The School at Open Space
Disjecta Studio at Oregon Center for Contemporary Art, 8371 N Interstate Ave, Portland, OR 97217
About
The School at Open Space offers regular weekly classes in ballet, pointe, contemporary, and jazz technique, along with creative movement. Dancers can also take part in additional weekend workshops in choreography, somatics, and hip-hop, as well as ongoing rehearsals, performances, and educational seminars.
• Ages: 2–18 years old
Open Space was born in 2020. The School at Open Space is described as a creative container for dance and movement where every body is welcome, and it offers professional dance training with a focus on collaboration, inclusiveness, and performance. The School at Open Space works in partnership with the performing company, faculty and students along with their families.
The School at Open Space is part of a broader organization that contracts 6–8 professional dancers annually and presents four original productions each season. Open Space Too is a two-year pre-professional program for dancers 18 and older with 30+ hours of weekly classes, and adult open classes in ballet, contemporary, jazz, and improvisation are also offered, with 25% of these adult classes free of charge.
The School at Open Space offers scholarships based on financial need, merit, and creating a diverse student body, and states that no student is turned away due to financial need. Open Space is located in Portland’s Kenton neighborhood and nurtures dancers of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, and adult open classes welcome the wider community.
The leadership team includes Co-founder and Artistic Director Franco Nieto, Co-founder and Executive Director Charlene Hannibal, Co-founder and Director of Education Maeve Dougal, Programs Manager and Company Artist Annie Borden, and School Manager Mara Hays. Staff credentials include a Princess Grace Award winner; a BFA in Jazz from Point Park University; over a decade of training at The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre; a classically trained pianist; an English degree from UC Berkeley; a certified yoga instructor (2001) in Pahoa, Hawaii; a posture coach trained in the Gokhale Method; an MA in Dance Education/American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Ballet Pedagogy from New York University; a BFA in Dance from Utah Valley University; membership on the Artistic Board of Examiners for American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum; and an ABT Teaching Fellow who has completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT National Training Curriculum. Credentials and awards also include the Princess Grace Award, membership on the Artistic Board of Examiners for American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum, and ABT Teaching Fellow certification through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT National Training Curriculum.
Open Space maintains two fully equipped studios located directly across the street from each other, providing flexible, spacious training environments for their School, Open Space Too, and Company programming. Families are asked to have dancers arrive dressed for class whenever possible to avoid crowding restrooms, and both studios have refill stations, so dancers are asked to bring a reusable water container. At The Station, shoes must be removed before stepping onto the dance floor.
A student from The School at Open Space, Asher, states, “I would not think of it as a place, I would think of it as the people in the place.”
Last updated July 4, 2026.
• Ages: 2–18 years old
Open Space was born in 2020. The School at Open Space is described as a creative container for dance and movement where every body is welcome, and it offers professional dance training with a focus on collaboration, inclusiveness, and performance. The School at Open Space works in partnership with the performing company, faculty and students along with their families.
The School at Open Space is part of a broader organization that contracts 6–8 professional dancers annually and presents four original productions each season. Open Space Too is a two-year pre-professional program for dancers 18 and older with 30+ hours of weekly classes, and adult open classes in ballet, contemporary, jazz, and improvisation are also offered, with 25% of these adult classes free of charge.
The School at Open Space offers scholarships based on financial need, merit, and creating a diverse student body, and states that no student is turned away due to financial need. Open Space is located in Portland’s Kenton neighborhood and nurtures dancers of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, and adult open classes welcome the wider community.
The leadership team includes Co-founder and Artistic Director Franco Nieto, Co-founder and Executive Director Charlene Hannibal, Co-founder and Director of Education Maeve Dougal, Programs Manager and Company Artist Annie Borden, and School Manager Mara Hays. Staff credentials include a Princess Grace Award winner; a BFA in Jazz from Point Park University; over a decade of training at The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre; a classically trained pianist; an English degree from UC Berkeley; a certified yoga instructor (2001) in Pahoa, Hawaii; a posture coach trained in the Gokhale Method; an MA in Dance Education/American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Ballet Pedagogy from New York University; a BFA in Dance from Utah Valley University; membership on the Artistic Board of Examiners for American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum; and an ABT Teaching Fellow who has completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT National Training Curriculum. Credentials and awards also include the Princess Grace Award, membership on the Artistic Board of Examiners for American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum, and ABT Teaching Fellow certification through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT National Training Curriculum.
Open Space maintains two fully equipped studios located directly across the street from each other, providing flexible, spacious training environments for their School, Open Space Too, and Company programming. Families are asked to have dancers arrive dressed for class whenever possible to avoid crowding restrooms, and both studios have refill stations, so dancers are asked to bring a reusable water container. At The Station, shoes must be removed before stepping onto the dance floor.
A student from The School at Open Space, Asher, states, “I would not think of it as a place, I would think of it as the people in the place.”
Last updated July 4, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.