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Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri

Summer Programs


Summer is an excellent time to develop dance technique, as students are not distracted with the stresses of school. Springfield Ballet offers half-day summer camps, full-day summer intensives, and class sessions, which allows students to continue their ballet training while enjoying their summer break. 

Summer 2026 Registration & Information Packet

Ballet Camps

Springfield Ballet offers in-studio summer ballet camps and intensives for all ages of dancers.

For the youngest and beginner level dancers (ages 3-10), Ballet Camps allow children to experience dance class and learn about other artistic aspects that are a part of ballet such as music, drama, and dance history. Dancers have dance class, craft and story time, snack and nutrition education, and more each day in these week-long, half day camps.

Each camp concludes with a performance and special presentation by the dancers for their parents and guests.

Summer 2026 Camp dates:

Snow White Ballet Camp
June 8-12, 9am-12pm
Ages 3-7
Creative Movement 1, Creative Movement 2, Pre-ballet

Peter Pan Ballet Camp 
June 22-26, 9am-12pm
Ages 4-10
Creative Movement 2, Pre-ballet, beginner Ballet 1

Ballet Intensives

For more serious dancers, Springfield Ballet offers summer ballet intensive opportunities. 
All intensives are by placement.  For non-Springfield Ballet students, please fill out the Pre-Registration Form to set up a placement class.

Dancers (approx. ages 7-14, Ballet 1 & Ballet 2) may participate in the Primary Summer Intensive, which provides a first-step in the intensive world. Daily ballet technique class is taught as well as classes in other dance styles including jazz, modern and improvisation, choreography, and stretch and strengthen. Other learned subjects include acting for dancers, nutrition, anatomy and physiology and dance history during this week-long, full day camp. The Primary Intensive concludes with a performance and special presentation by dancers for their parents and guests.

For intermediate dancers, the Junior Summer Intensive option (approx. ages 9 and up, Ballet 3 & Ballet 4) provides a next step for intensive experiences, giving them one- and two-week options that challenge them as a dancer while still being age- and ability-appropriate. Dancers have technique and repertoire classes, learn about ballet history, enjoy elective dance style classes in modern and jazz, and experience improvisation and character classes.  The Junior Intensive concludes with a performance and special presentation by dancers for their parents and guests.

For dancers in advanced levels (approx. age 11+, Ballet 5 and up and en pointe), Springfield Ballet offers the Senior Summer Intensive with one-, two- and three-week options. The program includes dance and dance-related instruction each day by Springfield Ballet faculty, along with regionally and nationally-recognized guest artists. Disciplines covered include classical ballet, pointe, modern, improvisation, repertoire and MORE. This summer intensive concludes with a performance and special presentation by dancers.

Summer 2026 Ballet Intensive dates:

Primary Summer Intensive
July 6-10, 9am-4pm
Approximate ages 7-14, by placement (Ballet 1, Ballet 2)

Junior Summer Intensive
July 13-24, 9am-5pm, 1- & 2-week options available
Approximate ages 9+, by placement (Ballet 3, Ballet 4)

Senior Summer Intensive
July 6-24, 9am-5pm, 1-, 2- & 3-week options available
Approximate ages 11+, en pointe, by placement (Ballet 5+)

Class Sessions 

Springfield Ballet’s summer 4-week class sessions will offer classes for all levels and abilities. The summer sessions allow students to continue their training while still allowing time to rest and enjoy summer vacation.

Summer 2026 4-week class session dates:

June 8-July 2: All ballet levels, elective classes and adult classes

July 6-30: All ballet levels, adult classes

Stay in Shape classes

Taking several weeks off from classes can be detrimental to a dancer's ability to maintain and progress technique, especially once the dancer reaches intermediate and advanced levels of technique.  To help with this, Springfield Ballet offers Stay-in-Shape classes for upper level dancers. 

Cost is $10 per class. 

Summer 2026 Schedule: TBD

To register, login to your Family Portal, and follow the below steps: 
  1. In the top right corner, click on Classes & Events.  
  2. Then, click on Find Events in the middle of the next page.
  3. Choose the Stay-in-Shape class(es) you wish to register your dancer for.  
  4. We will add the payment and charge to your card on file when payments are processed (the Tuesday following your registration for the classes)

New to Springfield Ballet? Complete our Pre-Registration Form to help us assist you in proper placement, here.

Guest Instructors

Caroline Dahm

Caroline Dahm (Los Angeles, California) is a dancer, choreographer, and educator from Los Angeles, CA. A graduate of the University of Missouri - Kansas City Conservatory with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography, Caroline has performed a diverse repertoire and contributed original choreography across a wide range of artistic mediums. Her performance credits include Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Kansas City Ballet, Buglisi Dance, Wylliams Henry Contemporary Dance Company, Owen/Cox Dance, Quixotic, San Francisco Dance Works, Malashock Dance, and several productions with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

 

 

As a choreographer, Caroline has created works for Cincinnati Ballet, SALT Contemporary Dance, Newport Contemporary Ballet, Indiana University, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, UMKC Conservatory, and Wylliams Henry Contemporary Dance Company. Notably, she has developed five original works for Kansas City Ballet, including a dance film Misguided.

In addition to her performing and choreographic endeavors, Caroline is a dedicated educator. She serves as a Professor of Dance at the UMKC Conservatory, mentors Trainees at the Kansas City Ballet, and teaches master classes across the country. Caroline frequently teaches at Steps on Broadway in New York City.

 

Caroline’s work has been recognized with a two-year residency from the Charlotte Street Foundation. She received a Laurel Award for Best Overall Dance Film for her original dance film Face Me I Face You, at the Palm Springs International Film Festival which she directed, choreographed, danced, produced, and edited. 

 

Passionate about the transformative power of movement, Caroline believes that art has the ability to change lives, and she continues to explore its boundless possibilities. 

@sweetcarolinevd

 

 

 

Ashley Paige Romine

Ashley Paige Romines began her dance training at age ten in Sevierville, Tennessee, and at age sixteen continued to pre-professional ballet training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. She then studied on scholarship at the University of Oklahoma and graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in ballet pedagogy. Ashley Paige performed professionally for three seasons with Northern Ballet Theatre in New Hampshire and taught at several ballet schools throughout the northeast.  During her training and professional career, Ashley Paige had the honor to learn from such inspiring teachers as Marcia Dale Weary, Darla Hoover, Mary Margaret Holt, Donn Edwards, Dennis Marshall, Melinda Howe, Leslie Hench, Laurie Jones, Denise Vale, Jeremy Lindberg, Karyn Edison, and many others.  After her performance career, Ashley Paige focused on her teaching, choreography, and ballet administration career. Ashley Paige joined Springfield Ballet as the Artistic & School Director from 2007-2019 and Artistic Director from 2021-2025, where she choreographed and staged the annual production of The Nutcracker as well as several original full-length, one-act and short classical and contemporary ballets.  Additionally, she attended Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s Teacher’s Workshop, with the late Marcia Dale Weary, which is instrumental in her approach and philosophy for training dancers from toddlers to pre-professionals. While Ashley Paige lived in the Denver area from 2019-2021, she was on faculty at Littleton Ballet Academy, Colorado Ballet Academy, and Colorado Conservatory of Dance. She continues to serve as guest faculty at Littleton Ballet Academy as well as at Springfield Ballet.  Having relocated to Madison, Wisconsin in 2025, she serves on faculty at Ballet U and as substitute faculty at several other area dance schools. As always, Ashley Paige loves to share her "passion for dance, poise for life” with dancers!

 

 

 

 

Nadia Akinlade

Nadia Akinlade, currently performing and teaching in greater Los Angeles, started her dance training at Ozark Dance Academy under Julia Bubalo. She was additionally involved with Springfield Ballet. Nadia attended Missouri State University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2019 with a BFA in Dance. Post graduation she performed with The Thorn National Tour, then joined MADCO in St. Louis performing modern and contemporary repertoire. She transitioned her career to Branson, MO, where she performed in a variety of shows including: Dancing Queen, Christmas Wonderland, New Jersey Nights, and The Texas Tenors as well as in Dolly Parton’s Stampede, performing as a dancer, horse rider and aerialist. 

 

?Nadia has begun embracing her creativity more wholeheartedly by choreographing for Springfield Dance Alliance, Springfield Ballet’s summer intensives and freelance dance projects. Now in California, she has taken up singing and acting at the GEM Theatre’s production of Cinderella. In her free time you will also find her collaborating with friends and creating new works! Nadia hopes to spark joy in her teaching and inspire younger dancers to chase after their dreams. 

 

 

 

Fábio Mariano

Fábio Mariano graduated from Maria Olenewa State Dance School and was in big productions of Ballet and Opera at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, including The Nutcracker, The Rite of Spring, Aida, Marguerite & Armand to name a few. In Brazil he performed classical and contemporary works by different choreographers with Caetano Cia. De Dança, Youth Ballet Company of Rio de Janeiro and Campos dos Goytacazes Dance Company.

In the USA, he danced leading roles with Atlantic City Ballet in productions of The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Carmen, Dracula and more. Mr. Mariano is currently a dancer with Collage Dance Collective and has performed leading roles in classical works such as Prodigal Son and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux by George Balanchine, Swan Lake, Don Quixote (Pas de Deux), and more. His contemporary and modern repertoire include works by Nacho Duato, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Christopher Huggins, Kevin Iega Jeff and more. Aside from dancing, he has also choreographed on the professional company and students of Collage Dance. 

 

Mr. Mariano has been a ballet teacher for more than 10 years and has taught in several ballet schools, including Atlantic City Ballet School, The Washington School of Ballet and Collage Dance Conservatory. He was also the Co-Founder of the online platform Blacks in Ballet alongside Ruan Galdino and Ingrid Silva. He was seen as Cavalier in Springfield Ballet's 2024 production of The Nutcracker and is excited to teach for the summer intensive July 20-24.