Batavia Academy of Dance

Award Winning Faculty, Acclaimed Curriculum

Celebrating Fourteen Years of Excellence In Dance Education

Classes offered in Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Tap, Ballroom, Musical Theater, Acro Dance and more!

Beginner through Advanced Levels, Ages 18 months through Adult

2023 Best Of The Fox Readers’ Choice Award Winner!

Best of the Best National Title Winning Competition and Performance Team!! National Champions Since 2012!!!

Limited class sizes to ensure individualized student attention

Age appropriate costuming and choreography

Fun and positive environment! We'd love to be able to share our love of dance with you!

Our curriculum is designed to accommodate all levels and ages, from students who wish to achieve a professional career in dance to those who want to enjoy dance on a recreational level.

We strive to provide the highest quality of dance training to Batavia and the surrounding Fox Valley communities.

Gain confidence, poise, and lasting friendships by studying with nurturing teachers in a wholesome environment where every student is celebrated!

Ballet with World Famous Valery Lantratov

Ballet Master Class with Valery Lantratov

Moscow-born principal ballet dancer with the Moscow Stanislavski and Kremlin ballets and general director of the Russian National Ballet Foundation, Lantratov conducts master classes at B.A.D. every year.

"Chin up, chin up, do not dance in the shadows…"

 

The concise instruction could be heard throughout Batavia Academy of Dance on this cold January evening that was anything but ordinary. The energy and passion here today is undeniable to those who share the space with world-famous ballet dancer, Valery Lantratov.

Lantratov, the famous first soloist ballet dancer of the Moscow Stanislavski Ballet, taught a master class to a select number of honored Batavia Academy of Dance ballet students. This world-renowned Russian ballet dancer is also known for his flawless roles in Copellia, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, with one of his greatest accomplishments having been awarded the highest artistic honor in 1997 by the Russian Federation.


It is not every day one has an opportunity to be taught by such an esteemed ballet dancer. Selina Costabile, a dancer joining the studio at a very exciting time said "This is the first time I got to meet him, I was very excited and really looked forward to it!"

The world-renowned Russian dancer exudes a great reverence for the hard work and progress he can see the dancers are making here.

An ecstatic and humbled Anne Gugliuzza, founder and artistic director of Batavia Academy of Dance, explains, "We follow the Vaganova (Russian) technique in our studio and to have Valery Lantratov acknowledge the work we are doing here is amazing." 


"He's so personable and warm, great with the kids and this is a wonderful cultural experience for the dancers."

So the saying goes, Greatness inspires greatness. Those words are certainly echoed here, within the walls of Batavia Academy of Dance where young men and women aspire to be great not just in the studio, but with the hope and intention of dancing with greatness into all aspects of life.

Read All About Our Zombie Invasion in the Kane Co. Chronicle

Zombies to roam in Batavia

Published: Friday, Oct. 19, 2012 5:30 a.m. CDT • Updated: Friday, Oct. 19, 2012 4:15 p.m. CDT

(Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

(Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

By ASHLEY RHODEBECK - arhodebeck@shawmedia.com

BATAVIA – Watching a sea of people dressed as zombies dancing in downtown Batavia last October was, as Joi Cuartero described, “really quite a sight.”

This year, the Batavia MainStreet executive director said she thinks the zombie crowd for Saturday’s BatFest will be bigger than last year’s few hundred.

Although the evening Zombie Walk is geared toward the teen and adult crowd, Cuartero said the annual autumn festival includes several daytime activities for children.

“BatFest is our free family event,” she said. “We have kids activities and games, some entertainment on the main stage. We’ve got a costume contest, tractor-pull hayrides.”

Held downtown rain or shine, BatFest – which advertises “a frightfully good time” – begins at 10 a.m. with a pumpkin roll, farmers market and games. Children can trick-or-treat at more than a dozen businesses along River Street, Wilson Street, Island Avenue and Batavia Avenue.

New this year is the River City Church photo booth, where kids can get their picture taken and make a frame for the photo, Cuartero said. It will be at the MainStreet tent.

Other daytime activities include stories and songs at 11:15 a.m. at Batavia Public Library and an 11:45 a.m. Halloween parade guided by the Batavia Mothers’ Club with a police escort.

Zombie Walk registration and zombie makeovers for the first 300 participants are set from noon to 2 p.m. at the Riverwalk.

The cost is $10 and includes walk participation, the zombie makeover and a raffle ticket for zombie-related prizes. Additional raffle tickets cost $1 each or $5 for six.

The walk benefits Batavia Music Buffs, S.T.A.G.E. booster organizations, Studio – Batavia visual arts booster – and Batavia MainStreet.

Starting at 4 p.m., Zombie Walk participants are to gather at one of three quarantine zones – Music Matters on Wilson Street, Nyborg and Company on Webster Street and the Old Church on McKee Street.

The walk is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Volunteers will lead the three groups on different routes to the Peg Bond Center.

“The best time to see everything would be right before 6 p.m., when they all come up Island Avenue,” Cuartero said.

Makeup and certain clothes – those that are tattered and dirty – will help participants look the part, she said, but slow movements are also key to sell the appearance of being a traditional zombie.

“We have a lot of excited teenagers who want to get [to the Peg Bond Center] right away,” she said.

A zombie dance party will be at the Peg Bond Center after the walk. The Batavia Academy of Dance will teach the dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

Visit www.downtownbatavia.com or call 630-761-3528 for information.

Batavia Academy of Dance

8 E. Wilson St., Batavia, IL 60510

(630) 406-8232

bataviadance@att.net