The set list is kept secret to heighten the anticipation. But if you like live music and dance with some art thrown in, you won’t be disappointed.
Company dancers from the Springfield Youth Performance Group (SYPG), along with professional rock musicians, present the rousing “Rock the Conservatory” on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 8 p.m.
The venue itself is a draw. The Grant Conservatory of Music and Dance is located in the former Elliott Avenue Baptist Church. Rock the Conservatory is staged in the sanctuary of the building, framed by stained glass that provides “a warm hug for the audience,” according to Taryn Grant, SYPG founder and executive director.
“During Covid, the church shut down and never reopened,” said Grant. “We had been looking for a venue to house SYPG and the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and this was the perfect location to bring both together and provide multiple, large performance spaces along with classrooms, storage and convenient parking.”
Rock the Conservatory kicks off SYPG’s 20th anniversary season, and the community is invited to the immersive experience. “The music and entertainment begin the minute you walk in the door,” said Grant. “During intermission, there will be activities in the lobby including an artist painting a piano. This year’s Rock the Conservatory is bigger, more intense and fast-paced. The audience is on the same level as the dancers. Our professional musicians on the stage have local ties and now work in Chicago, Nashville and New York. Nothing, to me, is more exciting than live music.”
The band is led by Tommy Sagins of Chicago, originally from Sherman. This is the fourth time SYPG has presented Rock the Conservatory, however, “Every show we do is brand new,” said Grant. “We never do the same show twice or the same choreography twice. We owe that to the audience. It’s our responsibility to surprise them and bring them a new gift, especially during this anniversary season.”
She added that the performers rise to a new level to make the shows even better than the year before.
Tickets for Rock the Conservatory are available for $30 each at sypgfoundation.org, with 250 to be sold. She encouraged those buying tickets on the website to also read where their ticket money goes. “When you purchase a ticket, you are investing in the outreach work we do. All of the proceeds go back into the community for our outreach programs,” said Grant. Those programs include free, after-school dance classes offered at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Illinois, whose participants are then included in SYPG stage productions.
Partnering with Enos Elementary across the street from the Conservatory, Hope School and the Boys and Girls Clubs, SYPG also offers the Mighty Movers program for children with developmental delays. Other outreach programs, all free of charge, include the Smile Co., where fairy tale characters visit children in need of a smile who are sick or in a special circumstance; Books on Stage where book characters come to life to instill a love of reading in school children; and Bravery Ambassadors, with SYPG company members and alumni involved in community projects and mentorship.
Community service is a large part of the SYPG experience. “By the time our dancers are filling out college applications, they have years of community service under their belts,” said Grant. SYPG also hosts a chapter of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts, recognizing outstanding artistic merit, leadership and academic achievement in dance students.
Also coming up this fall, SYPG will present The Nutcracker Ballet Dec. 6 and 7 at the Sacred Heart-Griffin High School auditorium. Auditions for dancers 5-17 will be held Aug. 23, 2:30 p.m. at the Conservatory.
Grant promises some new and exciting features in this year’s Nutcracker. “The performance will be one hour without an intermission. The show moves quickly with a narrator so all ages can enjoy and understand the story.”
She says the performance will feature the traditional Nutcracker story but updated to be culturally sensitive, with new scenes and costumes. In addition to the show, there will be activities in the lobby including crafts, a children’s library and special characters to meet.
As far as the Nutcracker performers, Grant sees value in starting young. “Giving them the platform to perform at a young age is where their self-esteem begins to develop. They’re proud of being a part of the performance and of what they’ve created. We plant the seeds and then nurture them. We want their experience with performing to be very positive, and we have never turned a child away in 20 years.”
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This article appears in Fall Guide 2025.
