Welcome to the Studio
Creating a community of belonging and support where every dancer is welcomed to begin a journey of self-discovery, grow through authentic self-expression, and experience the joy of dance.
Announcements
- Fall 2026 Classes have officially begun, but it’s not to late to Register!
- To Register, go to the Account Portal. Fall season will remain open for Registration until Winter Break in December.
- CHECK-OUT THE NEW HOMESCHOOL CLASS OFFERINGS ON THURSDAYS via the ‘Classes’ Tab.
- Dana’s Dance merchandise now available: CLICK HERE TO SHOP
About the Studio
Dana’s Dance has been part of the Woodland Park community since 2006, growing from a small home studio into a welcoming space in the heart of downtown.
From the beginning, the studio has been about more than learning steps. It has been about creating a place where people can explore movement, connection, creativity, and authentic self-expression while being encouraged to show up as they are.
There is no one way to look like a dancer, move like a dancer, or belong in a dance studio. Whether dance has always been part of your life or you have never imagined yourself in a space like this before, there is room for you to explore what movement can become in your own story.
Today, Dana’s Dance offers a wide variety of opportunities, including Ballet, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Tap, Jazz, Acro, Baton, worship, storytelling through dance, and classes created for young children, homeschoolers, teens, and adults. Our teachers meet dancers with encouragement, curiosity, and a desire to support each person’s individual journey.
Our dancers also have opportunities to share their joy throughout the Woodland Park community at Kids Fest, the Fourth of July Celebration, local elementary schools, and other community events. Each school year culminates in our annual recital at the Woodland Park High School Auditorium.
Dana’s Dance is proud to be a place where people can belong, connect, create, and discover more of themselves through movement — rooted in Woodland Park and always ready to welcome someone new through the door.
FACULTY
Dana Richardson
Founder & Artistic Director
Dana is a Colorado native and was born and raised in Woodland Park. She grew up dancing with Kathryn Utke and Cathy Myrick who instilled a love of dance in her from a very young age. Dana has danced professionally for PPCC, Our Community Dance Company, Sansara Dance Company. Dana is currently dancing with what used to be Open Sky Colorado and is now Jubilee Arts Collective. Her passion is to share who she is through her love of dance and it has been a vehicle for her to find her true heart and self. Dana loves being a part of Woodland Park, Teller County and the surrounding areas. For her, it’s important to invest in her community, which she does through nurturing and inspiring the hearts and lives of the students who walk through her doors. Dana has been teaching for over 17 years and began teaching in her home after a friend asked her to consider teaching her daughter. After five years of having 100+ students traipsing through her house, with the help of her friends and family, Dana acquired her studio in the heart of Woodland Park, Colorado. Dana is passionate about being a dance teacher and studio owner and loves the opportunity to share the skills and the joy of dance with her community. She encourages her dancers to find out who they are in a safe, loving, environment and discover the beauty and value they possess.
I didn’t grow up dancing.
I actually didn’t start dancing until I was 18., and not long after that, I started teaching. In a lot of ways, I literally learned as I taught.
I never would have imagined that a little over a decade later, I would become a professional dancer and co-own a dance studio. Dance wasn’t something I had spent my whole life preparing for. It was something I discovered, fell in love with, kept showing up for, and eventually realized had become a huge part of who I am.
Looking back, I believe God made my story this way for a reason.
Because I wasn’t raised in dance, I know what it feels like to discover it from the outside. And because I didn’t start until I was 18, I learned something that has become foundational to the way I see dance and the way I teach: Dance was never meant to be exclusive.
I believe anyone with a body is made to move. Dance is available to all of us, and everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the life and joy it can bring.
Dance has given me so much more than the ability to dance.
It has taught me not to give up when something is hard. It has taught me to keep showing up when I don’t want to. It has taught me how to speak when I don’t have words and how to be vulnerable enough to allow emotions to work through my body instead of staying stuck inside of me.
That’s the part of dance I want to share.
Yes, I love the movement. I love the artistry. I love watching someone grow in their skills and discover what their body can do. But my heart for teaching goes so much deeper than creating great dancers.
I want people to experience what dance can give them.
A place to move. A place to express. A place to be vulnerable. A place to work through something hard and discover they can keep going. A place to experience joy. A place to belong.
Maybe that is the greatest gift my own dance story has given me. I never had to believe that dance was only for people who had always been dancers.
I got to discover that it could be for me.
And now, whether someone walks into class already loving dance or is still figuring out if this is a space for them, my hope is that they have the opportunity to discover that it can be for them too
That is the kind of space I want to help create.
One where you can come as you are, move, grow, feel, and experience just how beautiful and life-giving dance can be.
Houston Gordon
Co-Owner & Instructor
April Estep
Jazz & Tap Instructor
April is a tap dancer and choreographer who leaped into her passion for dance more than 40 years ago. She grew up dancing; competing as a soloist and in groups for regional, state, and national championships. She was named Senior Miss Dance of Oklahoma in 1991. April has studied many styles of dance including ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, modern, lyrical, Irish step, Swing, and Latin. April’s feet never stop moving and she is thrilled to instill the love of dance that she so enjoys!
Veronica has been twirling for 50 years and teaching for 40 years. She has won numerous National and State twirling titles and had the incredible honor of twirling for Purdue University while earning a degree in Chemical Engineering. Veronica loves to share her passion for baton through teaching and judging. She is a certified National Baton Twirling Association (NBTA) judge and was recently honored to judge at the world level after receiving her International Baton Twirling Federation (IBTF) judging certification. Several of Veronica’s students have won awards at the World, National, and State levels. Teaching students within their unique learning style is an asset that Veronica utilizes in an encouraging environment. Having this opportunity to grow baton twirling in our community through Dana’s Dance is a privilege for Veronica.
Veronica Johnson
Baton Instructor
Brent Richardson
Facilities Manager
Brent graduated from University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Service Management and a minor in Human Resources Management. He is learning the business side of Dana’s Dance and having a wonderful time doing it. He is also honored to do the building maintenance for the studio and the many challenges that accompany that endeavor in an old building. Brent has two boys that bring endless joy and gratitude to his heart, he often watches them when mommy is away at the studio teaching. He loves to teach them to play with balls and train them to love and care for others.
Caitlin moved to Colorado nearly ten years ago with her husband, son, and two dogs, and quickly found family through Dana’s Dance. Since then, she has also had a daughter, and her whole family enjoys partaking in many of the classes the Studio offers. She is the Studio Administrative Director of Dana’s Dance and enjoys serving our dance families in many capacities on the backend. She most enjoys getting to know each of the families in the Studio and fostering the relationships we develop each year. If she is not in the Studio, you can find her outside or on the phone or computer answering any questions that come in. She finds joy and fulfillment each day, and has a heart of gratitude for what each season brings.
Caitlin Gonzales
Studio Administrative Director
210 W. Midland Avenue
Woodland Park, Colorado
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