Armour Dance Theatre
Armour Dance Theatre / South Miami Academy, 5818 SW 73rd St, South Miami, FL 33143
About
Armour Dance Theatre offers classes in ballet, hip hop, contemporary, flamenco, musical theater, and tap. The program provides dance training to over 850 students each year, with nearly 600 students on scholarship across five locations.
• Schedule: Registration is open for the South Miami Academy and Free After School Community Programs.
Armour Dance Theatre states that its mission is to create a pathway to educational and professional opportunities for the youth of Miami-Dade County through the study and performance of dance. The organization offers free after school Community Programs in Miami Heights, Goulds, Little Haiti, and Miami Gardens, as well as free after-school and summer camp Community Programs through its Pointes of Impact Programming, which also includes Next Steps, Summer in NYC, and Beyond the Classroom. The program serves youth regardless of income level, reflects the diversity of the community in its programming, facilitates the removal of obstacles that may impede success, and offers inclusive programming for youth with or without disabilities and for children and youth of all abilities.
Armour Dance Theatre is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Precollegiate Arts Schools and is described as Miami’s longest standing dance institution. The South Miami Academy is described as Miami’s oldest dance conservatory and has a history of over 70 years, beginning in 1949 when Thomas Armour took over a small ballet school and started the Miami Ballet Guild, which became the Miami Ballet with non-profit status in 1951. Over the last three decades, Armour Dance Theatre’s programs have grown in scope and impact.
The leadership team includes Executive Director Camila Gil, Artistic Director Kelly Robotham, Academy Director Ruth Wiesen, Marketing Director Addyson Fonte, Development Director Sarah Donate, and Registrar Janis Signorelli. Staff credentials include extensive professional training and experience: Thomas Armour was a world-renowned classical ballet dancer and principal soloist with multiple international companies; Robert Pike trained at the Chicago Conservatory of Music and Ballet and the Ballet Theater school in New York and performed as a soloist with New York City Opera Ballet; Camila Gil holds a Masters in Global Governance and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies & Political Science; Kelly Robotham is an alumna of New World School of the Arts, holds a BFA from The Juilliard School, danced with Ailey II and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and held administrative internships with Ballet Austin and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Ruth Wiesen holds a BFA in Dance, trained and performed in Miami, founded the Thomas Armour Youth Ballet Scholarship Program, and is a member of the dance faculty of New World School of the Arts; Addyson Fonte is a former Thomas Armour Youth Ballet student who attended New World School of the Arts and Miami-Dade Community College; and Sarah Donate earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and worked in wildlife conservation in the U.S. and South Africa for seven years.
Armour Dance Theatre is funded by The Children’s Trust of Miami-Dade County, which provides ancillary support to students and staff, and also receives support from the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor, and the Board of County Commissioners. The organization is committed to diversifying the dance world and to creating a space where everyone can flourish, and it states that it will continue its legacy of making dance accessible to all children in the community regardless of income, race, ethnicity, gender identity, ability, or body type. Thomas Armour received many awards over the years, including a Lifetime Achievement recognition from Dance For Life for his contributions to the South Florida dance community.
Last updated February 11, 2026.
• Schedule: Registration is open for the South Miami Academy and Free After School Community Programs.
Armour Dance Theatre states that its mission is to create a pathway to educational and professional opportunities for the youth of Miami-Dade County through the study and performance of dance. The organization offers free after school Community Programs in Miami Heights, Goulds, Little Haiti, and Miami Gardens, as well as free after-school and summer camp Community Programs through its Pointes of Impact Programming, which also includes Next Steps, Summer in NYC, and Beyond the Classroom. The program serves youth regardless of income level, reflects the diversity of the community in its programming, facilitates the removal of obstacles that may impede success, and offers inclusive programming for youth with or without disabilities and for children and youth of all abilities.
Armour Dance Theatre is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Precollegiate Arts Schools and is described as Miami’s longest standing dance institution. The South Miami Academy is described as Miami’s oldest dance conservatory and has a history of over 70 years, beginning in 1949 when Thomas Armour took over a small ballet school and started the Miami Ballet Guild, which became the Miami Ballet with non-profit status in 1951. Over the last three decades, Armour Dance Theatre’s programs have grown in scope and impact.
The leadership team includes Executive Director Camila Gil, Artistic Director Kelly Robotham, Academy Director Ruth Wiesen, Marketing Director Addyson Fonte, Development Director Sarah Donate, and Registrar Janis Signorelli. Staff credentials include extensive professional training and experience: Thomas Armour was a world-renowned classical ballet dancer and principal soloist with multiple international companies; Robert Pike trained at the Chicago Conservatory of Music and Ballet and the Ballet Theater school in New York and performed as a soloist with New York City Opera Ballet; Camila Gil holds a Masters in Global Governance and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies & Political Science; Kelly Robotham is an alumna of New World School of the Arts, holds a BFA from The Juilliard School, danced with Ailey II and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and held administrative internships with Ballet Austin and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Ruth Wiesen holds a BFA in Dance, trained and performed in Miami, founded the Thomas Armour Youth Ballet Scholarship Program, and is a member of the dance faculty of New World School of the Arts; Addyson Fonte is a former Thomas Armour Youth Ballet student who attended New World School of the Arts and Miami-Dade Community College; and Sarah Donate earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and worked in wildlife conservation in the U.S. and South Africa for seven years.
Armour Dance Theatre is funded by The Children’s Trust of Miami-Dade County, which provides ancillary support to students and staff, and also receives support from the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor, and the Board of County Commissioners. The organization is committed to diversifying the dance world and to creating a space where everyone can flourish, and it states that it will continue its legacy of making dance accessible to all children in the community regardless of income, race, ethnicity, gender identity, ability, or body type. Thomas Armour received many awards over the years, including a Lifetime Achievement recognition from Dance For Life for his contributions to the South Florida dance community.
Last updated February 11, 2026.
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