The Character Dance Ensemble is a group of dedicated ballet majors from the Department of Ballet at the University of Utah, who are also completing a specialized emphasis in the art of character dance.

Character dance is stylized folk or ethnic dance for the ballet stage. The Ensembles mandate is varied. Our mission is to first provide dancers with academic and performance-related opportunities in different dance styles from around the world. This is important for the development of versatile dance technique. Another important aspect is to enrich the student experience through travel and cross cultural interaction.

The Character Dance Ensemble also fulfills the Ballet Department's mission of Community Outreach, and has provided over 250 performances locally since its inception in 1995. CDE also meets the U's new Internationalization initiative, with recent visits to the Beijing Dance Academy, the Royal Ballet School, St Petersburg, Russia, Tokyo, Japan, Athens, Greece and for 2011 Costa Rica.

 

If you would like to Donate for Character Dance Ensemble to help fund their international exploration, click here.

 

Character Dance Ensemble in Costa Rica: