On a Saturday morning in downtown Emmetsburg, the second-floor studios of the Emmetsburg Ballet Academy fill with the percussive strike of pointe shoes against maple floors. Down the block, bass vibrations pulse from Street Beats Studio, where teenagers rehearse for next month's regional hip-hop competition. And in a converted warehouse near Five Island Lake, the Contemporary Dance Collective tests a new collaboration with local musicians.
This is dance in Emmetsburg, Iowa—a city of roughly 3,700 residents that has built an unexpectedly diverse dance ecosystem across three distinct institutions.
From Grain Elevators to Grand Jetés: How Dance Took Root
Emmetsburg's dance tradition dates to 1987, when former Joffrey Ballet corps member Margaret Chen returned to her hometown and began teaching classes in the basement of St. John's Catholic Church. What started with twelve students in leotards sewn by their mothers has grown into a network of institutions that draw dancers from across northwest Iowa and southern Minnesota.
The city's dance development mirrors broader rural arts trends: committed individuals creating infrastructure where none existed, sustained by community investment rather than metropolitan funding bases.
Three Institutions, Three Visions
Emmetsburg Ballet Academy
Founded: 1987 | Director: Margaret Chen (founder), with associate director Thomas Reeves since 2015
Location: 1101 Broadway, second floor (downtown Emmetsburg)
Focus: Vaganova-method classical ballet, pre-professional track
The academy's annual Nutcracker production at the Grand Theatre has become a December fixture, drawing audiences from Spencer and Fort Dodge. Its pre-professional program has placed graduates in regional companies including Ballet Des Moines and Minnesota Dance Theatre.
Notable recent production: Giselle (March 2024), featuring guest artist Maria Kowroski, former New York City Ballet principal, in the title role. Tickets: $18–$32.
Classes range from creative movement for ages 3–5 ($45/month) to advanced pointe ($85/month). Need-based scholarships cover approximately 30 percent of enrolled students; applications open each August.
Contemporary Dance Collective
Founded: 2003 | Artistic Director: Jordan Okonkwo | Location: 2401 Highway 18 East (Five Island Lake industrial area)
Focus: Postmodern and contemporary techniques, interdisciplinary collaboration
Okonkwo, who trained at the Alvin Ailey School before relocating to Iowa for a partner's faculty position at Iowa Lakes Community College, established the collective to fill what he identified as "a vacuum for adult, non-competitive dance making" in the region.
The collective operates on a pay-what-you-can model for its community classes ($10 suggested donation). Its Lake Works series, performed each August on a floating stage at Five Island Lake, has included collaborations with the Symphonic Band of Northwest Iowa and poet laureate projects from Iowa Lakes Community College students.
Upcoming: Threshold (September 14–15, 2024), a new work exploring rural migration patterns, with original composition by Ames-based musician Liza Doolittle. Performances at 7 p.m. both evenings; tickets $15 at the door.
Street Beats Studio
Founded: 2016 | Owner/Director: Tasha Williams | Location: 915 Broadway, suite 3
Focus: Hip-hop, breakdancing, street jazz, competitive teams
Williams, an Emmetsburg native who danced professionally in Chicago for eight years, opened Street Beats after noticing that "kids were teaching themselves from YouTube and had no place to practice safely."
The studio now serves 140 students weekly, with competitive teams traveling to Des Moines, Minneapolis, and Kansas City. Its junior crew, Mini Beats, won the Midwest Urban Dance Festival's silver medal in March 2024.
Classes: Beginner hip-hop (ages 5–8, $55/month); adult open-level street jazz (Tuesdays 7:30 p.m., $12 drop-in). The studio offers sliding-scale fees and maintains a shoe and clothing exchange for growing students.
Upcoming: Annual showcase Block Party (June 8, 2024, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., Emmetsburg High School auditorium). Tickets $10; children under 5 free.
Beyond the Studios: Dance as Community Infrastructure
These institutions do more than train dancers. The academy partners with Emmetsburg Community School District to provide after-school programming at West Elementary. Street Beats hosts quarterly open battles that draw participants from Sioux City and Mason City. The collective's Lake Works employs local teens as stage crew and ushers.
For a city without a dedicated performing arts center, dance has become a mechanism for collective gathering—one that operates across generational, economic, and, increasingly, geographic
