Uptown Dance Center

Uptown Dance Center for Performing Artists is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1985 by Leta Tavares. Based at 735 Morrissey Boulevard in Boston, the studio offers dance education to children and families in a safe, nurturing, and culturally rooted environment. As a nonprofit, Uptown prioritises removing barriers to access through scholarships and community-based programmes, making quality dance education available regardless of background or circumstance.

The studio teaches ballet, tap, hip-hop, acrobatics, yoga, and ethnic dance across three combo-style class levels designed for progressive skill-building. Level 1 Combo serves ages 3–5, introducing young dancers to ballet, jazz, creative movement, acrobatics, and tap while developing coordination, balance, and listening skills. Level 2 Combo (ages 6–10) builds stronger technical foundations across the same styles, adding cultural dance and teaching proper dance terminology and musicality. Level 3 Combo (ages 7 and up) welcomes beginners with stronger motor skills and those with prior experience, offering added challenges in technique, strength, flexibility, and performance quality. All in-person classes culminate in the Annual Dance Recital each June, where every student performs two dance routines on stage in full costume, experiencing live performance and celebrating their growth with family and community.

Uptown's programmes extend beyond weekly classes. The Elite Performance Program offers students the opportunity to compete at local, regional, and national levels through auditioned dance teams, developing showmanship, discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship. The Elite Dance Intensive, a two-day full-day experience offered during summer, winter, and spring vacations, provides comprehensive arts training in ballet, tap, hip-hop, contemporary, jazz, acrobatics, and theatre, alongside career exploration and physical wellness education. Meals and breaks are provided, ensuring full support for underserved BIPOC youth facing financial barriers.

Online Practice classes (all ages, $25/month) offer interactive, movement-filled instruction from home, teaching students choreography and on-camera confidence suitable for future auditions or commercial work. The studio runs a September-to-August programme year, with registration happening each September. A $35 registration fee per student or $50 per family applies; family discounts are available for siblings, along with biannual and full-year tuition discounts. Costumes for recitals cost $75 per routine, with payment plans available.

Classes are structured, age-appropriate, and welcoming to all levels within each group. Students learn technique, choreography, and performance skills in a supportive environment, building toward the Annual Dance Recital in June where every child performs on stage.

All three combo levels welcome beginners; Level 3 explicitly welcomes newer dancers alongside those with prior experience.