Des Moines may be best known for insurance headquarters and presidential caucuses, but beneath the political bustle lies a ballet scene that punches above its weight. From pre-professional conservatories feeding national companies to welcoming studios where adult beginners discover their balance, Iowa's capital offers rigorous, community-rooted dance training for nearly every age and ambition.
Whether you're a parent seeking your child's first pair of pointe shoes, a teenager auditioning for summer intensives, or an adult returning to the barre after a decade away, here's where to start your search.
Ballet Des Moines
Founded: 2002 | Artistic Director: Mellissa Hubbell (as of 2024)
The city's flagship professional company also operates its most visible training pipeline. Ballet Des Moines' Education & Community Engagement division runs school-year academy divisions, summer intensives, and outreach programs in partner schools across central Iowa.
What sets it apart: Students train alongside company members in the Hoyt Sherman Place studios and perform in full-length productions at the Des Moines Civic Center. The academy follows a Vaganova-based syllabus with进度 tracked through annual exams. Pre-professional track students regularly matriculate to programs at Indiana University, University of Utah, and regional companies.
Programs: Creative Movement (ages 3–4), Primary through Level 8, Adult Open Division, Summer Intensive (audition required for upper levels)
Performance opportunities: The Nutcracker (annual, Civic Center), spring mixed-repertory concerts, student choreography showcases
Contact: balletdesmoines.org | 515-277-5287
Dance Arts Iowa
Founded: 1978 | Director: Kathy King
A pillar of the metro area's dance education landscape, Dance Arts Iowa maintains a spacious facility in West Des Moines and a reputation for nurturing both recreational students and serious competitors. While the studio offers ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, and hip-hop, its ballet faculty includes former company dancers from Milwaukee Ballet and Kansas City Ballet.
What sets it apart: A robust adult ballet program with true beginner through advanced classes, plus a Cecchetti syllabus track for students pursuing formal examinations. The studio's competition teams frequently earn top honors at regional events, though ballet-focused students can opt out of the competitive track.
Programs: Pre-ballet (ages 2+), graded ballet levels, Cecchetti exam preparation, adult ballet, pointe and variations, masterclass series
Performance opportunities: Annual spring recital at Hoyt Sherman Place, Winter Gala, adjudicated Cecchetti exams, regional youth ballet festivals
Contact: danceartsiowa.com | 515-225-7433
Huxley Dance Studio
Founded: 1998 | Owner/Artistic Director: Stephanie Huxley-Blake
Located just north of Des Moines in Huxley, this studio draws families from Ames, Ankeny, and northern Des Moines suburbs seeking individualized instruction in a low-pressure environment. Class sizes are deliberately capped, and the ballet curriculum emphasizes proper alignment and injury prevention over premature pointe work.
What sets it apart: Huxley Dance Studio is particularly known for its late-starter friendly approach—teenagers with no prior ballet experience are placed in age-appropriate beginner classes rather than being shuffled in with 6-year-olds. The faculty also includes a physical therapist who consults on pointe readiness assessments.
Programs: Beginning ballet (ages 5–adult), intermediate and advanced ballet, pre-pointe and pointe, conditioning for dancers, private coaching
Performance opportunities: Spring showcase at Ballard High School, community outreach performances at local senior centers and festivals
Contact: huxleydancestudio.com | 515-597-2690
Drake University Dance Program
Founded: Program established 1980s | Department Chair: Elizabeth Brett
For dancers seeking collegiate-level conservatory training within a liberal arts framework, Drake University's Department of Theatre and Dance offers a B.F.A. in Dance with a ballet emphasis, as well as non-degree community classes open to the public through its Community School of Music and Arts.
What sets it apart: Drake brings guest artists and choreographers from major companies each semester, and students perform in fully produced concerts with live music at the Fine Arts Center. The ballet curriculum is augmented with required coursework in kinesiology, dance history, and pedagogy—valuable for those eyeing teaching careers.
Programs: B.F.A. in Dance (ballet/modern emphasis), dance minor, community adult ballet and modern
