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. If you would like to learn more about the Dance Arts School, there will be an Informational Meeting on Thursday, August 19 at 5:30.”

The dance staff of the Champaign Park District would like to welcome you to our program! For information (classes, fees, dates, etc.) please download our current Funformation Guide or search the listings in our Online Registration System. for all other 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

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: When you are a child, anything is possible...be a pirate, or a princess, skip, hop and gallop in the air! Pre-Primary in Dance is a unique syllabus specifically suited to firmly and safely introduce ballet technique, while matching the cognitive and physical needs of children ages 6-7. It enables children to develop musicality, co-ordination, body awareness and control through simple, fun and energetic exercises and dances that encourage a young child's imagination. Please see Children's Beginning Ballet for Spring and Summer classes.
• Primary: A direct continuation from Pre-Primary, the Primary syllabus offers a solid foundation for beginning ballet training for 7-8 year olds, whilst still maintaining a child-centered, fun and imaginative experience. Children will master more complicated exercises, improve posture and control, and experience a wide variety of musical pieces, rhythms and atmospheres..
• 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 Foundation and 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 girls and boys (ages 6 to 8) who are new to Irish Dance. Students will learn the Introductory Jig and Reel.
• Children's Advanced Beginning 1:The Advanced Beginning class is for students who have completed 1 year of Beginning and have mastered the Jig and Reel steps taught at the beginning level. Students will learn more advanced Jigs and Reels, as well as a new dance called the Slip-Jig. This class may also include older beginning level students (ages 8-12) with the permission of the instructor.
• Children's Advanced Beginning 2: Students in this class must have completed 1 year of Advanced Beginning 1.
• Children's Intermediate 1: A continuation of work started in Advanced Beginning 1 and 2. Students must have completed the 2 years of Advanced Beginning.
• Children's Intermediate 2: Students must be confident of steps learned in the past 4 years of training. More advanced work on the Jig, Reel, and Slip Jig. Hardshoe training will begin this year.
• Children's Intermediate 3: Students must be well on the way to mastering all of the work in the past 5 years of training. More advanced Hardshoe as well as more intricate Jigs and Reels will be taught.
• Advanced: Dancers must have technically mastered previous vocabulary and be well acquainted with Hardshoe.
• Adult Beginning: New students ages 13 and up will learn proper foot placement and begin work on the Introductory Jig, Reel, and Slip-Jig.

Workshops
Local dance artists create and teach short term dances classes in various disciplines.

• Hip Hop Workshop
  6th – 12th graders
  Learn hip-hop choreography influenced by 80s and 90s party rap as well as today’s current hits. If you want to sweat, have fun, and learn some new dance moves, this is the class for you. We will also create our very own dance crew that will perform for friends and family at the end of the workshop.
  

  Date	Day	Time	Class ID
  9/14-11/2	Tu	4:15-5:30pm	230707-A1

  Location: Springer Cultural Center
  Fee (R/NR): $80/$120
  Min/Max: 8/20
  Deadline: 9/7

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, RAD - Director, Ballet
• Zohar Burshtein, Ballet
• Jessica Bengtson, Ballet
• Karen Elliott, Irish
• Tobey Jayne Martinez , Ballet
• James Schaffnit, Accompanist

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 Bengtson
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.

Zohar Burshtein
Zohar Burshtein started dancing at the age of seven. In 1993, she was accepted to Bat-Dor Municipal Dance School in Beer-Sheva, Israel, where she trained in classical ballet and modern dance. She studied the RAD's vocational syllabus and was awarded Advanced 1 in 2003. On that year Zohar began to study movement notation and earned the Certificate in Benesh Movement Notation in 2005. In 2006, she was awarded the Certificate of Higher Education: Dance Education by Surrey University and became a registered teacher. She has been teaching at Bat-Dor since 2004 and has also taught dance in primary schools and community centers in Beer-Sheva.

Karen Elliott
Karen is a junior at the University of Illinois studying Kinesiology. She has danced competitively in Irish Dance for 12 years at the regional, national, and international level with the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance in Chicago and has traveled to many countries to compete and perform including Scotland, Belgium, Canada, and France. She has also performed on "Good Morning America". Karen has taught Beginning through Advanced classes at Trinity, as well as private instruction. She says that "i no longer compete, yet am not ready to give up dance and thoroughly enjoy teaching the art to students as well as helping them perfect their skills."

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.

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.

If you would be interested in teaching a workshop, please contact the Springer Cultural Center at 217-398-2376.