A Guide to Ottawa's Best SUmmer Dance Camps in 2023
Welcome to our 2023 guide to choosing a dance summer camp! While we obviously endorse our own summer camps, we know we are not going to be the right fit for every dancer in Ottawa — Kanata is not convenient for everyone and we don’t teach every dance style. And it is frustrating that other guides list organisations which don’t even teach dance or didn’t survive COVID-19 related health measures. This guide identifies key considerations for choosing a camp, then provides a listing of ottawa dance camps identifying key details like location, age ranges, and price.
Key Considerations In Picking a Camp
1. Do you want a recreational or an intensive dance camp?
Intensive summer dance camps, on the other hand, are more focused on training and are geared towards dancers who are serious about improving their technique and advancing their skills. These camps often offer a specialized curriculum and may focus on a specific dance style or discipline, such as ballet or contemporary. Intensive dance camps may also bring in guest instructors or choreographers to work with the dancers. They typically have a more intense schedule, with longer classes and more hours of training per day, and may require a higher level of physical and mental commitment. They are also significantly more expensive.
2. What are the regular programs offered by the camp organizer?
If you think you may want to train to higher levels of dance, to compete, or to perform, you may want to consider whether the camp organizer offers these opportunities in their regular program. Attending a dance camp is a great way to try a studio and various styles of dance that you may want to pursue throughout the year. Some camp organisers, like the City of Ottawa, only offer beginner dance classes and to not have competitive teams or dance productions.
You should also consider whether the styles taught by the studio fit your interests. For example, we teach Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary and Hip Hop, but we don’t teach Latin dance or Ballroom dance.
3. Where are the available camps located?
The location of a summer dance camp is important, especially if you think your child might want to continue dancing at the studio. Our top competitive dancers dance five days a week, which means a lot of trips for parents!
4. What does the camp cost?
Summer dance camps vary significantly in price. Higher cost camps typically hire external choreographers who will expose students to new teaching styles, and provide an foundation for working with the choreographer to create new dances. This is a great experience if you plan to dance competitively. Consider whether there are any other costs, such as for costumes or dancewear that meets the studio’s dress code.
5. Who will be teaching the summer camp?
Meet with the camp director or a representative from the camp to ask questions and learn more about the instructors or guest choreographers and their qualifications. For recreational camp, it is more important that the instructors be trained to teach dance. For ballet, we look for instructors who are accredited teachers with the the Royal Academy of Dance or Cecchetti Canada. Particularly at the beginner and intermediate levels, it is more important to staff who are good teachers than staff who are professional performers. However, for advanced students looking to compete and perform, you should look for the opportunity to work with leading dancers and choreographers. For example, for modern dance, we look for instructors who have trained with leading modern dance companies like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Ottawa Summer Dance Camps
This information was last updated as of 14 April 2023, when some studios had not yet announced their summer camps. Only camps advertised to the public are included. This is not an exhaustive list of all dance camps, and we encourage the reader to check with the studio to verify details, like eligibility and price, which may be subject to change.