MICHELE BROVIAK (Jazz, Tap)
-owned and operated Gotta Dance Studio in Chicago from 1987-2003. She won the National and World Dance Champions choreography award and has also received Entertainment, Choreography and Top Teacher awards with various organizations. Ms. Broviak was trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, musical theater and baton by instructors from all over the world. She has had an extensive stage and film career, performing in shows such as Guys and Dolls, Bye Bye Birdie, They’re Playin our Song and A Chorus Line, and participating in Dancefest and Human Rhythm Project. She has worked with stars such as Jessica Lange, Chris O’Donnell, Ann Jillian, Joan Cusack, Robert Conrad and Patrick Swayze.
ELIZABETH FRANCESCONI (Ballet)
-began studying dance with previous Salt Creek Ballet instructor, Colette Gilbertson, at the Downers Grove Park District, and then at the Salt Creek Ballet Company under the direction of Sergey Kozadayev and Zhanna Dubrovskaya. At Salt Creek Ballet, she performed in many classical ballets such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Alice in Wonderland, and Paquita. Ms. Francesconi graduated from Butler University in May 2010 with a Bachelors of Arts in Dance Pedagogy. At Butler, she had a chance to perform in classical works such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Giselle, and Cinderella, along with choreographic works by Marek Cholewa, Cynthia Pratt and Tong Wang. She also traveled with Butler Ballet to Saint Petersburg, Russia, where she performed and took various classes throughout the city. She spent the summer of 2008 at BalletMet’s Summer Intensive, studying with Gerard Charles and Rebecca Rodriguez while performing Serenade, and as a soloist in Colores de Alma. Since graduating from Butler University, she has taught at several studios in the Chicagoland area. She is also a rehearsal mistress and performs as a guest artist in area productions of The Nutcracker. Elizabeth is extremely passionate about teaching and enjoys sharing her knowledge and love of dance with her students.
ANGIE S. KENEIPP (Modern)
-is a native of Los Angeles and was senior member, soloist and choreographer for Jazz Dancers Inc., L.A.’s premiere concert jazz dance company. Angie has also appeared as a featured dancer in several films such as “Staying Alive”, “One From the Heart”, and “I’ll Do Anything”. She has worked and collaborated with the creative talents of Twyla Tharp, Sylvester Stallone, James L. Brooks, Ben Vereen and John Travolta, just to name a few. Her teaching and choreographic talents have taken her all over the globe. She has taught at Paramount Film Studios, Dupree Dance Academy and tours with conventions annually. Angie has performed with Chicago Dance Medium, a prominent Modern Company on the Chicago dance scene and is choreographing for several projects in Los Angeles and Chicago. Angie was honored to choreograph for Dance Chicago’s showcase, one of Chicago’s largest dance festivals. Her unique style is appreciated by all.
JENNY MASTIN (Ballet)
-trained at Classical Ballet Center in Tampa, Florida at the age of 9 under the direction of Haydee Gutierrez and Miguel Campaneria. Roles performed included Odette in Swan Lake, Kitri in Don Quixote, Paquita, Grisi in Pas de Quatre, and Les Sylphides. Summers were spent at Joffrey Ballet New York and the School of American Ballet in New York City with performances in Saratoga Springs. She danced with Cincinnati Ballet, Knoxville Ballet Theatre and New Orleans Ballet while finishing high school. Performance included roles in The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and original choreography. Miss Jenny attended North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and studied with Duncan Noble, Melissa Hayden, Franchon Cordell and Mabel Robinson. Roles performed included Sugar Plum in The Nutcracker, Russian Soloist in Serenade, lead in Symphony 13 and original choreography. She accompanied NCSA to Budapest, Hungary for a six-week performing tour. She became Director of Classical Ballet Center for 7 years with students professionally contracted at Joffrey Ballet, Sarasota Ballet and Ballet Hawaii. Miss Jenny has been teaching classical ballet for 31 years to students of all levels and ages. She is a Registered Nurse and has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Tampa.
EMILY MOSER (Ballet)
-began her studies with Irina Vassileni-Uralsky at the School of Ballet Iowa and also with Susan Snider at Vine Street Ballet. She went on to earn a BFA in Dance Performance from Northern Illinois University where she trained under Randall Newsom, Judith Chitwood and Paula Frasz. While attending NIU, Emily performed many principle and soloist roles in ballets such as Paquita, Les Sylphides, Giselle, Coppelia and The Nutcracker. Emily has performed with many Chicagoland dance companies such as Chicago Ballet, Momenta, the Schaumburg Dance Ensemble and Tyego Dance Project. She also has danced on the east coast with Connecticut Ballet and Ballet Long Island.
EDDY OCAMPO (Contemporary)
-has danced with some of Chicago’s premiere dance companies such as the Joel Hall Dancers, River North Chicago Dance Company and Giordano Dance Chicago. Guest appearances include Kalamazoo Ballet, Augusta Opera, Cerqua Rivera Art Experience, Terpsichore Dancers, LaJazz Dance as well as many television and film cameos. Eddy worked and assisted Gus Giordano, the “Godfather of Jazz Dance”, to create Mr. Giordano’s last ballet, Le Firebird de Jazz, in which he played the lead role. He has also assisted Randy Duncan to create the choreography for The Caucasian Chalk Circle for South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa. CA. Mr. Ocampo has served as school director of the Giordano Dance Center, the director of Giordano II as well as the Giordano Merit Scholarship Program Director. His teachings has brought him to Europe, Mexico, Canada, Turkey, the Russian Republic and throughout the U.S. As a choreographer, Mr. Ocampo’s works can be seen on such companies as Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Odyssey Dance Theatre (Salt Lake City, UT), Kannon Dance (St. Petersburg, Russia), Lisa Clark Dancers (San Francisco, CA), Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Thodos Dance Chicago, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (Chicago) and many regional ballet companies across the U.S. He has worked with recording artists Josie Aeillo, Suzanne Palmer and London-based recording artist, Affe Adel. Mr. Ocampo is the recipient of the National Recognition for Outstanding Choreography Award in 2012 and 2014 by the Regional Dance America Association. His other awards include the Dance Chicago 2004 Outstanding Choreography Award, the Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation Choreographer of the Year Award in 2005 and 2007 and the Gold Shoe Award for International Choreography Competition at the 2007 Jazz Dance World Congress. Mr. Ocampo has been featured in Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit, Young Dance Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine. and numerous Chicago publications. IN 2005, Mr. Ocampo was inducted into the Filipino Hall of Fame by the Filipino Association of America for his contribution to the arts. He teaches Contemporary Jazz and Studies in Asian Dance, among other dance related courses.
TATIANA ULITINA (Ballet)
-was born in Leningrad, Russia, and graduated from the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy in Saint Petersburg, Russia under professor Natalia Dudinskaya. Upon graduation, Ms. Ulitina danced with The Leningrad Maly Theatre Ballet, performing many lead roles and touring all over the world. In 2003, Ms. Ulitina received her Pedagogy Degree of Classical Dance, Character Dance and Historical Dance from the Vaganova Ballet Academy. From 2002-2012, Ms. Ulitina was a teacher of classical dance at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Some of her students went on to dance as principals and soloists with world famous companies such as Bolshoi Ballet, Mariinsky Theatre Ballet, Eifman Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and National Opera-Budapest. From 2016-17, Ms. Ulitina was a teacher of classical dance at the Boris Eifman Dance Academy in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
SUSANNE CARROLL WREN (Adult/Teen Ballet)
-originally from New York, trained with many prominent teachers including those at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. She has appeared on a variety of television shows originating from New York and California and has also performed in several Broadway and National Companies working for renowned choreographers such as Bob Fosse in Sweet Charity, Ron Field in Cabaret, and Michael Bennett in Promises Promises.Other Equity stage credits include Fiorello, West Side Story, New York Shakespeare Festival in the Park children’s show Lollapooza, Funny Girl, Boys from Syracuse, The Apple Tree, Jimmy Shine, and Pal Joey. She also appeared on several T.V. commercials and Industrial shows, was a featured dance act with a partner on seven different cruises, and danced with the Bob Hamilton Trio on T.V. and in various hotels and night clubs. Locally, Sue has performed in shows at the Shubert Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, the now defunct In the Round Dinner Theatre and Candlelight Dinner Playouse. Ms. Wren has been on the faculty since 1978 and was Assistant Artistic Director of Salt Creek Ballet from 1986-1998.
VERA ZHUKOVA (Character)
-trained and received her diploma in the pedagogy of ballet and character dance from the prestigious State Academy of Art and Culture in Chelyabinsk, Russia. Ms. Zhukova was a principal dancer with the State Ural Folk Choir and Dance Ensemble from 1975 to 1981, performing in several countries around the world. Ms. Zhukova was the artistic director of the Municipal Children’s Dance Theater in Ekaterinburg, Russia, for thirteen years. Under her direction, students of the dance theater successfully participated in competitions in the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Turkey, and Finland. She received the Russian Federation’s honorable dance teacher award in the year 2000. Several of Ms. Zhukova’s former students have pursued dance careers, either as professional performers or dance instructors. Ms. Zhukova is also the author of a book on dance teaching methods, which has been well received by dance instructors in her native Russia. Prior to founding Ballet Academy in Lincoln Park, she was the artistic director of the Dmitri Roudnev Ballet School of Chicago, where she also taught ballet and character dance. Her ballet teaching is based on the Vaganova syllabus, which has proven to be highly successful with young children. Ms. Zhukova enjoys working with children and strives to help her students achieve their full dance potential.
