About the Academy

Welcome to Central Indiana Academy of Dance! CIAoD is recognized throughout Indiana and the Greater Indianapolis area for providing the finest in classical ballet training and is Carmel’s premier ballet academy! CIAoD offers students an artistic and encouraging environment that nurtures all abilities while emphasizing technique, discipline and artistic education.  We provide private and group classes at both the recreational and pre-professional level.  Our highly trained faculty instructs children and young adults from beginning to advanced ballet. We offer instruction in ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, jazz, tap, musical theatre and acro with a specialized Preschool and Primary Division.

We are proud to be the home of the Central Indiana Dance Ensemble. CIDE is a Resident Ballet Company for the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana. CIDE presents the highest caliber in ballet performances. We are proud of our academy’s dedicated professional faculty as well as our many successes, including students who have gone on to dance professionally with Dayton Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet II, Minnesota Ballet, Nashville Ballet II, North Carolina Dance Theatre II, Boston Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Charlotte Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet and study at such prestigious universities and schools as Butler University, Indiana University, Point Park University, The Ailey School/Fordham University, University of Cincinnati, Oklahoma University, Boston Conservatory, University of Utah, School of American Ballet and The Joffrey Ballet School.

We welcome you to share with us your love of dance and we promise to provide you with the best classical training!

Instruction

The Central Indiana Academy of Dance has a strong focus on classical training to continue the development and inspiration for future generations. Our curriculum is based off of the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum. ABT’s National Training Curriculum is a program for the development and training of young students that embraces sound ballet principles and incorporates elements of the French, Italian and Russian schools of training.

The Pre-school Division focuses on musicality, coordination, artistry and technique in the areas of ballet and tap. All Classes are kept small to provide individual attention, self-confidence, flexibility, the foundation to continue with more advanced training and to encourage expressiveness all in a nurturing environment.

The Primary Division includes the beginning levels for learning ballet technique. The standard is all students begin in level 1. Here they will learn the basic ballet positions, then progression of a ballet barre and the French vocabulary of which all ballet steps are defined.

The Pre-Professional Program is designed to provide intense training in ballet and other forms of dance to motivate students in the pursuit of their desired goals. The program allows for aspiring dancers to be challenged with advanced training in movement and performance. The dancers attend multiple classes a week in ballet, pointe, and pas de deux. Classes in Variations, Modern, Jazz, and Tap are offered to round out their vocabulary of movement.