A new dance studio in the Shadelands Sports Mall promises to offer a different dance experience to kids, pre-professionals, and adults alike.
It is the newest passion project of Alex Blitstein, a Northgate alumnus who has had a successful career as a professional dancer, choreographer, teacher, and studio owner. “I want to offer a place where kids are seen, valued and heard, a place where they can dance for the joy of it,” says Blitstein. “We mentor kids and encourage their passion.” The Dance House
Walnut Creek is a non-competitive program. “We want kids to value the learning and the love of performing arts.”
The Dance House Walnut Creek opened last month and will offer over 30 classes per week in all styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary and more. Blitstein has proven his model works for both the recreational
dancer and those who want to pursue a career in dance; he’s owned The Dance House Napa Valley, a successful business in Napa, for seven years. Since opening the Napa location in 2018 he has had over 20 graduating seniors get accepted into college dance programs of their choice, and as Blitstein adds, “without ever stepping on a competition stage.” The location in Napa Valley recently expanded and has both a thriving recreational program as well as a pre-professional training program.
Blitstein himself started dancing in high school, after a childhood focused on gymnastics. At age 3 he started gymnastics at Encore and grew into an accomplished gymnast. Growing up in The Woodlands neighborhood, he attended Valle Verde and Foothill and graduated from Northgate High School in 2006. It was Northgate’s dance program that sparked his interest in dance. Those years of dancing at school and at a local studio made a big impression on him. Even as a high school student, he saw the emphasis put on dancing to win instead of dancing for the love of it. He graduated from San Diego State with a degree in dance and science followed by decades of professional dancing (with Jennifer Lopez, The Disney Channel, America’s Got Talent, and many others as well as many national television ads). He teaches and choreographs all over
the world while balancing his time with his own students at his studio locations.
“I really wanted to return to this community that I love so much. It’s a magical place. My best frie
nds are friends I made here in this neighborhood,” added Blitstein. His brother has also returned to the neighborhood and is raising his two kids here.
Blitstein is also a successful entrepreneur. He developed a product called The Dance Map, a trainin
g tool to help kids of all abilities learn to dance. The Dance Map makes dance accessible to all kids and is now being used in Napa Unified School District as well as dance studios, gymnastics gyms, physical therapy offices, preschools and more, both nationally and internationally.
Welcome home Alex! It will be exciting to see the new opportunities available to our community at The Dance House Walnut Creek, where, as Blitstein says, “a house becomes a home when you can dance, dream and discover in it.”
By Kara Navolio, Resident since 1991