Creative Outlet Dance Academy

Creative Outlet Dance Academy is a dance studio in Fairhope, Alabama, serving children and adults through a range of classes and programs that include open classes, summer camps, and the Dance Boutique. The school operates from a complex of three professionally equipped studios with custom sprung dance floors, full mirrors, three levels of ballet barres, and floating sound systems, along with two parent waiting rooms, three dressing rooms, three bathrooms, and a courtyard. Covered side-door drop-off and pick-up is available, and a large municipal parking lot behind the building handles longer stays. The studio opens daily at 3:00 PM, and students arriving directly from school can use the waiting area and dressing rooms to change, complete homework, and wait for class to begin.

The academy's guiding principle is that dance is a performing art rather than a competitive sport, and that instruction should be open to everyone. Its stated mission is to give both children and adults an inspiring, educational, and positive dance experience that develops a strong body, a positive body image, and a healthy self-esteem, with attention to physical, mental, and emotional training. The school is owned and directed by Zoe Lombard-Todd, who began classical training at five under Ann Duke at the Lee Weatherby School of Dance and went on to perform with Alabama Dance Theater and as a principal dancer with Mobile Ballet in roles including Clara in The Nutcracker, Mina in Dracula, and Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire. Classes are generally run without parental observation to preserve the dancers' concentration, and families are invited to attend on designated visiting days.

The studio sits on South Section Street in central Fairhope, about a tenth of a mile from Fairhope Avenue and North Section Street, the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation office, Johnson School, Fairhoper's Community Park, and the Coastal Alabama Community College Fairhope Campus.

A perfect 5.00 rating from its customers reflects the academy's standing as the only area studio focused on complete growth through attention to physical, mental, and emotional training. That focus, set in the heart of Fairhope, is what distinguishes Creative Outlet Dance Academy for families looking for a performing-arts approach to dance education on the Eastern Shore.