School of Dance

Dance Studios

There are four full-time dance studios and a fifth studio available for composition classes.

The three larger dance studios measure 36x50 feet each. Each of the rooms are bright, open spaces with high ceilings, large windows and clerestories. Each studio has one mirrored wall and barres set into the other three walls, and is equipped with a set of eight portable barres and a piano. Studios are also equipped with sound and video playback equipment and power outlets for additional sound and video equipment. The three spaces have state of the art L'Air sprung floors covered in seamless Lonstage.

The fourth studio is 39x23 feet and has a sprung wooden floor and a fully mirrored wall.

The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance also shares a fifth studio with the School of Theater. This space has a sprung floor with Marley coverings and is used for composition classes.

The Sharon Disney Lund Dance Theater

The Sharon Disney Lund Dance Theater is a 50x70-foot space used exclusively for dance performances, rehearsals and classes. It features state-of-the-art wall-to-wall L'Air sprung flooring covered with seamless black Lonstage. Retractable theater seating allows for many different staging configurations. Seating capacity is usually 100 to 125 persons, with a maximum capacity of 250.

The theater's cyclorama consists of a 20x40-foot white muslin bounce drop (suitable for projection), a 20x40-foot black Sharkstooth Scrim on a traveler track, and black Duvateen side and top masking. A 24-foot-high overhead catwalk/grid system includes 320 circuits on 18-inch centers. It supports vertical pipes that provide high-side boom positions, while booms on the floor are used for shins and head highs. There are four Electro-Voice sound reinforcement loudspeakers installed in the four corners of the hall, and a Sony video projector is hung from the catwalk.

An enclosed production theater booth contains computer-based sound, light and video controls, video monitors, digital audio equipment, all manner of support gear and accessories such as gels, cables and microphones, and an intercom system.

The Floor

The CalArts Dance Floor is a nomadic platform for both performer and viewer. It measures 32x32 with a white marley floor and mirror exterior. 

Pilates Studio

The fully carpeted Pilates Studio measures 39x23 feet. It has a mirrored wall and includes the following equipment: five Pilates studio reformers, two trapeze tables, one "whale," four tumbling mats, a Wunda Chair, Ladder Barrel and one Pacemaster Pro-Plus treadmill.

Digital Lab

The Digital Lab has a projector and eight iMac computers all installed with Logic Pro, Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. This room is used by MFA students for web design classes; BFA students use it for audio and music classes, where they learn multitrack mixing and other sound production techniques.

Dressing Rooms

The School has two student dressing rooms with keycard access, one men’s and one women’s. Each room has 12 lighted mirror stations, two showers, sinks, bathroom stalls and costume areas.

Mac Lab

This computer lab is a space shared between the School of Dance and the School of Theater. It has 12 iMac computers, printers and scanners. It is used mostly for dance for camera classes, where BFA and MFA students learn how to use Final Cut Pro and create dance films.

Costume Shop

The School shares a facility for costume construction with the CalArts School of Theater. Students learn about costuming and sewing equipment as part of dance production classes, and use this facility to create costumes for all the Dance School's concerts.