Student on floor tying ballet shoe laces
Youth and Adult Dance Classes

Music naturally inspires people to express themselves through dance, which is why dance classes have been a tradition at the Colburn School since our beginning more than 65 years ago.

I really love Colburn because of the community. It’s like a giant family and everybody is super supportive and we all get to do what we love together. Brooke McDaniel, Dance

At Colburn, our dance students participate in specific and rigorous progressive learning programs in ballet, tap, and modern dance that are designed to develop their artistry and technical skill. All students are required to audition for admission. For those invited for admittance, we ask them to attend at a level appropriate for their abilities and age. If you’re interested in creative dance or musical theater, we have classes in those styles, too.

Our faculty ensure that students understand core technique and movement theory, as well as the history and tradition of each style they study. Creative performance is also highly encouraged with most classes offering opportunities to dance on stage in front of peers and the public.

Academic Year August 26, 2024 to June 1, 2025

Welcome to the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute (TZDI) at the Colburn School. Led by Artistic Director Janie Taylor, TZDI includes both our Youth Dance and Dance Academy programs. Our mission is to honor and extend the great traditions of ballet, modern, and tap dance. This is accomplished by forming students of all ages as collaborative agents who will take the art of dance forward.

Programs 

The Early Dance, Children’s Dance, Young Adult Dance and Adult Dance Programs at Colburn are all part of the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute (TZDI), which also includes the Dance Academy, a rigorous ballet training program for young people ages 14–18. The Trudl Zipper Dance Institute is dedicated to developing the individual gifts, talents and interests of each of its students. 

Please click on a program heading name to see the various class offerings per genre: 

    • Ballet
    • Modern Dance
      • Creative Dance I
      • Creative Dance II
      • Modern I
      • Modern II
      • Modern III
      • Modern IV
      • Modern V
    • Tap Dance
      • Tap I A
      • Tap I B
      • Tap II
      • Tap III
      • Tap IV: Intermediate Tap Ensemble
      • Tap V: Advanced Tap Ensemble
      • Teen Tap
    • Adult Dance
      • Adult Beginning Ballet
      • Adult Intermediate/Advanced Ballet
      • Adult Hip Hop
      • Adult Intermediate Modern Dance
      • Adult Beginning Tap
      • Adult Intermediate Tap
      • Adult Intermediate/Advanced Tap
    • Electives
      • Boy’s Dance (Level I)
      • Youth Hip Hop
      • Intermediate Hip Hop
      • Advanced Hip Hop
      • Beginning Jazz Dance
      • Teen Tap

Dance Academy

The Dance Academy is a rigorous pre-professional ballet training program that both honors the great traditions of classical ballet and embraces the new and contemporary. 

Students learn masterworks and deepen their understanding of the great tradition of this art form. They also collaborate with the choreographers of today and develop their own creative voices. Our holistic artistic education shapes dancers as thinkers, artists, and performers as they experience life in the cultural heart of a global city. 

Learn More

Meet Our Faculty

James Wilt
Trumpet Faculty

Associate Principal of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, whose practical experience and expertise has established Colburn as a dominant force in the trumpet community and has produced consistent, real-world success

Jeff Kryka
Music Theory and Ear Training

Los Angeles-based composer, orchestrator, and conductor Jeff Kryka has been awarded by Turner Classic Movies, ASCAP, the RMALA, and the Henry Mancini Foundation. His work has been featured in major motion pictures, TV series, video games, and heard in concert halls across the globe.

Dr. Mina Yang
Humanities Faculty

Yang has taught at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of California, San Diego, University of Southern California, and Minerva University, where she founded and led the faculty diversity, equity, and inclusion committee. In addition to teaching at Colburn, Yang has a thriving hypnotherapy practice, in which she helps artists overcome performance anxiety and creative blocks.

Jasmine Perry
Jasmine Perry
Ballet Instructor

Jasmine is a Soloist in the the corps de ballet of Los Angeles Ballet.