Classic Dance Ensemble (CDE) is a non-profit, co-ed student dance company founded in 1989 by Prairie View A&M University sutdents, Bongi Sithole and Jennifer Adams. 

The mission of CDE is to achieve excellence through dance, by displaying a commitment to discipline, dedication, and goal setting.  The mission of CDE concurs with and supports the PVAMU motto of "Prairie Produces Productive People".  

CDE is currently advised by Sherry Harper, Artistic and Executive Director.  

CDE at Home:
Many of CDE performances include the Mr. and Miss Prairie View Pageants, the Queens Ball, Jack and Jills, Pantherland Day, and a host of campus functions that are sponsored by various sororities, fraternities, and other campus organizations.  CDE also performs for various departments and colleges on campus, which strengthens the connective link between academics and the arts.

CDE in the Community:
CDE has made its mark within the Waller, Harris, Grimes and Fort Bend County communities with powerful performances and programs.  Some performance locations have included Texas Southern University, Sam Houston State University, Sealy, Jack Yates, Barbara Jordan, Navasota, and Sam Houston High Schools; Hempstead and Waller Middle and Elementary Schools; the Department of Veterans Affairs, African-American Arts Council of Houston, Giddings School of Corrections, and the Miss Black Houston Pageant.

CDE also has a community service program entitled the "Angelita Williams Workshop" which partners company members with Waller and Hempstead students in the dance studio.  This program is extremely beneficial to those company members who plan to go into the field of dance as an instructor.

CDE in the Nation:
The members of Classic Dance Ensemble have put the Company and the University on the map.  They have performed in the states of Virginia, Louisiana, Georgia (Atlanta), North Carolina (Durham and Charlotte), Tennessee (Nashville), Maryland (Baltimore), and Texas (Houston, Dallas and Austin).  CDE participates and performs in the annual Black College Dance Exchange (BCDE) every year during the spring.  

CDE has also had the honor of being the only Historically Black College or University Dance Company to be asked to perform, on two separate occasions, by the American College Dance Festival at The John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.  Company members have also traveled to New York City to receive professional training.