Hampden Dance Arts

Hampden Dance Arts is a dance studio in Baltimore's Hampden neighbourhood, located on Chestnut Avenue near local restaurants and shops. The studio offers classes for all ages and experience levels, from Little Feet pre-dance for ages 3–5 through adult classes. Teaching styles include ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, hip hop, modern/jazz, lyrical/modern, break dancing, acro, and musical theatre.

The studio is directed by Jenn Howells, owner and teacher with over 20 years in the dance industry. Before opening Hampden Dance Arts in 2018, she worked in the Philadelphia area as a full-time dance teacher and studio manager, where she created a successful ballet and pointe program and a youth ballet ensemble that performed at Walt Disney World in Orlando and throughout the Philadelphia region. She was also a performer with ContempraDance Theatre Company in Philadelphia theatres including The Wilma, Suzanne Roberts, and Painted Bride Art Center. Howells holds an Associate Degree in Business, summa cum laude, from PACE Institute in Reading, PA, and a BA summa cum laude with honours and department distinction from Albright College in Reading, PA.

The teaching team includes Casey Hampshire, who teaches hip hop, lyrical, jazz, contemporary, and acro and choreographs the competition team. Casey trained at Dance X-Treme from age 3, danced competitively at Parkville Dance Power in high school, and continued at Temple University with InMotion Dance Ensemble, where she found her passion for choreography. This is her 7th season at Hampden Dance Arts. Elizabeth Chaillé teaches ballet, Little Feet, jazz, contemporary, and modern. She studied at Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts and graduated from Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory with a BFA in dance in 2022 as part of their inaugural BFA class, training in contemporary, ballet, jazz, west African, hip-hop and somatic practices. She has danced professionally with Wasatch Contemporary, Fem Dance, Altitude Dance, and Allure Creative. This is her second season with Hampden Dance. Brittany Colgan teaches ballet, modern, jazz, and Little Feet. She studied Cecchetti Ballet from age 5, earned her first pointe shoes at 12, and competed in solo and group pieces at regional and national competitions. She won Teen Ms. Dance of Baltimore in 2015 and holds a Bachelor's in Psychology with a Minor in Dance from Salisbury University, where she performed with the Salisbury University Poms Dance Team. This is her second season. Will Touchette teaches break dancing.

Classes are structured by age and experience level with limited class sizes to ensure personalised instruction. The studio runs a traditional school year (September–June) for its weekly class schedule, building choreography and technique throughout the season rather than reteaching basics. Summer programming includes 7-week children's and teen classes and 10-week adult classes (June 15–August 30, closed June 29–July 5), plus camps such as a Frozen-inspired camp for ages 3–5 and a K-pop Kamp for ages 9–12. Adult workshops in summer include Intro to Ballet, Intro to Modern/Jazz, and Leaps and Turns workshops. The studio hosts an annual recital on June 13, 2027 at the Gordon Center for the Performing Arts, with dress rehearsal on June 9. Adult drop-in classes are available by texting ahead to confirm availability.

The studio was newly renovated and is conveniently located in a charming boutique space on Chestnut Avenue in Hampden, just off "The Avenue" near Dylan's Oyster Cellar and In Watermelon Sugar gift shop.

Classes are formed around age and experience level with limited size for personalised attention. You'll meet your classmates regularly if enrolled for a full session, with the option to make up missed classes in other age-appropriate styles. Drop-in classes are available at $23 if you text ahead to confirm space.

Jenn Howells, owner and director, teaches ballet, pointe, jazz, modern/jazz, Little Feet, and tap, bringing over 20 years of industry experience. Casey Hampshire teaches hip hop, lyrical, jazz, contemporary, acro and choreographs the competition team (7th season). Elizabeth Chaillé teaches ballet, Little Feet, jazz, contemporary, and modern, and holds a BFA from Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory (2nd season). Brittany Colgan teaches ballet, modern, jazz, and Little Feet, with a degree from Salisbury University (2nd season). Will Touchette teaches break dancing.

Intro and Beginner levels are available across most styles; the studio emphasises making dance accessible and fun for all ages and experience levels.