Center Stage provides meaningful opportunities through the art of dance and offers a positive outlet that enriches the East Hawai‘i community. We create a safe and supportive environment for learning and growth — through classes, workshops, guest instructors, performances, and mentorship.
Center Stage opened in 2006 with a simple belief: Hilo deserves a dance studio built for everyone. From a small space to the studio at 1133 Manono Street, Center Stage has grown into East Hawai‘i's home for dance — serving a wide range of students from first-time dancers to lifelong movers across the community.
No rankings, no trophies, no pressure. We believe the best dancers are the ones having the best time.
We give all our dancers frequent opportunities to perform throughout the year, so performing becomes a natural part of their growth.
We're a 501(c)(3) nonprofit studio, not a for-profit business — tuition helps keep classes accessible, while donations and fundraisers help sustain our programs and maintain a safe studio space.
Ballet, hip hop, jazz, tap, contemporary, breaking, and stretch & strengthen — a dancer can try everything here, and our teachers have the range to guide them.
From pre-ballet keiki to adult dancers of all ages and experience levels, there's a class on the schedule for every stage of the journey.
Center Stage has truly changed our lives for the better.
Center Stage is more than a studio, it is a family that is filled with nothing but love and support for one another.
Through the many styles offered at Center Stage, I have learned to step out of my comfort zone, growing as a young artist.
We are pushed, challenged, expected, encouraged, inspired, accepted, supported & loved.
Thank you for offering a safe, encouraging, empowering, kind, and fun environment for all to share in the love of dance and community.
Center Stage's logo is inspired by our home. In the center of the Pacific is the heartbeat of the world — Hawai‘i. The creative force that flows beneath us here on Hawai‘i nei is Pele.
We were on episode 11 of Kīlauea's erupting fountains when I worked on this project, and it was the way the lava flew and fell down in the air creating these big fiery blooms that reminded me of lehua blossoms dancing in the wind.
The lehua is a beloved native flower of Hawai‘i. Its role in our forests is to gather rain and fill our aquifers with fresh water — like Center Stage's role to provide our community a space to express and connect through movement and performance.
In Hawai‘i, pua (flowers) are also symbolic of children and the next generation. The lehua here are the dancers of Center Stage, full of energy and grace. The colors honor the different shades of lehua, so wherever they perform in the world, they will always represent Hawai‘i.
It was an honor to bring this vision to life — and as a life-long hula dancer, create this piece for a group passionate about dance and dedicated to my community.
Community and connection are what we value most. We foster an environment of inclusion for all people, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Your uniqueness is celebrated here.
