The Huntingdon Dance Academy (HDA), was established in 2012 by former professional dancers Kristin Shoaf Roberts and Jamie Rhett Roberts. The school emphasizes classical ballet in addition to a variety of other dance styles that are required to succeed as a dancer. HDA is the training ground for students with a passion for dance. When seeking high-quality dance training, people will come to know of Huntingdon, PA as the place to go. The school directors utilize their broad background in classical ballet to give young dancers a strong foundation upon which they can build.

​Students are exposed to various styles of dance, including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip-hop, Contemporary, Modern, Acro, and Pas de Deux (partnering). Dancers are also provided opportunities to take Master Classes from experts in various genres of dance. Our school provides an academic basis for becoming well-rounded dancers and individuals. We challenge young students and help them to gain confidence, strength and a clear sense of themselves as individuals.

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Our Facilities

Huntingdon Dance Academy occupies the ground floor of the Penn Street Cultural Center in the heart of Huntingdon’s Historical Downtown District. All of our studios have sprung dance floors covered with “Marley”, providing state of the art studios similar to those used in the professional dance world. It is very important for dancers to have this type of flooring for their safety and longevity. The surface is designed to absorb the shock and strain incurred when jumping and dancing for many hours a week. We have dressing rooms available for both boy & girls to store their belongings during class. There is a large parent lounge, where parents are able to sit and watch their dancer's class on a closed circuit TV.

501 Penn Street

STUDIO-A

STUDIO-C

STUDIO-B

STUDIO-D

Parent Lobby

Parent Lobby

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MEET OUR STAFF

Kristin Shoaf Roberts

Artistic Director

Valerie Franks

Dance Instructor

Jamie Rhett Roberts

Production Director

Sara Titen-Dries

Ballet Instructor & Rehearsal Assistant

Jenn Eichelberger

Dance Instructor

Becky McGrath

Acro Coach

Victoria Wiser

Dance Instructor

Joan Engle

 Administrative Liason

Joan Engle started dancing at 11 at the Joan Wolf School of Ballet in Hillsdale, NJ. She  performed in many pieces with the Joan Wolf Ballet Ensemble including Cinderella, Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals and Coppelia. She then attended Juniata College from 1968 through 1972 where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology.  After college she obtained her Medical Technology ASCP certification and spent 11 years in the hospital laboratory as a technologist and lab manager. From there she started her career at Juniata College first in the Advancement Office, then Accounting and finally as the Senior Grant Administrator until her retirement in 2013. During those years she was also the director of development from 1999 through 2003 and the gift and grant accounting assistant from 2004 until 2010. She served as the Dance Club advisor for 10 years. As part of a lifetime of ballet training, in 2012 she started to attend advanced and adult ballet classes with Huntingdon Dance Academy. She volunteered her time as part of the office personnel as well as the costuming and fundraising committees. Joan became the administrative liaison during the reimagining of the non-profit sector of the dance studio in 2020.

​Stephen Baker

Production Assistant

Ian Boyan

Production Assistant