Dance Program

The Dance Program and dance courses at Northeastern Illinois University are open to all NEIU students regardless of experience level or course of study. We offer an individually designed minor in Dance with concentrations in dance education, performance, and/or choreography. The program offers technique classes in ballet, modern, jazz, and Spanish dance among other genres. Dance courses to fulfill the 30-credit hour Dance minor are customized to complement each student's goals, timeline and experience. The student performance group, Dance Performance Ensemble, performs faculty, student and guest artist choreography in student dance concerts offered in both the fall and spring semesters. While a major is Dance is not currently available, NEIU offers two alternatives that can be utilized to design equivalent studies through our Nontraditional Degree and the University Without Walls programs. 

Please contact the University Without Walls/Nontraditional Degree Program at ndp@neiu.edu, or the Dance Program Facilitator Emma Draves at e-draves@neiu.edu. Student-led dance clubs and dance scholarships are also available to all NEIU students. 

Through course work and internships, Northeastern dance students have the opportunity to work with the Ruth Page Dance Series and Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, providing them with valuable skills and work experience in the arts. Faculty members include Emma Draves, Dance Program Facilitator and Irma Suarez Ruiz, Artistic Director of Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater and instructor; and other guest faculty. Please see additional information regarding scholarships and other dance offerings by visiting the links in the left margin.

Dance Performance Ensemble

The Dance Performance Ensemble performs new dance works during the fall and spring semesters in Northeastern's Auditorium. Guest artists, faculty and students create choreographic works in a number of styles including jazz, modern, Spanish, hip-hop and other genres.

The ensemble is open to all students from the campus-at-large who have previous dance experience. Auditions are not required before registering for the course Dance Performance Ensemble (DANC 204). 

Please contact Dance Program Facilitator Emma Draves at e-draves@neiu.edu or (773) 442-5941 to inquire about dancing for college credit at NEIU.

Dance Scholarship and Minor Auditions for 2026-2027

In person auditions for the 2026-2027 academic year will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2026 and Saturday, March 28, 2026 in the NEIU Fine Arts Building, Room FA141. Please register for the audition in advance by emailing Emma Draves, Dance Program Facilitator, at e-draves@neiu.edu or to arrange an alternative audition time or method. Please direct all questions about the Dance Minor and Dance Scholarship Auditions to Emma Draves at e-draves@neiu.edu.

Ensemble Español

Founded in 1975 and incorporated in 1976 by Dame Libby Komaiko, the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, under the artistic leadership of Artistic Director Irma Suárez Ruiz and Executive Director Jorge Perez, is the premier Spanish Dance Company and Center in the United States in-residence at Northeastern Illinois University’s Department of Music and Dance. Ensemble Español's mission is the preservation, presentation and promotion of Spanish dance and culture, which includes the exploration of the country’s history and identifies its influence on Latin American art and dance. Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater exists to share the rich traditions of the dance, music, literature, and culture of Spain in the Escuela Bolera, Classical, Folkloric and Flamenco styles, both nationally and internationally, and to be a nucleus of new artistic creativity within the framework of the Ibero-Hispanic (Spain) experience.