Principal Creative & Performing Arts

Principal Creative & Performing Arts offers dance classes, musical theatre camp, and a Pop Music / Movement Camp that include arts & crafts, a rooftop lunch hour, and movie time. The program also includes Performance Teams and recitals as part of its activities. Dancers at camp have a morning and an afternoon dance class each day, along with provided morning and afternoon snacks, and are asked to bring a lunch and water bottle.

• Ages: 5–14 years old
• Schedule: Camps run 9am–3pm in weekly sessions, including three 5-day weeks and one 4-day week in July 2026
• Price: Teacher’s Assistant summer camp tuition is $250 for a 5-day week and $200 for a 4-day week; July 6–10, 13–17, and 20–24, 2026 are $425 per week, and July 27–30, 2026 (4 Day Camp) is $375

Principal Creative & Performing Arts was founded by Jana and Carlos Chapeton. In 2014, Principal Creative & Performing Arts was created to serve school-age dancers. The studio remains family-owned and connected to the San Mateo community. The mission of Principal Creative & Performing Arts is to provide a positive, structured, and inspiring environment where dancers can develop strong technical foundations, build confidence, and grow into resilient, self-assured young people, with thoughtful instruction, meaningful performance opportunities, and a supportive community that values both excellence and personal growth.

Principal Creative & Performing Arts offers a Free Trial Class and has Performance Teams for dancers seeking a structured, technique-driven training environment. Programs at the studio balance technical foundations, creative expression and artistry, performance experience that builds confidence, and positive mentorship that supports personal growth. The internal camp schedule includes a morning and an afternoon dance class, arts & crafts, rooftop lunch hour, and some movie time each day. Morning and afternoon snacks are provided at camps, and dancers bring their own lunch and water bottle.

Those dancers who are currently Teacher’s Assistants (TA’s), or who want to start their TA experience on their way to becoming a coach, are welcome to assist in any of the camp weeks, with two TA slots available per camp. TA’s receive a discount and need to be a level III dancer or above. Teacher’s Assistant summer camp tuition is $250.00 for a 5-day week and $200.00 for a 4-day week.

Principal Creative & Performing Arts has been recognized as an ADCC Studio of Excellence Award Winner. The Studio of Excellence Award is given by participating ADCC member competitions to a studio of their choice that best exemplifies the values of The ADCC, which include working together and striving for excellence. The studio has been voted “Best Dance School” by Bay Area Parent readers 7 of the past 10 years, and in the top 3 dance studios for each year of the past decade. It has also been voted Best Dance Studio On The Peninsula.

Registration for summer camps opens February 1st, 2026, and spots are first-come, first-serve. A 50% non-refundable deposit is due upon registration for camps, and the balance is due on July 1st, 2026. Auditions for the 2026–2027 Performance Teams take place June 1–6, 2026.

One parent shared, “PCPA is an amazing dance studio that accepted my daughter as a person who liked to dance and transformed her into a beautiful confident dancer who LOVES to perform & compete,” and signed the testimonial as “Cai A. PCPA Dance Mom.”

Last updated March 18, 2026.