About Cottage Dance Academy
Our Mission
Dance is for
everyBODY!
Cottage Dance Academy strives to offer students a safe and nurturing space in which to develop as dancers, as well as citizens of the world. We believe that dance should be accessible and inclusive, and expressing oneself through dance should be a joyful act.
Cottage Dance Academy seeks to create a welcoming dance community in which students discover their unique gifts and talents. We strive to amplify dance as arts education in Vancouver, Washington.
Chloe Mason
Lead Teacher
Chloe Mason began dancing at the age of six at Marshall Center with Ms. Patty. It wasn’t long before Chloe’s passion for dance was ignited, and she was encouraged to study ballet seriously. Chloe attended Columbia Dance from the age of 7 until the age of 15. She was a performing member of Columbia Dance Company, where she studied Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Jazz, and Lyrical. She performed leading roles in their productions of The Nutcracker, including Arabian soloist. She also participated in Regional Dance America Festival. Chloe attended Summer Intensive at BodyVox in Portland, where she was invited to be part of their elite Junior Artist Generator performance-training program. She also attended two Summer Intensives at Oregon Ballet Theater, where she had the pleasure of taking classes from one of her dance idols, Alison Roper. She continued her training with Liz Borromeo at Liz Borromeo Dance, where she performed the Sugar Plum Fairy variation.
Chloe then turned her focus on college, but her love of dance remained. With a passion for education, Chloe has been a math tutor since the age of 13. She has also served as a dance camp counselor and teaching assistant for lower-level ballet classes. She received her Associate in Arts degree from Clark College through the Running Start program. She is currently a junior at Washington State University, where she is pursuing her degree in Biology. Chloe enjoys practicing Yoga in her spare time, and studied through Online Yoga School and Ayurveda Center, registered with Yoga Alliance. This summer, she will attend the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers at the Creative Dance Center in Seattle.
Chloe is excited to follow in the steps of her dance mentor, Liz Borromeo, and continue bringing the joy and love of dance to students in our area. She hopes to establish a positive and nurturing environment where dancers will be encouraged to be their best dancer selves, regardless of whether they aspire to dance professionally or recreationally.
Heidi Mason
Owner
Heidi has been involved in the dance community for fifteen years, watching her daughters dance on various stages near and far. She is a mother of three, an award-winning author of suspense novels, and a supporter of the creative arts. While not a dancer herself, Heidi fell in love with dance through osmosis. She loves the way dance combines beauty and artistry with athleticism. Even more, she loves to see the way that it impacts and enhances dancers’ lives, both inside and outside the studio walls.
In 2022, Heidi opened Cottage Dance Academy to build upon the mission of Liz Borromeo Dance, her daughters’ dance teacher and mentor. She strives to create a dance space that is open and accessible to all students, a place where they will feel encouraged and accepted. Dance is for EveryBody, and expressing oneself through dance should be a joyful act.
