Dance in Illinois

Thursday, March 1, 2012
9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Admission: $2

Hoogland Center for the Arts, LRS Theatre

Reservation form HERE

The Springfield Ballet Company is pleased to announce that DANCE IN ILLINOISwill be presented again in 2012 and is going to be better than ever! Our 29th production of Dance in Illinois will be Thursday, March 1, 2012, with performances at 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

In 2011, we completely restructured our program and we have made some exciting changes for 2012.

Here are some of the details:

• -- We relocated our unique, 55-minute interactive and educational dance workshop to the Hoogland Center for the Arts, 420 S. Sixth Street, Springfield, IL 62701.

Performing in historic downtown Springfield means that Dance in Illinois can potentially be part of a full-day field trip for your class. The historic Old State Capitol; the Illinois State Capitol; the Lincoln Home National Historic Site; the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum; and many more historic sites are all within walking distance of the Hoogland Center for the Arts.

“We enjoyed the new facility. This is a fantastic program for our fourth graders.” – Staunton Elementary, Staunton

• --Based on your feedback, we have reformatted our Dance in Illinois program to highlight a variety of styles of dance, rather than focusing on the evolution of ballet. Attendees and participants will be exposed to classical and contemporary ballet, jazz, modern, tap and folk dance – all within our 55-minute program!
  
  In addition to enjoying a live dance performance, your students will: experience the technical components of a stage production; interact with Artistic Director Julie Ratz as she encourages audience participation; discover ways our everyday rhythms and actions can translate into dance; and leave the performance with an appreciation of and interest in the performing arts in our community!
  
  “Variety of dances and the commentary throughout – did a great job keeping them attentive.” – Sacred Heart, Pana
  
  

“Many enjoy the arts and are inspired afterwards.” – Pleasant Hill, Springfield

“My students always love the “Thriller” number.”  - St. Joseph School, Springfield

• --Dance in Illinois is now open to all fourth- AND fifth-grade students in central Illinois. We are especially interested in helping music, art and performing arts teachers expose their students to the beautiful art form of dance. Please let us know how we can help you make this a rewarding, educational program for your students!
  
  

“Thank you for conducting this program. I appreciate your time and talents you shared with me and my students.”
– Zion Lutheran, Litchfield

The admission cost for SBC’s Dance in Illinois is $2.00 per attendee. However, if the admission fee is a hardship for your school or your students, please contact us for arrangements. We will happily work with your school to ensure this educational program is available to all area fourth- and fifth-grade students.

A reservation form can be found HERE – only one form is needed for your entire school if you have multiple classrooms attending. Limited space for lunch is available and it fills up quickly, so please send your reservation form in as early as possible. Please note that attendees will need to provide student transportation to and from the Hoogland Center for the Arts.

Supplemental educational materials are available upon request. I will be happy to send you a packet of activities and lesson plan suggestions to increase your students’ knowledge of the history of dance and the performing arts. I am diligently working to improve this aspect of our outreach program, and appreciate your suggestions and feedback to ensure Dance in Illinois continues to exceed your expectations as a viable educational experience for your students.

Sincerely,

Gina DeCroix Russell
Ballet Mistress
Springfield Ballet Company