About
Francina Mans School of Dance offers youth dance classes, adult dance classes, adult dance and movement workshops, and yoga. Youth and adult dance classes are offered through the City of Dana Point Recreation Division.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Price: We provide the same professional training as larger dance companies for a fraction of the cost.
Francina Mans School of Dance has been bringing dance to Dana Point since 1989 and is described as a family oriented, community based program. The studio was founded by Prima Ballerina Francina Mans, who completed her training at the Royal Academy of Dance, London in 1951 at age 19 and opened Francina Mans School of Dance the same year. During her 62-year career, Francina trained thousands of dancers, and in 2013 her granddaughter, Andrea Varkel, became sole owner and director, continuing the multi-generational legacy.
Founder Prima Ballerina Francina Mans was awarded “Best Acrobatic Dancer in South Africa” at the Cape Town Eisteddfod, a national art festival, in 1955. Over many years of teaching, Andrea Varkel has received numerous awards for her original and creative choreography and artistic concepts. The program notes that it provides the same professional training as larger dance companies for a fraction of the cost, and that every student receives individual attention.
The leadership team includes founder and director Andrea Varkel, director/instructor Michelle Dillard, and Prima Ballerina Francina Mans as the original founder whose legacy was passed down to her granddaughter. Andrea Varkel auditioned for the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) in 2001 and was one of 40 dancers accepted into their Commercial Dance Department, received training from EDGE Performing Arts Center and Millennium Dance Complex, studied costume design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles (FIDM), and earned a college degree in Apparel Manufacturing. Director/instructor Michelle Dillard began training at age 4 with Irvine Dance Academy, is trained in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Tap, and some Irish clog, worked at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim starting in 2001 performing as a variety of characters in the park, parades, and stage shows, choreographed for the company’s annual charity show in 2002 and 2003, trained through the dance department at Irvine Valley College, performed with Marie De La Palme’s MotionTribe Dance Company, was a principal performer and resident choreographer at Elle Vie Dance Company in San Juan Capistrano, completed the 200 hour yoga instructor certification through the State of California in early 2019, and joined Southern California based Tap Tribe in 2019 as a principal performer.
The program’s mission statement from Francina Mans is, “Dance is love. If you show children love as you teach them dance, they will love dance and they will succeed.” Francina Mans School of Dance describes having a unique vision and creative approach to teaching youth dance in the community, encouraging self-expression, providing every student the opportunity to be a star, and promoting a positive message. The program states that dance is more than technique; it is art, love, and expression, and that dance is recognized as healing to the soul during the many stages of youth development. The school states that it combines proper technique training with the freedom to explore so young dancers can blossom, and that it is a family oriented, community based program that ensures everyone can afford the chance to dance and believes every child should know how it feels to be a star. The program states that FMSD is a family where lasting relationships are built, that instructors are more than coaches and act as role models promoting a positive message to developing young minds, and that they strive to preserve every child’s innocence with costume and music selection always conservative and never provocative.
The program is described as family oriented and community based, and notes that youth and adult dance classes are offered through the City of Dana Point Recreation Division. It also notes that Francina began rebuilding her community based dance program by teaching at local recreation centers and schools before finding her home in Dana Point, California.
Last updated July 5, 2026.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Price: We provide the same professional training as larger dance companies for a fraction of the cost.
Francina Mans School of Dance has been bringing dance to Dana Point since 1989 and is described as a family oriented, community based program. The studio was founded by Prima Ballerina Francina Mans, who completed her training at the Royal Academy of Dance, London in 1951 at age 19 and opened Francina Mans School of Dance the same year. During her 62-year career, Francina trained thousands of dancers, and in 2013 her granddaughter, Andrea Varkel, became sole owner and director, continuing the multi-generational legacy.
Founder Prima Ballerina Francina Mans was awarded “Best Acrobatic Dancer in South Africa” at the Cape Town Eisteddfod, a national art festival, in 1955. Over many years of teaching, Andrea Varkel has received numerous awards for her original and creative choreography and artistic concepts. The program notes that it provides the same professional training as larger dance companies for a fraction of the cost, and that every student receives individual attention.
The leadership team includes founder and director Andrea Varkel, director/instructor Michelle Dillard, and Prima Ballerina Francina Mans as the original founder whose legacy was passed down to her granddaughter. Andrea Varkel auditioned for the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) in 2001 and was one of 40 dancers accepted into their Commercial Dance Department, received training from EDGE Performing Arts Center and Millennium Dance Complex, studied costume design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles (FIDM), and earned a college degree in Apparel Manufacturing. Director/instructor Michelle Dillard began training at age 4 with Irvine Dance Academy, is trained in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Tap, and some Irish clog, worked at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim starting in 2001 performing as a variety of characters in the park, parades, and stage shows, choreographed for the company’s annual charity show in 2002 and 2003, trained through the dance department at Irvine Valley College, performed with Marie De La Palme’s MotionTribe Dance Company, was a principal performer and resident choreographer at Elle Vie Dance Company in San Juan Capistrano, completed the 200 hour yoga instructor certification through the State of California in early 2019, and joined Southern California based Tap Tribe in 2019 as a principal performer.
The program’s mission statement from Francina Mans is, “Dance is love. If you show children love as you teach them dance, they will love dance and they will succeed.” Francina Mans School of Dance describes having a unique vision and creative approach to teaching youth dance in the community, encouraging self-expression, providing every student the opportunity to be a star, and promoting a positive message. The program states that dance is more than technique; it is art, love, and expression, and that dance is recognized as healing to the soul during the many stages of youth development. The school states that it combines proper technique training with the freedom to explore so young dancers can blossom, and that it is a family oriented, community based program that ensures everyone can afford the chance to dance and believes every child should know how it feels to be a star. The program states that FMSD is a family where lasting relationships are built, that instructors are more than coaches and act as role models promoting a positive message to developing young minds, and that they strive to preserve every child’s innocence with costume and music selection always conservative and never provocative.
The program is described as family oriented and community based, and notes that youth and adult dance classes are offered through the City of Dana Point Recreation Division. It also notes that Francina began rebuilding her community based dance program by teaching at local recreation centers and schools before finding her home in Dana Point, California.
Last updated July 5, 2026.
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