Karen Gladis, Director

Hello, my name is Karen Gladis, and I have been a professional dance educator for 30 years.

Additionally, I am the mother of a very creative teenager and college student! Being a parent has given me a fresh perspective on my teaching that I never dreamed of. I would like to share this insight with fellow parents of dancers and prospective new students.

I have learned a great deal from teaching dance to young children. My students have been the inspiration for all of my creative ideas in some way or another. When choosing a dance class for your toddler, preschooler, or pre-k child, ensure that the teachers and staff are friendly and warm, and also teach the building blocks of dance structure and technique. Yes, you can have both! :) A great arts educator both inspires creativity and joy of movement, and also empowers your child to be confident and expressive.

Our highly trained teaching artists provide solid curriculum and creative choreography in a positive, professional environment. Our dancers have the opportunity to perform on stage in our annual performances, and we offer performance companies and a competition team for students who want to take their dance training to the next level. Here at TTDC, we strive to be a place where you can grow your technique, artistry, and performance skills, all while encouraging our dancers to be goal-oriented, hardworking, and gracious. Above all, the staff at TTDC work hard to create a place where ALL dancers from ALL backgrounds and ALL skill levels are welcome!

Our Early Childhood program serves as the building blocks for TTDC.

Through our intentionally designed early childhood curriculum, our goal as educators is to encourage multiple intelligences, a growth mindset, social-emotional learning, and cultural relevance, in addition to technique and vocabulary, setting our young movers up for early dance experiences that are inclusive, accessible, creative, and, most importantly, FUN!