classes have assistants to lower student/instructor ratio.
- We are more affordable than most local dance studios without compromising quality dance education.
- We offer several performance opportunities including a Winter Showcase or Nutcracker, Spring Fundraiser Showcase which in part benefits the American Cancer Society and The Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation, Student Choreography Showcase and performances for local Children’s hospitals and nursing homes. Spring Show (our annual end-of-the-year show)
- Dance Works has a variety of classes for all ages that can fit into your family schedule. If you don’t see a class you are interested in, come speak with us and we can likely make arrangements!
- We are proud to offer multiple options for you and your dancer to explore. From one class per week to intensive programs, we have something for everyone! We have classes for the recreational dancer to the aspiring professional dancer or dance-related professional.
- Dance Works is proud to offer age-appropriate dance education and costuming.
- Our culture is family-oriented, respectful, friendly, safe and committed to the high quality of our program! We love to dance and especially love to share our passion for dance and fitness with our students!
- Parents are welcome to wait for and observe their dancers (with Covid-19 protocols this applies for outdoor classes. Indoor class protocols recently changed to require drop off and pick up and we are evaluating a possible appointment only observation date/time). All Zoom classes may be observed.
- Location, location, location! Locations are flexible, easy to find parking. We currently have two locations in downtown Harrison, 2 locations in West harrison, a location in Rye Brook and 2 locations in Tarrytown. We offer in person classes serving students from Harrison, West Harrison, Purchase, Rye, Rye Brook, Port Chester, Mamaroneck, Rye Neck, Armonk, Katonah, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, White Plains and Yonkers. We provide live socially distant outdoor instruction, indoor instruction adhering to strict government safety protocols. Our virtual classes are held via Zoom, where you can invite a long-distance friend to join. These classes are attended locally, regionally, nationally and globally! We have recently had attendees from Illinois, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, NYC, Long Island, The Berkshires, New Jersey, Florida, Montana, Canada, Europe, Japan & India among others! We have many custom remote locations for private, semi-private classes & learning pods, schools, pre-school and corporate classes and events. Our mobile studio locations are close to coffee spots, restaurants, shops. There's so much you can do and enjoy before and after class or while you wait for your dancer.
- Dance Works is dedicated to excellence in Dance Education and is a member of NDEO (National Dance Education Organization) and the IADMS (International Association of Dance Medicine & Science).
DANCE WORKS PHILANTHROPY
Dance Works produces an annual showcase that bridges the gap between local student performing companies and Manhattan professionals who gather in a non-competitive way to celebrate dance while raising funds to help change the lives of the community around them.
Here are just some of the charitable causes we have supported: The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides for Breast Cancer, The Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation, The March of Dimes, The Children’s Cancer Fund, Avon Foundation’s Breast Cancer Crusade, Avon Foundation’s Speak Out Against Domestic Violence Campaign, The American Red Cross, Make-A-Wish, the Blythedale Children’s Hospital and The Little Angels Child Care Center. Dance Works students have performed for patients and residents at the Maria Ferrari Children’s Hospital, Blythedale Children’s Hospital, Hebrew Home for the Aged, The Osborn Home and for many other community services & events.
Thus far Dance Works has raised over $81,000 in an effort to help save and improve lives. Fundraiser ticket sales and targeted workshop proceeds go to charity.
Virtual Performance for Blythedale Children's Hospital
Dance Works hosted a virtual performance for the long term care patients at the Blythedale Children's Hospital on June 16, 2020. We have had a longstanding relationship with Blythedale who approached us and asked if we would perform for them. These children have not been able to visit with their families during pandemic.
See what students & parents say
Lauren H.'s review:
"I've been with Wendy and Dance Works since first grade and I am now a sophomore in high school. Wendy has become an important part of my life, not only teaching me the art of dance, but how to live and love life. I'm so thankful for Wendy's guidance, care, kindness, trust and love throughout my life. I love participating in our annual performances and the excitement and happiness that it brings me each year. I have so much fun in classes learning new techniques and being able to focus on dance and not all the stresses that life brings. I've enjoyed these 10 years so much. I have formed amazing friendships and I am so happy to be a part of such a loving dance family. I couldn't imagine being a part of a better dance community."
Jenny R.'s review:
"You know that feeling you get as a parent when you find a teacher that just loves your child as much as you do? The one who gets just as excited as you do when they reach a goal or master a skill? That's the feeling I got from Wendy when she was teaching my dancer. She inspires her dancers to experience the joy she feels about dancing, and from that place of joy, they learn that anything is possible."
Contact Dance Works to purchase gift cards in any denomination for dance and/or fitness classes, for an entire season, a workshop, private lessons, for costume purchases for an individual, family member or for yourself. All gift certificates are valid for 1 full year.
Book a free consultation for private & semi-private instruction or class pod, dance or fitness party, events (girl scout patch, etc) or to discuss your choreography needs (weddings, sweet 16, bar/bat mitzvah, Quinceanera, etc).