Marylee Sinopoli
Dance Gallery Owner, Artistic Director and Ballet Instructor
In 1998, Sinopoli accomplished a life-long goal, becoming an instructor for future generations of dancers by opening Dance Gallery. Sinopoli’s experience in both teaching and choreography along with patience and enthusiasm makes her a natural teacher where she puts a smile on the little ones’ faces. She embraces the opportunity to share her knowledge and love of dance with all of her students as well as the community. Since Dance Gallery’s grand opening, she has taught thousands of students ranging in age from two through adult to experience the art of dance.
“As a choreographer and dance teacher, I feel it’s important for students’ growth and development to be exposed to many types and styles of dance,” Sinopoli said. “We hold many special events for our students and the community at large so they are better able to experience and be exposed to the art of dance.”
Over the years, Sinopoli has had the opportunity to see many children take dance, and transform from toddlers and preschoolers in her creative movement classes to graceful ballerinas dancing in such performances as Dance Chicago and the Joffrey Ballet’s annual production of “The Nutcracker.” Many of her former pupils have also chosen to follow in their instructors footsteps, attending some of the countries best performing arts and dance schools and pursuing dance as a career, much to Sinopoli’s delight. Students not pursing a career in dance also benefit from the discipline of class and confidence students gain from experiencing the art of dance.
The idea behind the studio decor was to provide a place where students will become immersed in creativity. The images and movement reflected in the many dance themed paintings, sculpture and more help inspire the students experiences of dance, art and movement.
Marylee graduated from Barat College in Lake Forest with a B.F.A. in Theatre and Dance and danced professionally. She trained extensively in Ballet, Jazz, and Modern dance at such prestigious schools as the Ruth Page Foundation, the Lou Conte Studio of Dance and the Gus Giordano Dance Studio. Additionally, she danced in the Arie Crown Theater’s production of The Nutcracker for 13 years and later performed in numerous commercials and industrial videos.