Pre professional
ensembles
Through our pre-professional ensemble programs, we build a vibrant community of young artists committed to the education, preservation, and support of the tap dance art form and it's history.
general program information
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STLRC Youth Ensemble (Ages 8+) and STLRC Student Ensemble (Ages 14-25) are an elite community of young tap dancers with a shared passion to learn, preserve, and support the art of tap dance and its history. While continuing to train at their respective studios and arts organizations, Pre-Professional Youth and Student Ensemble members train weekly with STLRC professionals and special guests, learn original choreography, work with live music, explore the process of building their own compositions, and receive multiple performance opportunities throughout the season.
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As part of the program, all students attend a required summer bootcamp session for team building, technical training, and repertoire instruction. Student Ensemble weekly trainings and rehearsals run from September through March, with dancers presenting 2 main stage performances and a number of optional community appearances during that time. Youth Ensemble weekly trainings and rehearsals run from November through December, with 1 main stage performance and optional community appearances during that time.
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Our ensemble dancers work with members of STLRC's professional ensembles and special guest artists to receive training in:
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- Tap technique
- Music theory & playing with live music
- Improvisation
- History
- Original & historical choreography
- Performance & presentation
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Ensemble dancers also receive multiple performance opportunities throughout the season!
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