Our Training

Why Choose AZDA?

We teach with passion! – Samantha Scotto Gobeille opened Arizona Dance Artistry in July 2008 to provide dance education centered on classical ballet and jazz technique while offering a range of dance styles to learn from. She has studied dance technique, dance history and kinesiology for over 25 years and is classically trained in Cecchetti method of ballet. Samantha, a member of Dance Educators of America, has been teaching ballet, jazz and other styles for over 10 years. Samantha believes in her dancers and sees them as a priority in her life and in her business. In 2009,she decided she needed to provide more opportunity to her dancers and created Arizona Dance Artistry’s youth ballet company, Phoenix Youth Ballet Theatre, that presents The Nutcracker Suite each holiday season. Over 50 dancers ages 6yrs and up participate in this magical event each year, Samantha is so honored to pass on the history and love for ballet to her young students.

We care about your children and their experience! – Each class has a specific curriculum and levels of accomplishment.  AZDA has a customized curriculum for all ages and levels to create a dance education environment of technique development, challenge and fun. Our dancers 2-5yrs have a fabulous time in class with their teachers and they also learn terminology and technique through creative dance combo. Our classes for older dancers are tailored to suit their needs and dance aspirations. From the most serious ballet student to the child who wants to dance while pursuing other outside activities, there is something for everyone at AZDA. Our classes vary in size by style and age group, our younger classes max at 8 dancers and our Pre-Professional Ballet level student  number maximum is 15.

Photo by Killian Images. www.killianimages.com

Professional and fun dance instructors– At AZDA we believe in teaching proper technique and flexibility skills from your very first dance class. We pride ourselves on having a professional, fun and family-like atmosphere to learn in. Many of our teachers have degrees in dance education and have extensive background in performance. Our teachers value our students are here to provide the best dance experience for your dancer! See teacher bios.

We are committed to your dancer’s goals and dreams–Dancers are asked to write out their short and long term goals several times during the dance season. This could be anything from, achieving their splits, a double pirouette or attending a university for a degree in dance. Our job is to assist dancers to reach this goal even if it is years away. All dancers benefit from an environment of high expectations and structure that comes from a goal oriented program. Dancers are evaluated each semester in a written report to help make their progress more tangible for parents and to assess future class placement.

Dedicated and Organized Management- Owner, Samantha Scotto Gobeille, has her BS in Business Administration/Marketing, and was selected as one of the Top 35 Entrepreneurs Under 35 in 2010, she knows the value of being organized. You can expect to find our facility clean and bright, regular informative email communications and our AZDA Broadcast phone call reminder system for quick updates and closure information. Our website is updated monthly with quick calendar references, helpful dance articles and studio news. Our studio Facebook page also offers timely reminders and event updates. We’re proud of the many innovations we’ve adopted to make your family’s dance experience positive. From an online registration process to a world-class costume and dancewear ordering system, we strive to create an environment where our teachers can focus on teaching and skip routine administrative tasks. When you need to speak with our front office staff, our team is ready and willing to help!

Our Mission

At Arizona Dance Artistry our mission is to provide the best dance training for our students in a family atmosphere and safe learning environment. We promote the development of well-rounded dancers by offering a variety of classes with a strong focus on our Ballet curriculum and Jazz technique. Every student, from age 2-18, can find a program that fits them. We offer recreational programs, pre-Company programs and our elite ASPIRE Dance Company program for serious dancers that compete and perform 6-7 times a year.

Our strong Ballet program pushes our students to grow in their technique, develop proper body placement and excel in Ballet choreography. For our recreational students, we focus on teaching students that Ballet can be fun and applicable to other forms of dance. The combination of studying Jazz and Ballet technique, gives our students the opportunity to progress faster in their skills and offers diversity in movement quality. Emphasizing hard work, discipline and manners, we aspire to bring strong Ballet technique to the center of dance training.

Our high standards and expectations ensure proper dance technique training. By keeping class enrollment at 15 students for all technique classes such as Ballet and Jazz, we are able to give each student one on one attention to detail in their development. All programs at Arizona Dance Artistry are geared to promote healthy development of self-esteem, teaching manners and respect for others, discipline, personal time management and commitment.