Ballet School

I second the recommendation for Von Heidicke at 75th and Naper (next to Tuesday Morning). The recital, if you choose to participate, is at the end of the summer session. There is no special costume to buy for the summer. The children dance in their regular "uniform" that they wear to class. That said, there is a required "uniform" for class. It is a leotard with either an attached or detatched skirt, depending on the class level, and the class level tells you the color. When you join, they will show you what to get. There is a dance store on Jefferson between Washington and Main that sells their stuff, or you can order it and pick it up at the dance studio. They are all ballet and nothing else. I thought they were great, but I will warn you that after about 1st grade, there is a lot of pressure to agree to participate in the Nutcracker performance at COD which seemed like a huge time committment to me so we didn't do it. Good luck!

My son took lessons at Storm Dance Alliance. It was great.

Is downtown Glen Ellyn too far? My daughter attends an informal, "recreational" ballet dance class that has no stringent requirements for class and recite attire (any color leotard, tights and ballet slippers). However, the studio also offers traditional ballet for children, although I am not familiar with those classes. And I would guess that the dress code in a "traditional" class will be more strict.

http://www.dancedancedanceltd.com/classdescript.html

You can try Von Heidecke in Naperville on 75th/Naper Blvd.

http://www.chicagofestivalballet.com

They will let your daughter take a free trial class. I took my daughter to a class, but she refused to participate. (She is extremely shy.) But the teacher, Amy, was wonderful, and the other girls in the class were just so adorable!

The pre-ballet classes are purely for fun, and they are pretty affordable. I think their recitals are held at the Rialto Theater in Joliet too!

I hear that the Naperville Park District ballet classes are good too. You can register your daughter even if you don't like in Naperville. You just have to pay a little extra.

Good luck to you! I must say I'm a little sad that my daughter won't take a ballet class. Little girls in tutus are just too cute!

My daughter has taken lessons at Storm Dance Alliance (rt. 30 in Oswego) for the last 2 yrs. Thier recital is in the spring and you keep what you pay for. Also, you don't have to sign up for a recital class if you don't want to. There are fall, spring and summer sessons..so you can start in fall or summer and not worry about the recital.

Hi! I recommend the School of Performing Arts (SPA) right in downtown Naperville, or the Batavia Academy of Dance. My daughter teaches at BAD. If you want more info, you can email her at ____@____.com .

M. Coussens

I wish I could help you. Do you live in a small town? Maybe a larger town will have something. Keep asking around because they are out there. I teach ballet in my home for very reasonable but I live in AZ. Good luck finding something!