Dance Companies
Lead by artistic director Jessica Deahr, Chicago Dance Crash has emerged as the premier fusion-style contemporary dance company in the Midwest. Emphasizing a unique mission of both athleticism and accessibility, the Crash aesthetic is most notably recognized by its combination of concert and hip hop techniques in works ranging from full length productions to repertory pieces and freestyles.
University Ballet of Chicago is a student-run ballet company affiliated with the University of Chicago in Hyde Park. We proudly offer classical ballet training and performance opportunities for dancers of diverse backgrounds and abilities.
UBallet is an expert in storytelling. Our past performances — from the modern Spartacus to the opulent Sleeping Beauty — have been filled with characters delicate and cute, royal and grotesque. We strive to bring stories alive through both classical movement and heartfelt theatricality. Our shows have delighted audiences of all ages and levels of familiarity with dance for more than a decade.
We invite you to attend our free adult ballet classes, which are held in Ida Noyes Hall on the UChicago campus. Twice a year in the fall and late winter, we hold auditions for our semiannual productions. All who audition are cast.
The Company’s purpose is to bring a high artistic level of dance to the community. The company accepts an elite few from The School of Dance West Ballet at auditions held in August each year for the upcoming season. Junior Apprentices are considered to be in training and therefore may or may not receive performing roles.
Members of DanceWest Ballet Company perform in The Nutcracker and a spring repertoire performance. Dancers also participate in the school concert presented every June, as well as attending the Regional Dance Association Festival held at one of the Mid States companies, usually in May. Company members participate in performances that are scheduled as opportunities for performances arise.
The Berkshire Ballet Theatre is Summers Academy of Dance’s pre-professional training program for motivated dancers 12-20 years old.
Students learn through technique classes and performances in a creative and disciplined environment. Intermediate 1 and 2 students begin the classical syllabus which requires students to work carefully with much repetition in order to isolate the correct muscle groups required for turn-out, extension, and a strong jump. When a student is ready pointe training begins. Character dance, modern dance and floor barre are also introduced into training. Berkshire Ballet Theatre trainees, apprentices, and company dancers continue advanced classical ballet training including classical variations, pas de deux, repetoire.
Fort Wayne Ballet feeds the spirit and sparks the imagination through the highest caliber of dance education, performance experiences, and community engagement.
As Indiana’s only professional ballet company, Fort Wayne Ballet provides our region with the highest caliber of dance education, performance experience, and community engagement. But more than that, we feed minds and souls.
Because dance is a lifelong passion, we meet people where they are, whether exploring movement for the first time, performing in the prime of life, or experiencing the magic from the audience.