Irina Makkai Classical Ballet & Dance School

The Adult Ballet class taught by Rita Ockrim is absolutely wonderful!
The class is essentially all about you, about really warming up and strengthening all of your muscles, and you will leave having worked your entire body! Since Rita generally does the class with you, she can tell which muscles have been properly warmed up for subsequent combinations, ensuring that you feel safe and comfortable as you progress through the class.
Rita has an immense knowledge and passion for ballet that she would like to share with you. She will take time to explain and to help you feel how to properly execute different movements — which muscles to engage, how to position your head, where to apply pressure to the floor, etc. — all of the details that are generally left out of adult ballet classes, but that make the class much more interesting and valuable whether this information is just a refresher, or if you are hearing these insights for the first time.
It shows that Rita genuinely cares about her students and strives to provide whatever it is you are looking to get out of the class. She makes the class as fun and enjoyable as possible, and definitely puts a lot of thought into her music selection. Anyone that has taken ballet knows that there is quite a plethora of cut and dry ballet music out there, or that it can become that way when it’s played repeatedly. Rita makes sure to play new music essentially every class, and only recycles the best pieces that you probably wouldn’t mind hearing again. If nothing else, you could come to class just for the beautiful and varied music selection!
If you haven’t danced in a while, don’t be intimidated that the class is taught at an intermediate level. Rita will go over and do the combinations with you, so there is no stress in memorizing combinations, instead, you can really focus on what your body is doing. If need be, you can always simplify the combinations, but it is nice to have the option of a more advanced alternative, and to see how it looks when executed properly.
This may seem like a lot of praise, but all of it is well deserved. I have been quite frustrated with many of the adult ballet classes I have taken, and I have finally stumbled on a gem that I believe deserves more attention!

Rita Okrim is a superb ballet instructor! Her technique at the barre is outstanding with so much variety. Her center is so creative and original. A wonderful workout. The studio is enchanting, making you feel like you are on stage dancing. Very inspiring– I highly recommend classes from Rita!
— Susan Wright

We have been taking a class there since fall for my daughter… we couldn’t be more happy!!! Great teachers… they all have danced before and know how to teach children!
They are very nice and I will tell everyone about them!!!
I cant wait for the dance performance in a few weeks!
Thanks for the first year of dance… and so many more to come!!!

We are so glad to have discovered this studio! We have just started taking classes at this studio and I could not be happier.
In my search for a dance school for my daughter I came across other schools that were just plain snobby or that had did not offer ballet due to extremely low enrollment. At Irina Makkai, the instructor is fantastic as well as enthusiastic, the studio owners, Irina & her daughter Lilla are so nice and the patrons are also friendly & polite! I have been looking for a studio that is well run & professional — but also has a nice atmosphere/​vibe (aka, low drama & unpretentious) and this studio is exactly what I have been looking for! Located in Downtown Highland Park very convenient location. The studio is much larger than it appears with multiple studios that are beautiful. They also have a secondary business Kiddie Corner that offers wonderful cultural & enrichment programs. The owners also have thought about scheduling multiple age group classes so I am able to have my 2 ½ & 6 year old in class at the same time or 2 classes back to back– which is beyond AWESOME. My kids love the classes we are officially fans!