After-school enrichment | TK through 5th Grade
Give your child a stage.
Ballroom dance education meets choreographed performance.
Our Mission
“The Laird Academy exists to give every child a stage - a place where they discover they are capable, expressive, and worth watching - through the discipline, beauty, and joy of ballroom dance.”
Not just a class. Not a competition. A performance.
THE PROGRAM
Real Ballroom Steps & Technique
The dances taught at The Laird Academy — Waltz, Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, Samba, Foxtrot, Tango, Pasodoble, Quickstep — are drawn from the British ballroom tradition.
The curriculum is built by a world-class professional dancer and dance educator, US National Vice Champion in Professionals, with twenty years of experience
Students at the Laird Academy learn the real thing. Taught by someone who has lived it.
A Progression System
From Rising Stars to Principal, our program is designed to meet every student exactly where they are — with a clear path forward.
Students progress steadily from their first basic steps toward genuine performance quality, advancing through four levels: Rising Stars, Ensemble, Soloist, and Principal. Each level is earned through the teacher's observation.
The skills built along the way extend well beyond the dance floor. Leadership, focus, discipline, and confidence of someone who has worked toward something real — these are what a Laird dancer carries with them long after the music stops.
Performance
Dancing in class and performing on a stage are two different things — and both matter.
Performance is not just a goal post. It is where every dancer discovers something in themselves they did not know was there — how to carry themselves on stage, how to hold their presence in front of a real audience, how to move with grace under pressure, and what it means to be part of a team where every individual matters to the whole.
It is a moment to be seen, to feel capable, and to know that they are worth watching.
And it is genuinely joyful. Dancers get to dress up, step into the spotlight, and be the stars of the show.
Every dancer has a next chapter.
THE PROGRESSION
The most elegant dance form in the world — at your child's school.
WHY BALLROOM DANCE
Ballroom dance has been the language of elegance, celebration, and human connection for centuries. It gives children something most enrichment activities do not — posture, presence, and the ability to walk into a room and hold it.
Children who learn ballroom discover how to move with intention, express themselves through music, collaborate with a partner, and carry themselves with a confidence that comes from learning something beautiful.
MEET THE FOUNDER
Miss Christina.
The Laird Academy was founded by Miss Christina, a US National Vice Champion in Professional Ballroom Dance who trained daily for twenty years, competed internationally, and studied the British ballroom tradition from its highest-level coaches and adjudicators. A finalist on So You Think You Can Dance.
Miss Christina's dream is to bring the highest level of dance education, technique, and quality into a school setting — and make it accessible to every child, right where they already are.
The Laird Academy teaches choreography, creativity, self-expression, stage presence, teamwork, discipline, and high standards. It teaches children to shine — and to feel they are worth watching.
Founder & Lead Teacher · US National Vice Champion
PROGRESS TRACKING
The Dance Book
Every Laird Academy student receives a dance journal in their first class. Inside: step diagrams, sticker spots earned each class, space for the teacher's observations, and pages that track their progress from the first class through the Annual Show.
The Dance Book travels to every class. It is not a worksheet. It is a physical record of a real journey.
NOW ENROLLING | ACADEMIC YEAR 2026/2027
The Laird Academy is currently enrolling at Los Angeles elementary schools.
Classes are held on campus — at your child's school, after dismissal. No driving. No commute. Reserve a spot for your school.
Frequently Asked Questions
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There is no wrong age to begin — but there is a right age for each kind of program.
The Laird Academy accepts students from age 4 (TK) through 11 (5th grade). Our Rising Stars group is designed specifically for TK and Kindergarten children — ages 4 to 6 — with a 45-minute class format, a gentler pace, and content built for where they actually are developmentally. Our main Ensemble company begins at 1st grade.
For very young children — 4 and 5 years old — the most important thing a dance program can give them is joy, rhythm, and the experience of belonging to something with ceremony. Technique comes later. The Rising Stars program is built on exactly that.
For older children joining for the first time — even at 9 or 10 — it is never too late. Older beginners often progress faster than younger ones because their bodies and attention spans are ready for more. A 9-year-old joining as an Ensemble student can reach Soloist within a year.
The honest answer: the best age to start is whenever your child is interested. Interest is the only prerequisite.
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Enrollment at The Laird Academy is for the academic year — September through June. It is a structured program that builds toward an Annual Show performance in May.
Families who join mid-year commit to the remaining months of the academic year — from their start date through June.
Monthly payment is available as a convenience. Withdrawal requires 30 days’ written notice before the next billing date.
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New families who enroll receive a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If, within the first 30 days, the program is genuinely not the right fit, we will refund the remaining balance.
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Rising Stars enrollment — $150/month or $1,300/year. Ensemble enrollment — $175/month or $1,500/year. Soloist and Principal — $300/month or $2,700/year. The Dance Book and all in-class materials are included. → See full enrollment packages and payment options.
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Yes. The Laird Academy accepts new students at five enrollment windows throughout the academic year — in August, October, November, January, and March. Between windows, interested families are added to the waitlist and contacted directly when the next window opens.
Students who join mid-year are not behind. Every routine in the program is designed with three levels of difficulty built in from the start — a child joining in January can learn their part in four to six classes and perform at the May Annual Show alongside students who have been in the program since September.
Mid-year enrollment is prorated to the remaining months. A family joining in January pays from January through June only.
Note: The program closes to new enrollment in April and May as we prepare for the Annual Show. Families who inquire during this period are added to the waitlist for the following September.