The Belfast Dance Studio was founded in 1985 in Belfast, Maine. Our first location was on Main Street around the corner from our present location on High Street. We started with one 24'x40' studio and a shared hall bathroom. We soon outgrew the space and in 1991 purchased the High Street building across from the public library. Michael Jones and company drew up the plans and did the renovations on the building, which at one time had housed Studebaker cars. We moved into our new state of the art studio in the spring of 1992. We now have one large studio and bathroom upstairs and a smaller studio, sauna, changing rooms, bathroom, waiting room and office downstairs. Both studios have sprung and heated flooring . We operate seven days a week with movement and dance classes for all ages and abilities, and a wide variety of styles.

  Over the years the Dance Studio has hosted many workshops, festivals and dance intensives. Founding director Lisa Newcomb has been involved in the world of African and Caribbean dance. Some of the best teachers in this field have spent many summers teaching at the studio including Arthur Hall, Richard Gonzalez, Nego Gato, Abdoulaye Sylla, Cle Douglas, and Julio Jean. With the help of many of these amazing dancers and The Community Multi- Cultural Arts Project we created the Sankofa Festival, a yearly summer event, from 1989-2002.

  The festival has included dance and drumming workshops, street vendors, food from different countries, street performances and a community street dance. We also produce an annual gala of dance, music and poetry that is a venue for local artists to show their work.

  The Belfast Dance Studio is very committed to providing a space for people of all ages and desires to discover the world of dance. We pride ourselves in the quality of teaching and the variety of dance styles we offer. A number of our teachers have been with us since our doors opened in 1985 and most have been teaching with us for the past 5 to 10 years. We continue to bring to our studio visiting artists to create workshops and performances for our community.