The Rodriguez Dance Theatre is a professional dance company located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Mrs. Lisette Rodriguez is the founder of the company. After a decade of professionally dancing and directing a high school dance program, Rodriguez decided to fulfill her dream of becoming an artistic director of a professional dance company. The Rodriguez Dance Theatre was founded in 2007 after she received her Masters of Fine Art Degree in dance from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in December 2006. The company became a reality after developing a partnership with the District 214 Community Education Program. With the partnership the company was able to gain the support needed to recruit, rehearse, perform, and develop unique community projects. Rodriguez Dance Theatre offers an opportunity for professional dancers to train and perform with a professional dance company. Company members work with professional choreographers, instructors, costume designers, lighting designers, and a variety of freelance artists to create professional work. Rodriguez describes her motivation for starting the company based on the untapped abundance of talented dancers in the area. " I wanted to give back what was given to me, an opportunity to dance."