Kerrys Dance Academy

Kerry's Dance Academy opened in July 2003 with 35 students in a single dance room, moved two years later to a 4,000 square foot building on Noxon Road and later to its present 6,400 square foot facility at 696 Dutchess Turnpike, Poughkeepsie, New York, and is now in its 19th season. It teaches children from age three, starting with introductory classes in music, movement and coordination, a combined 4s and 5s dance and tap class, pre-ballet, Kinder-Hop hip hop and a basic acro class. From age six students move into tap, jazz covering classical, Broadway and contemporary styles, ballet based on the classical school with barre and center work, hip hop that extends to popping, locking and breaking at advanced levels, contemporary and lyrical, and acro dance progressing from rolls, cartwheels and handstands to handsprings and aerials. There are eight graded levels of ballet and seven of tap and jazz, with students placed by training, age, ability and effort rather than promoted as whole groups, and the academy runs a competition program.