Building skills and confidence at the Roseville School of Dance
Parks & Recreation dance program looks for a new home again
Roseville School of Dance is a program that builds confidence, relationships, and a love for dance in dancers of all ages.
Operated by Roseville Parks and Recreation, with offerings for students ranging in age from preschool through high school, the classes are affordable and accessible with an opt-in slate of classes.
Lindsay Matts-Benson, who serves on the City of Roseville Parks and Recreation Commission, danced in a classical ballet company in her youth—but it was in a strict and intense competitive environment. When her now 11-year-old daughter Leta was old enough to start taking dance lessons, Matts-Benson said she “did not want the same experience for her.”
Wanting Leta to “learn joy in movement,” Matts-Benson researched dance studios in the Twin Cities and found a preschool dance program offered through City of Roseville Parks and Recreation.
“It was such a good experience, like I could see my kid loving dance, making friends, moving her body, and working together with people. It was magical, it was absolutely magical. And it was so much fun,” said Matts-Benson.
Her daughter started taking recital-track classes in tap and ballet, and has participated in the Roseville School of Dance for the past eight years.
The relationships and focus on love of dance, not perfect technique, are what keep their family coming back.
“It is so inclusive and positive,” said Matts-Benson, with students and instructors of all different body types and backgrounds. “I think it’s so important to have accessible, lower cost opportunities.”
The types of dance classes available include: ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, hip hop, and acro (a combination of dance and acrobatics). Depending on their interests and schedule, students are able to sign up for classes from three different tracks: individual session-based classes that typically last 6 weeks, recital-track classes that run from September to May, and a recreation-based competition program for older students. Dance classes take place one night per week, plus a strength training class is offered on Friday nights.
According to Carrie Anderson, Assistant Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Roseville, programming for teens can be challenging, and the ability for Roseville School of Dance students to participate through age 18 is appreciated.
“You can tell our dance program is so meaningful to the families that participate in it. It’s giving kids confidence, a way to express themselves. It really feels like what we have here is special,” said Anderson. “I think artistic expression and offering a different avenue for kids—it’s needed.”
In 2026, Roseville residents represented 56% of participants, while 44% were non-residents who paid a higher fee. Of the 251 class spots filled in 2026, 141 were recital-track classes and 110 were session-only classes. Classes are offered year-round, but the recital track dance classes culminate in a May recital held in an auditorium at Roseville Area High School.
Similar to the Roseville Skate School and Roseville Gymnastics, there is no contract for the Roseville School of Dance and instructors are hired directly by the city. While lead instructors are experienced adults, older dance students are hired to work as assistants in the classes with younger students.
They are “starting to get their feet wet with employment, and learning about teaching, so it’s kind of a cool program,” said Anderson. Run on a lean operating budget, Anderson reported the Roseville School of Dance is a cost offsetting program.
Dance program perseveres through location changes
According to city records, the Roseville dance program has been in existence for at least 30 years, and was previously housed in two facilities that no longer exist: the Roseville Activity Center prior to 2001, and Fairview Community Center from 2001-2018.
Since 2019, the Roseville School of Dance has operated out of the Roseville Dance & Wellness Studio located at 2731 Lexington Ave North (in the same strip mall as the Roseville License Center), where other movement-based Park and Recreation classes take place, like tai chi and adult tap dance.
Regardless of location, the Roseville School of Dance has persevered through obstacles over the years. In the old Fairview building, bathrooms were not close to the classroom (a real challenge for pre-school age students) and there wasn’t a space for parents to sit. When the program moved to the strip mall on Lexington Avenue, a new challenge presented itself: large commercial windows that allowed strangers to see directly into the dance studio. The windows were later covered for the safety and privacy of students, parents and teachers.
Additionally, there isn’t a division between the dance floor and the parent waiting area, and adults have to walk across the dance floor to access the bathroom. Anderson reported that both of these limitations are disruptive to classes.
The current space also has programming limitations due to sharing a wall with the Roseville License Center. Due to previous complaints, the space is mostly empty during daytime hours because classes that might be considered loud are not scheduled to begin until 4:30 pm or later.
The Roseville City Council is currently working through plans to demolish the building to build the new Maintenance Operations Center. Both the License Center and the Dance Studio need to find a new home, which is now uncertain after a vote failed to vacate parkland for the project on September 21, 2026.
Naomi Krueger
A week after that vote, a group of students from the Roseville School of Dance came to the city council meeting. Two students, along with Matts-Benson, provided public comment about what the dance program and a dedicated space means to them.
“I understand there are many factors that go into these decisions, but to me losing these spaces is another example of female dominated sports not receiving the same support,” said Eden Frasier, a freshman at Roseville Area High School who has been in the Roseville School of Dance since she was three years old.
She also plays Fastpitch Softball, which was planned to gain a new ballfield at Veterans Park as part of the new building project.
“I’ve grown up in these studio spaces. I interviewed there, got my first job there, and seen my same love for dance in the children that I teach. . . I ask, are these experiences for the youth of Roseville a waste of money? I may only have a few years left in these programs, but these facilities would serve Roseville youth for generations,” Frasier said at the meeting.
City staff and city council are now evaluating alternative location options for the studio, including renting space instead of building something new for this program and the License Center.
Anderson is hopeful a new location for the Roseville Dance & Wellness Studio will allow for expanded programming. For example, daytime classes for parents with young children, self defense classes, and exercise classes for older adults.
In a bigger space, the Roseville School of Dance could also expand class sizes from the current 12-14 students at a time to up to 20 students. Wherever the studio ends up, the space will need an investment in the types of specialty flooring and mirrors required for movement-based classes.
Families who come back year after year to participate in Roseville School of Dance are eager to know where classes will be held in future years, and look forward to many more spring recitals.
With a focus on self improvement, working as a team, building confidence over the progression of classes, and finding joy in movement, “It is such a great opportunity for kids,” Matts-Benson said.
