"Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body."
Martha Graham
About Gwendolyn Bye Dance Center
The Gwendolyn Bye Dance Center (GBDC) has year-round training classes for children and adults and is dedicated to the education and preservation of dance as a performing art. The school offers training in the many disciplines of dance employing the highest standards to students who will make up our next generation of dancers, artists, patrons and the public. At GBDC, we use dance as a bridge to cross cultural, social and economic boundaries.
Founded by Director Gwendolyn Bye in 1985, the school offers comprehensive training in the performing arts. Ms. Bye and her faculty have designed programs to help students grow as young artists and develop a strong technical foundation while having fun. Students will learn self-discipline, concentration, self-confidence, value of teamwork and an appreciation of the arts. Graduates of the school have gone on to the dance programs at TISCH School of Arts at New York University, Tulane, Wesleyan, Temple, Drexel, SUNY Purchase, North Carolina School of the Arts, Ailey/Fordham, and University of the Arts. They have also entered programs at the Ailey School, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the Joffrey Ballet School. While some of our graduates pursue careers in dance, others have succeeded in such diverse fields as medicine, teaching, journalism, physical therapy, advertising and marketing and others.
The school also offers numerous opportunities to perform. Upper level students are eligible to audition for Dancefusion’s fusion2, which performs throughout Philadelphia. Students, may participate in Dancefusion's holiday performance and in the school’s annual recital in June.
