About Us

Step into confidence, creativity and community. Your dance journey begins here.

Dedicated to building a strong foundation in the arts through technical classes and choreographic exploration for the past 25 years, North Carolina Dance Institute (NCDI) is focused on education and exposure to a variety of classical and commercial dance forms for children and adults of all ages.

At its core, NCDI places emphasis on nurturing the development of disciplined, dedicated students while concentrating on dance fundamentals, emphasizing vocabulary and exploring choreography. Classes include classical ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, hip-hop, contemporary, Broadway and rhythm tap, children's pre-dance and creative movement, musical theatre and more. Boasting deep connections to the arts community in the Triangle, North Carolina and beyond, students have the opportunity to participate in master classes, training programs at prestigious institutions like University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) Festivals and performing locally with Carolina Ballet, Theatre Raleigh, North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble and many more Triangle-area organizations. Dancers with aspirations to pursue professional careers in the arts are strategically prepared for acceptance into leading high school and college programs.

Our Alumni

Many NCDI students have earned acceptance into renowned training programs, including the high school and college divisions of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) School of Dance. Our dancers have also been selected for elite training opportunities such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Summer Intensive, Broadway Theatre Project, The Rock School, Bates Dance Festival, NYC Rockettes Experience, Atlanta Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Cedar Lake 360 Project, Joffrey Ballet (New York and California) and the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive in New York.

In addition, many former NCDI students have been accepted into some of the nation’s most esteemed musical theatre programs, including the University of Michigan, NYU, Northwestern and Princeton.

Several alumni have gone on to perform professionally, including on Broadway. Grady Bowman appeared in Billy Elliot, while Robert Hartwell starred in Memphis, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Hello, Dolly!, Cinderella and Motown. Lindsey Matheis has performed with Northwest Professional Dance Project and L.A. Dance Project. Bree Branker was featured in the national tour of Memphis and in Big Fish on Broadway. Sam Beary Burns performed with the world-renowned Radio City Rockettes, and Victoria Cyzewski toured nationally with Bring It On. Emily Nicolas – who now serves on the faculty at UNCSA – danced with Hubbard Street Dance 2 and the Danish Dance Theatre in Scandinavia.

We are incredibly proud of our NCDI alumni, many of whom return to inspire the next generation of dancers.

FAQs

Testimonials

  • “My children have been dancing at NCDI for six years, and we could not be happier. There is space at the studio for everyone from serious dancers to those just having fun. It’s a wonderful, supportive environment where dancers can grow.”

    -Megan, NCDI parent

  • “Even now, as a college student, I feel right at home at NCDI. In class, there are dancers of all ages. We are all here to improve our technique and have fun! It is truly a gem.”

    -Hannah, college student

  • “NCDI is truly is the only studio in the area that a long time dancer like myself can practice and improve my skills while also having a great time. Highly recommended!”

    -Tia, NCDI adult

  • “I have definitely felt improvements in my dance in just a matter of weeks. I could talk about this institute all day, but I will just leave it with saying NCDI is an awesome place if you want to learn proper technique or just want to come have fun!”

    -Melvin, National Tour cast member

NCDI was co-founded by Kirstie and Jay Spadie in 2001.