

ABOUT US
amherst dance academy

Making Dance Fun For ALL AGES!
Serving Amherst and surrounding areas since 1992! Our founder, Terri Layne, started a dance studio named Terrific Time Dance Studio in our small town of Amherst to share her love for dance and to provide a healthy activity that encourages exercise, builds skill, boosts confidence, provides performance opportunities, and builds teamwork. In 2006, ownership of the studio was transferred to Miss Joy Buendorf continuing with the same mission and purpose as Amherst Dance Academy.
Dancers start as young as 2 years old and can continue dancing through adult years. We offer classes in tap, jazz, point, modern, ballet, hip hop, and we offer a studio space dedicated to tumbling and intro gymnastics. All dance rooms have a professional sponge floor with a marley surface made for tap and ballet dancing.
What makes us different from other studios? First of all, we are a special studio family in a small town, and we welcome you with open arms. We love to perform in parades: local Christmas parades, Cherry Blossom parade (D.C.), Miss America parade (New Jersey), and other celebrations. We also perform at local fall festivals. Performances also include a Christmas (winter) recital and a spring recital.
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Everything that we offer we strive to make it not only competitive but affordable as we offer dance wear items needed for classes a reduced retail price. We also have multiple discounts available for siblings and for multiple classes.
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Interested? Give us a call or stop by when we are in session and check us out! The regular dance season begins in late August and ends in early May.
MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS!









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Privacy Policy
At Amherst Dance Academy, we value your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. To learn more about how we collect, use, and safeguard your data, please view our full Privacy Policy below.
Studio Policies
Online Dance Classes
By participating in online dance classes, you agree to assume the risk involved in participating in instruction in your home or other non-studio location, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Amherst Dance Academy, its owners and staff from any and all liability, claims, demands, and causes of action whatsoever, arising out of or related to any loss, damage, or injury, including death, that may be sustained by the participant while using the online instruction.
Class Enrollment
I understand that by using online registration, I am not guaranteed to receive the class that I have requested. I also understand that classes are determined by enrollment, so some classes may be closed (full) while others may close due to low enrollment. In any case, we will work with you to properly place your dancer, suggest an alternative class, or place him/her on a waiting list if the class of your choice is not yet available.
Should you choose to withdraw your dancer, or if registering as an adult, ‘yourself’, from class at any time during the school year, a written notice in the form of an e-mail, letter, or note given to management at the studio front desk is required. This request must be made 30 days in advance (Fall & Spring sessions only) to properly withdraw the student and adjust billing cycles and payment information accordingly. Regular tuition payments will continue as scheduled until the withdrawal is complete. Understand that if a dancer misses a full month but has not communicated with management at Amherst Dance Academy, outstanding tuition is still due. ADA is a dance academy where enrollment is based on the full dance year (August - May) and instruction is based on levelled dance curricula, not independent monthly study.
Upon enrolling my dancer with Amherst Dance Academy, I hereby release Amherst Dance Academy of all liabilities related to taking dance class on the premises and off the premises if performing in an alternate location. This release shall include and not be limited to the following: injury, theft, damage to personal property, fraud, identify theft, cancellation of class or classes, and misuse or misconduct of dance equipment.

Recital Participation and Costumes
For the regular dance season, all dancers have the opportunity to participate in two recitals each year (December and May). Dances are choreographed and rehearsed to prepare for the show, so instructors plan on all dancers participating. If your dancer will not be able to participate in the recital due to a schedule conflict, we ask that you let us know as soon as you can, but no later than 60 days before the show. This guarantees instructors will have enough time to adjust the choreography and rearrange the positions of the dancers for the show. Failure to notify the studio at least 60 days in advance will result in a charge of $50. Family emergencies, illness, and injuries are exempt from this policy.
Only the spring recital requires an out-of-pocket costume expense each year. These costumes are ordered early, so we require payment in the fall semester. Depending on the style and level of your child’s class, costumes generally run $70-100/each if purchased early at the group rate. Children are measured in October and a fee is placed on the dancer’s account November 1. You have 30 days to pay and get the early group discounted rate.
If you are on auto-pay, the costume cost will be charged to the payment method on file on November 30th, unless other arrangements are made. On December 1st, an additional charge of $15 will be added to each unpaid costume. Amherst Dance Academy cannot guarantee that late costume orders will arrive on time or that costumes will still be available for recital. Dancers will keep their costumes after the spring recital.
Payment Policy
Summer Dance Session
Payment for class(es) is processed at the time of registration. Due to limited class sizes, refunds and cancellations are possible up until the first day of class.
We have two payment plans available for the regular session (August-May)
1) Full-year payment - Pay your account in full, before the first day of classes and receive a credit toward the registration fees of this same dance year and account, usually a discount/benefit of between $45-$65.
2) Installment auto-payment plan - Divide tuition into 9 equal installments due the first of September through the first of May. An active, authorized credit card is required for this plan. Account holders can designate a recurring auto-payment date between the 1st and the 10th of the month. If for some reason a card is not usable (expired, declined, etc.), an account message will be sent allowing a 5-day grace period for you to replace the payment method.
After the grace period expires, a 10% late fee will be added to any outstanding tuition balance. 
Accounts with outstanding balances longer than 60 days may result in account inactivation. Dancers may be temporarily withdrawn from classes until the account is in good standing.
Accounts must be paid in full before participating in a dance recital. Outstanding balances may result in missing the opportunity to perform in a dance recital.
Have Questions? Please call us at (434)946-7340 and we will do our best to answer any of your dance questions.
By checking this box, I acknowledge that I am either the participant who is 18 years of age or older, or the parent/legal guardian of the participant, and I agree to the following:
I understand and accept that participation in auditions and related activities involves physical activity and assume all risks associated with my or my child’s participation. I release and hold harmless Amherst Dance Academy, its staff, and affiliates from any liability for injuries, accidents, or losses that may occur during auditions.
I also acknowledge that all audition results and placement decisions are determined by the studio’s professional instructors based on their expertise and discretion. These decisions are final and not subject to dispute, appeal, or refund.