DNSD 2026 Convention Mitchell, SD
Dance Network of South Dakota 2026 Convention is happening Saturday/Sunday, November 21-22, 2026 at the Highland Conference Center in Mitchell, SD.
– Classes for ages 7 up through adult. Students and Teachers. Come learn from guest faculty instructors. Registrations must be done online.
Location 2026 Convention - Mitchell, SD
Highland Conference Center
Physical Address
Highland Conference Center
2000 Highland Way
Mitchell, SD 57301
Call and Book your hotel room today!
The attached Comfort Inn & Suites is where we have the DNSD special block rates for Dance Network of SD.
Hotel Contacts: https://www.highlandconferencecenter.com/hotels
Conference Center Driving Directions: https://www.highlandconferencecenter.com/contact_us
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EoyUpy719/
November 21-22, 2026 DNSD Convention
Classes for all students ages 7-adult and for teachers.
Full Convention Registration (all classes included) : $160
One Day only Convention Registration (Saturday classes Only) : $100
One Day only Convention Registration (Sunday classes Only) : $100
Parent Observation Pass band to watch for the entire weekend: $50 per person (or $75 for two parents)
2026 Convention Planned Class Schedule
Connect on Social Media with DNSD
Make a Weekend of it in Mitchell, SD!
Schedule
– Friday evening. 6-8 pm. Welcome class all together. Dance history through movement.
– Saturday. 8-8:30 am Registration
* 8:30-12:40 morning Classes. (there are breaks in between some classes) begin at 8:30 am and go until lunch at 12:40
* 12:40-2pm Lunch on your own
* 2-6 pm Classes resume (there are breaks in between some classes)
* 6-7 pm Faculty Q & A and share dance journey. Fruit platter.
– Sunday
* 8-1:25 morning classes (there are breaks in between some classes)
* 1:30-2 wrap up any dances shared and scholarships.
2026 Mitchell, SD Dance Network of SD Convention Faculty: Blake Krapels, Taylor Mitchell, Casey Paradies, Devin Carey. Friday Welcome Event Speaker: Andrea Schaefer
🕺 BLAKE KRAPELS
DNSD 2026 Convention Faculty Instructor Bio: Blake Krapels
Blake Krapels is a 2011 United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts, trained in New Jersey under the tutelage of Billy Larson and Jamie Salmon. In 2015 Blake graduated with a BFA from The Juilliard School, where he performed repertoire by William Forsythe, Merce Cunningham, Elliot Feld, Jose Limon, and Peter Chu. In addition to his core training, Blake participated in Summer Intensives at Nederlands Dans Theatre and Springboard Danse Montreal. After graduation, Blake spent 4 years with Philadelphia’s BalletX where he performed at The Vail Dance Festival, Joyce Theater, Cleveland Danceworks, Kennedy Center and The Belgrade Dance Festival. He has performed with The Metropolitan Opera, Keigwin & Company, GroundWorks Dance Theatre, Konverjdans, DanceAspen and South Dakota Ballet, where he is the acting Associate Director. Throughout his performance career he has worked with choreographers Matthew Neenan, Penny Saunders, Cayetano Soto and Yue Yin.
He is currently a freelance choreographer, performer and teacher based in Philadelphia. He is on faculty at The Joffrey Ballet School in NYC and travels the country scouting talent for Joffrey’s various training programs. Blake’s choreography has been presented at The Kennedy Center, First State Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Jazz & Contemporary Program, South Dakota Ballet, Flight Path Dance Project, DanceAspen and DeSales University. In the spring of 2024 he launched Sonder Space, a collaborative dance project alongside Andie Yorita and Zach Kapeluck.
Registration is open. Follow us for more information.
Classes for Ages 7-adult.
Dance Network of South Dakota 2026 will be held Saturday-Sunday, November 21-22, 2026 at the Highland Conference Center, Mitchell, SD.
Friday evening, November 20, 2026 we plan to have a special welcome event, location TBD in Mitchell.
DNSD Convention 2026 Mitchell
You don’t want to miss this!
Grab your spot and share with other dancers and dance teachers, family of dancers! 📆 💃 🕺 Tag your dance teachers, dance parents and students, and your dance studio and spread the word.
Dance Network of South Dakota group
🕺 TAYLOR MITCHELL
DNSD 2026 Convention Faculty Instructor Bio: Taylor Mitchell
Taylor Mitchell is a Chicago-based choreographer, performance artist, educator, and Feldenkrais® Practitioner. He was voted “Best Dancer” by the Chicago Reader in 2023. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from The University of Arizona (2014) where he received the Creative Achievement Award for numerous works of choreography presented by the UA Dance Ensemble and also worked with the Department of Theater. Taylor has performed professionally with Thodos Dance Chicago, Cocodaco Dance Project, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theater, AJA Talente, C5: Create No Limits, New Dances, Jessica Miller Tomlinson and Dancers, Dance For Life Chicago, Anna Long Project, Symbiosis Arts, 2 Men From The Windy City, and numerous other national projects. He has choreographed for DanceWorks Chicago, Visceral Dance Chicago, The Big Muddy Dance Company, Thodos Dance Chicago, Houston METdance, Aerial Dance Chicago, Chicago Repertory Ballet, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Cocodaco Dance Project, New Dances (hosted by Thodos Dance Chicago), Symbiosis Arts, Dance in the Parks, Level Dance, and Trinity Irish Dance Company (collaborator). He also choreographed “Twihard: A Twilight Parody Musical” in its commercial run in Chicago (2025). Taylor served as rehearsal director for Extensions Dance Company’s pre-professional program for seven seasons and has been a faculty member with The GUS Giordano Dance School since 2014. He currently serves as Artistic Director of MitchellMovement, his own project, and self-produces unique cabaret-styled shows mixing dance, theater, and comedy. Taylor has also served as an Artist in Residence with Washington and Lee University (2018), Southeast Missouri State University (2018, 2021), The University of Louisiana Lafayette (2019, 2026), and Keshet Center for the Arts (2018). He is a certified FGNA Feldenkrais® Practitioner, under direction of Elizabeth Beringer, and enjoys utilizing the work in his teaching methodology. He currently teaches Feldenkrais across the Chicago dance landscape including the Joffrey Ballet Training Program.
Registration is open. Follow us for more information.
Classes for Ages 7-adult.
Dance Network of South Dakota 2026 will be held Saturday-Sunday, November 21-22, 2026 at the Highland Conference Center, Mitchell, SD.
Friday evening, November 20, 2026 will be a special welcome event, at the Highland conference center in Mitchell.
DNSD Convention 2026 Mitchell
You don’t want to miss this!
Grab your spot and share with other dancers and dance teachers, family of dancers! 📆 💃 🕺 Tag your dance teachers, dance parents and students, and your dance studio and spread the word.
Dance Network of South Dakota group
🕺 CASEY PARADIES
DNSD 2026 Convention Faculty Instructor Bio: Casey Paradies
Casey Paradies is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC and holds a BA and MA in Theatre from UND and an MFA in Theatre Directing from The University of South Dakota. He is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and currently teaches theatre at South Dakota State University.
He has danced across the Midwest and upper-East Coast and 6 countries in Europe with *Up with People’s: Roads*. Professionally he has played a variety of roles including The Emcee in *Cabaret*, Ensemble in *Chicago*, Will Parker in *Oklahoma!* Lord Montague in *Romeo and Juliet*, and was a founding actor of Jack DyVille’s NYC company F.A.C.T.
As a director/choreographer Casey has helmed many productions around the Midwest including *Shrek, Mary Poppins, Fiddler on the Roof), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Full Monty, Macbeth, Newsies, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast, Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Footloose, Oklahoma, Nunsense, Grease,* and most recently *Sweeney Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.*
Registration is open. Follow us for more information.
Classes for Ages 7-adult.
Dance Network of South Dakota 2026 will be held Saturday-Sunday, November 21-22, 2026 at the Highland Conference Center, Mitchell, SD.
Friday evening, November 20, 2026 we plan to have a special welcome event, location TBD in Mitchell.
You don’t want to miss this!
Grab your spot and share with other dancers and dance teachers, family of dancers! 📆 💃 🕺 Tag your dance teachers, dance parents and students, and your dance studio and spread the word.
Dance Network of South Dakota group
💃 DEVIN CAREY
DNSD 2026 Convention Faculty Bio: Devin Carey
Devin Carey is thrilled to be part of such an inspiring experience.
A University of South Dakota alumnus (’91), Devin earned a BA in Vocal Music Performance with a Minor in Theater (Dance emphasis).
From 1991 to 2006, he pursued a professional dance career in Minneapolis, involving residency & performance works with several renowned companies including Zenon Dance, Borrowed Bones Dance Theatre, and Flying Foot Forum.
Since 2008, he has filled nearly every production role in over 90 shows with Mitchell Area Community Theatre. His Zumba classes ended during the pandemic. Recently, Devin returned to his dance roots in 2025, debut performing with LiRa/Ballereana Dance and The Premiere Playhouse in Sioux Falls.
Registration is open. Follow us for more information.
Classes for Ages 7-adult.
Dance Network of South Dakota 2026 will be held Saturday-Sunday, November 21-22, 2026 at the Highland Conference Center, Mitchell, SD.
Friday evening, November 20, 2026 we plan to have a special welcome event at the conference center in Mitchell.
You don’t want to miss this!
Grab your spot and share with other dancers and dance teachers, family of dancers! 📆 💃 🕺 Tag your dance teachers, dance parents and students, and your dance studio and spread the word.
Dance Network of South Dakota group
💃 ANDREA SCHAEFER
DNSD 2026 Convention Faculty Welcome Class Instructor Bio: Andrea Schaefer
Join Andrea for an immersive dance history journey starting in the early 1900s. We’ll watch videos of some of the earliest filmed stage dances and beyond. We will get into our bodies and feel the differences between Nijinski and Balanchine. We will watch Isadora Duncan twirl and skip modern dance into the hearts of a global audience. Together we will create “dance choruses” as we learn about Rudolph Laban. We will feel the breath of emotion as we study Martha Graham. We will play a game of chance choreography as we watch Merce Cunningham. And we will peek into some recent history as we honor some newer companies keeping this history alive. You ARE dance history!
Andrea Schaefer is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of New Mexico with a BA in Dance. She danced professionally with Bill Evans Dance Company, Donna Jewel and Theater, Lawine Torren Dance Company (Austria), and Ecotone Physical Theater. In 2007 she opened Barefoot Dance Studio in Rapid City, South Dakota where she shared her love of dance history with a focus on connecting practice, context, and artistry. She has been continuing her education though Jacob’s Pillow extension classes in dance history. Sharing her love of dance history is a passion and she is excited to help students discover their place in it.
Registration is open. Follow us for more information.
Classes for Ages 7-adult.
Dance Network of South Dakota 2026 will be held Saturday-Sunday, November 21-22, 2026 at the Highland Conference Center, Mitchell, SD.
Friday evening, November 20, 2026 we plan to have a special welcome event at the conference center in Mitchell.
You don’t want to miss this!
Grab your spot and share with other dancers and dance teachers, family of dancers! 📆 💃 🕺 Tag your dance teachers, dance parents and students, and your dance studio and spread the word.
Dance Network of South Dakota group
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