Inspiring Creativity & Instilling Confidence
In A Compassionate Environment
Pennsylvania Dance Institute
Official School of Dance Del Bello
Don’t miss the opportunity to let your child experience the world of dance in a fun and creative way! Whether your child has taken classes at our location before or not, he or she will love the opportunity to be part of our Children’s Dance Program brought from the Joffrey Ballet of New York / Chicago. We also offer a Pre-Professional Program with ballet, pointe, and modern dance.
Our program is designed to increase your child’s self-esteem in terms of spatial awareness and body movement. Research indicates that dance can help improve a child’s confidence level and help promote a healthy body image!
We provide dance lessons in the Huntingdon Valley area as well as Southampton, Willow Grove, Feasterville, Meadowbrook, Jenkintown, Rydal and Northeast Philadelphia.
PDI students have continued their studies at prestigious dance programs including The Juilliard School, School of American Ballet, Alvin Ailey Dance Center, American Ballet Theatre, North Carolina School of the Arts, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Princeton Ballet, Walnut Hill Conservatory. Many have gone on to pursue professional careers in dance with Chicago City Ballet, Hubbard Street Modern Dance Company, Atlanta and Georgia Ballet Companies, Louisiana Ballet Company. Other have attended degree programs in dance at New York University, Goucher University, Barnard, University of the Arts, Butler University, and Point Park University to name a few.
Whether studying once a week or on a daily basis, the individual progress of every one of our young dancers is our concern. We value each and every student for their unique qualities and abilities.
Dance Del Bello
Dance Del Bello is a non-profit dance company that brings a professional level of performance in ballet and modern dance to the Delaware Valley from its Bucks County home at the Pennsylvania Dance Institute. The company is composed of a spirited troupe of dancers under the artistic direction of Delphine Del Bello Spencer.
The company actively promotes dance awareness and appreciation, as well as talent development in the Delaware Valley regions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
The quality of the dance and commitment of the company is a direct result of both Ms. Del Bello Spencer’s expertise in the field and her unlimited devotion to excellence in the world of dance.
The company, comprised of area professionals, performs classical, neoclassical, and modern repertoire, drawing their choreography from classic sources like Petipa as well as current day choreographers: Althea Leslie, Henry Roy, and Thomas Gant, Jr.. The company also uses original choreography by Artistic Director, Delphine Del Bello Spencer, and Artistic Advisor, David Kloss.
Since 1991, Dance Del Bello has partnered with Pennsylvania Dance Institute to present the ballet A Christmas Carol by acclaimed choreographer, David Kloss. Each December, dedicated Pennsylvania Dance Institute students’ who have reached the necessary technical and artistic maturity are invited to perform in this captivating interpretation of the Dickens’ classic.
In the spring, all students enrolled in the ballet program have the opportunity to perform in a full-length or excerpted work from Dance Del Bello’s repertoire. Past performances have included Beauty and the Beast, Swan Lake, Cinderella, Coppelia, The Sleeping Beauty, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Delphine Del Bello Spencer, Director
Stephanie Mumbauer, Associate Director
Following a career with Joffrey II, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Sybil Modern Dance Company, Director Delphine Del Bello Spencer founded the Pennsylvania Dance Institute in 1983. To date, Ms. Del Bello Spencer continues to share her expertise and love of dance with students throughout the Delaware Valley. She and Associate Director Stephanie Mumbauer have worked extensively through the years to develop a strong classical program that provides quality instruction in a nurturing environment.
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The PDI Children’s Dance Program enables our very youngest students to explore the joy of movement while developing strength, coordination and musicality. This provides a strong foundation for entry into our pre-professional program, where students begin working in a more structured environment. Formal training in classical ballet also builds a solid base for participation in other disciplines of dance. For this reason, classes in contemporary dance and jazz, are recommended and offered as part of the curriculum. Although not mandatory, performing opportunities with Dance Del Bello, a not-for-profit performing arts company in residence at PDI, are also offered. Students work alongside professional dancers and choreographers gaining insight into the inner workings of a performing arts company.
Our Classical Ballet Program exposes the student to the best of the renowned ballet pedagogy. Incorporating these ballet techniques into the classroom instruction provides the dancer with the proper placement, alignment, and fundamental technique necessary to develop and grow artistically. The program is designed to advance your dancer, each level’s progression is based on the successful competence and awareness of skills from the level before.
Our Modern Dance Program (text coming soon)
