In a converted industrial space on McHenry Road, 200 students weekly execute pliés and pirouettes across six sprung-floor studios. This is Buffalo Grove Ballet, a suburban Chicago dance institution that has operated continuously since 1990, training generations of dancers who have gone on to professional companies, college dance programs, and careers in arts administration.
Founding and Evolution
Buffalo Grove Ballet emerged from a specific gap in the northwest suburban arts landscape. When former Joffrey Ballet dancer Margaret Chen relocated from Chicago in 1989, she found limited serious dance training options for families unwilling to commute downtown. Chen partnered with three local arts advocates—village trustee Robert Yates, Buffalo Grove High School drama director Patricia Okonkwo, and arts patron Eleanor Voss—to convert a vacant 12,000-square-foot warehouse into a dance facility.
The school opened in September 1990 with 47 students and two studios. By 2000, enrollment had quadrupled, prompting a 2004 expansion that added four additional studios, a costume shop, and a 150-seat black box theater. Chen served as artistic director until her 2015 retirement; current leadership includes Artistic Director David Moreno, a former American Ballet Theatre soloist who joined in 2016, and School Director Rebecca Holt, a Buffalo Grove Ballet alumna who returned in 2019 after dancing with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.
Training Structure and Progression
The school organizes instruction into three divisions with distinct goals and time commitments.
Children's Division (Ages 3–7)
Weekly 45-minute classes introduce movement fundamentals through creative dance and pre-ballet curricula. The division serves approximately 60 students per semester, with two annual demonstration performances in the black box theater rather than full productions.
Student Division (Ages 8–18)
This track comprises the majority of enrollment, with students placed by ability rather than age. Level 1 through Level 5 progressions require minimum two classes weekly; Level 6 and above require four. Ballet technique forms the core, with supplementary training in pointe (by invitation, typically age 11+), modern, jazz, and character dance. Students at Level 4 and above may audition for the Youth Ensemble, which performs in community settings including nursing facilities, library programs, and the annual Buffalo Grove Days festival.
Adult/Open Division
Evening and weekend classes accommodate approximately 35 adult students per semester, including absolute beginners, former dancers returning to training, and fitness-focused participants seeking alternatives to gym-based exercise.
The Pre-Professional Track: Requirements and Outcomes
Approximately 15 students annually participate in Buffalo Grove Ballet's most intensive programming. Admission requires audition; accepted students commit to 15–20 hours weekly of technique, variations, pas de deux, and conditioning classes, plus rehearsals for two major productions.
The track's measurable outcomes distinguish it from recreational programming. According to school records provided to Dance Teacher magazine in 2023, 82% of pre-professional graduates from 2018–2022 enrolled in college dance programs or entered trainee positions with professional companies. Alumni currently dance with Kansas City Ballet, Ballet West II, and Louisville Ballet; others have pursued dance education, physical therapy, and arts management careers.
"We're not trying to produce only professional dancers," Moreno notes. "We're trying to produce people who understand what rigorous training demands—whether they become performers, teachers, or audience members for life."
Performance Programming
The school's production calendar centers on three annual full-length ballets: The Nutcracker (December, with four performances), a classical story ballet rotating among Coppélia, Giselle, and La Fille Mal Gardée (April), and a contemporary showcase (June) featuring original choreography by faculty and guest artists. Youth Ensemble members additionally perform 15–20 community outreach dates annually.
Production values reflect institutional investment: costumes for The Nutcracker are constructed in-house by a staff of three, with sets rented or built through partnerships with College of Lake County's theater department. Ticket prices ($18–$28) undercut comparable suburban dance presentations, a deliberate choice Yates—still serving on the advisory board—describes as "removing financial barriers to families experiencing ballet."
Faculty and Methodology
The school employs 14 part-time faculty, ten of whom hold degrees in dance or equivalent professional experience. Moreno teaches advanced ballet and men's technique; Holt leads modern and contemporary training. Additional faculty credits include former dancers from Milwaukee Ballet, River North Dance Chicago, and Giordano Dance Chicago.
Instruction follows a Vaganova-based syllabus through Level 4, with Cecchetti and Balanchine influences introduced at advanced levels. Modern training draws primarily from Horton and Graham techniques. This methodological breadth, Moreno explains, prepares students for varied college program auditions and professional company expectations.
Considerations for Prospective Families
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