top of page
About Us
Who We Are
Hawkins was founded by Deirdre Hawkins over 30 years ago here in Folsom. With an early interest and commitment to ballet and modern dance, Hawkins took root in the community and grew rapidly, prompting two moves and expansions to accommodate the strong interest across dance disciplines.
Fast forward, and Hawkins is regional leader in the performing arts with a broad base across all dance disciplines, as well as programs in musical theater, acrobatics, singing and acting.
Luke Hawkins grew up exposed to all the arts, but immersed himself in tap dance and musical theater. Now a 10+ year resident of NYC, Luke tours and performs professionally in a variety of productions, as well as dedicates much of his time teaching -- a passion central to the Hawkins family legacy.
What Hawkins is About
For 39 years, Hawkins has been a place where artists of all ages come to learn, grow, and discover their passion for the performing arts. As a family-centered studio built on community, creativity, and excellence, we believe the arts should be both joyful and transformative.
We introduce young artists to the performing arts as a source of expression, confidence, and connection while providing the strong technical training needed to develop their skills and artistry. Whether a student is taking their very first class or pursuing professional aspirations, our experienced faculty provides the guidance and support to help them reach their goals.
Over the years, Hawkins has helped develop artists who have gone on to perform on Broadway, appear on screen, work professionally throughout the industry, and continue their training at prestigious programs, including those at institutions such as Juilliard. While we are proud of these accomplishments, our greatest success is creating an environment where every student feels valued, challenged, and inspired.
At Hawkins, we don't just train performers, we help build confident, creative, and passionate people who carry a love of the arts with them for a lifetime.
Why Choose Hawkins
When young children first come to Hawkins, its usually to fuel an interest in dance or some form of expression. But, they are often just beginning to explore their inner artist.
Hawkins is fairly unique in that while offering great depth and breadth in the classic dance disciplines, we openly encourage the exploration of tangent interests as well -- acrobatics, musical theater or voice. Students are welcome to participate casually or seriously, depending on their interest level. Growth is supported via regular classes, camps, workshops, master classes and intensives.
Whether young, older or in between, Hawkins makes each journey possible.
bottom of page