Little Stars and Inspire Dance Academies provide skill building techniques through various dance forms. Equal attention is given to provide a pleasant atmosphere essential to learning. Good poise and self-confidence is gained while experiencing the joy of movement which carries through to all parts of the dancer’s life. The goal is to provide every student with a solid dance foundation, while leaving room for individual creativity and fun! Little Stars and Inspire Dance Academies have three dance studios at the Community Recreation Center (CRC) and one at the Meineke Recreation Center (MRC). All dance studios feature sprung wood floors, mirrors and ballet barres.
Classes include ballet, jazz, tap, pointe, modern, lyrical and hip hop.
New Dancers
Registration will open to new dancers once pre-registration is completed.
Begins in September and runs until a recital in April. Dancers remain at the same level the entire fall/spring session.
Little Stars Recital Information:
Click here to purchase Little Stars Dance Recital tickets.
Begins in September and runs until a recital in May. Dancers remain at the same level the entire fall/spring session.
Inspire Recital Information
For more information, call 847-490-7015 or view the latest program guide.
Gina began studying dance at the age of 4 and has been trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz and lyrical dance. She has studied at Faubourg School of Ballet, Dorothy’s Dancing Unlimited and summer programs with Ballet Chicago. She has performed in many ballets which include “The Nutcracker” with Schaumburg Dance Ensemble for 4 years, “Alice in Wonderland” and “Snow White.” In high school, she was on the Orchesis Dance Team and Varsity Pom Pon Squad all four years. She won many 1st place awards while at Dance Camp for Poms. Also while in high school she performed dance roles in many community theatre musicals with H.O.T.T. Productions. She has 6 years of dance teaching experience and loves teaching children the joy of dance.
Kari is from Schaumburg, IL and has been dancing since the age of 3. She is the former owner of Goldens School of Dance and director of Work of ART Dance Company named by Dance Teacher Magazine as one of the “50 Studios on the Move”. Kari grew up studying with top instructors in the Chicagoland area in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Tap and Acrobatics. She furthered her education at Jacksonville University in Florida, receiving her BFA in dance. There, she had an extensive program of ballet, modern, jazz, and tap technique, instruction, choreography and performance. Larsen was a member of the Dean’s list and was awarded for excellence in Jazz Dance Technique. Her professional career began as a member of the Chicago Honeybear Dancers. She traveled locally and nationally, performing for festivals, live industrial, and corporate events, modeling for promotional brochures and videos, and teaching master classes. Kari worked as Asst. Choreographer and Dancer in the Las Vegas Revue, “The Dream King” starring Trent Carlini, traveling throughout the US and Canada. For many years, she was the lead choreographer and a dancer for Chicago White Sox special events. Kari has been teaching dance to all ages for over 20 years. She has won choreography, entertainment, top teacher and top studio achievements. Kari has been judged in Star Systems National Talent Competition. She loves working with children of all ages and enjoys watching them express themselves through the art of dance!
Keri began her dancing career at the age of 4 at the Hanover Park Park District where she studied ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and hip hop with Monica Noble-Lawson. She continued her education through dance conventions and competitions as she outgrew her Park District dance programs, where she has taken classes with top instructors and choreographers throughout the U.S. including Travis Wall, Sonya Tayeh, Ted Jackson and Avnun Yakubov. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and a minor in dance from Western Illinois University. Her extracurricular activities at WIU included the University Dance Theatre, a student based organization for three and a half years where she was able to choreograph, participate with many guest artists and put on performances after each semester. While Keri was in UDT she held the position of clinic chair on the executive board and planned and organized a dance camp that involved the surrounding school of Macomb for children in 1st through 12th grade. She has also choreographed for the winner of Miss Macomb 2010 and was a member of the Chicago Honey Bear Dancers Keri loves working with kids and seeing them have fun while learning.
Margaret has been teaching in the Chicagoland area for 26 years. She has performed with Dancewerks, Second City Ballet, River North Dance Company, Kaye and Dow Productions and Cerqua/Rivera Art Experience. Margaret appeared in the WTTW Channel 11 special Reality of a Dreamer, the first documentary about the River North Dance Company. She enjoyed an apprenticeship with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in the early 90s. Recently, she was able to perform with Mature Dancer's Project under the direction of Sherry Zunker at the Harris Theatre in Chicago. Margaret has been co-directing Larkin High School's Visual and Performing Arts Academy for dance for the past 11 years She enjoys teaching and choreographing at many local private dance studios. She loves to share her passion for dance with her students and family.
Victoria began dancing 16 years ago at Dorothy’s Dancing Unlimited, studying ballet and tap. As the years went on, she realized how much she loved performing and wanted to compete in dance. Victoria continued her training at Golden’s School of Dance, studying ballet, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical, and hip hop. Victoria competed with Golden’s Work of Art Dance Company for several years, achieving national and regional awards. During high school, Victoria performed with the Giordano Dance Company, as well as, danced and choreographed at Barrington High School. She was a member of the Poms and Orchesis teams. Additionally, Victoria studied with the Inspire Dance Studio, winning numerous awards with the Expression competition troupe through high school and college. Victoria is a graduate of The Second City Improv program, and has appeared in a commercial and short films. As a musical theatre actress, she has appeared in dozens of plays. Some of Victoria’s favorite roles were: Mrs. Corry in Mary Poppins, Cinderella in Cinderella's Glass Slipper, Ann Reilly in 42nd Street and Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan.