Luna Dance & Creativity

Luna welcomes young children of all ages to our Studio Lab program. The art of self-discovery.

Discover more about our classes for families through MPACT (Moving Parents and Children Together). Strengthening connection through dance.

Luna’s fully ADA-accessible studios are available for artists to rent for individual exploration, solo or group rehearsals, or convening peer artists/cultural practitioners.

Luna seeks to share our fortune of facility ownership to create work spaces for BIPOC, Queer, and diversely-abled artists. The scarcity of affordable, accessible space for dancers in the San Francisco Bay Area engenders a tangible sense of isolation and desperation.

In addition to providing studio space for working artists to deepen their investigative practice, Luna hosts inquiry panels comprised of dance artists who share thoughts on a variety of topics such as dance and disability, dance and equity, what is inclusion in dance, what is community in dance, and in 2023, we hosted Radical Research: Deepening and Disrupting Dance Practice, a panel of BIPOC-Q+ artist researchers.

Illuminating and uplifting the stories and methodologies of dance artists, educators, cultural strategists and activists who address systemic change and activate community transformation through their creative dance practices.

Dancers as creators, researchers, and change agents have been at the core of Luna’s work since inception. Socially-engaged art inquiry at Luna is a process that flows through all programming for dancemakers of all ages.

Through speaking, writing, and performing, teen choreographers share their visions of a just and equitable society with peers and community. Students represent dance on youth panels and at conferences. Internships have provided opportunities for teens to shadow and apprentice local dance companies and dance teachers or write articles for dance journals. Such mentorship allows teens to investigate the full range of careers in dance. Leadership has been offered as individual and group opportunities over the years.

TCW/Production & Performance, where dancers learn the production elements of costuming, lighting, directing, and staging to bring their creations to life for an audience.

TCW/Group Forms & Directing, where students learn the art of direction and to partner effectively for group work and performance quality.

TCW/Style, where teen dancemakers learn about past and present choreographers and place themselves in historical and social contexts as choreographers of the future.

After learning to take risks, play with movement ideas, and develop basic competencies through improvisation, dancers enter the composition series. Three levels of composition allow dancers to explore choreographic principles with increasing breadth and depth. Students develop the technical skills necessary to execute their works safely and with an increasing awareness of the audience. Level 1 curriculum involves committing to an idea, memorizing sequences, creating and editing phrases, developing performing skills and rhythmic phrasing. In Level 2 students make longer dance phrases and learn choreographic forms and structures. They deepen their use of the 17 choreographic devices and learn to edit. Level 3 students deepen their knowledge of group forms and create full dances. They have begun to develop a portfolio of solos, duets, and small group works. They demonstrate a full commitment to performance for a variety of audiences and learn skills of directing and being directed.

Teen Dance Improvisation welcomes new dancemakers to learn to consciously use the elements of dance–space, energy, and time–to express their ideas and feelings. As dancers explore multiple aspects of themselves through movement, they learn body mechanics, gain strength and flexibility, and increase their range of motion and coordination. Movement invention is encouraged as dancers make phrases, make choices within a score, and synthesize their life experiences into moving artistic expression.

Teens have the cognitive capacity to abstract, develop narrative, and think critically, and Luna’s teen choreography curriculum is specifically adapted to support learning and their desire for meaning-making. Luna offers a safe space for teens to explore their emerging and shifting identities through improvisation, dancemaking, reflection, discussion, and consent.

Level 3 students deepen their knowledge of group forms and create full dances. They have begun to develop a portfolio of solos, duets, and small group works. They demonstrate a full commitment to performance for a variety of audiences and learn skills of directing and being directed.

In Level 2, students make longer dance phrases and learn choreographic forms and structures. They deepen their use of the 17 choreographic devices and learn to edit.

Level 1 curriculum involves committing to an idea, memorizing sequences, creating and editing phrases, developing performing skills and rhythmic phrasing.

Through consciously using the elements of energy, space and time, dancers learn body mechanics, gain strength and flexibility, and increase range of motion and coordination. Dance fundamentals develop in the context of serving expressive ideas. Movement invention is encouraged as dancers create phrases, make choices within a score, and synthesize their life experiences into movement.

Children expand range of motion, body articulation, and spatial awareness as they learn to solve movement problems and create simple dance phrases. They increase their knowledge of how to use the elements of space (line, path, level, size, and focus) and energy to express ideas or feelings.

Four-year-olds enjoy their first dance classes independent of their parents and find they can do more than they could before! Luna’s approach to teaching is informed by a deep understanding of the creative process, sound principles of child development, and knowledge of how children construct their definitions of themselves, others, and the world.

Luna’s classes for Threes allow children to practice newly forming independence within the safety net of their parents as witnesses to their emerging creative competencies. Young dancers explore their bodies in space—navigating their emerging big ideas within a group.

Children and caregivers also dance together in Infant, Waddler, and Toddler classes. As adults observe, mimic, and interact with children in our dance classes, they participate in embodied parent education and develop relationships with other families.

Children and caregivers also dance together in Infant, Waddler, and Toddler classes. As adults observe, mimic, and interact with children in our dance classes, they participate in embodied parent education and develop relationships with other families.

Children and caregivers also dance together in Infant, Waddler, and Toddler classes. As adults observe, mimic, and interact with children in our dance classes, they participate in embodied parent education and develop relationships with other families.

Family dance classes offer opportunities for families to play together, strengthen bonds, and allow parents to see their children in new ways. Children and caregivers also dance together in Infant, Waddler, and Toddler classes.

Strengthen your expertise in working with the youngest dancers by taking a workshop. The youngest children deserve remarkable teachers.

TCW is offered as a weeklong exploration of choreographic principles, or a yearlong intensive course of study. Luna’s Studio Lab dancemakers are joined by dancers from other studio programs to invent, explore, and create studies specific to the life and times of today’s teen. In TCW, teens learn to compose site-specific works, dances for the stage, and performances for the camera.

Dancers aged 12-17 come together to learn the art of choreography during full-day camps. Camp themes provide a source of inspiration for their solo, duet, and group pieces, and they are supported in developing their aesthetic qualities and expressive storytelling voices as they make dances meaningful to them.

Full-day camps allow 8-11 year olds to spend the whole day sinking into their identities as dynamic dance makers, and building community with their new dance friends. Creative dance lessons, solo and group choreography, nature walks and outdoor improvisation, costume and prop play, icebreaker games, and lunch at the park comprise the rhythm of their day.

Imagination-filled half-day camps for children 5-7 offer a chance for deep exploratory play through dance. A camp day typically includes two creative dance lessons, movement improvisation games, park play and snacks with friends, and time for reflection through dance-inspired collage-making.

Dancers aged 12-16 learn the art of choreography in a summer day camp format. Camp themes provide a source of inspiration for their solo, duet, and group pieces, and teens are supported in developing their aesthetic preferences and storytelling voices as they make dances of meaning to them.