Dance St. Louis

Dance St. Louis was founded in 1955 to bring the world’s best dance to St. Louis. An informal group started, with budgeting about $11,000 and led by Washington University Dance Professor Annelise Mertz initially, met in homes. By 1966, these St. Louisans met at home to consider how the modern dance could be brought to St. Louis. Dance St. Louis has subsequently grown into one of St. Louis’ cultural jewels. Dance St. Louis dance groups bring world-class ballets that could not be seen at other St. Louis locations. They open these dances to all St. Louis backgrounds, support local dancers and dance companies, and provide unparalleled dance education outreach. Dance St. Louis dance companies present the full spectrum of dance, including classical ballet, modern ballet, ethnic dance, tap dance, jazz dance, hip-hop dance, and numerous artists from around the world. Many major dance companies came to Fox Theatre and Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. Dance St. Louis has also presented in collaboration with Edison Theatre OVATIONS. series at Washington University. Dance St. Louis has been delighted to offer groups such as the Kirov Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. Other motion groups have included the Joffrey Ballet. Dance St. Louis provides a vast array of educational programs for the St. Louis area. The Education Outreach Program reaches thousands of pupils each year, with residencies in middle and high school urban schools each semester, master classes by each of the companies we feature, as well as young people's performances (Dance St. Louis, 2021). With over 1,400 students of all ages each year, it is a very successful educational outreach into our area.