Middle and High School Dance Program

The Dance Program at Colorado Academy trains students in the technique and performance of concert dance styles including Modern/Contemporary, Ballet, Tap and Jazz, with numerous performance opportunities throughout the year. Electives in both contemporary and classic forms are offered to all students, with a Conservatory of Dance Program available for advanced students through audition and company participation.

Upper School

Students accepted into the Conservatory of Dance Program are part of the company, Equus, which is the performing dance ensemble of the school. Taught by professional teachers and choreographers, Equus performs at various school venues, service learning events, and the annual In Concert each March. In addition, Elective offerings in all genres, including a styles class for musical theater dance, are offered to students at all levels of experience and expertise.

Middle School

Middle School students have the opportunity to participate in Modern/Contemporary Dance, Jazz/Rock Tap, and Classical Ballet the latter of which is a a multi-level elective with individuated instruction given to meet students at their level. While exploring dance as an art form through various styles, students learn technique and choreography in preparation for Upper School classes and the Conservatory program.

Elective Dance Classes

Beginning in Grade 7, students may choose to take a dance class as their arts elective. In Upper School, students may choose to take dance as either an arts elective or as one trimester of their outside sport requirement. Students accepted for conservatory study may apply two trimesters of dance to fulfill their sports credits.

Dance Faculty

List of 2 members.

Ms. Katy Hills

Director of Visual & Performing Arts

Connecticut College - BA

At CA Since: 2009
Bio
Katy Wood Hills began teaching Upper School Studio Art at CA in 2009, was named Director of Visual & Performing Arts in 2019, and has taught such varied electives as drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, and ceramics.

Hills began her career at CA in 2000, as Head Coach of the Field Hockey Team, while working fulltime as a professional artist. She holds a BA in Art with a concentration in Painting and Drawing from Connecticut College and also studied at Maine College of Art. Before arriving in Colorado, she was the Museum Educator at the Florence Griswold Museum of Art in Old Lyme, Conn. Hills has shown her work at several galleries, including The Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme and the Vose Galleries of Boston, Mass.

Outside of the art studio, Hills can be found leading backcountry ski trips for CA’s Outdoor Education program, as well as being a Wilderness First Responder and former volunteer ski patroller. She often visits her home state of Vermont and loves to ski with her family.
Ms. Melissa Zaremba

US & MS Dance Instructor & Choreographer

Oklahoma City University - BPA
Jacksonville University - MFA

At CA Since: 2018
Bio
Melissa Zaremba holds a BPA in Dance from Oklahoma City University and an MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University. She has performed in more than 30 union productions across the country, including eight years as a Radio City Rockette and in the first national tour of 42nd Street. She is an award-nominated choreographer who has worked in Chicago, Atlanta, Colorado, and Off-Broadway. Zaremba has served in the Adjunct Faculty of dance in the Musical Theater programs at Columbia College (Chicago), Roosevelt University (Chicago), and Abilene Christian University (Texas). She has taught for institutions across the country, including the Rockette Experience and Summer Intensives (as seen on MTV) at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. Zaremba recently returned to her home state of Colorado after 14 years in Chicago and has been at CA since 2018.

2020 Benefit Concert - Lineup Announced
After a decade of hosting biennial, big-name rock and jazz concerts to benefit student financial aid, Colorado Academy is thrilled to announce this spring’s “Lovefest” event featuring Isaac Slade of The Fray and G. Love & Special Sauce on April 25, 2020, in the school’s Field House.

Learn more

SPEAK Event: Margot Lee Shetterly - Hidden Figures
Join us Thursday, January 30 for the SPEAK event with Margot Lee Shetterly, author of Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race. Audiences of all backgrounds will be captivated by the phenomenal true story of the black “human computers” who used math to change their own lives—and their country’s future.
Learn more and RSVP