Whether you want to earn a degree, improve your skills, get certified, train for a new career, or explore a new hobby, you can choose from many programs and courses.
Explore your interests and find a program that puts you on the path to a bright future. Tri-C offers both credit and non-credit courses as well as certificate programs in most career fields.
More than 1,000 credit courses are offered each semester in more than 200 career and technical programs. Tri-C also grants short-term certificates, certificates of proficiency and post-degree professional certificates.
Tri-C's Workforce Training provides both non-credit and credit training for individuals and businesses to assist individuals with skills leading to employment. Tri-C's Corporate College provides professional development and corporate training opportunities.
Tri-C offers a variety of affordable and convenient community programs for both adults and youth. These programs are designed to promote individual development.
We are dedicated to fostering both your artistic and personal growth. Whether you are pursuing dance as a career or seeking to experience its personal benefits, our program invites you to explore your potential, build technical and creative skills, connect with fellow dancers, and gain invaluable practical experience. Our curriculum is designed to deepen your understanding and appreciation of dance, while challenging and inspiring you each step of the way.
We uphold the values of excellence, integrity, curiosity, and community—principles that will enrich your life, no matter where your journey leads. Our faculty are not just instructors, but mentors who create a supportive environment focused on your personal and artistic development. They will help you refine your technique, heighten your understanding and awareness of your body, and encourage persistence and resilience. You will be guided to think creatively, set personal goals, take risks, and collaborate with others, all while applying your skills in practical, real-world settings, including performances.
If you are passionate about dance, but unsure where to begin or how to maintain your involvement, Tri-C offers an accessible, affordable, and high-quality pathway to pursue your passion, gain practical knowledge and skills, and explore your creativity in meaningful ways.
With Tri-C Dance, learning extends beyond the studio. We regularly collaborate with leading arts organizations to offer master classes, artist residencies, and live performance opportunities. Students have interacted with local, national, and international dance companies and artists such as PILOBOLUS, Paul Taylor Dance Company, PHILADANCO!, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, Popmaster Fabel, Tony Fresh, Jayson "Mouse" Vasquez, GroundWorks Dance Theater, Inlet Dance Theatre, and Eisenhower Dance Detroit. You'll also have opportunities to collaborate with Tri-C students and faculty in film/media arts, music, theater, and recording arts, expanding both your artistic perspective and professional network.
For students planning to transfer to a four-year university to pursue a bachelor’s degree or minor in dance, our Associate of Arts degree is the recommended starting point at Tri-C. We strongly recommend discussing your goals early on with Tri-C dance faculty and consulting with the dance program director at your target institution, as not all dance classes may transfer. We also encourage you to talk to an academic counselor and/or transfer specialist at Tri-C. The Transfer Center offers resources to guide you, including articulation agreements and pathways to our partner schools.
About Our Students:
We are proud to support Tri-C students as they have gone on to pursue further education and training, as well as those who have joined the creative workforce as performers, choreographers, teachers, and related roles. Tri-C students have gone on to:
Earn scholarships to attend four-year universities (and graduating as dance majors or minors)
Dance professionally with the Cleveland Cavaliers Scream Team, the Cavaliers Dance Team, Cedar Point Entertainment, MorrisonDance, and others
Become trainees or apprentices with dance companies
Teach dance classes and/or choreograph for local dance studios and schools
Participate in collaborative film projects and creative events
With additional experience and education, graduates can work within the field of dance or in a related career field. This can include:
Performer
Choreographer
Dance teacher
Artistic or creative director
Business owner or entrepreneur (e.g., dance or fitness studio owner)
Dance/movement therapist
Dance production: lighting designer, sound designer, costume designer, etc.
Community dance instructor (e.g., lead dance activities in community centers or at church)
Fitness instructor, personal trainer, exercise specialist
Pilates or yoga instructor
Arts administrator
Physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, or athletic trainer
Dance/sport psychologist
DJ, accompanist, composer, or sound designer for dance classes, performances, and events
Film and photography for dance/movement
Practical, personalized, and holistic education
Our program prepares students for the success beyond Tri-C (whether they enter the current job market or continue with further academic study) by offering hands-on experience, personalized instruction, and a well-rounded approach to dance training.
Access to world-class artists
Engage with leading dance professionals and companies through partnerships with organizations like DANCECleveland and Tri-C Performing Arts. See live professional performances at Playhouse Square, attend free master classes, and participate in performance opportunities.
Prepare for auditions and career opportunities
Gain the skills and confidence needed to succeed in auditions and connect to work opportunities in the dance industry.
Explore dance as a career
We are mindful that the dance landscape is changing in fast and exciting ways. Tri-C offers a flexible, cost-effective way to explore dance as a career path before committing to more expensive options such as a four-year program or moving away to train or work.
Unique course offerings
Go beyond traditional forms with classes in hip-hop and street dance styles, conditioning for dancers, improvisation and choreography, and more
Affordable, high-quality training
Our classes offer professional-level instruction at a fraction of the cost, with the lowest tuition in Northeast Ohio at $129.54 per credit hour (which amounts to ~$8-$12 per class session for a 2-3-credit course that meets twice per week).
Scholarship opportunities
Scholarships are available to help make your education and dance training even more accessible.
Apply to Tri-C (students can take classes for credit or audit/no credit or grading). Note: high school students (including homeschool students) are eligible to apply for college-level dance courses (recommend grades 11-12, or ages 16+).
Contact the dance program coordinator Sarah Carey (sarah.carey@tri-c.edu) to talk about goals, available classes, etc.
Search for available dance classes (DANC) and read course descriptions and requirements.
Register* (for credit or audit) online via my Tri-C space (search prefix DANC), by phone (216-987-6000), or in person at any Tri-C campus enrollment center.
*Prerequisites and Department Approval:
While there is no audition requirement, some dance courses require prerequisites or department approval before registering. For those seeking a prerequisite override and/or department approval to register for a course (e.g., you have had previous dance or movement experience, etc.), please contact Sarah Carey, dance program coordinator (sarah.carey@tri-c.edu).
Additional Information:
For high school students (including homeschool and non-public school students), you may also be eligible to take college-level dance classes at Tri-C for free through Ohio's College Credit Plus program (see also Tri-C's College Credit Plus webpage).
For adults (ages 55+) looking for non-credit movement and dance classes for personal wellness, fitness, and enjoyment, we'd be happy to hear from you too. We could also connect you to related opportunities at Tri-C and other organizations (e.g., Encore 55+ Learning).
Metropolitan Campus (primary) Center for Creative Arts (MCCA) Lower Level - Rooms 017 and 018 2809 Woodland Ave. Cleveland, Ohio 44115 * Underground parking lots 5 and 6 have an entrance to the Center for Creative Arts/CCA. Once inside, take the stairs or elevator to the dance studios on the lower level.
Eastern Campus Student Services Building (ESS) - Room 2520
Western Campus Liberal Arts Building (WLA) - Room 115 B
Related Information
High School and Homeschool Students - College Credit Plus
For adults (age 55+) looking for non-credit movement and/or dance classes (e.g., Line Dance, yoga, Pilates, etc.) for personal wellness, fitness, and enjoyment, check out Tri-C's Encore 55+ Learning program.
Tri-C Performing Arts presents an annual series of professional dance and music performances (often in partnership with organizations such as DANCE Cleveland). Check out the current season and attend a dance event!