Welcome to Menagerie Dance Program!

The Wauconda Park District is committed to providing high-quality dance classes to enhance the overall development of the child.
We provide a safe and child-centered environment to encourage our students to explore dance with qualified, nurturing teachers.

We believe that dance training encourages young people to develop a positive self-image as they increase awareness of their physical being.
Along with improving coordination skills and developing muscular awareness, dance classes give children the freedom to express themselves through movement.

Student & Parent Handbook 2023-2024
Dance Program Calendar

Click Class Code below to directly link to registration page

MONDAY:

Code: Time: Age: Class: R/NR Fee:
3400 3:45-4:30 pm 3-4 yrs Creative Dance $300/$320
3401 4:30-5:30 pm By Audition Jr. Company $500
3402 5:30-6:30 pm By Audition Sr. Company $500

TUESDAY:

Code: Time: Age: Class: R/NR Fee:
3403 10:30-11:30 am 4-6 yrs Pre-Ballet/Tap $367/$387
3404 11:30 am-12:15 pm 3-4 yrs Creative Dance $300/$320
3405 12:15-1:00 pm 4-6 yrs Pre-Ballet $300/$320
3406 5:15-6:30 pm 13+ yrs Ballet IV $435/$455
3407 6:30-7:30 pm 13+ yrs Lyrical IV/Adv. $367/$387
3408 5:30-6:30 pm 7-9 yrs Jazz I/II $367/$387
3409 6:30-7:30 pm 7-9 yrs Tap I/II $367/$387
3410 7:30-8:30 pm 12+ yrs Int./Adv. Tap $367/$387

WEDNESDAY:

Code: Time: Age: Class: R/NR Fee:
3411 10:30-11:30 am 4-6 yrs Pre-Jazz/Tap $367/$$387
3412 11:30 am-12:15 pm 4-6 yrs Pre-Modern $300/$320
3413 12:15-1:15 pm 4-6 yrs Pre-Ballet/Tap $367/$$387
3414 4:15-5:15 pm 8-11 yrs Musical Theatre I/II $367/$$387
3415 5:15-6:15 pm 8-10 yrs Ballet IB/II $367/$$387
3416 6:15-7:15 pm 13+ yrs Modern IV $367/$$387
3417 7:15-8:30 pm By Approval Adv. Ballet $435/$455
3418 8:30-9:15 pm By Approval Pre-Pointe/Pointe $300/$320
3419 5:15-6:15 pm 6-7 yrs Ballet I $367/$$387
3420 6:15-7:15 pm 7-9 yrs Lyrical I/II $367/$$387

THURSDAY:

Code: Time: Age: Class: R/NR Fee:
3421 4:15-5:00 pm 4-6 yrs Pre-Ballet $300/$320
3422 5:00-6:00 pm 4-6 yrs Pre-Ballet/Jazz $367/$387
3423 4:15-5:15 pm 7-9 yrs Modern I/II $367/$387
3424 5:15-6:30 pm 10-12 yrs Ballet IIB/III $435/$455
3425 6:30-7:30 pm 12+ yrs Musical Theatre III/IV $367/$387

Class Descriptions

Creative Dance blends movement, music, improvisation, and basic dance steps while providing an excellent introduction for the future study of all dance techniques.  Students learn dance fundamentals while improving motor skills, self-expression,  confidence,  imagination and social development.  Dancer must be fully potty trained, no pull-ups.  This is a drop-off class.

This program takes the basics of ballet technique combined with props and imagination and gives the children a fun and educational class.  Large motor skills are highlighted as well as stimulating the brain’s coordination.  Pre-Ballet and Tap classes also explore rhythms and smaller motor skill.  This is a drop off class.

Jazz is a funkier form of dance.  This is an introductory class with jazz basics to fun and kid-friendly music.  Dancers will learn the beginning steps of jazz and work on picking up choreography sequences that fuse style and technique.  This is a drop-off class.

Modern Dance explores movement, space, rhythm and the dancer’s own creativity with emphasis on momentum, shapes and patterns.  It is inspired by nature, music, art and emotions.  This class will contain a basic technique study and improvisation.  This is a drop-off class.

As students grow; they naturally begin to dance as a form of expression and imagination. We capture this enthusiasm and incorporate it into our ballet program – emphasizing proper ballet technique with a focus on developing strength, alignment, musicality, and the grace that is inherent in the form. As students mature and their bodies develop strength, we transition to a more serious study of ballet technique that will prepare them to be both confident and technically proficient artists.

Hip-Hop evolved out of street and break dancing and is characterized by its athletic and bouncy style. Hip-Hop is set to a strong, contemporary beat, builds stamina, and emphasizes body isolations, attitude, coordination, freestyle movement, and rhythm. This form of dance is seen in music videos.

This introductory class is for our youngest dancers.  Our newest students will learn the basics of balance and movement through imaginative games, songs, music and rhythmical patterns while developing a basic understanding of dance and how dance classes are held.  We hold our two-year-olds to a very specific routine and schedule to prepare them to move into our 3-year-old Creative Dance class.  This is a drop-off class.

This is a class for dancers/athletes to deconstruct traditional dance vocabulary and challenge notions of what the body is capable of performing.  Join us each week as we work on core strength, balance, upper and lower body strength, and alignment.  We will train how to be upside down in a variety of inversions and balance there without fear using the body’s natural structure as well as props such as stability balls, elastic bands, mats, and the wall, for a fun and challenging work out!

Jazz dance is an upbeat and performative style that is often seen in Broadway productions. While exploring many different stylistic preferences, students focus on principles such as syncopated rhythms, body isolations, precise technical skills, and choreography. Students will be exposed to various styles of jazz such as Broadway, Street and Contemporary to help develop a well-rounded dancer.

Lyrical is a fusion of ballet and jazz dance techniques. Lyrical dance challenges dancers to use motion to interpret music and express emotion. Lyrical jazz is a very passionate and emotional dance style. It portrays certain emotions and tells a story through every movement made.

Modern Dance develops strong creative dancers through the study of technique and improvisation with a focus on musicality, dynamics, floor-work and artistic expression. The class will provide students with the opportunity to create their own explorative movement within a structured class. Classes with composition focus on problem-solving skills and the tools needed to create unique dances for a group or individual.

Our Musical Theatre classes will focus on the execution of dance as a method of storytelling. In musical theatre, characters sing when emotion becomes too strong to speak and they dance when they are even further transported. This class will focus on Broadway style jazz.  Students will enjoy music, singing and choreography inspired by various musical productions and will be encouraged to sing along!!

Tap Dance focuses on developing coordination, precision, rhythmic skills, and musicality within both the Broadway and contemporary Rhythm-Tap styles. As students’ progress they further develop skills, focusing on clarity of sounds and increasing speed as well as dynamics and musicality.

Leaps and Turns is a technique class designed to improve the overall ability of the students. Students will focus on conditioning, working to increase strength, extension, flexibility as well as turns with more precision and various leaps. This class is appropriate for students currently enrolled in dance classes, dance team and cheer.

Private & Semi-Private Lessons

Based on instructor and facility availability. Please email Miss Cari at [email protected]