Jillian Van Cura, from upstate New York, began studying ballet at the age of two. By the time she was 11, she expressed interest in learning more styles of dance. Jillian implemented jazz, modern, tap and character dance into her explorations and was inspired. Her interest in all styles of dance continued to grow inside and outside of the studio in a pursuit to be more versatile as she has grown. As a professional dancer with Ballet Quad Cities, she has studied and performed Indian dance techniques. In her free time, enjoying line dancing starting at age 19.
She attended Manhattan Youth Ballet in high school, where she pursued an assistant teaching position working with the younger levels in their ballet technique classes. During this time, she was a freelance assistant teacher with local studios overseeing variations practice for Youth America Grand Prix and Connecticut Classic for more advanced age levels. She also taught partnering, ballet, and jazz for many ages and abilities. She continued pursuing smaller
choreographic opportunities during this time as well.
Jillian attended Butler University and graduated in 2021 with High Distinction and a BFA in dance performance. There, she took part in choreographic collaborations and classes where she took on more leadership roles and was largely influenced by the passionate faculty. Jillian had a newfound confidence in her teachings and choreography pursuits by graduation.
While attending college, Jillian started line dancing for fun with friends and quickly learned how much she enjoyed it. In Summer 2025, she taught line dancing classes for the students in Ballet Quad Cities School of Dance Summer Intensive. She is so excited to start teaching adult line dancing this upcoming season with the School of Dance!