The Story Behind the ADTA

Hi, I’m Melissa Klassen – Founder and President of the Acro Dance Teachers Association.

For more than three decades, I have dedicated my professional life to developing safe, structured, and progressive Acro Dance education. What began as a personal transition from gymnastics into dance has evolved into a global teaching system used by educators who care deeply about excellence, longevity, and real student development.

But my path into Acro Dance wasn’t conventional.

I began as a gymnast with no formal Acro Dance training. When I was asked to help transform a gymnastics-based program into a true Acro Dance program, I quickly realized something important:

Acro Dance is not gymnastics in a dance studio.

It is its own art form – requiring musicality, line, control, progression, and technical clarity.

That realization set me on a multi-year journey of immersion and refinement. I trained extensively, studied dance technique, and worked under strong mentorship to bridge the gap between tumbling and true Acro Dance.

During my years as Director of AcroDance at The Young Canadians School of Performing Arts, I was responsible for preparing performers for large-scale professional productions with new casts each year. That environment demanded efficiency, clarity, and systems that worked – not occasionally, but consistently.

It was there that the foundation of what would become the ADTA method was built:

– Structured trick families
– Clear progressions
– Levelled development
– Safety-first spotting standards
– Classroom systems that produce real results

Over time, studio owners and teachers began asking for guidance in building similar systems within their own programs. What began as mentorship evolved into a syllabus – and eventually into the Acro Dance Teachers Association.

Today, the ADTA exists to:

– Equip teachers with real classroom structure
– Support studio owners in building sustainable Acro programs
– Develop dancers through safe, levelled progression
– Raise the professional standard of Acro Dance education worldwide

We are not a weekend certification.

We are a long-term pathway for educators who value structure, mentorship, and mastery.

If you are committed to building organized classes, confident students, and a respected Acro program – you are in the right place.

Welcome to the ADTA.