Turning Pointe Dance Center
Turning Pointe Dance Center, 191 Mountain Avenue, Springfield, NJ 07081
About
Turning Pointe Dance Center offers dance classes that include Little Movers combination classes, technique classes, dance for all abilities, and physical therapy and performance. Students can take part in a competition team that attends regional competitions and National competitions, and older dancers can assistant teach the younger students.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Class options Monday–Friday afternoons and evenings, and Saturday mornings and early afternoons
Turning Pointe Dance Center opened in July of 1993 and celebrates over 30 years as an area leader in dance education, including 30 years of dance excellence and 31 years as the area’s leader in dance education. The program states that from a child’s first class to their senior year, Turning Pointe Dance Center has a class for everyone, whether at the recreational or intensive level, and that students receive quality training and professional performing experience while developing confidence, self-esteem, self-discipline, teamwork, and life skills related to hard work and determination. The mission statement explains that the faculty are committed to motivating and challenging every student, that their teaching philosophy is based on instilling passion for dance while nurturing creativity, and that they believe an education in dance benefits the body, mind, and soul. The mission also notes that the faculty aim to provide a strong technique base, guide each student toward self-confidence, and create an environment where fun, fitness, and art unite, with instructors instilling passion while nurturing creativity and pledging to make each dance lesson a positive one.
Owner and Artistic Director Julie Otani is a graduate of Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance, is certified with the US Gymnastics Federation, and has studied at the NJ School of Ballet, Broadway Dance Center, and Dance Space. Ashley attended Montclair State University and graduated with a BFA in dance and a minor in criminal justice in 2017, and Emily holds a BFA in dance from the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman International School of Dance with a focus on choreography and is listed as an Artist in Residence at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. The program describes its faculty as dynamic, professional, dedicated, and experienced, and states that they look forward to sharing their passion for dance with children as the next generation of aspiring young dancers.
Turning Pointe Dance Center is the official sponsor of a Secondary Chapter in the National Honor Society for the Dance Arts (NHSDA). The NHSDA at this program is described as recognizing dance students for outstanding artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement, and as fostering appreciation for dance as a true art form worthy of recognition and prestige. The stated goals of NHSDA include promoting a desire for lifelong learning in dance, encouraging understanding and appreciation of dance as an art form, developing knowledgeable audiences for the future, and identifying honor students in grades 11 and 12 for nomination to the NHSDA Artistic Merit, Leadership and Academic Achievement Award. The NHSDA chapter is open to all dancers at Turning Pointe Dance Center who meet the induction requirements, with invitations to apply sent at the end of a student’s sophomore year and induction typically happening the following year, and all inducted students are officially recognized at the yearly recital.
Turning Pointe Dance Center has a strong, multi-level competition team that participates in multiple regional competitions as well as National competitions. The studio is described as a versatile and award-winning studio and as a second home for thousands of students, and it states that whether a dancer takes one class a week or many, the child will feel a part of the Turning Pointe Dance Center family. Turning Pointe Dance Center is a proud recipient of the ADCC Studio of Excellence Award in 2018, 2019, 2024, and 2025.
Parent and student testimonials describe the staff as warm, personable, hands-on, and welcoming, and say that the owner, Miss Julie, is caring and treats everyone equally. Families report that students have studied many styles of dance at Turning Pointe Dance Center, including ballet, modern, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, tap, and acro, and that some dancers have been part of the studio for many years, calling it a home away from home and a safe and nurturing place where they can form friendships and develop a strong love for dance. Testimonials also mention opportunities to assistant teach younger students, continued encouragement to pursue dance after graduation, and positive experiences with recitals, including comments about the level of talent, professionalism, and teachers’ dances in the finale.
Last updated July 28, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Class options Monday–Friday afternoons and evenings, and Saturday mornings and early afternoons
Turning Pointe Dance Center opened in July of 1993 and celebrates over 30 years as an area leader in dance education, including 30 years of dance excellence and 31 years as the area’s leader in dance education. The program states that from a child’s first class to their senior year, Turning Pointe Dance Center has a class for everyone, whether at the recreational or intensive level, and that students receive quality training and professional performing experience while developing confidence, self-esteem, self-discipline, teamwork, and life skills related to hard work and determination. The mission statement explains that the faculty are committed to motivating and challenging every student, that their teaching philosophy is based on instilling passion for dance while nurturing creativity, and that they believe an education in dance benefits the body, mind, and soul. The mission also notes that the faculty aim to provide a strong technique base, guide each student toward self-confidence, and create an environment where fun, fitness, and art unite, with instructors instilling passion while nurturing creativity and pledging to make each dance lesson a positive one.
Owner and Artistic Director Julie Otani is a graduate of Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance, is certified with the US Gymnastics Federation, and has studied at the NJ School of Ballet, Broadway Dance Center, and Dance Space. Ashley attended Montclair State University and graduated with a BFA in dance and a minor in criminal justice in 2017, and Emily holds a BFA in dance from the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman International School of Dance with a focus on choreography and is listed as an Artist in Residence at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. The program describes its faculty as dynamic, professional, dedicated, and experienced, and states that they look forward to sharing their passion for dance with children as the next generation of aspiring young dancers.
Turning Pointe Dance Center is the official sponsor of a Secondary Chapter in the National Honor Society for the Dance Arts (NHSDA). The NHSDA at this program is described as recognizing dance students for outstanding artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement, and as fostering appreciation for dance as a true art form worthy of recognition and prestige. The stated goals of NHSDA include promoting a desire for lifelong learning in dance, encouraging understanding and appreciation of dance as an art form, developing knowledgeable audiences for the future, and identifying honor students in grades 11 and 12 for nomination to the NHSDA Artistic Merit, Leadership and Academic Achievement Award. The NHSDA chapter is open to all dancers at Turning Pointe Dance Center who meet the induction requirements, with invitations to apply sent at the end of a student’s sophomore year and induction typically happening the following year, and all inducted students are officially recognized at the yearly recital.
Turning Pointe Dance Center has a strong, multi-level competition team that participates in multiple regional competitions as well as National competitions. The studio is described as a versatile and award-winning studio and as a second home for thousands of students, and it states that whether a dancer takes one class a week or many, the child will feel a part of the Turning Pointe Dance Center family. Turning Pointe Dance Center is a proud recipient of the ADCC Studio of Excellence Award in 2018, 2019, 2024, and 2025.
Parent and student testimonials describe the staff as warm, personable, hands-on, and welcoming, and say that the owner, Miss Julie, is caring and treats everyone equally. Families report that students have studied many styles of dance at Turning Pointe Dance Center, including ballet, modern, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, tap, and acro, and that some dancers have been part of the studio for many years, calling it a home away from home and a safe and nurturing place where they can form friendships and develop a strong love for dance. Testimonials also mention opportunities to assistant teach younger students, continued encouragement to pursue dance after graduation, and positive experiences with recitals, including comments about the level of talent, professionalism, and teachers’ dances in the finale.
Last updated July 28, 2026.
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