The Ngoma School is currently on pause as we restructure for its next chapter. The programs described below define what returns. Learn more about the pause and join our relaunch list →
Early Steps
The joy of dance begins with creative movement.
Early Steps introduces young children to the fundamentals of dance — proper body alignment, basic ballet technique, music, terminology, and musicality. As part of the Ngoma School family, dancers learn far more than steps: discipline, creativity, and team participation in a structured, joyful, and safe environment.
The curriculum is reviewed annually by Faculty and Director Shawn Short, MFA. Class structure includes a balanced mix of technique, movement exploration, and age-appropriate performance preparation.
Parent Observation Day closes each Fall and Spring semester with an informal showing of progress.
The Academy
Three-level pre-professional training; the spine of The Ngoma School.
Technical fundamentals across ballet, modern, and jazz. Studio etiquette and performance basics. Open to dancers transitioning from Early Steps or entering at age-appropriate level.
Technical depth, choreographic literacy, repertoire exposure. First professional-track performance opportunities. Promotion via Faculty assessment.
Audition preparation, college and conservatory pathways, direct exposure to Dissonance Dance Theatre and partner companies. Established Fall 2019.
Summer DanceLab
Pre-professional summer intensive training since 2014. 1 to 4 weeks at 8 hours per day.
Summer DanceLab is the immersive summer arm of The Ngoma School. Open to dancers ages 7 through young adult, the intensive runs 8 hours per day across 1 to 4 weeks of programming — built for serious pre-professional training, not recreational summer camp.
The curriculum mirrors the school-year Academy in technique but is delivered at concert-track intensity: full days of ballet, modern, jazz, and electives, alongside repertoire, audition preparation, and direct exposure to Dissonance Dance Theatre artistry.
Summer DanceLab has been a structural feature of The Ngoma School since 2014 and is part of what defines the program for relaunch.
Boys & Men Do Dance
A pre-professional pipeline that trains male dancers with male teachers in classical ballet, contemporary, and partnering — alongside female peers throughout the school.
There are few spaces in the DC area where male dancers train with male teachers across the full developmental arc. The Ngoma School built this pipeline as part of its founding pedagogical structure.
Male dancers train alongside female classmates in core technique, with specialty classes in classical ballet variation, choreography, conditioning, and male-specific partnering technique.
- Classical ballet technique with male variation work
- Choreography and performance composition
- Strength and conditioning specific to male partnering
- African Diaspora forms, hip-hop, and jazz electives
Adult Education
Saturday classes for adult dancers — open level, professional quality.
Adult Education classes are currently suspended as part of the broader Ngoma School pause. The schedule below documents the program's structure for relaunch. Learn more and join the relaunch list →
Open-level classical ballet for adult dancers. Returning dancers welcome.
Horton-based modern technique for adult dancers.
When classes are active, drop-in pricing applies. Adult-tier financial assistance available on request.
Summer Housing
For out-of-area Summer DanceLab participants. The Ngoma School does not directly arrange housing.
Summer DanceLab is a non-residential program. To keep dance education affordable, tuition has historically been kept low and housing has not been bundled with enrollment. Out-of-area participants are responsible for arranging their own accommodations.
Housing options below are listed for informational purposes only. The Ngoma School does not endorse, guarantee, or vet these providers. Families are responsible for their own due diligence.
Never wire funds to a host you have not met in person and verified independently. Use platform-protected payment systems where available.
- UMD On-Campus HousingFor students 18+; check with UMD summer housing
- Extended Stay AmericaExtended-stay hotel option
- Marriott (College Park area)$179–$800/night range historically
- Homestay.com$22–$150/night range historically
- Airbnb / Roomsie.com$20–$110/night range historically
Programs in Motion
The Ngoma School pathways across technique disciplines and the male dancer pipeline.
Help us return stronger.
Every gift sustains the program structure described above — and the financial-assistance commitment that has made these pathways accessible since 2014. Your support during this pause directly funds the foundation for relaunch.