Owners
COURTNEY KRAMER PETROCCI & MARC PETROCCI
Courtney Kramer Petrocci
OWNER
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
COACH OF COMPETITION CREWS
Ms. Petrocci, herself a native of Crystal Lake, is a happily spoiled wife to co-Owner/Artistic Director for Engage Dance Academy, Marc Petrocci, and a devoted mother of 2 incredible kiddos, one spoiled dog and an overly pampered cat.
She performed for more than ten years with the Milwaukee Ballet, where she
was featured in many roles, including Clara and the Snow Queen from Michael Pink’s The Nutcracker and Tiger Lily in Michael Pink’s world premiere production of Peter Pan, broadcasted nationally in 2014 on PBS. She has been privileged to
be featured in works choreographed by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Vincente Nebrada, Marius Petipa, Alejandro Cerrudo, and Trey McIntyre. She has had the unique pleasure of having original pieces choreographed on her by Nelly Van Bommel, Mauro de Candia, Val Caniparoli, Maurice Causey, Simone Ferro, Mark Godden, James Gregg, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Matthew Neenan, Timothy O’Donnell, and Lila York. Having worked with this very talented and diverse group of some of the world’s most prominent choreographers, Ms. Petrocci brings
with her a very diverse and refined level of performance knowledge in both classical ballet and contemporary genres.
Ms. Petrocci retired from Milwaukee Ballet in September 2015 after the birth of her and Marc Petrocci’s first child. Ms. Petrocci has both her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Arizona and her Master of Fine Arts in Dance from UWM Milwaukee. During her time dancing at Milwaukee Ballet, she was a co-founder and the former Vice President of the Milwaukee Dancers Fund, a 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to aid Milwaukee Ballet Company dancers financially in their eventual career transition.
Ms. Petrocci is an officially licensed teacher of the world-renowned Progressing Ballet Technique, which only continues to aid in her teaching of the classical technique. With Petrocci’s’ strong belief that everyone should have the opportunity to dance, this past summer Ms. Petrocci (along with Engage staff member Ms. Amanda Gee) completed a
certification process for teaching adaptive dance through the Boston Ballet. This program specializes in the teaching of dance classes to students with Down syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders and inclusive dance classes with students ranging in all abilities and needs. She looks forward to opening this new branch of dance classes at Engage Dance
Academy in 2023.
Ms. Petrocci is beyond proud of all the students at Engage Dance Academy and loves her job as Owner/Artistic Director because there is something truly magical in watching young dancers and students learn and grow each day.
Marc Petrocci
OWNER
ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE
HEAD COACH OF COMPETITION CREWS
Co-Owner/Artistic Director for Engage Dance Academy Mr. Petrocci, originally from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, is a tremendously lucky husband to the co-Owner/Artistic Director of Engage Dance Academy,
Courtney Petrocci, is a daddy climbing gym for two beautiful kiddos and a nationally acclaimed ballet artist and teacher.
Mr. Petrocci spent 13 years with the Milwaukee Ballet, including ten years as one of the Leading Artists of the company, under Artistic Director Michael Pink. His
favorite performance roles include Bugle Boy in Company B, Mercutio in Michael Pink’s Romeo & Juliet, and Puck in Bruce Wells’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In addition to these roles listed, Petrocci had the distinct privileged to have had the role of Peter Pan created on him by Michael Pink for its world premiere in 2010, which he then had the pleasure of reprising in 2012 and broadcast nationally on PBS. He has also been featured in works by Val Caniparoli, Maurice Causey, Alejandro Cerrudo, Brock Clawson, Mark Godden, Matthew Neenan, Lila York, John Utans, Trey McIntyre, and many others. In 2005, Petrocci had the pleasure of dancing with the Trey McIntyre Project’s inaugural season, performing at the Vail International Dance Festival, the Aspen Dance Festival, and Jacob’s Pillow, and he was featured in the world premiere of Trey McIntyre’s ballet Hymn at the 13th annual Fire Island Dance Festival in 2007. This diverse repertory and range of performance media serve to shape Mr.
Petrocci’s approach to choreography and the inclusive approach to dance styles that are offered at Engage.
Mr. Petrocci is a strong proponent of lifelong learning and pushing himself and others to stretch themselves in multiple facets of life. Following this philosophy, Mr. Petrocci has earned a BA in Economics with a Minor in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He later became a certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, as well as a licensed teacher of the world-renowned Progressing Ballet Technique.
As an accomplished teacher, Mr. Petrocci draws on a combination of foundational dance training from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, in conjunction with his education and a diverse group of choreographers, repetiteurs, and Master Teachers he has been exposed to over his career. These serve as the foundation for his teaching, bringing the breadth of his experience and interests to every class he teaches. This includes bringing former colleagues and current dancers from the Milwaukee Ballet down to partner with the students of Engage Dance Theatre for bi-weekly pas de deux classes, giving the dancers a leading edge in their comprehensive technical training.
Echoing his wife’s sentiments, Mr. Petrocci is beyond proud of all of the students at Engage Dance Academy, loves his job as Owner/Artistic Director because there is something truly magical about watching young dancers and students learn and grow each day.
