Coastal Dance And Music Academy

Specialties

At Coastal Dance and Music Academy we are dedicated to providing our dance, music, theater and voice students with a nurturing, family atmosphere, which is technically based, age appropriate, and develops self-​confidence and self-​esteem.

We strive to provide a creative and healthful place for families to enjoy dance, music, theater, and voice together at our Grover Beach location on the Central Coast/​Five Cities Area in the county of San Luis Obispo. We endeavor to use a positive and supportive teaching approach that is pressure-​free and non-​competitive.

We provide dance and theater training as well as voice and music lessons for students of all ages and at all levels, from beginning to professional. We have students ranging in age from 18 months to 85! Coastal Dance and Music Academy also provides performance opportunities for all students.

Our goal is to make arts education fun and exciting while providing professional instruction and nourishing each student’s artistic spirit

History

Established in 2005.

Coastal Dance and Music Academy was started in a garage in Shell Beach California with only 5 students. In 2008 the studio had grown to the point of needing more space and moved to a 3000 square foot facility in Arroyo Grande California. The business continued to grow and in 2012 moved to a nearly 8000 square foot facility with four dance studios, a group music studio and rooms for private music lessons. CDMA now serves over 300 students and their families and is the home of the newly formed non-​profit Coastal Performing Arts Foundation.

Meet the Business Owner

Tara B.

Business Owner

Tara Behnke is the Assistant Director & Co-​Owner, along with Kathy Schultz, of Coastal Dance and Music Academy as well as an instructor of jazz, contemporary, pointe, ballet, and contemporary pointe, Performance Troupe Director, and CDMA’s web designer.

Tara has been dancing since the age of three. She fell in love with performing immediately and has loved being on stage ever since. As a young artist, she began her study of classical ballet at the Academy of Dance in San Luis Obispo. Her training immediately broadened to include pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, musical theater, contemporary, & hip hop.

Along with dance conventions, Tara has trained at West Side Ballet, Zeal Studio, the Edge in Los Angeles as well as Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria. Tara has danced with several professional level companies in SLO county, including All Things Contemporary Dance Company, the San Luis Jazz Dancers and the Civic Ballet Company. Tara holds a BS Degree in Child Development from Cal Poly