Gaston Dance Theatre is the premier non-profit dance studio in Gaston County. Established in 1982 by founder Pat Wall, GDT exists to stimulate interest in dance as a serious art form. For nearly 40 years, Gaston Dance Theatre has offered excellence in dance instruction and community performance opportunities for dancers trained in ballet, jazz and modern.
We are located at 201 W. Franklin Blvd, on the second floor of St. Stephen’s AME Zion Church (right across the street from Gastonia City Hall). We have three full-size, air conditioned studios with suspended wooden floors, barres and viewing windows for class observation.
Weekly technique classes are offered in Classical and Contemporary Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Tap. Creative Movement and Ballet/Tap combo classes are available for our youngest dancers, ages 3-6. GDT offers small classes to best meet the specific needs and promote the individual growth of each student. Our goal is to provide proper technical training and discipline while promoting self-expression and a healthy self-esteem. We are a non-competitive school; instead, our focus is teaching proper technique and the artistry of dance.
As a non-profit organization, we offer scholarships to those who qualify. We also offer a free trial class for each style of dance. Proper placement will be evaluated in the first class.
GDT offers a structured and nurturing environment to ensure each dancer reaches her/his full potential, following a curriculum based in the Vaganova methodology. Our well qualified staff has had a multitude of professional and varied experiences. Please see our Staff page for more information.
Gaston Dance Theatre takes great pride in its community productions! Our dancers are given the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and share their passion for dance with audiences far beyond that of a recital. Each December, we perform the holiday classic “The Nutcracker”, while in the spring, we have performed beautiful classical ballets as well as contemporary dance versions of of well known tales, such as ”Journey to the Land of Oz” performed in 2021. Working on these shows, our students have demonstrated exceptional growth in their dance, performance skills and confidence; they also have so much fun!
