Education first.
Since 1932.

Dance Educators of America has spent over nine decades building the standard for how teachers teach, judges judge, and students grow —
run by educators, for educators.

A female dancer in a bronze-colored costume performing on stage with a black backdrop that has large white text. The stage is lit with purple and blue lights, and audience members are visible in the foreground.
Performer in a white shirt and black pants executing a high kick on stage with stage lights and truss structures in the background.

The legacy.

DEA started with one teacher, Dorothy Norman Cropper, and one rule: dance education comes before competition. Ninety-plus years later, that rule still runs the organization — a code of ethics holds every member to a higher standard, and our faculty is chosen because they're educators first, performers second.

The tour, the titles, and the medals are how we keep score. The real work happens in the workshop room, where our faculty hands teachers better tools to bring home to their own students.

Dance. Educate. Aspire.

Text on a black background detailing four principles: 01 Educators first, 02 Education before competition, 03 A code of ethics, 04 Sportsmanship, always.

Table listing the Board of Directors, including the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and other director positions, with names and regional assignments.