The Ridgefield School of Dance

With its humble beginnings in the basement of the Jesse Lee Church, The Ridgefield School of Dance has become a leader in teaching classical ballet to dancers from Fairfield and Westchester (NY) counties since its founding in1997. Nancy Baldwin Andrews, a veteran dancer, choreographer, and director of several college dance departments, founded the school bringing her love of dance and teaching to children ages 3 years and up.

After a few short years, the school outgrew its Jesse Lee home and moved to a studio at what is now the Cellar Door Steakhouse. With continued success and growth, the Ridgefield School of Dance moved to its current 66 Grove Street studios in the spring of 2005. Nancy, a creative and dedicated teacher, asked Alison Brown to join her in February 2005 to help bring the school’s business practices into the digital age.

As the school’s first business manager, Alison brought her experience as an executive producer (Blue Sky Studios) to help support Nancy’s passion. With a shared goal, Nancy and Alison worked to nurture and challenge dancers with a desire to excel in classical ballet and other dance disciplines.

On July 1, 2014, Alison became the owner and executive director of the The Ridgefield School of Dance. Jessica Boelts, a teacher and the school’s assistant ballet mistress, joined as artistic director and now stages and contributes original choreography to an expanding repertoire of ballets that the school performs each year. Having dedicated 17 years to her “girls,” Nancy knew that the school's tradition of excellence would continue under the direction of Alison and Jessica.

With a wide respect for its challenging standards and nurturing environment, the studio continues to grow, preparing dancers for prestigious university programs including Ohio State Dance Department, NYU Tisch School of the Arts and the Conservatory of Dance - Purchase College.

On the eve of it’s twentieth year, and with the support of a dedicated staff of former and professional dancers, The Ridgefield School of Dance is known not just for its excellence, but for guiding dancers from their very first steps in dance to selective summer intensive and college programs.