AMERICAN DANCE CENTER
53 Years of Dance Education and Entertainment A Tradition of Excellence... A Legacy of Dance
2021 - American Dance Center's 50 Year Anniversary
2019 Illinois Delegates - International Dance Excellence Festival, Anaheim, California
2017 Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida - Dance the World Performers
2016 Villari Family inducted into the Homewood Hall of Fame
2013 Harlem Globetrotters Half-Time Show
2012 Orange Bowl Half-Time Dancers - Miami, Florida
Voted "Best Dance School in Chicago Southland", Southtown Star Newspaper 22 years straight
The Villari’s chosen Outstanding Dance Educators of America, Dance Magazine.
Named one of “21 Leaders in the Arts for the 21st Century” The Star Newspapers.
11th Annual Holiday Fantasy dinner theater production selected “One of the top 10 shows in Chicago.”
Featured performers at the 1996 Summer World Olympics, Atlanta, Georgia
Selected Illinois delegates - International Dance Festival, L.A. - 1995 -2019
Performances at Disneyland, Great America, Chicago’s Navy Pier, Donald E. Stevens Convention Center, Drury Lane Theater, Chicago Apparel Center, Park West, Chicago Theater, Hemmen’s Theatre.
Received Congressional Recognition Awards for the Performing Arts.
Artistic honors from the Illinois Arts Council and Office of the Governor of Illinois.
Olympia Fields Proclamation, celebrating American Dance Center Day, for Silver Anniversary Week.
Established Outreach Park District Dance classes for 15 area communities.
Developed credited dance classes for Prairie State College, Governors State University and Chicago Conservatory College.
Seven-time Best of Show winner, National Dance Olympus Competition and Teacher’s Choice Award.
Coordinated shows with Walt Disney, Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera Productions.
Trained regional and state winners for Miss America, Miss Teen and Miss Pre-Teen.Choreographer and production dancers for Mrs. Illinois America Pageant , 2007-2014Performed at International Association for World Peace, Mayor Daley special event.Featured performers in the Dance Chicago-invitational series Athenaeum Theater, 10 years. Invitational-National Tap Dance Day, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Vittum Theater. Choreographed ADC dancers for Midwest Beauty Show, John Amico national hair and beauty conventionsGala performances for Infant Welfare Society and Louis Vitton Chicago State Street.Performed for the Meeting Professionals- International Award Show, Chicago’s Park West TheaterDanced in Chicago’s State Street Thanksgiving Day Parade Performed for Homewood New Year’s Eve celebration-4 yrs., Community Arts Festival, 2 yrs.Choreographer for Chicago Sting-Honey Bees Cheerleaders, Milwaukee Bucks half time show, Harlem Globetrotters Pre-game entertainmentClassical ballet soloist for Mayor Daley’s 2007 AIBA World Boxing Championship.Exclusive dancers for “Weird Al” Yankovic Show, 2007.Established one of the area’s largest scholarship programs for dance training.ADC master classes with Joffrey Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Centre de Le Danse, Paris, France. Official school of the American Dance Center Ballet, area’s first professional level company.Combined ballet with symphony for the first time in south suburbs ‘73.Created Hansel and Gretel, Chicago’s longest-running original ballet, 23 years.Choreographed Russian gold medalists and Bolshoi Ballet soloists in ADC ballet.Commissioned soloists from American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, New York City and Zurich BalletSubsidized over 68,000 children for ADC school field trip programs. Featured on CBS-Channel 2-Morning NewsSpecial Dance for Sports classes featured on NBC, Channel 5.Performed for Serbian Radio’s Anniversary celebration, 3 years. American Dance Center documentary, Continental Cable."Making of a Holiday Tradition" documentary, Jones CableDancers of Tomorrow, documentary, Multimedia, Time Warner and Jones Cable.ADC Dancers were thrilled to be part of Chicago's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the 5th year in a row!
ADC Intermediate and Advanced tappers joined the Chicago Human Rhythm Project and continued to spread the joy that dance brings by tappin down State Street! The Parade was broadcast locally and nationally on WGN TV ! Thank you to all who joined us Thanksgiving morning for what has become a memorable ADC tradition!
ADC Productions and Radiance Dancers traveled to Orlando, Florida to represent the ADC in
'Dance the World' at Walt Disney World! The dancers presented their own show, with original choreography from 6 ADC instructors, at Epcot Center's World Showplace Theater, were featured performers in Disney's Main Street Parade and attended an exciting awards gala dinner and dance party, with a surprise visit from Mickey & his crew!
DANCIN AT DISNEY!
Dedicated American Dance Center dancers who are interested in making a greater commitment to their love of dance are selected through auditions and teacher recommendations.
Our Performing Arts team trains in all styles of dance, meet weekly to work on their technique, learn new choreography from ADC's professional choreographers and serve as positive role models to all of our students.
These dancers have additional opportunities to perform throughout Chicagoland and convention/competition events, sharing the Joy of Dance. We aim to teach our dancers to respect themselves and others, to continue to strive for excellence and to serve as leaders
both in and out of the studio.
Thank you to all who came out to the Homewood Holiday Lights Festival. This popular tradition featured ADC Homewood dancers bringing our festive holiday windows to life. We were so excited to be invited back and loved spreading the joy of dance and the Holidays with all of you!
The ADC Homewood was one of the highlights of the evening! We loved the Living Ballerina Dolls in the holiday windows! So beautiful!
- Susan L.
| ||||
The windows at ADC were AWESOME! Thanks for taking
the time to put on such a beautiful and impressive display! It was really a great way to show off what a great place we have here in Homewood for the fine art of dance. Thank you." - Kari H.
| ||||
Dancers of RADIANCE and VIBRANCE were featured performers on the WGN Morning News Block Party Live broadcast in Homewood! We were honored to represent the Village of Homewood and will continue to share the Love of Dance with our community!
Thank you to all who tuned in and came out to support us!
We kicked off the holidays with a fun-filled night of dance and celebrated with the City of Chicago!
50 ADC dancers led the exciting dance production of close to 400 dancers from throughout Chicagoland in the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival! They joined an incredible procession including a grand tree lighting of one million lights, spectacular floats, helium-filled balloons, marching bands, top musical performers, appearances by Benny the Bull, Hubert the Lion and other well-known Chicago mascots and a grand finale fireworks show over the Chicago River!
The parade was broadcast on ABC 7 Chicago and was syndicated to the entire nation during the month of December!
RADIANCE Junior Performance Team returned to entertain the crowds with a special Halloween themed show and added to all of the fun at Orland Square Mall for their annual Boo Bash! Thank you to all who came out and celebrated your Fall festivities with us!
We are so excited to be back entertaining in person again! Members of our Performance teams were guest performers at the Market at the Park in Orland Park and enjoyed the perfect summer day with fans, friends and family!
And... we were thrilled to be back on the theater stage as we spotlighted our High School Junior and Senior dancers for our popular 'Solo Works' showcase!
... PAST PERFORMANCES
| ||||||
ADC RADIANCE dancers returned to Orland Square Mall to escort Santa to his set and treated him and all of the guests to a special Holiday performance!
This is one of our favorite holiday traditions , kicking off the holiday season with Santa lighting the 30 ft. tree, a procession through the mall including carolers, cookies, games and our dancers!
Stay tuned for more Holiday events featuring our
RADIANCE Performance Team!!
RADIANCE and VIBRANCE dancers performed at the Grand Music Hall at Six Flags Great America and enjoyed a fun day at the park with family and friends!
CONGRATULATIONS to all of our Performance Team dancers!
ADC had an exciting weekend at the Artists Simply Human Dance Convention, where dancers, teachers, parents and a
world-renowned faculty from around the globe all came together to celebrate our love of dance!
We are so proud of our dancers for challenging themselves and working hard in every single class and for representing the ADC with such a passion, with all new production numbers, in the Performance Showcase!
Thank you to our staff and choreographers, Rachel Borg, Lauren Janney, Danielle Latorre, Kyra Laster and Tracey Villari, for all of their work and preparation. Thank you to our ADC parents and families for your support and for sharing the weekend with us!
A huge congratulations to the dancers in our Vibrance Contemporary piece, “Break Free”, choreographed by Lauren Janney,
for receiving the Stand Out Award, the Studio Selection Award, and to Scholarship winners, Maya H., Sophia P. and Keeley M.!
ADC Homewood dancers performed at the 2023 Dance Fest at Six Flags Great America on the
Grand Music Hall stage!
We spotlighted new pieces in Ballet, Jazz and Hip Hop choreographed by Katie Colletti, Maria Villari and Kathleen Villari. Thank you to the many ADC families and friends that came out and supported us!
Thank you to all who came out to support our 'Solo Works' Showcase, 'Time For Me to Fly', spotlighting our Advanced high school Junior and Senior dancers! With original solo choreography and production numbers by our Performance Teams, RADIANCE and VIBRANCE, it was quite a memorable night for all!
We wish our graduates the best of luck and send them off with a strong foundation
in dance and life lessons that they will carry with them on their next journey!
They will always be a part of our ADC family!
| ||||
VIBRANCE & RADIANCE DIRECTORS
Lauren Janney, Kyra Laster, Maria Villari, Katie Colletti
2023-24 RADIANCE Jr. Performance Team
2023-24 VIBRANCE Sr. Performance Team
ADC's RADIANCE Junior Performance Team were featured performers at the Orland Square Mall for their annual Boo Bash!
They have been a crowd favorite for many years and have already been invited back for next year's event!
Thank you to the wonderful audience that came out to join in the fun.... and even participated with us on the dance floor!
Congratulations to all of the dancers and to Ms. Katie & Ms. Maria for creating such a fun show!
| ||||
2023-2024 VIBRANCE SENIOR PERFORMANCE TEAM DANCERS
2023-24 RADIANCE JUNIOR PERFORMANCE TEAM DANCERS
ADC Directors Kathleen, Maria & Jack Villari and selected ADC dancers representing the State of Illinois!
ADC was selected outstanding dance school of Illinois by the International Dance Festival, Dance Excellence and the only school chosen to represent the state of Illinois at the International Dance Festival in Los Angeles 1995-2023.
Oh what fun! ADC dancers were invited to join the Village of Orland Park Christmas Parade and our Radiance dancers entertained the guests afterwards!
