About

Established in Carpinteria, Ca in 1973 Curtis Studio of Dance is dedicated to the preservation of the performing arts. All teachers at the school have been thoroughly trained in the classical methods of ballet and have enjoyed long and successful performance careers. At CSD our goal is to provide challenging and progressive dance instruction, at the same time, to allow the students to enjoy themselves and release inner feelings through dance expression. Instruction is geared to produce technically sound injury free dancers, in a caring environment, with an emphasis on self-esteem.

CURRICULUM:

Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Acrobatic, Theater Dance, Musical Comedy, Flamenco, Lyrical, Summer Dance Camps, Performance and Competitions.

PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES:

Annual Concerts, Nutcracker Ballet, Teen Choreography, Santa Barbara Ballet Competition, Conventions, Celebrations, Local Carnivals, and Parades.    

   Annual Concert - Majorie Luke Theatre
   Nutcracker Ballet - Carpinteria
   1st Friday Performances - Carpinteria
   S.B. Ballet Competition - Marjorie Luke Theatre
   Carpinteria Valley Arts Council Events
   Competitions - Traveling
   Conventions - Traveling
   Local Carnivals and Parades

Bonnie Curtis, owner and instructor at Curtis Studio of Dance, was born into a performance family. Dance training began in Florida at the Grace Thomas Studio of Dance. Strong training in ballet, allowed her to excel in pointe, tap, acrobatic, adagio, musical comedy, and jazz. Her ballet teacher, Grace Thomas, was a very accomplished ballerina and teacher. She was asked by a college sports coach as a young woman to teach ballet to his team culminating in their winningest season. That coach was Knut Rockney and the team was the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Grace also was one of the first women to have a touring ballet company. She formed an "Adagio Team" using a combination of ballet, lyrical and acrobatic together with partnering. Bonnie was a member of this team. Bonnie worked one on one with Virginia Thomas in tap and was a soloist since the age of five as well as performing with her mother and brother all over the east coast. She danced with the Palm Beach Ballet Company and enjoyed a very long and exciting performance career on stage, theater-in-the-round, and on television, performing a variety of dance forms. Along with the dance training, she studied classical piano for ten years. Bonnie used her dance background in her other love-that of one and three meter springboard diving, becoming top diver in the United States. She constantly refers to this training as a guide for improving muscular strength and endurance for her students as well as teaching the value of body mechanics and preparation for any move. Bonnie has been teaching dance for 39 years at CSD; she greatly enjoys putting on successful young dancers' productions and working with her winning competition corps. She is an active member of the Santa Barbara Dance Alliance and was a founding member of Carpinteria Valley Arts Council. Visit www.artscarp.org.