Presented by Seattle Theatre Group and Centrum, The DANCE This Camp at Centrum provides an opportunity for high school students to study a wide range of dance styles and techniques in a supportive, yet challenging atmosphere.
Each day includes technique classes and repertory sessions, with time for meals and exploring the Fort Worden campus. At the end of the week, students share their work at a Sunday showcase for friends and family.
WHEN:
2027 DANCE This Camp at Centrum
Dates TBA, August 2027
What:
- Classes include Modern, Hip Hop, Jazz, Cultural, and other dance forms
- Residency program with private dorm rooms, counselors, and staff
- Beach, Bon Fire, Talent Share, and more!
- Final share performance at McCurdy Pavilion at Ft. Worden
Who:
Open to high school students grades 9-12 with all levels and experience
Where:
Centrum is located at Ft. Worden State Park, Port Townsend, WA.
Perched on the Northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula, Fort Worden offers 450 acres of sandy beaches, wooded hills, wetlands, and a historic campus, with stunning views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic and Cascade ranges. Renovated Fort buildings, including classrooms, dormitories, performance and studio spaces, serve as students’ homes and dance studios during their time at Centrum. Dorm wings are supervised by experienced dorm counselors.
2026 teaching faculty
Abby Paul | CONTEMPORARY
Abby Paul is a choreographer, artistic director, and dance educator with over 15 years of experience shaping artists and creating dynamic performance work. For more than a decade, she has worked professionally in the entertainment industry while also serving in a leadership role at the renowned Los Angeles–based studio, Movement Lifestyle.
Abby has toured extensively as both an educator and performer, choreographing award-winning pieces and cultivating transformative artistic experiences around the world. In 2020, she co-founded Æ Creative, a company dedicated to inspiring and empowering artists through innovative education and performance opportunities.
Today, Abby travels nationally and internationally to studios, schools, and universities, sharing her passion for dance and mentorship. She also serves as an adjudicator for multiple dance competition circuits, where she is committed to encouraging excellence, artistry, and growth in the next generation of performers.
Select Credits: Nike, Mini Cooper, Herbalife, Walk The Moon, Aerial Experience, Aerial Conexions, Æ Creative Arts, Disney Musicals in Schools, Seattle Theatre Group, The Young Americans
Ellie Sandstrom | MODERN
Ellie Sandstrom, a Seattle Magazine “Spotlight Award Winner” and a Velocity Dance Center “Dance Champion”, is originally from Minneapolis, where she began her movement training with Minnesota Dance Theater and later, BalletArts Minnesota. She has studied various forms of dance technique, body conditioning, composition, improvisation and performance at dance festivals and schools across the country including Cornish College of the Arts, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance.
Ellie worked and toured with dance companies locust and Scott/Powell Performance from 2000-2010. Her choreography, under the name SANDSTROMMOVEMENT, has received funding from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and from Artist Trust. Her work has been produced locally and nationally by organizations such as On the Boards, Velocity Dance Center and Perpich Center for the Arts, and commissioned by Seattle Dance Project, Creative Dance Center and Washington Ensemble Theater, among many others.
Over the last 25 years, through Brain Compatible Dance Education and Culturally Responsive Teaching, she has taught a variety of dance forms at many schools, private studios and universities in Seattle and beyond, including the University of Washington.
She led packed classes at Velocity Dance Center for 16 years in both ballet and modern dance. From 2006-2021, she taught middle and high school students at The Northwest School, where she was the Dance Department Chair for 5 years.
She has been a Teaching Artist for STG’s Dance This programming since 2007 and started teaching for STG’s Dance for PD® program in 2023.
Etienne Cakpo | WEST AFRICAN DANCE
Etienne Cakpo (he/him) is an award-winning professional dancer, choreographer and musician from Benin, West Africa. He is specialized in instruction and performance of traditional African dance from Benin as well as contemporary African dance styles, and has been building his dance repertoire for nearly thirty years. He is director of Gansango Music & Dance, a dance company registered in Washington State. Gansango works closely with public libraries, schools and independent arts agencies locally and nationally to make performance of dance and music from Africa available to a wide range of audiences, including young children. In 2021, Etienne was honored with the 2020 Dance Educator of the Year Award from DEAW (Dance Educators Association of Washington).
GANSANGO MUSIC & DANCE presents traditional and contemporary dance and music from West Africa – drawing on the stunning talent of multicultural dancers and musicians.
Gansango is directed by Etienne Cakpo, originally from Benin and now a choreographer and teacher based in Seattle, Washington. Gansango company collaborating artists perform regularly in the Seattle area, nationally and internationally for audiences of all ages. The company performances fuse music and movement from across the African continent, drawing heavily from the dance and music traditions of Benin, Ghana and Togo, among other countries. More information about Gansango Music and Dance is available at https://gansango.com or contact gansango@yahoo.com
Janu Sung | HOUSE
Janu (yah-nū) is a dancer, educator, and organizer based in Seattle, WA. He has been an active member of the Club and Street Dance community for over the past decade. Beginning with martial arts, his movement journey has led him to study a wide range of practices, with House dance becoming his primary form, a culture He loves and feels blessed to know. He views House as both a dance and a philosophy – one that continues to shape his approach to movement, learning, and connection.
Yaw Amponsah | WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING
Yaw Amponsah is a master percussionist from Ghana. Coming from a musical family from West Africa he is at home in the world of rhythm. A versatile player, Yaw can play many styles of music from Ghana including Highlife, Agbadja, Kpanlogo and more. His specialty is the music of the multi-part percussion ensembles of the Ashanti people. These sets of drums and corresponding rhythms can be made up of eight or more independent percussion parts. He is the leader of Anokye Agofomma and a member of Manghis Khan quartet and has been a lead drummer with Gansango Music and Dance for more than a decade.
For questions and/or to inquire about group rates contact, dancethis@stgpresents.org.
Previous DANCE This Camps
STG’s DANCE This Camp at Centrum brought together 29 teens in August 2026, at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, WA. With scholarships expanding access, participants trained with professional teaching artists in Modern, Contemporary, House, and West African Dance and Drumming in a supportive yet challenging atmosphere. Over the week, they discovered how each style, while distinct, connects through rhythm, history, and community.
About STG & Centrum
Seattle Theatre Group
Seattle Theatre Group (STG) is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization that operates the historic Paramount, Moore and Neptune Theatres in Seattle. Our mission is to create enriching experiences in the arts, engage diverse communities, and steward historic theatres. Our vision is for STG to be the people’s theatre. All are welcome and represented.
Centrum
Centrum is a gathering place for artists and creative thinkers from around the world, students of all ages and backgrounds, and audiences seeking extraordinary cultural enrichment. Centrum promotes creative experiences that change lives.
For information about other DANCE This programs, click below
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