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 2024 Fall session will run from September 9th, 2024 to January 25, 2025. The Spring session begins January 27 and will end with our performance the weekend of June 7th & 8th. 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, and NIA are also available.
The school presents two performances each year; the Nutcracker Ballet in November and full-length classical ballets for the annual, year-end performance. June 2024, we presented a magnificent selection from Giselle, the charming Madeline and Dancing Out Loud from our Jazz Department. Prior years we have presented A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 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 (CPYB), 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
Partnering
- Jazz, Tap
- Contemporary, Modern, Fusion
- 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 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 17, 2024. Our spring performances will take place the weekend of June 7th & 8th, 2025. 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, selections from Giselle, Jeux d’Enfants* plus original offerings from the jazz department.
*original ballets created by artistic director Jessica Boelts
