Art of Dance, Chester

Teaching far more than movement, the instructors at Art of Dance aim to instill in kids and adults a love for physical activity as well as self-confidence and discipline. And in doing so they bring in experts, including members of the American Ballet Theater or Rockettes, to inspire young minds and show them where hard work might lead. Inside the 8,000-square-foot facility, five studios host classes that train students as young as 2.5 years in the disciplines of tumbling, ballet, jazz, tap, and hip-hop. While they pirouette or pop and lock on sprung floors, parents enjoy WiFi in the quiet waiting room or watch the action through one-way windows. During the summer, kids enroll in camps that range in focus from bolstering the imagination with theater to ballet-intensive dancing.