Youth Dance Ensemble & School

Youth Dance Ensemble & School offers dance and musical theater activities including the Modern Dance Project, OnStage, and The Onstage Project. Students take part in dance and musical theater experiences connected to events such as The Community Nutcracker Event, Winterfest, the Spring Recital, Outreach Performances, Breakfast with the Sugar Plum Fairy, and The Nutcracker Ballet. Older dancers have options such as senior solos with guest choreographers and a senior trip to New York.

• Ages: 10–18 years old
• Schedule: Academic year office hours Monday–Thursday 3:30–9:00 and Saturday 8:00AM–3:00PM; summer office hours Monday–Thursday 3:00–9:00 and Wednesday 9:00AM–NOON

The Youth Dance Ensemble Repertoire Program was created in 1991 to respond to community requests for a performing youth dance company in the south metro area. The mission of the Youth Dance Ensemble is to enrich residents of the south metro area through dance training and performance with emphasis on artistic, technical, and creative content, and to preserve and promote the art of ballet and related cultural traditions. The program is a non-profit dance center that states it will never turn away a student due to financial hardship and provides scholarships for those students, and it offers competition quality dance in a non-competitive environment with age appropriate costumes, music, and choreography. Youth Dance Ensemble & School serves students from Burnsville, Eagan, Apple Valley, Savage, Eden Prairie, Prior Lake, Lakeville, and beyond, and offers performance opportunities throughout the Twin Cities and out state tours of the yearly production of The Nutcracker Ballet, as well as additional performances at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Midtown Global Market, The Walker Art Center, Dances at the Lakes with Christopher Watson, and other community events.

Youth Dance Ensemble depends on funds to support outreach programs such as the Modern Dance Project and OnStage, which afford all youth the opportunity to receive instruction in dance and musical theater. Audience members have been entertained and educated with performances, lecture-demonstrations, and dance-related special events. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Dixie Rairamo has been teaching young dancers for 35 years, and Youth Dance Ensemble & School notes nationally recognized instructors and guest choreographers. Senior recognition includes senior solos with guest choreographers, the senior trip to New York, and special performances. At open house events, participants can get fitted for dancewear.

The Board of Directors includes Katie Blando (President), Haley Jensen (Secretary), Molly Schaffer (Treasurer), Keith Andersen, Kristin Blatzheim, Kelli Foster Warder, Nancy J Gove, Maddie Hunt, Leeanne “Dixie” Rairamo, Chad Stambaugh, and Darrius Strong.

Student comments about the Modern Dance Project include: “My favorite part of Modern Dance is that we all get to express ourselves,” and “Something I’ve gained from this experience is not getting embarrassed about learning new things,” from Aileen, a seventh grader at Nicollet Middle School, and “The Modern Dance Project has made me a little bit more confident now,” from Joanna, a sixth grader at Eagle Ridge Middle School.

Last updated July 25, 2026.