About The Ridgefield School of Dance
The Ridgefield School of Dance is noted for its excellence and focus on technique, professional environment and commitment to small class size. We offer two sessions during the school year plus summer programs. Our 2023 Fall session will run from September 6th, 2023 to January 27, 2024. The Spring session began January 29 and will end with our performance the weekend of June 8th & 9th. Our Summer Dance schedule at the studio takes place in July and includes Intensive programs as well as classes for ages 3 and up.
The dance curriculum serves both the pre-professional student and the recreational dancer in Classical Ballet and Pointe. The Jazz department programs, including Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Modern, Tap and Musical Theater Dance are designed to address the levels of each student. Adult classes in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and NIA are also available.
The school presents two performances each year; the Nutcracker Ballet in December and full-length classical ballets for the annual, year-end performance. June 2022, we presented a magnificent A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Journey from our jazz department. June 2023, we celebrated 25 years in Ridgefield with Swan Lake Act II, Carnival of the Animals, and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Ballets in our repertoire include Alice in Wonderland, The Sleeping Beauty Ballet, Cinderella, Les Sylphides, and selections from Paquita, and Romeo and Juliet. Our 2021 year-end performance featured an original classical/contemporary ballet of The Four Seasons with original choreography to the music of Antonio Vivaldi and Max Richter by our artistic director Jessica Boelts. Exhale from the Jazz department ended our 20-21 season with an exuberant homage to dance.
Our Summer Dance includes Summer and Senior Sprites, Young Dancers' Workshop, Jr. Workshop and Ballet Intensives in July. These programs give dancers a chance to work on strengthening their technique in Ballet, and Lyrical/Contemporary technique.
Advanced students are encouraged to audition for summer programs throughout the country. Our dancers have been accepted to the School of American Ballet (SAB), Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, Miami Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, Joffrey and Bolshoi, Chautauqua, Alvin Ailey, Walnut Hill in Boston, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Boston Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Summer Intensives.
We are very proud that students who have chosen to pursue dance as a career have been accepted into acclaimed dance programs at the Tisch School at NYU, Purchase College Conservatory of Dance, Purchase, New York and the Ohio State University Department of Dance.
Our faculty includes former professional dancers who are dedicated to sharing their knowledge and joy of dance with their students.
Our Programs
- Pre-professional and recreational classes in ballet:
7 levels in classical ballet
3 levels in pointe
- Jazz
- Contemporary, Modern
- Lyrical, Musical Theatre dance
- Summer Dance Ballet Intensives, Children's programs
- Adult Ballet, Tap and NIA
Our Performances
Each year, The Ridgefield School of Dance presents a winter and spring performance in which all of the students are encouraged to participate. Both events include a classical ballet and a highly choreographed offering from the Jazz Department (Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, and Theatre Dance). Kicking off the winter holiday season, we will present our Nutcracker on November 19, 2023. Our spring performances will take place the weekend of June 8th & 9th, 2024. Both performances will be presented at the Ridgefield High School.
In addition to our annual Nutcracker Ballet, previous performances have included: the Grand pas classique of Les Sylphides, Carnival of the Animals*, Madeline, Alice in Wonderland, The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra*, Cinderella, Act III of The Sleeping Beauty Ballet, Act II of Swan Lake plus original offerings from the jazz department.
*original ballets created by artistic director Jessica Boelts
