Welcome to Arts in Motion Dance Academy!

Not your average dance studio.

Our Mission

At AIM, we use the art of dance to nurture confidence, bravery, and resilience in order to inspire students to shine their authentic selves to the world.

Our Values

Fostering Inclusivity

At AIM, dancers and families of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and abilities are welcomed and celebrated. AIM is proud to be the only openly LGBTQ-owned and LGBTQ-affirming dance studio in the Richmond area.

Supporting Mental Wellness

AIM’s faculty are committed to ending the cycle of toxicity and trauma in dance education. We teach from a trauma-informed perspective and benefit from regular trainings on mental wellness in the dance studio.​

Promoting Body Positivity

We teach our dancers the importance of positive self-talk and skills to combat negative self-talk. We teach dance from an anatomical perspective, emphasizing how movement should feel rather than how it should look.

Exploring Artistry

At AIM, students can let their creativity flow! We encourage our dancers to think about dance as an art form, and not just a hobby. We engage our dancers with age-appropriate activities designed to help them discover and investigate their own unique movement styles.

Unleashing Joy

We are all about the experience and expression of joy! We cultivate an environment of positivity, playfulness, and community where students feel safe to be their true, authentic, weird, wonderful selves.

Experiencing Individualized Growth

Our faculty meets their students where they are and understands each dancer’s unique learning style. Through goal-setting and built-in accountability, we help our dancers see and achieve their potential.

Why AIM?

Did you know that there are no qualifications required in order to open a dance studio? That's why it's so important to do your research when selecting a dance program for your family. Look for qualities that set a studio apart. 

Here's what makes AIM Richmond's top destination for dance education:

• Inclusive Community. The AIM family is made up of diverse races, genders, sexual orientations, and backgrounds. We are a queer-owned, queer-inclusive dance studio. Our dress code offers options for dancers to be comfortable and confident in their own gender expressions and their own bodies. We sell tights and shoes on-site to match all skin tones. If you've felt out of place or misunderstood at other dance studios, AIM just might be the place you'll soon call your Dance Home.
• Qualified, Passionate Instructors - All of our lead instructors have a college degree in dance or equivalent professional experience. Younger instructors are brought onto the team only if they display extraordinary talent with children in addition to impressive dance credentials, and go through a teacher training program under the direction of the owner. Many of our instructors are active members of the Richmond professional dance community, and they bring their passion for their art form into the classroom. You can see our faculty members perform around Richmond at various venues in a range of styles.
• Small Classes - We have some of the lowest student-teacher ratios in the Richmond area. Our ideal class size is 12 or fewer students. Your child will receive individualized attention every week in class from our qualified instructors. We are dedicated to the education and growth of each and every one of our students as a dancer and as a young person, and believe that this cannot be achieved with huge class sizes. Typically, younger classes with more than 10 dancers have assistants who aid the lead instructor with keeping lines in order, demonstrating steps, handing out props, tying shoes, etc.
• Consistent Quality - At AIM, we are dedicated to providing a high quality dance education to all of our students regardless of their age, ability, or commitment level. A beginning level dancer in the studio once a week is just as important to us as our advanced students who train up to five nights a week.
• Professional Facility - Our facility features neoprene-padded sub-floors to protect dancers' joints, professional-grade marley flooring, a comfortable lobby for parents, caretakers, and siblings, and video cameras in each classroom so you can watch your child's class via Zoom each week.
• Guest Teachers - We bring in guest artists to teach and perform to expose our students to a wide range of dance techniques and styles to help them become strong, versatile dancers with open minds and hearts.
• Customer Experience - Customer service is of great importance to us. Our Admin team answers all phone calls and emails to make sure that students are registered in the appropriate level and that all parents' questions are answered.

Contact us today to schedule a time to come in and tour our facility and learn more about our programs!
Email [email protected] or call 804-741-2246.


Click the links below to read more about AIM:
Our Instructors
Our Facility
Testimonials