In recognition of the Hinsdale community's rich tradition of arts innovation and virtuosity, the Hinsdale Dance Academy seeks to inspire and cultivate excellence in classical and contemporary dance:

Through distinctive collaborations with area arts organizations, performers, and musicians to explore the fusion of movement with other forms of artistic expression;

By affording everyone, children and adults alike, access to the highest quality dance training;

By providing a platform for young talented dancers to develop into Dance Artists who can flourish in a stimulating and nurturing environment whilst preparing for a professional dance career;

By espousing artistic enrichment through professional dance concert performances, educational outreach, youth participation, and charitable partnerships.

The Hinsdale Dance Academy was founded on October 22, 2012 by Ms. Jennifer Grapes.  In its inaugural year, Hinsdale Dance Academy welcomed over 80 students, comprised of 60 families.  The Academy’s first annual recital, The Little Mermaid, was an enormous success.  The Hinsdale Ballet Theatre, the pre-professional youth company of Hinsdale Dance Academy, beautifully staged two exquisite productions:  Giselle in April 2013 and Swan Lake, Act II in July, 2013.  Ms. Grapes’ original work, The Nuts Allergy, qualified at the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix to go to the New York City Finals, a accomplishment that HDA has enjoyed every year since.

The 2013-2014 was also an incredible year for Hinsdale Dance Academy.  The Academy welcomed many new families and faculty members, as well as a plethora of master classes that included teachers from the Australian Ballet, Ballet Austin, Joffrey Ballet, and Milwaukee Ballet.  HBT produced its inaugural holiday classic, The Nutcracker, to a sell-out crowd.  HDA’s Junior Company competed locally, taking top honors in all of their divisions.  HDA’s second annual recital , Dreams Can Come True, was also received by a sold out crowd, thus making the entire performance season sold out.  In this second year, five of Ms. Grapes’ students from the Hinsdale Ballet Theatre qualified to go to the YAGP finals in New York City.  Three students placed among the Top 12 in Chicago.

Currently in its seventh school year, the Hinsdale Dance Academy has presented four full-length ballets in total: The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Giselle, and last year, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was added to the repertoire.  All productions have included professional dancers from around the world.  In 2015, HDA outgrew their home at 414 Chestnut Street and moved into their permanent home at 645 Blackhawk Drive.  This summer, phase three of their studio expansion will be completed, with the addition of two more studios.  The current dance facility boasts over 14, 000 square feet of dance space, including five studios (one studio being a 59x65 feet state of the art rehearsal space), a large dressing room, study and teacher lounges, a play room, and ample waiting areas.  We are now able to offer more classes than ever, and offer new classes and programs to meet the needs of all current and prospective clients.  We have added an Adaptive Dance Program, offering inclusive classes for individuals of all needs, a Language Academy that offers classes in Mandarin and Spanish, and programs for boys, teens, and athletes needing to work on flexibility and agility.  Our state of the art facility was also the host of the 2016 YAGP Chicago master classes.  In the last six school years, 35 HDA students have qualified or attended the Youth America Grand Prix New York City Finals, with 10 of them placing in the Top 12 as soloists.  This includes placing third in the classical and contemporary solo divisions for two of the last six years. In 2018, HDA was awarded the prestigious Outstanding School Award by the Youth America Grand Prix.  This is a testament to the high caliber of classical dance training that is provided to HDA students.  Through its faculty’s connections in the dance industry, HDA has welcomed guest master instructors from prestigious companies such as Alvin Ailey, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Augsburg (Germany), Ballet Hagen, Ballet Idaho, Boston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Kirov Academy, Milwaukee Ballet, New York City Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, and the University of Missouri- Kansas City.  In 2015 and 2017, HDA company dancers have also received the opportunity to work with European, cutting edge choreographer, Riccardo DeNigris, the resident choreographer for Ballet Augsburg.  Mr. DeNigris’ work qualified to go to the 2016 Youth America Grand Prix Finals, and in 2018 his work placed 2nd in the Ensemble Category and qualified to go to the NYC Finals again.

As the Academy continues to grow and develop, it holds steadfast to its foundational promise:

The Hinsdale Dance Academy is dedicated to providing an elite dance education by exposing the western suburbs and its surrounding communities to the highest quality training and performances.  In accordance with Ms. Grapes' philosophy of raising successful dancers and young adults, HDA believes that its students benefit from not just high quality classes, but, a plethora of performance and experience opportunities.  Class is the canvas of a painter for a dancer, and the performance is the paint in which a dancer uses to shade, color, and create their art.  One cannot exist without the other.  Class and performance work hand in hand to create well-rounded dancers and young adults.  It teaches commitment, dedication, and that hard work always pays off.  Life lessons through dance lessons.  Our hope, at HDA, is not to just create dancers, but, to create successful employable young adults.

Hinsdale Dance Academy is located at 645 Blackhawk Drive, Westmont, IL.

Our facility features over 13,000 square feet of dance space, 5 studios, a large dressing room and lounge, and ample parking space.  One studio features 65 x 59 feet of studio space with 30 feet ceilings.  All studios are equipped with state of the art sprung floor systems, marley, and sound systems including JBL speakers.

An elite facility for a premier program.

For rental prices please call 630 484 3241 or email info@hinsdaledanceacademy.com.