18 credits required for Endorsement:

• Dance Technique I -IV (11 quarters)
• Dance Composition I
• Dance Composition II
• Dance Composition III
• World Dance
• Dance Wellness
• Dance Elective (2 quarters)

Dance Electives Include:

• Movement Studies
• Arts Activism through Movement
• American Dance Studies I & II
• Special Topics in Ballet
• Somatic Fitness
• Dance Pedagogy
• Improvisation and Partnering
• Careers
• Arts Internship
• Arts Collaborative
• Senior Capstone
• Dance Conditioning and Somatics

Instructors

Lara Ciganko

With over 35 years of teaching experience Lara Ciganko has taught at Minnesota Dance Theatre, Ballet Arts Minnesota, Florida School of the Arts; St. John’s River State College, Tallahassee Ballet, Booker High School VPA, and Deborah Vinton School of Ballet with whom she began her training. She earned her MFA and BFA (magna cum laude) in Dance from Florida State University and holds her Associate teaching credentials with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and Cecchetti USA. Aside from her extensive ballet training in the Cecchetti Method, she has also studied at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance.

She has performed with the Cleveland Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet, Tallahassee Ballet, Ballet Arts Minnesota, and the Vanaver Caravan. Ms. Ciganko is co-director and teacher of the Midwest School of Ballet, and director of both the Lipa Slovak Dancers and Carpathy (an adult and children’s Carpatho-Rusyn and Slovak dance ensemble). She is currently serving on the National Committee for Cecchetti USA, and is an Emmett Advanced Practitioner; a gentle muscle release therapy that addresses and improves pain and discomfort, body movement and the overall quality of life.

Danielle Ricci

Danielle Ricci is an educator, choreographer, director, and dancer. She received her BFA in Dance Performance from University of California, Irvine in 2006 under direction of Donald McKayle. In 2014 she graduated with an MA in Arts and Cultural Management from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota and earned an MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University in 2018. She has studied at The Ailey School in New York City as part of their Certificate in Dance Program studying with Milton Myers, Tracy Inman, Nancy Turano, and Sharon Wong. Danielle has danced professionally in California, Texas, and Minnesota performing with Loretta Livingston and Dancers, Austin Classical Ballet, and Austin City Ballet.

Danielle is the Founding Artistic Director of Borealis Dance Theatre- a professional modern dance company based in Minneapolis and Dance Camera North- International Dance Film Festival. She has also been a professor of dance at Winona State University and has presented work and taught at the American College Dance Festival Association upper Midwest conference in association with University of Wisconsin, River Falls where she has been a guest choreographer for the past five years. Her choreography has been recognized as “Best of the Festival” at the Frontera Fringe Festival in Austin, TX in 2010 and 2012. Danielle is currently working toward her certification for personal training and corrective exercise. She teaches modern, jazz, tap, musical theatre, improv and partnering, social justice through movement, and movement studies at PiM Arts High School. Learn more about Ms. Ricci at www.daniellericci.net.