NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announcing
The Nutcracker
& Hit “Play” by the Jazz Department
1:00 NOVEMBER 17
at the Ridgefield High School
Tickets go on Sale at 12:30 PM Sunday, October 20

Fall 2024 Registration is now open.
To sign up, go to our policies page for a link to the parent portal - or send a note to alison@ridgefield.dance with your choice of classes.

If you like to plan ahead, mark your calendars with our performance dates. Both events will be at the Ridgefield High School
November 17, 2024 The Nutcracker
June 6 & 7, 2025 Spring Performance

July 22 - 25 - Summer Dance - ages 3 - 18
There is still time to join us for our last week of summer dance

Summer and Senior Sprites will be exploring
the magical fairy garden with wings and wands and learning on basic ballet while leaping and twirling and having fun.

In Young Dancers Workshop dancers
work on their ballet skills and learning choreography to present to their families.

In addition to taking a focused ballet and modern class, dancers in Junior Workshop learned how to develop their own choreography including choosing a theme song, and costume. They also take a modern component along with ballet.

The Advanced Ballet Intensive has been focused on technique both in ballet and modern and learning new variations. Their presentations have been beautiful.

There is still time to join us for our last week of summer dance - July 22 - 25

Hard to believe that Madeline, Jeux d’Enfants, Giselle and Dancing Out Loud are THIS WEEKEND (June 8 & 9) at the Ridgefield High School. The show is FABULOUS and FUN

We are now accepting new registrations for the Spring Session.

Our spring session starts on Monday, January 29th. All dancers registered for the Fall 2023 session are automatically registered for the Spring.

We are closed for the Winter Holidays
from December 18 , 2023 to January 2, 2024.
Classes resume on Wednesday, Jan. 3

The Nutcracker, & Dreamscape
Sunday, November 19
1:00 Curtain
Ridgefield High School

Join us we kick off the holidays with a feast for the senses! The Ridgefield School of Dance presents its fabulous Nutcracker Ballet, an event the entire family will love. Over 100 dancers perform in this traditional holiday classic to the music of Tchaikovsky. The event includes the youngest of ballerinas through the seasoned Preprofessional division and is nothing short of a joyful afternoon of holiday fun.

Choreography includes variations of well-loved classical pieces to innovative and clever choreography from artistic director Jessica Boelts. From Bon Bons and Peppermints to Dew Drop, Sugar Plum, Hot Chocolate, Turkish Delight and Coffee dances and with the a very sassy Rat Queen, join us on Nov. 19th. Following The Nutcracker, the Jazz Department dazzles with “Dreamscape” a presentation of original and holiday-themed dances.

Carla Körbes
of New York City Ballet & Pacific Northwest Ballet has joined our faculty.

We are delighted to announce that Carla Körbes, a soloist with the New York City Ballet, and principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet has joined our faculty and will be teaching dancers from Ballet 4 through our pre-professional level. Ms. Körbes will also be offering adult ballet classes as an 8 session package. For more information on Miss Carla, go to our faculty page. Welcome Miss Carla!

Classes have started for the Fall 2023 - 2024 season

In addition to offering classes to the youngest of dancers and classical ballet technique through the pre-professional levels, we also have classes for adults including Nia with Irene Zimmerman on Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:30, Beginning Intermediate Ballet with Carla Körbes on Wednesdays at 10:45 and Intro and Beginning/Intermediate tap with Stevi Van Meter. The Nia class is on-going. Ballet with Miss Carla and Tap with Stevi will start in the next few weeks.

Many of our classes are full, but we are still accepting registrations for a few classes and levels.

Summer Sprites, Senior Sprites, Jr. Workshop, Advanced Ballet Intensive - Your choice of 1, 2 or 3 weeks starting the week of July 10. Go to your summer dance page for more information!

Registration is now open for our Fall 2023 season!

The Spring 2023 Season has ended with a fabulous performance. We are now preparing for summer dance in July and our Fall 2023 season starting Sept. 6th

Spectacular!
Our 25th Anniversary Performance of

Swan Lake - Act II,
Carnival of the Animals,
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
&
Up in the Air -from the Jazz Department took place
June 10th & 11th
A GREAT show!

Tickets are now on sale

for our Spring Performance of

Swan Lake Act II,

Carnival of the Animals,

A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Sunday only)

and

Up in the Clouds from the Jazz Department

July 10 & 11 at the Wilton High School

Our Spring Performance celebrating 25 years of dance in Ridgefield, will take place on June 10 & 11

Tickets are now on sale for

The Nutcracker, and Dance Party

1:00 Sunday, November 20
at The Clune Center for the Arts
Wilton High School
395 Danbury Road
Wilton, CT

Purchase your tickets Here

NUTCRACKER in
NOVEMBER

a great way to start the holiday season!

Fall Registration is open and classes start
September 7!

Mr. Jacob is BACK!

Jacob Taylor has returned to the fold after spending a year teaching and dancing in Minnesota. Seems he missed us just too much and is back and ready to teach ballet from Ballet 2 up through Company and partnering. Welcome back!

Summer Dance is underway

With programs for our youngest dancers including Summer and Sr. Sprites, a Ballet Intensive and Jr. and Sr. Workshops, this July has been busy, busy, busy at the studio.
We are welcoming many familiar faces and meeting new dancers.
We have had the pleasure of alum Claire Cordano, a dancer with Quad Cities Ballet, who has joined us for the Intensives.

We are pleased to announce our Spring Performance of

A Midsummer Night's Dream
&
Journey
a presentation by the Jazz Department

June 11 & 12, 2022

at the Ridgefield High School

A delight to present The Nutcracker and Winter Magic.

We presented our Nutcracker and Midwinter Magic to a full auditorium on December 19th. It was a wonderful performance! Digital Downloads and DVD’s are available.

Our Fall session continues through the end of January, 2022.

Spring Registration starts January 5th

Our Spring season starts on Monday, January 31st and classes are filling up! All students are pre-registered for the Spring session in their current classes. To make changes, please contact the school at 203.894.5957 to see what is available.

The Fall Season has begun!

On September 8th we opened the doors to a full roster of classes and dancers. With classes from PreBallet through advanced Company dancers, Jazz, Lyrical, Theatre Dance and Contemporary plus Ballet, Tap, Nia and Jazz for adults, there is something for everyone.

We are delighted to see so many familiar faces and we welcome families new to The Ridgefield School of Dance.

It is going to be a great year! Thank you for dancing.

Fall Registration is in Full Swing

Our Fall season starts on Wednesday, September 8th and classes are filling up! If you haven’t already registered, please contact the school at 203.894.5957 to see what is available.

It’s time for Summer Dance!

Our Summer Dance line up is set for the weeks of July 6th, 12th and 19th with a line-up summer fun for dancers 3 and up! Join in for a choice of one, two or three week sessions. Sign up through the parent portal - information is our summer dance page.

May 21, 2021

THE FOUR SEASONS BALLET and EXHALE

!!!A smashing success!!!

THE FOUR SEASONS BALLET
at THE KLEIN in BRIDGEPORT
Friday, May 21

What could be better news than to celebrate a year of dance by presenting our Spring Performance at The Klein Auditorium in Bridgeport, CT. This year our dancers, from Ballet 3 through our Company will be presenting THE FOUR SEASONS BALLET staged by artistic director Jessica Boelts to the powerful music of Antonio Vivaldi. Our Jazz department will also present an exciting end of the year performance. Tickets go on sale the May 2nd.

April, 2021
In the NEWS!

Introduction to Ballet for Teens - Wednesdays - April 28 - June 2 - Ballet is Beautiful! Intrigued by the artistry, physicality and athleticism of Ballet but not sure you want to commit to a semester or a year to try it out? We are offering a 6 week introduction for Ballet for Teens. A wonderful opportunity to try it, and, we hope, love it. It is great for dancers, athletes, actors and anyone just interested in giving it a try. Taught by teacher/choreographer Jacob Taylor, the cost is $150 for the 6 week session.

PreBallet for New Dancers - the warm weather has brought us many young dancers interested in taking ballet. We have begun a new PreBallet class on Saturdays at 12:15 for those who want to start mid-session. A very nice intro and preparation for Summer Sprites and our Fall semester.

Adult Fosse workshop and Adult Ballet - our adult classes are a must-try. We are extending Fosse and Adult Ballet the end of April May.

Feb 1, 2021
Start of the Spring session

Our first day of the Spring session was met with a good, old-fashioned snow storm that brought over a foot of snow to our area. A few classes were held over zoom while some classes were scheduled for make-up on another day. We have added an Adult Fosse workshop for the month of February, extended our Mixed Bag workshops as a monthly option, and the Lyrical Workshop is a full-session class. Adult ballet on Tuesday nights has garnered a lot of interest. Our class sizes are limited, based on current capacity restrictions. That said, most are full and we are considering adding one more preballet class on Saturdays from 12:15 - 1:00.

December 28, 2020
UVC light is installed!

After a very long wait, our new UVC light has arrived and is safely installed in our HVAC (heat, ventilation, and air conditioning) unit at 66 Grove Street. UVC lights are used inside HVAC units to disinfect the air that is flowing through the ducting. Air that flows through our system is disinfected and mixed with fresh air that is drawn in from outside. Social distancing, washing hands and wearing masks are still required at The Ridgefield School of Dance.
“…UV/UVC lights can eliminate 99+% of microorganisms including bacteria, mold, microbes, viruses and bugs, within the airstream,”
*R.Williamson & Associates

IMPORTANT POLICY UPDATE

November 10, 2020

In response to the rising numbers of Covid-19 cases, The Ridgefield School of Dance (RSOD) is implementing new drop off and pick-up policies and dance school protocols, effective immediately.

PreBallet and Ballet 1: Drop off and pick up in the Family Lounge is permitted, if necessary. You may also drop your dancer at the glass doors. A staff member will be there to receive dancers and check temperatures. Parents and caregivers must not leave until the dancer has passed a temperature check. In the Family Lounge only one (1) Parent or caregiver, per dancer, is permitted for the limited purpose of readying the dancer. Only three (3) dancers and his/her parent/caregiver will be permitted in the Family Lounge at a time. Parents/caregivers will have to wait outside the building until there is capacity and take turns in order to practice social distancing.

Ballet 2 dancers through Company (including all Jazz and Lyrical dancers): Drop off and pick-up will to be at building entrance (the glass doors). A staff member will be there to receive dancers and check temperatures. Parents and caregivers must not leave until the dancer has passed a temperature check.

Parents, caregivers and siblings will no longer be able to wait in the Family Lounge during class.

CLASSES MAY NOW BE ACCESSED REMOTELY

We continue to have in-person, in-studio classes, but if needed, dancers may access classes via a remote link (Zoom). Dancers’ health and safety is a priority and we appreciate the necessity of staying home and not attending in person. If isolating at home due to COVID-19 exposure, dancers are expected to take class if not experiencing symptoms.

IMPORTANT POLICY UPDATES

Proper masks are required in the lobby, lounges, hallway and office - with 6 foot distancing maintained.

Upon arrival, 3 steps are required: 1) check temperature, 2) disinfect phone, 3) wash hands.

Masks are to be worn during class with six foot distancing maintained. Medical and other exceptions may apply along with 12 foot distancing and other mitigating measures. Dancers should bring changes of masks as needed.

Our administration and staff is tested on a regular basis and we recommend the same for all our dance families. Rapid tests are becoming more and more available and should prove a valuable tool in the box in the days to come.

2020 FALL CLASSES STARTED ON SEPT. 8TH

THE FALL SESSION started on Tuesday, Sept. 8th at the studio with very happy dancers in 100% attendance.  Everyone is wearing a mask in the common areas and lounges of the dance school.  Teachers wear masks during classes. Following Connecticut Joint Information Center Team guidance, dancers are practicing 6-12 foot distancing in the studios and we are requesting that masks be worn during class. Masks are to be worn by dancers in the studios when they need to speak (to minimize droplet and aerosol spread). Our HVAC system pumps in copious amounts of fresh air from the outdoors and we have rigorous disinfection protocols in place.  Our staff and administration are tested on a regular basis and we recommend our families do the same.  We are absolutely thrilled to welcome everyone back.

2020 FALL SESSION TEACHER NEWS

WE ARE DELIGHTED to announce that Miss Kate is expecting and due in November. We are also delighted to announce that Danielle Santos will be teaching in her stead on Fridays. Danielle is also stepping in Tuesdays for Larisa, who has decided not to commute during the pandemic. And, as many left NYC for more open space, Yaya did too, and she and her husband are in Texas. We are thrilled that Stephanie Tolbert-King is taking over the Thursday Lyrical and Contemporary classes. Miss Irene is still teaching but her focus is on our adult students. Irene will continue to teach NIA and intermediate level Ballet for adults. We are so pleased that Violeta Katz will be teaching all of our PreBallet and Ballet 1 classes. As with so many things, schedules change and Miss Maia is unable to teach on Wednesdays this year. Mr. Jacob will be taking over many Wednesday classes, and the summer dancers who took his class are really looking forward to having him as their teacher.

2020 FALL REGISTRATION IS OPEN

FALL REGISTRATION is now open. You may call the school or register on line through our parent portal. We have added additional sections for classes so that class sizes remain small. Since classes fill very quickly, we recommend you register today.

SUMMER DANCE - A GREAT SUCCESS

The Ridgefield School of Dance has maintained a strong virtual class presence throughout our closure this past spring. In late July we held Summer and Senior Sprites classes plus Young Dancers, Junior and Senior Workshops. The Sprites sessions were so popular we twol extra weeks. And, our Junior Workshop also added a great third week of dance. The two week advanced ballet intensive brought our company members back into the studio where they worked on choreography as diverse as Agon and And American in Paris. Lastly, Stevi and Jacob tag teamed for a 3 day adv. jazz workshop that included pieces from Fosse and Musical Theatre. Thank you to all of our teachers who made this such a wonderful and memorable summer session. Ms. Jessica, Danielle, Violetta, Stevi, Alice and Sophia, all of the dancers and I thank you.

ANOTHER GREAT WEEK OF SUMMER DANCE - NOW FOR WEEKS 3 & 4

AUGUST, 2020 - Advanced Ballet Intensive is now heading into its 2nd week. We also extended our Summer & Senior Sprites through the first week of August. Young Dancers Workshop, Junior and Senior Workshop were a great success and we continue to celebrate summer and the joy of dance with an additional week of Junior Workshop.

Registration is open for our Fall session. To maintain a small class size, we have added some additional classes. Check out our registration information under the “Classes” tab.

A GREAT WEEK OF SUMMER DANCE - NOW FOR WEEK 2

JULY, 2020 - Summer & Senior Sprites, Young Dancers Workshop, Junior and Senior Workshop - all were a great success the past week as we celebrated summer and the joy of dance. We are excited about this upcoming week of ballet and jazz and creative movement.

We are looking forward to our Advanced Ballet Intensive the first two weeks of August: AUGUST 4, 5, 6 & 11, 12, 13.

Get ready… It is time to gear up and dance!

SUMMER DANCE STARTS THIS WEEK, JULY 20, IN THE STUDIO

JULY, 2020 - Our summer dance program begins this week with our Summer Sprites, Young Dancer’s Workshop and Jr & Sr. Workshop in the studio. The Advanced Intensive will take place the first two weeks of August. Participation will be limited to insure proper physical distancing. Go to our summer dance tab under classes for more information.

SPRING SESSION ENDS WITH AN EXTRA WEEK OF CLASSES

JUNE, 2020 - Though a very different experience, our virtual classes were very successful with impressive attendance and technical improvement. Classes have been extended an additional week, ending on Saturday, June 13.

We anticipate having our summer dance program in the studio the end of July and beginning of August. Participation will be limited to insure proper physical distancing. Dates will be announced.

VIRTUAL CLASS SCHEDULE POSTED ON OUR VIRTUAL CLASS PAGE

COVID-19 UPDATE

MAY, 2020 - The studio has been closed since mid-March and we all miss dancing together.

We have a full schedule of classes offered by our teachers through the Zoom app - with full security measures in place. See our Virtual Classes page for the schedule and contact alison@ridgefield.dance for the password - which will only be given to registered dancers.

Miss Jess and the teachers can’t wait to be back in the studios with our dancers and I look forward to welcoming everyone “home”.

Until then, be well and make sure to stretch and stay strong.

All the best,

Alison

alison@theridgefieldschoolofdance.com

203-894-5957