Rockford Dance Company in Rockford, Winnebago County, United States | Ballet

Rockford Dance Company in Rockford, Illinois, United States, pursues excellence in the art of dance through performance, education and outreach. Whether you're here to learn, grow or enjoy, we look forward to exceeding your expectations.
Jayne Poor and Chuck Hoenes were the original directors of Rockford Dance Company in 1973 when they gathered citywide dancers into a company to explore a concentration on dance. Rockford was in the midst of its own cultural synergy with organizations such as Charlotte's Web and New American Theater making it easy to imagine a citywide company of dancers. The first call for dancers resulted in 86 dancers becoming the charter members of the company. Through the years the focus of the company has become more defined but our mission continues to include the support of a company of dancers from the Rockford, Illinois, community.
Regular weekly company classes started in 1976. The boards of directors became a driving force of growth. In 1982 board members traveled to New York to learn how a school of dance is established and run properly. The school was established that year with quality standards. In 1991 a capital campaign allowed us to move into our new facilities at the Riverfront Museum Park with five state of the art dance studios. The first full-time School Director was hired in 1996 and a detailed curriculum was developed and established the quality that has attracted our 250+-student base. The school also established its own performance group, DanceReach, a program offered free to any student 8 years or older. Rockford Dance Company's focus is Ballet with a well defined curriculum establish for all age levels and expertise. Over 45 classes are offered in a variety of dance genres.
In the meantime the company has continued to improve on the quality of dance and its presentation. In 1985 the annual Nutcracker performance was established. In 1991 the company toured in China to perform at the Shanghai Festival Dance. Margaret Faust, our current Artistic Director since 1995, is responsible for establishing a company of dancers that are required to take five classes per week. This has allowed the company to grow stronger and reach a higher caliber of performance. Rockford Dance Company has encouraged the highest aspiration of its dancers with high quality performance values that include the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and creating renowned performances of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and the award winning A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2004. Company members have found an easy transition from our pre-professional program into colleges and professional programs.
The art of dance spans the human experience.
Becoming a dancer is a process that challenges the individual to find his or her limits and then go beyond them. Dance inspires you to become more than what you are in order to express the human condition. It engages the body, the mind and the soul.