Wild Rivers Dance Company Program

At Wild Rivers Dance, we cherish the diversity of our dance community, which includes both recreational dancers and members of our Company Program. Both paths provide excellent instruction, meaningful performance opportunities, and a welcoming place to belong. The Company Program, however, is designed for dancers who are ready to make a greater commitment to their training, rehearsals, performances, teammates, and personal growth.

Dancers who demonstrate enthusiasm, dedication, and readiness may audition or be invited by the Artistic Director to join one of our four Company levels: Petite, Junior, Senior, or Elite. Placement is based on the whole dancer—including age, experience, maturity, technical development, work ethic, and individual needs—rather than age or ability alone.

Company dancers are essential to the quality of our productions and may be considered for ensemble, featured, and leading roles. Company membership does not guarantee any particular role. Casting is based on readiness, attendance, technique, professionalism, artistic growth, and the needs of each production.

More Than a Dance Company

The Wild Rivers Dance Company is intentionally designed as a leadership and mentoring program. As dancers advance through the Company levels, they are given increasing opportunities to lead, assist, encourage younger dancers, and take responsibility for the success of the entire group.

Our younger dancers benefit from having positive role models to look up to, while our older dancers learn that true leadership is not about being placed in front or receiving the biggest role. Leadership is demonstrated through reliability, humility, kindness, service, encouragement, and the choices a dancer makes even when no one is watching.

This mentoring structure creates meaningful relationships between dancers of different ages and experience levels. It helps our dancers develop confidence, empathy, communication skills, accountability, and a sense of belonging that extends far beyond the stage.

We value dancers with different bodies, backgrounds, strengths, abilities, and artistic voices. Our goal is not to create “cookie-cutter” dancers. We want to help each Company member grow into the strongest and most expressive version of themselves while learning how to contribute to a beautifully unified production.

Company Culture and Expectations

Being a Company dancer is about much more than technical ability or performance opportunities. Company members are expected to:

• Bring a positive, hardworking, and teachable attitude to classes and rehearsals.

• Encourage their peers and celebrate the progress and accomplishments of others.

• Treat instructors, classmates, volunteers, families, guest artists, and community members with kindness and respect.

• Receive corrections respectfully and use them as opportunities for growth.

• Arrive prepared, attend consistently, and follow through on their commitments.

• Keep their personal belongings organized and clean up after themselves.

• Help maintain tidy studios, dressing rooms, backstage areas, and other shared spaces.

• Care responsibly for costumes, props, equipment, and facilities.

• Look for appropriate ways to be helpful without always needing to be asked.

• Support younger or less-experienced dancers with patience and encouragement.

• Demonstrate good sportsmanship, gratitude, and appropriate behavior during performances, competitions, workshops, community events, and trips.

Whenever Company members travel or participate in activities outside the studio, they represent Wild Rivers Dance. Their behavior should reflect our values of excellence, inclusion, integrity, creativity, compassion, and community.

Petite Company

Petite Company introduces our youngest enthusiastic dancers to the joy and responsibility of belonging to a performing company. It is designed for young dancers who love to dance, are excited to perform, and are ready for an age-appropriate level of commitment.

In a nurturing and encouraging environment, Petite Company members develop foundational dance skills while building confidence, musicality, discipline, teamwork, and stage presence. Classes and rehearsals remain engaging and developmentally appropriate while introducing the dependable habits dancers will need as they progress.

Petite Company dancers learn how to listen carefully, follow directions, care for their belongings, encourage their classmates, and contribute to a group. They are given opportunities to participate in productions and experience the pride of working together toward a shared goal.

Junior Company

Junior Company is designed for developing dancers who are ready to deepen their training and accept greater artistic and performance responsibilities. These dancers continue strengthening their technique while expanding their versatility, confidence, musicality, and ability to learn and retain choreography.

Junior Company members are introduced to more complex movement, increased rehearsal expectations, and the collaborative discipline required to create polished productions. They may be considered for ensemble and featured roles appropriate to their readiness and development.

At this level, dancers begin taking greater ownership of their progress. They are expected to practice good rehearsal etiquette, arrive prepared, remain dependable, encourage Petite Company members, and begin recognizing themselves as emerging leaders within the studio.

Senior Company

Senior Company is for committed dancers who have developed a strong technical and artistic foundation and are ready for more advanced training, choreography, and performance opportunities. Members work across multiple dance styles while developing greater versatility, stamina, artistry, and expressive depth.

Senior Company dancers play an important role in the quality and success of our productions. They may be considered for advanced ensemble work, featured parts, and leading roles based on readiness, technique, attendance, professionalism, and the needs of each production.

Senior Company members are expected to serve as positive role models and mentors. They help welcome younger dancers, model appropriate classroom and backstage behavior, assist when needed, and contribute to a supportive studio culture. They learn that leadership includes both taking initiative and knowing when to listen, cooperate, and place the needs of the group above personal recognition.

Elite Company

Elite Company represents the highest level of commitment, achievement, leadership, and artistic responsibility within the Wild Rivers Dance Company Program. It is intended for highly dedicated dancers who are prepared for rigorous training, demanding choreography, additional rehearsals, and significant performance expectations.

Under the mentorship of founder and Artistic Director Miss Sky, Elite Company members are challenged to refine their technique, push beyond their comfort zones, and develop mature and compelling artistic voices. Their training may include classical ballet, pointe when appropriate, contemporary, modern, jazz, and other styles that support versatility and advanced growth.

Elite dancers may be considered for principal, leading, and highly featured roles, although Company level never guarantees casting. Dancers earn trust and opportunities through preparation, consistency, growth, professionalism, and faithfulness to the creative process.

Elite Company members are the senior leaders and ambassadors of Wild Rivers Dance. They are expected to mentor younger dancers, offer help without being asked, demonstrate maturity during challenges, and set the standard for conduct in the studio, backstage, in the community, and while traveling.

Our Elite dancers understand that excellence includes much more than what happens onstage. It is reflected in how they treat people, how they respond to disappointment, how they care for shared spaces, and how faithfully they support the entire Company.

Individualized and Hybrid Placement

Dancers do not always develop in a perfectly linear way. From time to time, the Artistic Director may assign a dancer a hybrid Company placement, such as Junior-Elite or Senior-Elite. A dancer may be ready for advanced opportunities in certain areas while continuing to develop the technique, maturity, experience, or consistency associated with another level.

Hybrid placement allows us to recognize each dancer’s individual strengths and provide appropriate challenges without rushing or limiting their development. These dancers may train, rehearse, perform, mentor, or take on responsibilities across more than one Company level, as determined by the Artistic Director.

All Company placements, including hybrid placements, may be reviewed as dancers grow and as the needs of the program change. Placement is intended to support each dancer’s development and does not guarantee particular classes, choreography, featured roles, or casting.