About Reif Dance

THE REIF DANCE PROGRAM: The Reif Dance Program started as a project of the Reif Arts Council in 1988 with a handful of students.  Today there are nearly 200 students starting as young a 4 years of age.  It is a ballet-based program, with strong modern, jazz, tap and dance fundamentals classes.  In September of 2011, the Reif Dance Program entered into a formal partnership with James Sewell Ballet (JSB) of Minneapolis, and James Sewell was named the Artistic Advisor for the  Reif Dance Program.  This partnership entails regular master classes and performances  by James Sewell and JSB in Grand Rapids and frequent visits by Reif Dance students to the JSB studios in Minneapolis.  Some of our students aspire to become a member of the Reif Dance Company, a 15-20 member performance group. In recent years our students have gone on to study with Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet II, Alvin Ailey and Royal Winnipeg Ballet among others. There are two full-time, and several part-time dance instructors. Various guest choreographers, guest workshops and master classes round out students’ enriched dance experiences.  There are three state-of-the-art dance rehearsal studios (1,200 sq ft, 1,800 sq ft and 2,250 sq ft), plus access to a large stage with professional lighting and sound support for performances. The Reif Dance Program presents three full dance productions each year, including a “Nutcracker” in December, a “Company Show,” and a spring production in June.  Guest choreographers and touring dance companies regularly schedule performances, residencies and workshops for the students.

THE REIF ARTS COUNCIL ORGANIZATION: The Reif Arts Council is a private, non-profit arts organization created to stimulate growth in the arts in Northern Minnesota and to provide a well-managed facility in which a wide variety of the arts may be experienced, exhibited and taught. The Arts Council makes its home in The Reif Performing Arts Center, a state-of the art presenting facility built in 1980 and owned by Grand Rapids Public School (ISD #318), including a 645-seat auditorium. There are currently eight full-time and several part-time employees working together to accomplish the vision set by a fifteen-member board of directors.  The current budget is approximately $950,000 per year. Visit the website for additional information (www.reifcenter.org)