Olympia Dance Center to host open house at Olympia Art & Wellness Building on May 31

Olympia Dance Center will host an open house and public tours of its new home in the Olympia Arts & Wellness Building on Sunday, May 31, from 2-5 p.m. 

The dance center, formerly known as the Johansen School of Ballet and Johansen Olympia Dance Center, was previously located at 412 Jefferson Street SE. 

The dance center was founded in 1972 and remained at its old location for over 30 years. 

Olympia Dance Center Directors Ken and Josie Johnson purchased the Olympia Arts & Wellness Building, a 24,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility at 1110 Jefferson Street SE in Olympia, in September 2025. 

The building previously housed various state agencies, most recently the Washington state Department of Children, Youth and  Families. 

Renovations completed over the winter transformed the building into a home for the Olympia Dance Center and the nonprofit performing company Ballet Northwest, which the Johnsons are also directors of. 

The building is also now home to various nonprofit organizations and wellness professionals. 

“We’re excited for the community, artists, and professionals to utilize this beautiful space to bring people together for supportive, high-quality experiences,” the Johnsons said in a written statement. “The tenants we’ve brought together have a shared philosophy and vision for  positivity, inclusivity and excellence.” 

Other organizations calling the Olympia Arts & Wellness Building home are the Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia, Masterworks Choral Ensemble, Olympia Youth Chorus, Olympia Junior Programs, Earthbound Productions, Mojo Strategies and the newly created Nest Arts Studio.

Local artists can showcase their work in the second floor corridor. Recent visual artists who have shown their work include Taylor Clinton and Matthew Johnston.  

Wellness professionals based in the building include Cast Iron Fitness & Nutrition, Myo + Motion, Refined Skin by Robin, licensed massage therapist Gary Yonkers, and licensed acupuncturist Todd Turetsky.

The Olympia Dance Center also rents its studio to practitioners offering classes to the community such as yoga teachers Mo Oar and Elizabeth Swanson, Pilates instructor Mattey Tibbetts, and Jujitsu instructor Gary Yonkers. 

The Olympia Dance Center and Ballet Northwest facilities consist of four large dance studios,  including the 2,700 square foot studio named after the Center’s founders Bud and Mary  Johansen. 

The dance facilities also include a large lobby and parent waiting area, changing areas, a spacious costume shop, extensive storage area for costumes and props, and a large dancer lounge for the older dancers to stretch, do homework, socialize, and have a snack in between classes and rehearsals. 

The dancer lounge features a large mural honoring the Johansens designed by local artist and Ballet Northwest scenic designer Jill Carter. 

Other highlights include a large conference room for all the tenants, which is also available for rent to outside groups, as well as an undercover parking area with 55 parking spots. 

Olympia Dance Center’s six-week summer session begins June 21 and features classes for  all ages and levels. Summer offerings also include Creative Dance Camps for kids, a Jungle Book musical theater camp, and a Summer Intensive for intermediate and advanced ballet dancers with guest teachers who previously danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre and more. 

For more information on Olympia Dance Center’s summer schedule and to sign up for camps and classes, visit https://www.olympiadancecenter.com/summer-schedule/ 

The fall schedule will be posted mid-July.