 Dance Programs
"Champaign-Urbana's only Certified Ballet Training School"
Dance Arts provides a wide variety of children and adult
dance classes. Instruction is fun, safe, and affordable.
The
dance staff of the Champaign Park District would like to
welcome you to our program! Questions? - Please contact Kim Burson at 398-2376 or
Mission
The dance staff of the Champaign Park District
is fully committed to serving the diverse needs of the community
in the art of dance. In conjunction with maintaining the standards
of the Royal Academy of Dance, we strive to provide safe,
high quality dance instruction. The Dance Arts Program promotes
self-esteem, personal growth, and provides professional dance
instruction in a variety of dance formats for all age groups.
Our goal is to provide an instructional
setting which fosters all areas of the performing arts.
The Dance Arts Staff strives to instill appreciation for
dance through professional experiences and instruction shared
with each student. The dance training, discipline, and other
skills learned during dance instruction will follow the
student throughout life.
Performances
TBA
Programs
Ballet-
Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus
The
Academy has grown to become the largest, most influential
examining body for classical ballet in the world. The
Children’s Syllabus is taught in more that 50
countries, setting high standards for dance training
for some 160,000 children every year. The safe and correct
training of your children is one of our major goals,
which is why the Grades Syllabus has been devised with
great care. It progresses a child in slow stages, demanding
no more of a young body than it can easily cope with.
Not only is this syllabus great fun for children to
dance, it also helps coordination, fitness, sense of
rhythm, musicality and self expression, as well as promoting
self-discipline and boosting confidence.
- Pre-Primary: Learn to make your hands
do fireworks and teach your feet to trot like a pony
in this beginning dance class.
- Primary: Would you like to learn
to fly a kite, and sway like a flower in the wind?
Join us for this second year of dance training.
- Grade I: Beginning classical arm
movements and small jumps will be started this year.
Hungarian folk dances will be introduced. Character
shoes and skirts are required.
- Grade II: Free movement (modern dance)
will be introduced in Grade II. More Hungarian folk
dance steps will also be added to the students repertoire.
Character shoes and skirts are required.
- Grade III: Pirouette turns will be
introduced this year, as well as more sophisticated
allegro work. Students will be required to perform
a classical variation, a free movement (modern) solo,
and a Russian Character Dance. Character shoes and
skirts are required.
- Grade IV: More pirouette turns will
be taught, adagio work becomes more mature, and the
Russian character work becomes more refined. Character
shoes and skirts are required.
- Grade V: More
allegro work is developed, and Grand allegro is introduced.
Polish character work will begin this year. Character
shoes and skirts are required.
- Grade VI: Artistry becomes an important
element in this class. Most of the centre work could
be considered small solos. Polish Court style character
work will be taught. Character shoes and skirts are
required as well as a mid-calf length chiffon skirt.
- Grade VII: Along with the ballet
training, a vocabulary of Hungarian Court steps and
styles will be taught so that in reaching Grade VII,
the student will easily recognize some of the steps
when watching traditional productions of Swan Lake,
Sleeping Beauty, and Coppelia.
- Grade VIII: The examination in Grade
VIII is a culmination of work taught in past years,
now performed in a series of solos.
- Intermediate: A basic knowledge of fundamental technique and the physicality and flexibility to execute class work is needed. Intermediate exercises are short and to the point, which enables the student to focus on refining their classwork. The class will include pointework, but is also appropriate for students in soft shoes.
Supplemental
Technique Classes
For
students of all ages who are the once-a-week dancer
or for students who want extra classes to perfect their
technique. These classes are also taught with the care
and expertise of the Academy.
- Creative Movement (Ages 3-4): Classwork includes exercises to help children fine-tune motor skills, coordination, and body and spatial awareness, while nurturing their natural love of dance and creativity.
- Creative Movement (Ages 5-6): Classwork encourages musicality, physical coordination, self esteem, and incorporates fundamentals of formal dance training. This class is offered during the Fall semester only. Students will proceed into Children's Beginning Ballet for the Spring and Summer sessions, and then into Pre-Primary the following Fall.
- Children's Beginning Ballet: Students
are encouraged to explore their creative side, by
learning how to express themselves through dance!
Basic ballet and free movement techniques will be
taught. Please note: Children's Beginning Ballet will
be offered in Spring & Summer sessions only.
- Adult
Ballet I: In this beginning class, positions of the feet, arms, and body are introduced. Exercises are given to create strong, yet supple footwork at the barre and then in center. Small jumps, usually 2 to 2 feet will begin this year. Beginning French terminology and theory are taught. Students remain in this class for 1 full year.>
- Adult Ballet II: Barre work becomes more sophisticated. Much more work en l'air is done in Adult 2 and demi-pointework is greatly expanded upon. Turns, and more petis allegro are introduced in center. Some larger jumps will be done also. Character and some Modern dance may be taught in this class. Students are encouraged to remain in this class for 2 to 3 years.
- Adult Ballet III: Students should be fluent in the French terminology and theory of their training up to this point. Barre work should be stable and clean. More complicated turns and jumps will be covered. Additional, more mature Character work may also be taught in this class.
- Apprentices: Ages 8 and up, with
2 to 3 years of training.
- Corps de ballet: Ages 10 and up,
with 3 to 4 years of training. Adults with the same
amount of training are welcome in this class.
- Soloists: Ages
12 and up, with 5 to 6 years of ballet. Adults with
the same amount of training are invited to take this
class.
- Principals: Ages 14 and up. This class is for students who are
dedicated to the art form, and plan to continue to
study academically and/or professionally. Please note:
Junior and Senior Company Classes are free to students
already enrolled in two or more classes with Dance
Arts.
- Junior Company Class: Ages 8 and up. Apprentices, Corps de ballet, and adult
students with 2 to 5 years of training are invited
to this class
- Senior Company Class: Ages 12 and
up. Soloists, Principals, and adult students with
at least 5 years of continuous training.
Irish Dance Classes
Learn
about Irish culture through dance.
- Children's Beginning Irish: The Children's Beginning class is for boys and girls who are new, or relatively new, to Irish Dance and who are at least 5 years of age by September. The dancers will learn the Introductory Jig and Reel.
- Children's Advanced Beginning Irish: The Advanced Beginning Irish Class is for students that have completed some beginning training and have mastered all Jig and Reel steps taught at the foundation level. Dancers will learn more advanced Jigs and Reels, as well as a new dance called the Slip Jig. This class is for students that are given a recommendation from the teacher or beginning students ages 8-12.
- Boys Beginning/Advanced Beginning Irish: This beginning and advanced-beginning level class will introduce the basics of Irish dance and then fine tune the technique. Students will learn the Jig and Reel, and might also start learning the basics of hard shoe. The class will be taught by Bill Donahue.
- Children's Intermediate Irish: The Children's Intermediate class is for ages 8-10 that have had previous training. A continuation of work learned in Children's Beginning Irish will include the Slip Jig.
- Children's Advanced Irish: This class is designed for students ages 11+ years with previous training. Intermediate steps of the Jig, Reel, and Slip Jig will be introduced, and preparation for hard shoe will begin.
- Adult Beginning Irish: The Adult Beginner class is for our new or relatively new dancers, ages 13+ years. The dancers will work on foot placement and learn the Introductory Jig, Reel, and Slip Jig.
- Adult Advanced Irish: This class is for our dancers that have mastered all the introductory and intermediate steps of the Jig, Reel, and Slip Jig and are well-acquainted with the hard shoe dances. The dancers will be taught more advanced material. * Teachers evaluation required before entering the class.
- Men's Intermediate/Advanced: This intermediate and advanced level class will introduce a more advanced Reel and students will learn more advanced and challenging hard shoe material. The class will be taught by Billy Donahue.
Contemporary
Jazz
and Modern for several age groups.
- The Wolenski Body Conditioning Workout: Get fit! Feel Good! Improve body awareness, balance,
flexibility, and coordination.
Workshops
Local dance artists create and teach short term dances
classes in various disciplines.
- None scheduled at this time.
Instructors
Our dance program strives to maintain a standard of excellence
through quality instruction and when possible, live piano
accompaniment. The dance faculty members have each received
professional dance training and collectively represent
a wide spectrum of performance and educational backgrounds.
The dance accompanists are professionally trained pianists
with specialties in performance, theory, composition,
and more. The expertise of both the instructors and accompanists
greatly enhances the quality of the dance program.
Members
of the core dance faculty:
Kimberly Reynolds-Burson
Head Dance Instructor
Royal Academy of Dance Certified Teacher
Kim began her training at age 8 with the Butler University
Special Instruction Division in Indianapolis. By age
15, she was a Soloist with the Jordan Dance Theatre,
the school's performing company. During this time, Kim
performed lead roles from Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty,
Les Sylphides, and in many original ballets choreographed
by Karl Kaufman, the company's Director. Kim spent 3
summers on scholarship at a school run by Anna-Marie
Holmes in Portugal where she performed in Paquita, Scheherezade,
La Bayadere, and Firebird. She has been trained or coached
by:
Elaine
McDonald - Scottish Ballet Theatre
Denis Ganio - Paris Opera
Woytek Lowski - Roland Petit, Bejart
Helen Starr - Royal Ballet
Alun Jones - Irish National Ballet
Elizabetta Terrabust - La Scala
Yuriko - Martha Graham
Kenneth MacMillan - Royal Ballet
Kim
began teaching for Dance Arts in 1984, and has received
her Teaching Certification from the Royal Academy of
Dance. Since becoming the Director of Dance Arts in
1986, Kim has choreographed many pieces for the school's
performances, including the full-length original
ballet "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse", "Masquerade", and "A Yessong."
Jessica Bengston
Jessica began her training in Decatur, Illinois where
she was an exam candidate with the Royal Academy of
Dance. At age eleven, she was accepted to the National
Academy of Arts in Champaign where she trained until
its closure in the spring of 1987. Jessica has trained
and performed under a variety of notable teachers to
include Petrus Bosman, David Keener, Robert Dicello,
and Mark Schneider. Jessica has been a Dance Arts instructor
since 1989 where she has taught all levels of Royal
Academy of Dance ballet syllabus classes, as well as
all levels of Adult Ballet.
Tobey Jayne Martinez
Tobey Jayne Martinez began her formal ballet training at the Scholl of Ballet West in Salt Lake City , Utah. At age 17, she earned early admission into the University of Utah's Challenge Program, which afforded her the opportunity to further her training at the collegiate level. The following year, Tobey was awarded the William F. Chirstenson Scholarship, which she received for her academic achievement and artistic potential. Tobey attended the University of Utah where she was a member of the Utah Ballet Company. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Ballet. Tobey joined the Dance Arts faculty in 2005.
Kate Meehan Pedrotty
Kate Meehan Pedrotty grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, where she studied RAD technique (passing the Intermediate-level exam) and performed as a principal dancer with the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet in such productions as "The Nutcracker," "Giselle," "Coppelia," "Cinderella," and "Pas de Quatre." In 2000, she graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia with degrees in Dance and History. While at Randolph-Macon Kate had the opportunity to study ballet, modern dance, and jazz from a diverse group of instructors through the College's Visiting Artists' Program, including R-MWC dance chair Pamela Risenhoover, the late Genia Melikova, Angelina Armeiskaya (the "little girl" in the classic dance documentary The Children of Theatre Street!), Billy Siegenfeld of the Jump Rhythm Jazz Project in Chicago, and current UIUC dance professor Sara Hook. Kate also performed in and choreographed for the Dance Department's annual Spring Dance Concert for four years.
She has been taking ballet classes at Dance Arts since 2001 and has danced principal roles in "The Seasons," "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse," and "A Yessong" at the Virginia Theatre. Kate is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in History at the University of Illinois.
James Shaffnit
James has been playing for ballet dancers for more than twenty years. He was a staff accompanist for the dance department at the California Institute of the Arts from 1994-96 and has played company classes for the American Ballet Theatre and the Nevada Ballet Theatre. Besides working as an exam pianist for the Royal Academy of Dance for the past fifteen years, he also currently accompanies classes for the dance departments at the University of Illinois and Springer Cultural Center in Champaign. He holds a Master of Music Degree from California State University, Northridge.
Chester Wolenski
Chester Wolenski has studied, performed, taught and choreographed both modern dance and ballet for several decades across the U.S., Europe, South America and Southeast Asia. He studied modern dance with Carl Osgood, Betty Osgood, Jose Limon, Betty Jones, Ruth Currier, Lucy Venable, Merce Cunningham, Martha Grahamj, Pearl Lang, and Bertram Ross. mr. Wolenski studied ballet with Robert Joffrey, Gerald Arpino, Lillian Moore, Antony Tudor, Alfred Corvino, Nina Fonaroff, Felia Doubrovska, Vladimirof, Hector Zeraspe and Leon Danielian.
Mr. Wolenski performed throughout the 1950's and 1960's with the Juilliard Dance Theater, the Juilliard Dance Ensemble, the Jose Limon Company, the Anna Sokolow Company and on Broadway in a production of "Camelot." He toured extensively with the Jose Limon Company between 1956 and 1962. In later years, he acted as rehearsal director for the Limon Company, and did reconstructions of a number of works in the Limon repertoire including "Comcerto Grosso," "The traitor," "Scherzo," and Doris Humphrey's "Passacaglia." In addition, during this period Mr. Wolenski taught at the Juilliard School, the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan, the School of Creative Arts on Martha's Vineyard, and at the Boston Conservatory of Music in the Department of Dance.
In 1970, Mr. Wolenski accepted a teaching position in the Dance Department at the University of Illinois, champaign-Urbana, where he taught, performed and choreographed for 12 years. During this period, he also taught at the American University in Washington D.C., and in Champaign-Urbana at the National Academy of Arts, Communiversity, and the Downtown Performing Arts Center. From 1985 to 2001, Mr. Wolenski taught and performed at White Street Arts Center, also in Champaign. After the Arts Center closed its doors in 2001, Mr. Wolenski began teaching modern dance at the Champaign Park District.
Summer Intensive Workshop
Instructors
Eduard Forehand
Eduard began his dance training with Thomas Armour in
Miami, Florida. He also received scholarships to attend
summer programs with the Houston Ballet and North Carolina
School of the Arts. Following his high school graduation,
Eduard trained at the Nutmeg Conservatory before joining
the Richmond Ballet. While there, he performed roles
in Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, and Nuevo Tango. After
two seasons, Eduard went on to dance with the Charleston
Ballet Theatre where he danced in Daniel Pelzig's Nine
Lives and Jill Eathorne Bahr's Dracula and Rite of Spring,
as well as Benvolio in her Romeo and Juliet. In 2003,
Eduard went on to dance with the Augusta Ballet, performing
in roles such as Aramis in The Three Musketeers, and
the Cavalier in The Nutcracker. Edward is now soloist with the Dayton Ballet. He has instructed ballet
at schools in Charleston and Augusta.
Jennifer Reiter
Jennifer Reiter, a native of central Illinois, received her BFA in Dance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her MFA in Dance from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Ms. Reiter has been commissioned to teach and choreograph for dance schools and theatre companies throughout the Midwest. She currently is on the dance faculty of Millikin University and serves as the Artistic Director of Preparatory Dance Academy in Decatur, Illinois. Ms. Reiter is dedicated to bringing safe and correct dance technique to her students while never losing sight of the joyful freedom and creative personal expression that dance offers.
Christy
Forehand
Christy began her Royal Academy of Dance training at
Dance Arts under the direction of Cynthia Pipkin-Doyle
and Kimberly Burson. She went on to attend the Virginia
School of the Arts. Following graduation, Christy attended
Butler University and performed with the Butler Ballet
for one year. In 1999, she joined the Charleston Ballet
Theatre, where she danced for four years. While there,
she performed principal roles in George Balanchine's
Serenade and Tarantella, Colin Connor's Second Hand
Sofa, Daniel Pelzig's Nine Lives, and Jill Eathorne
Bahr's Rite of Spring, Peter Pan, and Romeo and Juliet.
Christy is in her second season with the Augusta Ballet.
She has performed the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in
The Nutcracker, and Constance in The Three Musketeers.
She is now a soloist with the Dayton Ballet. Christy has been a ballet instructor for the past seven
years, teaching for the Charleston Ballet Theatre, Spartanburg
Ballet, Dance Arts Summer Workshops as well as many
other programs year around.
Irish Dance Instructors
Erin Aquino
Erin is currently a sophomore at the University of Illinois studying English. Erin has been a student of the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance for 14 years. She has competed in regional, national, and world competitions since the age of 12, winning many awards. Erin has taught Beginning and Intermediate levels and for the past four years, has been a teaching assistant for the Trinity Academy at the Championship level . Erin is currently still competing and is a member of the Trinity Irish Dance Company. She is very excited to begin teaching here at Dance Arts.
If
you would be interested in teaching a class, please
contact the Springer Cultural Center at 217-398-2376. |
