Mongan Dance Academy

Mongan Dance Academy was founded in 2013 by mother-and-daughter team Linda Kay and Shannon Edwards, who took the name from Mongan Drive in rural Illinois where the family once lived before moving to Chicago in 1998. After watching Shannon perform professionally and teach, Linda was inspired to open a school so other children could share the same love of movement. The academy teaches children from age two through high school, emphasizing technique and discipline in ballet, modern/contemporary, jazz, tap and hip hop, with levelled placement and pointe classes that have their own requirements. Its Academy Program is a track for aspiring dancers who want to advance technique and performance opportunities or prepare for college entrance or a pre-professional career. The school stages an annual themed recital, most recently its twelfth, and produces The Nutcracker, alongside summer a la carte classes, princess ballet camps, pop-up workshops and birthday parties.