Something Fun For Everyone!
For over 40 years, Carla’s Dance Factory has been more than just a studio, it’s been a second home for generations of movers, dreamers, and performers in Fayetteville, Georgia and beyond.
Whether you’re stepping into your first dance class or stepping up to the competition stage, you’ll find your place here. With passionate, experienced instructors and a legacy of excellence, CDF meets every dancer where they are and empowers them to grow with confidence, creativity, and purpose.
No matter your age, level, or dream, there’s space for you here. At CDF, we don’t just train dancers, we nurture confidence, creativity, and connection through every count of eight.
Enroll today and let your passion for dance soar to new heights.
Why CDF?
Latest News and Events
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Our Mission
Since 1985, Carla’s Dance Factory has proudly provided Fayetteville with high-quality, heartfelt dance education. What began as Ms. Carla’s vision has grown into a vibrant studio community where dancers are known, nurtured, and challenged to grow in both skill and spirit.
With a faculty of experienced, passionate instructors we provide personalized attention and intentional training that meets each dancer where they are. From first-time learners to lifelong movers, we create space for every dancer to thrive.
At CDF, we believe dance is the perfect blend of artistry and athleticism—a powerful tool for expression, discipline, and joy. Our goal is not only to shape exceptional dancers, but to develop confident, resilient individuals who carry their strength far beyond the stage.
Join us at Carla’s Dance Factory, and become part of a legacy rooted in purpose, powered by passion, and made for your NOW!
Dance Programs and Classes
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Tap teaches more than rhythm. It builds musicality, coordination, and control that enhances every style of dance. At CDF, tap is an essential part of our training foundation and a lasting source of joy across all levels.
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Tap/Ballet Combo Classes (Ages 3–8) introduce young dancers to basic tap steps through imaginative movement and rhythm play, laying the groundwork for future training.
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As dancers progress, our Apprentice Tap class offers beginner-intermediate instruction for those looking to train more intentionally without the full commitment of a company schedule.
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For advanced dancers, tap continues within our Company Program, where students refine their musicality, clarity, and performance through challenging choreography and regional competition.
We also proudly offer one of the largest and most beloved adult tap programs in the area—the Showstoppers. With beginner-intermediate and intermediate-advanced levels, this group of powerhouse women (taught by Ms. Carla herself!) has become a highlight of every CDF show and a shining example of what it means to dance for the love of it.
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Ballet is the foundation of all dance. It builds strength, grace, alignment, discipline, and control, all essential elements in a dancer’s training, no matter their chosen style. Under the direction of Jonsie Pollock, at CDF, ballet is a core part of our curriculum at every level.
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Our Combo Classes (Ages 3–8) introduce ballet alongside tap in a playful, age-appropriate way that sparks confidence and coordination in young dancers.
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As dancers grow, Apprentice Ballet offers beginner-intermediate instruction for those seeking deeper technique without the full commitment of company-level training.
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Company dancers train in multiple weekly ballet technique classes, focusing on posture, placement, and classical form to support both competition and pre-professional versatility.
We also offer Adult Ballet for dancers, proving that at all stages of life, you can build strength, flexibility, and artistry in a supportive and encouraging environment. Whether you’re a lifelong dancer or a first-time student, ballet at CDF is a rewarding journey from barre and beyond.
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Jazz at CDF is where precision meets power. Dancers build flexibility, stamina, control, and performance presence through high-energy choreography and focused technique training. With a progression designed for growth, each level introduces and advances key skills like leaps, turns, isolations, and musicality.
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Dancers can begin their jazz journey at age 6 in Pre-Jazz, where they explore foundational movement and fun choreography.
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Our Invitation Only Mini Movers (ages 5-7) class is the first step toward company-level expectations, blending jazz technique with age-appropriate training in strength, flexibility, and performance.
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Apprentice Jazz (Ages 8 & up) offers beginner-intermediate dancers intentional training in jazz fundamentals, preparing them for more rigorous work ahead.
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For our Company dancers, technique is a core requirement. Curriculum is carefully crafted by our faculty to build measurable results across turns, leaps, and overall technique. CDF dancers have earned regional and national recognition for their technical excellence, proving that consistent, focused training delivers lasting success.
Our Adult Jazz class is a joyful way to stay moving and connected to the dance floor. Rooted in classic jazz styles and grounded in musicality and movement fundamentals, it’s fun, nostalgic, and full of heart.
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Lyrical and Contemporary are expressive styles that blend the strength of ballet with the emotion of storytelling and the dynamics of jazz. Through fluid movement, grounded transitions, and intentional performance, dancers learn to connect deeply with both the music and the message.
At CDF, lyrical becomes a required part of company training at age 8, with contemporary added at age 10, where dancers begin developing advanced artistry, musical interpretation, and movement storytelling. These styles are core to our choreographic identity and often serve as the foundation for our masterclasses, taught by both resident faculty and acclaimed guest artists. Many of these masterclasses are open to the public and provide dancers of all levels a chance to grow.
Apprentice dancers are introduced to lyrical in a developmentally appropriate way that focuses on expression, control, and intention.
We also offer an adult lyrical class on Saturdays, designed for those looking to move freely, feel deeply, and reconnect with dance through artistry.
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Acro combines classical dance technique with precision tumbling, building strength, flexibility, control, and fearless movement. It’s a high-energy discipline that teaches dancers how to safely and confidently execute skills like backbends, aerials, walkovers, and more.
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Flip & Flow is our playful introduction to Acro for younger dancers, focusing on body awareness, balance, and beginner skills through fun, creative movement.
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Full Acro classes begin at age 8, offering structured progression in tumbling, partnering, and inversions tailored to dancers at all levels.
This season, we’re proud to welcome Erika, an award-winning gymnast and elite-level instructor, as the architect of our newly expanded Acro program. With a focus on safety, technique, and strength-building, Erika brings unmatched expertise and fresh energy to the floor, making this one of our most exciting class offerings yet.
Acro is a valuable complement to every dancer’s training whether you’re working toward aerials, tricks for competition routines, or building total-body power and control.
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Hip-hop at CDF is bold, energetic, and full of personality. Dancers groove to age-appropriate music while developing strength, coordination, and musicality through styles like breaking, locking, popping, and freestyle.
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Classes begin at age 5, available as a standalone or add-on to combo programs.
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Our 10 & up program is known for its power, precision, and evolving choreography that keeps dancers motivated and challenged.
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Company dancers work with top industry choreographers and guest artists throughout the season, expanding their skills and staying connected to current commercial styles.
Whether your dancer is just starting out or looking to sharpen their edge, CDF’s hip-hop program offers an exciting, structured way to move, perform, and shine.
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Whether your dancer is aiming for their first sideline or dreaming of the collegiate stage, CDF’s Dance Team Prep program provides the focused training they need to stand out with confidence.
Our classes build the strength, stamina, and technique required for high-level try-outs, with a focus on precision, performance, and total-body conditioning. Dancers sharpen skills in pom technique, turns, and showmanship—everything today’s teams expect.
CDF is proud to support school dance teams across the region, including many of Fayette County’s most competitive high school programs. Our dancers have successfully gone on to join Division I collegiate teams, coach at the high school and college level, and choreograph for teams nationwide.
If your dancer is serious about making a team, or thriving on one, this is where the journey begins.
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At Carla’s Dance Factory, we proudly offer the Rhythm Works Integrative Dance® program: a client-centered, movement-based class designed to support dancers with diverse needs in a fun, inclusive, and empowering environment.
Using rhythm and dance as tools for connection and development, this program enhances foundational skills across five key developmental domains: cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and communication. Each class is intentionally designed to meet dancers where they are and celebrate their progress every step of the way.
Our Rhythm Works program is led by four certified instructors, each of whom completed over 20 hours of intensive training to provide the highest level of support and expertise:
Jessica Weaver (Behavioral Support Professional), Carla Gillespie-Berry, A’Leah Burrell, and Kim Cotton.Whether your dancer is just beginning or looking for a place to belong, Rhythm Works offers a joyful space where movement becomes meaningful, and every dancer is seen, supported, and celebrated.
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The Music Class Inc. (TMC) is an early childhood music education company that offers music and movement classes for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. We are proud to offer this incredible program at CDF. The award-winning music, written and recorded in-house, is loved by both children and their caregivers.
Join CDF and trained teachers, Sara Athey, Olivia Miller, and Lauren Ellis for Fun-filled classes of singing, dancing, movement, and instrument play, all designed to stimulate musical learning! Your whole family will have a blast in class and at home with TMC’s award-winning recordings and songbooks. Mixed-age classes (0-4) are developmentally appropriate and allow siblings to enjoy class together. At CDF, TMC classes meet once a week for 45 minutes, in 11-week sessions (session lengths and class times may vary) and TMC’s library of 12 song collections allows your family to enjoy class for three years with all new music each session. Our Fall 2025 session features The Lion Collection, and your registration includes The Lion Collection music and songbook.
To View classes and register go to themusicclass.com.
