Established Ballet Studios in the Joliet Area

Students in the Joliet area, starting from the age of three, can learn ballet at anytime of the year. Some of the studios in the area, also, have their own dance troupes, which perform at various venues.

Most of the schools that teach ballet in this area also teach other forms of dance, such as jazz, hip-hop and other disciplines. The most popular in this area include, Vaughan Dance Studios, B.D.A. Dance, and Von Heidecke's Chicago Festival Ballet.

Vaughan Dance Studios has two locations in the Joliet and in the city of Plainfield. Their current Ballet Director is Angela Keating, who has been teaching at Vaughan's since 1999. Classes at Vaughan Dance Studios vary depending on the season, but they do have enough classes to fit anyone's schedule. Children can start as early as two in pre-dance and they offer ballet classes up to the advanced levels.

B.D.A. Dance is located in Crest Hill which is a city that boarders of Joliet offers a number of ballet classes starting with preschool ballet for children, ages 3-5. The key instructor at B.D.A. Dance for ballet is Carissa Lundeen. Trained by one of the primer teachers of ballet in the Joliet area Claudette Soltis, Ms Lundeen has had extensive ballet experience and has toured the United States with a number of dance companies.

For child who dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer there is only one proven professional training center and that is Von Heidecke's school of the Chicago Festival Ballet.

Founded in 1991, Von Heidecke's provides students with professional ballet training based on European ballet techniques. As students progress through the program and show promise they are afforded opportunities to dance with professional touring productions at such places as the Rialto Square Theater in Joliet, the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, and Chicago's Harris Theater in Millenium Park. The school also offers a summer program at the Rialto Theater giving students professional stage experience and an intensive professional program.

The program at Von Heidecke's school of the Chicago Festival Ballet has produced a number of professional dancers for a number of ballet troupes, such as the Lyric Opera Ballet in Chicago.

Parents should expect to pay extra for such things a recitals and each of these schools has a required uniform of dress. All dancers should expect to purchase specific attire for their classes as well as appropriate shoes.

References:

Von Heidecke's school of the Chicago Festival Ballet

B.D.A. Dance

Vaughan Dance Studios