ABOUT US

Decatur School of Ballet offers classes for adults, teens, and children in ballet, hip hop, tap, modern, swing, creative movement, lyrical, and Scottish Highland dance. Headquartered in Downtown Decatur, the school is structured on a nine-month curriculum (September-May) and offers special summer programs. Careful attention is given to placing each dancer in appropriate classes based on age, technical level, and ability. Individual evaluations are done for each student. Providing quality dance instruction by professionals in a friendly atmosphere is the foundation of our school. Decatur School of Ballet serves the needs of students who wish to dance “just for fun” and those who aim to be professional dancers and teachers. Our school welcomes people from varying racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Although we are in the business of teaching dance, the development of each student as an individual is at the core of our endeavors. Experience in and knowledge of the arts help us express our individual creative and cultural human potential.

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Decatur School of Ballet has been in continuous operation since 1947 and is the oldest classical ballet school in DeKalb County. 76 years ago, Hilda Gumm and Marie Roberts started a ballet school for young girls with just a few students in a small room over the ice cream shoppe in Downtown Decatur. In 1958, the school moved into its Church Street Studio, which was designed by architect Everett Roberts (Marie Robert’s husband). In 1980, Kathleen and Ron Everett purchased the school where Kathleen had studied since age six. In 2012, the school added the Sams Street Studio. In 2018, Leslie Palmer Gourley purchased the school where she had studied, danced, and taught since 1980. 76 years after its founding, the school is still going strong, offering  many styles of dance for anyone who wants to dance. Over the years, thousands of students have trained, learned, and grown at our school.