The Ellen Forman Memorial Dance Studio is the home of the Drexel Dance program. Built in 2007 adjacent to the Mandell Theater, the studio contains a state of the art dance floor, mirrors, ballet barres, both permanent and portable, two dressing rooms with lockers, restrooms and an adjunct faculty office. This studio hosts classes in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, African, Improvisation, Rhythmic Studies, Laban Movement Analysis, Dance Pedagogy, Dance Composition and a number of other movement based classes. It is one of the two main rehearsal spaces for the Drexel Dance Ensemble, FreshDance Ensemble and Youth Performance Exchange Touring Ensemble.

The studio is named for Ellen Forman, a pioneer of dance in Philadelphia. A scholar on the work of Isadora Duncan and the founding director of South Street Dance Company, Forman’s choreography was known for its theatricality and depth. Her company maintained a touring ensemble, which performed in Philadelphia and surrounding area schools from 1974 through 2004, bringing the joy and expressivity of modern dance to thousands of children.