School of Dance Free Classes, Auditions, and Registration

Ella and Rose Kurutz, and eighteen dancers from the Des Plaines Park District Dance and Arts Camp, performed nine dances to a packed house of family and friends on August 16 in the Prairie Lakes Theater. Dancers ages five through ten, in Camp Dance-A-Lot, performed to music from The Smurfs 2, including Ooh La La by Britney Spears and Magik by Becky G. Dancers in Camp ReMix, ages eleven to fifteen, performed to a mix of music from the ‘90s including Barbie Girl by Aqua and Spice up Your Life by the Spice Girls. The Kurutz sisters dance at the Des Plaines School of Dance, Ella for ten years and Rose for seven. The sisters are also members of the in-house dance company, Artistry in Motion. “We joined Artistry because we love to perform,” they said, “and being at Dance and Arts Camp means we can dance year round.”

The Des Plaines School of Dance is hosting an Open House and day of free dance classes on Saturday, September 7, from 9:00am to 3:00pm in the Dance Studio at the Leisure Center, 2222 Birch Street. Classes will be divided into five sessions by age: adults will be taught a combination Ballet Barre and Hip Hop Cardio class from 9:00-10:00am by Stacy Pareti and Cecilia Ferguson-Bell. Dancers ages three to five will be taught Ballet and Teeny Bop, also by Pareti and Ferguson-Bell, from 10:15 until 11:15am. Dancers ages six to eight will be taught Ballet, Hip-Hop, and Mini-Modern, by Pareti and Rachel Ratto from 11:30am until 12:30pm. Dancers ages nine to eleven will be taught Contemporary, Jazz, and Tap by Laura Chiuve and Jaime Sales from 12:45 to 1:45pm. Dancers twelve and older will be taught Contemporary, Jazz, and Tap, also by Chiuve and Salas, from 2:00-3:00pm. New and returning dancers to the School of Dance are invited to meet the instructors and sample a variety of dance styles in a relaxed atmosphere. Parents are encouraged to stay and observe the class, and meet the instructors after each session. All classes are taught by members of the School of Dance staff, an experienced ensemble of working, professional dancers and choreographers, who perform locally and abroad. “At the core of our program is a love of dance,” said Nancy Suwalski, Cultural Arts Supervisor. “Our staff understands the importance of technique, has an innate sense of choreographic creativity, and is committed to sharing their passion with our students.”

Also on September 7, the Des Plaines Park District will hold auditions for the AMP Dance Company. The Artistry in Motion Performance Dance Company offers young, talented, and dedicated students an opportunity to further their dance experience through public performances at festivals, senior centers, and city events. The company’s goal is to enrich the dancer’s experience without the additional commitment or expense of regional and national competitions. Auditions will be held in the Leisure Center Dance Studio from 4:00 until 5:30pm, and are open to all dancers ages 6-11 in grades 1-5.

The Des Plaines School of Dance offers a well-rounded dance program with over fifty classes in ballet technique, pre-Pointe, Pointe, modern, jazz, Broadway jazz, lyrical, hip hop, and tap. Students are divided by age and ability, and classes are taught in modern studios with specially equipped, injury-preventing floors; full-length mirrors; secure barres; and state of the art sound systems. The School has four distinct programs: a Tots in Motion program with classes designed for preschool age children; the Performance program, a nine month training course that culminates in a recital; a Non-Performance program, with youth, teen, adult, and specialty classes; and the Artistry in Motion in-house dance company.

Registration for Fall Dance Classes begins Monday, August 26 for residents and Tuesday, September 3 for non-residents. For more information about the School of Dance Classes, call the dance hotline at 847-391-6924 or visit www.DPParks.org.