The Engage Dance Theatre is a pre-professional training program for the more serious dancers ages 5-20 years old. This program consists of a curriculum-based syllabus built to challenge the dancers in a graduated program building both proper dance technique and a full understanding of how to use the body in executing multiple dance genres. Classical Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Body Conditioning, Progressing Ballet Technique, and for the older dancers, pointe work, variations, and Pas de Deux classes with gentlemen from the Milwaukee Ballet Company twice a month are studied yearly. During our summer intensive, we increase each level’s training to include one or more of the following classes: Dance History, vocabulary classes, and several workshops with professional dance artists from around the world, delving deeper into the many other dance styles, including Modern and Hip Hop.

 

Performance experience is an integral part of our student’s training. Performance opportunities are available to students in the Preparatory and Pre-Professional levels. During the year, dancers have performance opportunities to perform at events, including our annual Nutcracker, Pointes for a Purpose: a show financially geared entirely towards giving back to a local nonprofit in our community, making Crystal Lake and the greater McHenry County area a richer place to live for all, and Progressions: our annual all-studio recital. Company dancers also perform at events throughout Crystal Lake and the surrounding communities.

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Members of our Engage Dance Theatre participate in our Big Sibling, Little Sibling Program, helping to bridge the gap between levels and age groups.
We feel this helps create a family atmosphere where dancers can learn from each other, push each other and support one another both onstage and in the classroom. This program helps nurture and foster relationships beyond studio dance training and teaches life lessons of acceptance, respect, and team building.

We support our advanced students who wish to participate in Youth America Grande Prix (YAGP). We are not in this competition for the overall goal of ‘winning.’ Improvement and growth in each dancer is our mission. Dance is a subjective art form and is judged differently by each person/judge. Creating a dancer who is happy, confident, and has worked towards a goal of performing their variation the best they can do is what we strive to achieve.