PCSing to Camp Lejeune? Here's How to Get Your Dancer Enrolled

If you're PCSing to Camp Lejeune with a kid who dances, the move is going to be hard enough without scrambling to find a studio that fits. Good news: there's a dedicated dance studio on base — and a sister location just off-base in Sneads Ferry — that knows military families inside and out. Here's how to get your dancer enrolled and into the right level, even mid-year.

The two locations

Camp Lejeune (On Base): Inside the MCCS Tarawa Terrace Community Center. Easiest if you're already living on base. 40+ classes per week. Dance disciplines through teen-level training.

Sneads Ferry (214 Sneads Ferry Rd): No base access required. Home to our aerial program, Cirque, leveled Acro, and all adult classes. Convenient for families living in Sneads Ferry, Holly Ridge, Hampstead, or anywhere off-base.

Both studios use the same instructors and curriculum, so a dancer can move between them if your schedule changes during the year.

Mid-year enrollment is normal here

Military families don't usually move on a calendar that lines up with the school year. We get that. Most studios across the country won't take a new dancer mid-year — they want everyone starting in August together. We don't operate that way. Our standard answer is "yes, come on in" — your dancer can join a class any time, and the teacher will catch them up.

The exception is the very highest levels (Junior/Mini/Teen Company, Level 4-5 ballet) — those are placement-based, and we'll do an evaluation to figure out the right level. For everything else, the answer is "what class fits your week?"

Level placement: how it works

If your dancer is brand new, picking a class is straightforward — go by age and what they're drawn to. If they've already been training somewhere, an honest conversation about their previous studio helps us place them.

For leveled classes (Level 1, Level 2, etc.), we'll usually start with the level that matches their age and previous training, then move them up or down after a week if needed. We'd rather a dancer be slightly challenged than slightly bored.

Aerial dancers — bring documentation

If your dancer trained aerial at a previous studio, bring whatever documentation you have — even just a note from the previous teacher. Aerial placement is safety-critical, so we'll do our own evaluation, but knowing what apparatus they've trained on and what skills they've demonstrated speeds the process up significantly. Read more about our aerial program here.

What it costs

Tuition is bundled — one monthly rate based on your family's total weekly hours at a studio, not a separate fee per dancer. Hours at Sneads Ferry and Camp Lejeune are tallied separately. Use the calculator to see your exact monthly rate.

For on-base families: tuition is billed through MCCS (auto-debit encouraged). For Sneads Ferry families: through our parent portal. The annual $26 registration fee is on the portal for both.

The bigger picture: founded by a military family

Our director, Meredith Caruso, is a former DoDEA kindergarten teacher who taught at Camp Lejeune for years before founding the studio in 2019. She built it specifically to serve military and civilian families in our area — which means we understand deployments, PCS timing, sudden schedule changes, and all of it. If you're navigating something tricky, just talk to us.

Your next step

The easiest way to get started: schedule a free observation. Pick a class that looks right for your dancer's age and style, watch from the side, meet the teacher. We'll figure out the right placement together.

If you want to enroll directly, the parent portal is open year-round.

And if you'd just rather email a quick question first, we're at lejeunedancecompany@gmail.com. We respond fast.