Allegro Dance Theatre provides a highly disciplined, classically based professional dance education in the style of the American based ballet companies, (i.e. Cechetti, Russian, French and Royal Ballet.)
Our structured environment at ADT helps to instill in dancers knowledge of the art form and a love for the dance, both in the classroom and on the stage. Dance requires discipline, dedication and commitment. It is a unique and demanding art form .
Performing Arts should be an enjoyable experience.
Every attempt will be made to help your child progress,
learn, and enjoy dancing, so a love of dance can be
instilled. If you have concerns, please make an
appointment with Miss Carol so the problem may
be worked out.
Louisville Ballet
Staff and company members of the Louisville Ballet occasionally serve as guest and master teachers for the advanced ballet and pointe classes at Allegro Dance Theatre (ADT). These classes are by invitation only. Advanced ADT students are offered these classes in order to study with another teacher and gain more dance expertise as well as experience.
FACULTY
Carol Zagar
The ADT director and instructor for most classes at ADT is Carol E. Zagar (Miss Carol). Miss Carol has a four-year degree (BA) in dance from Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. She began studying ballet at the age of five with Jack Louiso, choreographer for the Cincinnati Opera Ballet. She continued training in Chicago at the Ruth Page School of Ballet (American Ballet Theatre style) and the Ellis DuBoulay School of Ballet (Royal Ballet style).
After graduation from Butler, Miss Carol went on to become principal solo dancer and ballet mistress for the Michiana Ballet in Elkhart, Indiana. At the same time she was principal dancer for the Southhold Dance Theatre in South Bend, Indiana. Another season was spent in residence with the Evansville Ballet as a principal solo dancer. She spent ten seasons as a solo dancer with the Stephen Foster Story in Bardstown, Kentucky including the show’s 1985 tour of Japan. Miss Carol was a featured dancer in the 1989 Derby Dinner Playhouse Jefferson, Indiana production of 42nd Street. She is the choreographer for the critically acclaimed Tappin’ TNT, ADT Ballet Ensemble, and West Hardin Middle School Lakeside Singers. For the past 20 years she has served as choreographer for the award winning Hardin County Schools HCS & Company and the Central Hardin High School Belles and Beaux Show Choir. Miss Carol has been the choreographer for the Youth Theatre of Hardin County since 1985 including such productions as The King & I, Hello Dolly, Annie, Anything Goes, Fiddler on the Roof, Meet Me in St. Louis, Cinderella, Crazy for You, Singin’ in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, and 42nd Street.
Miss Carol has also choreographed Brigadoon, OKLAHOMA!, The Sound of Music, The Princess and the Pea, Guys and Dolls, Dames at Sea and The Music Man for Hardin County Playhouse, East Hardin High School, Central Hardin High School, and the Elizabethtown Community College Home for the Arts.
Miss Carol has a degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Kentucky. She is a therapist with Rebecca Massey Physical Therapy Associates. She has 2 children William Robert and Alice Darlene.
Dale Brannon
Dale Brannon was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he began his training at Jordan College of Music under Avril Johns and Jack Copeland. Later, he continued his studies at the Stuttgart Ballet School in West Germany under the direction of Anne Wooliams. Graduating into the Stuttgart Corps de Ballet, he toured extensively throughout the world dancing many solo roles. Mr. Brannon has worked with some of the most notable choreographers of our time including John Cranko, Glenn Tetley, Kenneth Mac Millan, John Neumeier, Jiri Kylian, William Forsythe and Erik Bruhn.
In 1981, Mr. Brannon returned to America to join the Louisville Ballet as a principal dancer. There he created numerous works for the company including Carmina Burana, Journeys… To Babylon, The Seasons, and Alice In Wonderland. In addition to his works in Louisville, Brannon choreographed two ballets for Dennis Wayne’s dancers in New York, which included his critically acclaimed Standing On the Wind. Following his initial work in Louisville, Brannon danced with Ballet Met in Columbus and choreographed The Pied Piper on their student division.
Throughout his career, Dale has found great fulfillment in teaching and coaching young artists and students, many of whom now dance professionally in Europe and the U.S. He has expanded the scope of his choreography to full narrative story ballets, created for students together with professional soloists, thus providing schools and academies healthy and professionally enriching performance vehicles for their students. In addition to teaching several intermediate and advanced ballet classes, Dale also stages and choreographs many of our ballet productions.