Overview
CSSSA offers an exciting pre-professional, collegiate-level Dance Program designed for students interested in pursuing a college degree or a professional career in dance. All applicants should have a minimum of two years of technical training in ballet, contemporary, or modern dance.
The Dance Program aims to equip students with the technical skills and education necessary to explore various dance genres. Participants will be immersed in a stimulating environment that encourages the creative choreographic process. All dancers are required to attend mandatory ballet and modern/contemporary technique classes, as well as daily classes in improvisation and composition. The program also includes repertory and choreography workshops with guest artists, along with master classes and rehearsals, making it a powerful four-week intensive experience.
Dancers will have the opportunity to learn from guest artists through master classes and performances across different dance genres. They will attend lectures on various topics, including injury prevention, anatomy, and dance history. In addition, dance students will participate in field trips to dance events in the Los Angeles area. The program culminates in a demonstration showcasing the works developed throughout the program, which will be presented to the entire student body.
Applicants should understand that this is a rigorous and comprehensive program focused primarily on technique classes and creation work led by professional teachers and guest artists. Students are expected to be fully engaged in the entire curriculum and must arrive at school in good physical condition, free from injury or illness, and ready to work hard in a challenging environment. Applicants who cannot commit to the full four-week program will not be admitted.
Students currently enrolled in grades 8 through 12 are eligible to apply. (CSSSA is open to students entering grades 9, 10, 11 or 12 next fall 2026. CSSSA is also open to students who are graduating from high school in the spring of 2026. You can still do the program the summer after graduation.)
Dance Curriculum
Ballet
All students take a 1.5-hour ballet technique class four days per week. The class focus is on correct placement and alignment as well as agility and strength. Students are given the right tools to use in correcting potentially harmful habits. Emphasis is placed on proper work ethic and the fundamental basics that provide for the longevity of an artist’s career. Performance quality and work ethic are also stressed. There are opportunities for pointe repertoire and/or ballet technique for students who have been on pointe for two years.
MODERN & CONTEMPORARY
Students take a 1.5-hour modern dance technique class four days per week. During the four-week course, they study differing styles of contemporary dance. In contemporary repertory, the dancer learns original choreography. This class is held twice each week for all students. Students may learn original choreography or modern repertory from the contemporary dance field.
IMPROVISATION
Study in improvisation is used to stimulate the creative process by allowing the movement to come through in its most original and immediate response. Improvisational skills will be discussed and demonstrated. Students will be challenged to solve problems through their improvisation and collaboration.
COMPOSITION CLASS
Composition is a very important element of the program for all CSSSA Dance students. In Composition Class, which is held twice each week, students engage in creative problem solving to build a foundation for choreographic expression. The class develops each student’s confidence and self-awareness, and allows dancers to discover their own unique ways to move.
JAZZ/HIP-HOP/FUNK CLASSES
Held three days each week, these classes are led by some of the finest commercial dancers, teachers and choreographers in California.
DANCE CONDITIONING MAT TECHNIQUE
Students take a weekly mat class based on the theories and principles of Joseph H. Pilates. The class teaches young dancers how to develop core strength and techniques to maintain a healthy body and prevent injuries.
DANCE INJURY PREVENTION & NUTRITION
Learn tips on how to prevent, recognize and treat basic injuries common to dancers. Learn the importance and relevance of technique, strength, flexibility and nutrition and their effects on your body. Get one step closer to being a more informed and injury-free performer!
GUEST ARTISTS
Each summer session features performances and lectures by guest artists, choreographers, and companies. Recent guests include Alonzo King and LINES Ballet, Bill Evans, The Joe Goode Performance Group, Donald Byrd/The Group, Cerulean Dance Theatre Double Dancing, The Changing Systems Performance Group, choreographer Garth Fagan, Helios Dance, flamenco artist Juan Talavera, Jonathan Lund, Alice Lo, Diavolo Dance Company, DawsonDance S.F., and Marla Bingham Contemporary Ballet, Michael Montgomery, Sidra Bell, Lulu Washington, Ballet Hispanico, Stephanie Zaletel, Paolo Hernandez-Farella, Sayda Trujillo, Judson Emery.
Program Instructors
GREGORY P. DAWSON
DEPARTMENT CHAIR
A former dancer with LINES Ballet, Gregory is the Artistic Director of dawsondancesf. He is on faculty for the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA and Professional Training programs. He was the Artistic Director of the Dawson Wallace Dance Project in Denver, Colorado. Companies around the country regularly commission him, his work has premiered on such organizations as Boston Conservatory, Menlowe Ballet, Robert Moses’ Kin, Webster University, Tacoma Metropolitan Ballet, Company C, University of Missouri-Kansas City, David Taylor Dance Theater, Wylliamsand /Henry Contemporary Dance Company TedX SF, TedAI. SF, Boulder Ballet. BalletX.
At its core Dawson’s creative philosophy is rooted in the notions of cultural and human respect that aims to move beyond social biases and divisions that may otherwise prevent individuals from expressing who they truly are. Working from truths allows us to be open and giving with our works.
CHIHARU SHIBATA
faculty
Ms. Shibata is from Sapporo Japan where she began her training at the prestigious Sumiko Kikuchi School of Ballet, Chiharu moved to SF, where she ensued her training at The San Francisco Ballet School. Ms.Shibata began her professional career as a principal with Lines Ballet and The Joffrey Ballet where multiple ballets, and leading roles created that featured Ms.Shibata. Chiharu currently guest- teaches in the USA and Sapporo, Japan. Currently she is a member of the San Francisco Opera where she has performed leading dance roles in major operas.
CHARLIE HODGES
faculty
Charlie Hodges has held principal contracts in companies for ballet, modern, and contemporary dance. Additionally, he has experience in commercial and concert dance work, as well as on Broadway. During his twenty year career, he won the Critic’s Choice Award for Best Male Dancer in Europe, the Fred Astaire Award for Best Male Dancer on Broadway, and LA Weekly’s Person of the Year for his contributions to dance and dance education. When he is not teaching dance, he works as a product designer for JPL (NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab).
ALEJANDRO PEREZ
faculty
Alejandro is a first generation Mexican-American native to Los Angeles, California. He is a recipient of scholarships such as UCLA Summer, Jacob’s Pillow Ballet Summer Program 85th Anniversary GALA, & Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program. He has been a performer and a collaborator with Sidra Bell Dance NYC, ISHIDA Dance, Dawsondancesf, ZiRu Dance, Mike Tyus & Co. and several other companies through the United States. Both his work and his dancing have been seen throughout the country.
