Isaac Knuteson
Contemporary

Isaac was born in Perm, Russia, and adopted at the age of 18 months. At age three, he started dancing. He went on to join a competition team, winning many awards and scholarships, and competed at national events including NYCDA and Dupree Dance, and was an assistant for Dupree Dance In 2021. He also competed at Yagp & placed top 12 in contemporary in 2019. He then trained in New York City for a few months with Broadway Dance Center, Steps On Broadway, and Peridance Center – on full scholarships – and was awarded college scholarships from Studio School of Los Angeles, Point Park, and a $60,000 scholarship to AMDA. Isaac is also a Go 2 Talent agency representative in Los Angeles and is also a Heart of Gold representative.

After years of competing in various styles, including hip-hop, tap, Modern, and jazz, Isaac decided to dedicate himself to ballet. He trained with Madison Ballet as a pre-professional/trainee under the direction of Rachelle Fochs, and with Central Midwest Ballet as a pre-professional under the direction of Marguerite Luksik. He attended numerous summer intensives at Ballet Austin, Point Park Dance, Kanopy Dance, Miami City Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Des Moines Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Visceral Dance Chicago, Madison Ballet, Nova Línea, & Oklahoma City Ballet – all on scholarships. He then attended Oklahoma City Ballet postgraduate division & Nashville Ballet & Miami City Ballet Pre-professional division.

Isaac was a guest artist and performed with Madison Contemporary Dance in 2021 & with New Brese Dance Company in 2023. Isaac also has worked and been mentored by some of the leading choreographers and teachers like Oliver Muñoz, Jason Ambrose, Anaïs Chalendard, Brian Stevens, Lourdes Lopez, Herman Payne, Chantel Aguirre, Craig Black, Terrill Mitchell, Nick Mullikin, Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye & Tracie Stanfield.

Isaac has performed in many classical pieces such as “The Nutcracker”, “La Bayadera”, “Western Symphony”, “Paquita”, “Borreguita and the Coyote”, & George Balanchine’s “AGON”. He also has performed contemporary works at Nashville Ballet & Oklahoma City Ballet choreographed by Julia Eisen & Chloe Jenson. Isaac has worked with and performed pieces by Annie Franklin, Madison Hicks, Arizne Okammor & performed his work “Marginal”, Kameron Saunders & performed his work “Femme”, Braeden Barnes & performed his work “I am” & performed new works by Morgan Williams. Isaac has also performed at multiple dance festivals, “No Dance Festival”, and “Death Door Dance Festival”, & has taught at Water Street Dance Festival, & performed at Club Jete in L.A.

Isaac has begun to choreograph his own pieces, and his work has been winning many overalls and judge’s awards. His choreography has been nominated for the Industry Dance Awards for 2023. He also choreographed “Water On Water” for the trainees at Water Street. Isaac is currently dancing for Water Street Dance Milwaukee professionally for the 2023 spring/summer season.

Cecilia Monroy
Ballet

Cecilia Monroy recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she focused on dance performance, as well as teaching.

She trained with the School of Madison Ballet as well as summers at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Limon NYC Summer Dance, and Ollin Yolitztli Dance Academy in Mexico City. Excited to be back with the SMB community, Cecilia will be teaching Children’s Division classes, such as Me and My Parent, Creative Movement, and Pre-Ballet. She loves the energy and excitement that her younger students bring to class and is looking forward to seeing them progress through the school.

Carol Marion Ceniti
Founder of the Madison Professional Dance Center (MPDC)
JAZZ – ACRO – BEMOVED – LEAPS/TURNS

Carol Marion Ceniti received her B.S. in Physical Education & Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been active as a dance instructor, performer, & choreographer nation-wide since 1982; training with professionals from Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, River North Chicago Dance Company, Wats On Dance, Jump Rhythm Jazz, Spectrum Dance Theatre, Nicholais/Murray Louis Dance Company, Joseph Holmes Dance Company and many more.

Carol served as Jazzworks Dance Company’s Artistic Director & principle choreographer since 1985, contributing 66 works to the company’s repertoire. Under her direction, the company has earned a reputation for being “sophisticated, technically proficient, & tremendously entertaining…” (The Wisconsin State Journal), & “one of the gems of Madison’s performing arts landscape” (The Overture Center). Carol’s choreography often combines movement vocabulary from ballet, modern & jazz dance. Her work has been described as “Innovative…charming & breezy…no clichés” (Dance International).

Some of the organizations that Carol has choreographed for include: The Amsterdam School of the Arts in Holland, The UW-Madison Dance Department, The University of Massachusetts, Bay View Performing Arts College, UW Whitewater Dance Department, Deerfield Prep Academy, The Overture Center, Ormao Dance Company, The Madison Opera, The Isthmus Jazz Festival, Tim Weisberg (music video), The UW Varsity Band Concert, The UW Dance Team, Illinois’ Dance for Life, Presentence DansTheatre, Milwaukee Kid’s Corps, CUNA Mutual Group (promotional videos), Wisconsin Dance Masters Association, The Wisconsin Dance Council, Madison Ballet, Kanopy Dance, Park City Dance Studio, as well as local high schools and churches. She has collaborated with numerous musicians and choreographers – creating multi-media works for stage and video.

Career highlights include: being commissioned to choreograph and perform at the Overture Center Symphony Hall’s Grand Opening Night in 2004; receiving 1 bronze & 2 silver medals at the International Choreographer’s Competition at the Jazz Dance World Congress; performing her work at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall as well as in Wiesbaden, Germany; receiving the Wisconsin Dance Council Leadership Award; being awarded two Choreographer’s Fellowships from the Wisconsin Arts Board; choreographing 2 winning pieces for the Overture Center’s Rising Stars Talent Competition, and receiving many overall awards and accolades at dance competitions throughout the years.

Carol was a personal trainer, gymnastics coach, and fitness program coordinator at CUNA Mutual Group ( as well as a dance instructor) prior to founding The Madison Professional Dance Center (MPDC) in 2001. She served as the owner & director of MPDC until June of 2023. She is now excited to focus on teaching and choreographing for MPDC.

VALERIE HOMBURG
Owner/Director

Valerie’s journey into the world of dance began at age two due to her inability to avoid running into inanimate objects. Unbeknownst to her parents, this problem-solving tool would quickly become one of the most essential aspects of her life. Valerie danced at several studios in Madison until finding her home at The Madison Professional Dance Center, where she studied under the care of Carol Marion Ceniti. Valerie has also trained with Jazz Dance World Congress, River North Dance Chicago, Giordano Dance Chicago, and Central Midwest School of Ballet among other summer programs.

Valerie has performed in several of Madison Ballet’s productions of The Nutcracker and was The Sugar Plum Fairy in Verona Youth Ballet’s production in 2011. She also had the opportunity to perform with the late company Jazzworks. Valerie graduated from UW-Madison with degrees in Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies. While at UW, she had the opportunity to study many different styles of dance and choreography through elective courses and clubs. Additionally, she played an integral role in putting together and performing in a multi-faceted performance through UW-Madison’s OMAI First Wave, which combined contemporary and break dance with original music.

In 2016, Valerie co-wrote, produced, choreographed, and danced in “Pursuit,” a full-length show, telling the story of sacrifice and growth through movement accompanied by live original music written by Lo Marie and Invisibleman. Through this endeavor, she was able to provide paid performance opportunities for pre-professional dancers in the Madison area. Valerie has choreographed and danced in music videos for artists Lo Marie and Madison Malone.

In 2011, she turned her focus towards teaching and choreographing and has taught Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Contemporary, and Lyrical at MPDC and other studios around the Madison and Milwaukee areas. Through her work with competitive companies, she has been able to choreograph award-winning pieces for dancers of all ages. Her hands-on approach and her focus on the development of the whole child lend themselves to mentorship, which is the most fulfilling part of her work. The rewards of teaching are boundless, and she is beyond grateful to have found her life purpose.

Throughout her teaching career, Valerie continued to receive mentorship from Carol Marion Ceniti.

In 2023 Valerie transitioned into ownership of the studio and is eager to continue learning and growing alongside her students and incredibly skilled faculty.

Kristina Bryan is a dancer, singer, and actor from Madison, WI. She received a BFA in Musical Theatre with a Minor in Dance from Ball State University and has over ten years of professional performance experience. Favorite credits include: You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Lucy), Beauty and the Beast (Babette), Godspell (Morgan), and a singer/dancer in numerous theme park shows.

You can usually find her teaching at Madison Ballroom Company and Barrio Dance, judging for Dance Mania International, or acting in A Time To Die, an indie action/horror film set to release in fall 2023.

Michelle Ramos is an international ballerina, choreographer and teacher. She is a performance & choreography specialist with a focus on ballet, contemporary dance, and the development of the MindBody as an instrument of art. Ms. Ramos is a university professor and also teaches at conservatories, offers master classes for companies and creates original choreography. She continues to perform as a guest artist.

Pr. Ramos holds an MFA in Performance & Choreography on a talent and dean scholarship from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts; a BFA in Ballet and Contemporary Dance on a merit scholarship from Boston Conservatory; a Yoga teaching certification from the Perri Institute for Mind and Body in New York City and is an alumna of the National School of Classical and Contemporary Dance in Mexico City where she studied in the eight-year track as Ballerina Executant of Classical Dance and under the tutelage of Lourdes Trevino.

Hi, my name is Joslynn Labak and I have danced since I was two years old. I have traveled all around the country for the past five years with multiple companies to assist some of the most well-known choreographers. Along with that, I have won many prestigious awards and have been invited twice to dance at the invite-only, World Dance Pageant. I eventually would love to travel all around the country(and maybe even the world) teaching dance and setting pieces for kids of all ages.

This past year I lived in Massachusetts and attended the CLI Conservatory under the direction of Teddy Forance where I got to learn from over fifty choreographers and dancers. I love working with other dancers and would love to share my own experiences, and advice, and just all around create a positive impact wherever I go!

COMING SOON

Jennifer Kletzinski
PT, MPT, OCS, WCS, CSCS

Born & raised in Madison WI Jennifer is honored to offer teens and adults of all ages a unique resource for specialty Physical Therapy and wellness through strength & conditioning, injury prevention and conservative injury management.

Bridging the gap between traditional rehab and fitness, Jennifer is passionate about running, women’s health, and holistic care. Jennifer grew up playing team sports and studying ballet from a young age. After having children she began endurance training in earnest. Jennifer completed Ironman WI 2015 as an Ironman Foundation athlete raising funds for Coaches vs Cancer WI. Jennifer enjoys training for road and trail races alike. She is an avid marathoner and repeat Boston Qualifier. She has completed five of six World Marathon Majors; last up: Tokyo. During downtime she enjoys reading, traveling, concert going, and time connecting with friends & family.

Nicole Nelson is a hip-hop teacher and dancer in the greater Madison area. In her students, she values a global mindset, hard work ethic, and an openness to explore and express. Her pursuit of dance and sense of adventure has taken her beyond the Madison area and even the U.S. to cities such as Florence, Italy, and Buenos Aires, Argentina to participate in shows, workshops, and conventions.

Her dance experience, however, began with musical theater, where she discovered her love of the arts, and dance in particular; her intensive dance training began much later when she was 19. When she isn’t teaching dance, Nicole is typically managing Barrio Dance and her clothing line, 1LIFE, or planning her next chance to travel.

She is excited to join the MPDC staff this year and share her passion for hip hop & street/social dance styles!

MPDC Performing Groups:

Senior Company

Adv Hip Hop Team
Teen Lyrical Team
Tap Team
Intermediate Hip Hop Team

Junior Company

Junior Jazz Team
Junior Lyrical Team
Junior Hip Hop team

AUDITION SCHEDULE

Age 13 & under:

Tuesday, May 10

6:40 pm Lyrical
7:10 pm Jazz

Wednesday, May 11

5:00 pm Tap
5:20 pm Hip Hop

Age 14+:

Wednesday, May 11

5:00 pm Tap

Thursday, May 12

7:30 pm Advanced HH team

Senior Co & Teen Lyrical Team

Sat May 14, Noon

BREANNA BRZEZINSKI

BALLET – MODERN – PILATES

Breanna first began dancing at the age of three and immediately found her greatest passion. She trained at Green Bay School of Dance for a few years but later moved on to train under Jeanette Makaroff of Makaroff School of Ballet in Appleton, WI. While with MSB, she was also a company member of the Makaroff Youth Ballet and performed roles including the little match girl in “The Little Match Girl” and Arabian in “The Nutcracker” at the Appleton PAC. She spent her summers going to summer intensive programs with the American Ballet Theater and the Rock School of Dance where she was trained by former professional dancers such as Ted Kivit, Robert La Fosse, and Alaine Haubert.

After high school, she attended UW-Stevens Point and received her BA in Dance, BS in Psychology, and a Pilates teaching certification through Balanced Body. While at UWSP, she was able to expand her dance education under the direction of Jeannie Hill, Joan Karlen, Pamela Luedtke, and Michael Estanich. She enjoyed exploring other dance genres she had never tried before: modern, jazz, tap, and hip hop. Ballet still remains her favorite dance genre but she enjoys teaching modern, basic movement fundamentals, improvisation, and Pilates.

Breanna is a descendant of the Menominee and Potawatomi tribes of Wisconsin. Growing up, she danced at pow wows as a fancy shawl dancer and so has a great cultural tie to dance as well. Breanna understands the cultural significance of dance around the world and aims to bring that knowledge to her students. Being a dancer of color, she hopes to create more representation and welcoming dance space for other dancers of color.

Outside of dance, Breanna loves to make Native jewelry, ride her horse, read, hike, and play with her cats, Nyx and Pumpkin!

Nicole Nelson

Dance Style: Hip Hop

Nicole Nelson is a hip hop dancer and dance instructor passionate about the history and fundamentals of hip hop, commercial, and other street and social dances. In her students, she values a global mindset, hard work ethic, and an openness to explore and express.

Nicole’s dance experience began with musical theater, where she discovered her love of the arts, and dance in particular; her intensive dance training and love of hip hop began much later when she was 19. Her pursuit of dance and sense of adventure have taken her beyond the Madison area and even the U.S. to cities such as Florence, Italy, and Buenos Aires, Argentina to participate in shows, workshops, and conventions. When she isn’t teaching dance, Nicole is managing Barrio Dance as assistant director, taking dance classes to keep up on her skills, or planning her next chance to travel!

She is excited to join the MPDC staff this year and share her passion for hip hop!

Chris Xayarath

Dance Style: Hip Hop

Born in the suburbs of Chicago IL, Chris Xayarath started dancing in 2002. His interest in dance grew over the years as well as learning many different styles to this day; hip hop, jazz, jazz funk, and contemporary.

From 2007-2009, he joined Xtreme Dance Force in Naperville, IL where he had the opportunity to work personally with choreographers such as Kevin Maher, Matt Cady, and David Moore. Chris was also given the opportunity to open up for Hip Hop artist Soulja Boy at Northern Illinois University in 2008. He opened up for artist Fat Joe and Bruno Mars at the House of Blues September of 2010.

In 2011 and 2012, Chris performed and shared the stage with artists like Lil’ Jon, Ludacris, and Ciara at Chicago’s radio station 103.5 kiss fm’s fantabuloso concert. He recently worked with the Chicago Bulls Luvabulls dance team and was featured in Chicago artist Chance The Rapper in his music video Angels.

Currently Chris is working at Walt Disney World, Seaworld, and Universal Studios Orlando dancing in Festival Of Fantasy Parade, The Festival of Lion King show, Sesame Street Parade, and DreamWorks Destinations!

Sarah is the former coach of the nationally ranked University of Wisconsin Dance Team and a former member of the nationally ranked University of Minnesota Dance Team. Sarah is also a former instructor for West Side Performing Arts in Madison, Wisconsin under the direction of Sharon Butler. Sarah currently teaches for the Madison Professional Dance Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Sarah acts as a choreographer and consultant for studio-based, elementary, high school, all-star and collegiate dance teams across the Midwest. Sarah is also a former instructor and choreographer for Universal Dance Association, and is a veteran judge for the National College Dance Team Championships and National High School Dance Team Championships hosted by UCA/UDA and televised on ESPN.

Sarah is an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

Sarah possesses over 30 years of dance experience in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, hip hop, and pompon.

Elizabeth Newberry began dancing at the Madison Professional Dance Center at the age of 3. Her passion for dance grew quickly and by the age of 10, Elizabeth was traveling to different states attending rigorous dance intensives such as Joffrey Ballet and River North Dance Chicago. Throughout this time Elizabeth continued her training with the Madison Professional Dance Center in various styles of dance.

Elizabeth was a member of MPDC’s Senior Company for 8 years. She competed in numerous dance competitions receiving over 15 titles as well as multiple scholarships for further extensive training at studios such as Broadway Dance Center in New York City and Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles.

Over the past 4 years, Elizabeth has traveled to Los Angeles to train with the top instructors in the commercial industry including, Brian Friedman, Dana Alexa, Hamilton Evans, and many more.

Elizabeth was fortunate to participate in WE Day, a youth empowerment event created by Marc and Craig Kielburger, as a part of their talent crew performing for thousands of people and alongside Ciara and Paula Abdul. She also has participated in other dance events/performances such as The Nutcracker and MPDC’s annual Dance for Hunger. In 2015 Elizabeth and her sister Jeanette Newberry won the adult dance category for Rising Stars Competition for their duet, choreographed by Carol Ceniti.

Elizabeth has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to train in various styles of dance over her years of training and is excited to begin her journey as a part of the MPDC staff.

Allison has been dancing for over 30 years and teaching for nearly 20 years. She received her training at West Side Performing Arts in Madison; the EDGE and the Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles; the Broadway Dance Center in New York; and Ballet Chicago.

She is trained in ballet, pointe, lyrical, jazz, tap, hip hop and musical theater and has taught a variety of ages and styles. Her classroom emphasizes technique, core strength, and encourages students to “dance with intent!”

Allison’s experiences include teaching dance at multiple studios in the Madison and Milwaukee areas, dancing competitively with teams and as an individual, choreographing award-winning pieces for several high school, college, and studio dance teams, performing in scholarship shows in Los Angeles and New York, and traveling nationwide for numerous convention circuits – both as a student and assistant. At these conventions, Allison received over 15 scholarships to study at studios in LA and New York, won the titles of “Distinguished Performer” for LA Underground/LA Dance Magic in the junior and teen divisions, and was a finalist for Tremaine Dance Conventions “Dancer of the Year” in the junior, teen, and senior divisions.

Allison received her Bachelor of Science in Secondary English Education from Edgewood College and lives in the Madison area with her husband, Tom, and sons, Ryan and Simon.

Breanna first began dancing at the age of three and immediately found her greatest passion. She trained at Green Bay School of Dance for a few years but later moved on to train under Jeanette Makaroff of Makaroff School of Ballet in Appleton, WI. While with MSB, she was also a company member of the Makaroff Youth Ballet and performed roles including the little match girl in “The Little Match Girl” and Arabian in “The Nutcracker” at the Appleton PAC. She spent her summers going to summer intensive programs with the American Ballet Theater and the Rock School of Dance where she was trained by former professional dancers such as Ted Kivit, Robert La Fosse, and Alaine Haubert.

After high school, she attended UW-Stevens Point and received her BA in Dance, BS in Psychology, and a Pilates teaching certification through Balanced Body. While at UWSP, she was able to expand her dance education under the direction of Jeannie Hill, Joan Karlen, Pamela Luedtke, and Michael Estanich. She enjoyed exploring other dance genres she had never tried before: modern, jazz, tap, and hip hop. Ballet still remains her favorite dance genre but she enjoys teaching modern, basic movement fundamentals, improvisation, and Pilates.

Breanna is a descendant of the Menominee and Potawatomi tribes of Wisconsin. Growing up, she danced at pow wows as a fancy shawl dancer and so has a great cultural tie to dance as well. Breanna understands the cultural significance of dance around the world and aims to bring that knowledge to her students. Being a dancer of color, she hopes to create more representation and welcoming dance space for other dancers of color.

Outside of dance, Breanna loves to make Native jewelry, ride her horse, read, hike, and play with her cats, Nyx and Pumpkin!

Bailey began dancing at the age of three.

From any early age it was clear that dance was the best outlet for her self-expression. Bailey’s dance development took place at Madison Professional Dance Center where she competed with the senior company for six years. She has trained in ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, and hip hop.

While at MPDC, Bailey worked as an assistant for classes in ballet, modern and hip hop. She expanded her training further by participating in summer intensives with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Dance Chicago, and Alonzo King Lines Ballet.

She is a rising senior at University of Wisconsin – Madison where she is studying neurobiology, psychology and global health.

Bailey remains active in the Madison dance community and is excited to share her passion for dance!

Kaleigh Schock

Dance Style: Ballet and Pointe

Kaleigh was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago where started training for her professional career at the age of 14, at the Faubourg School of Ballet in Hanover Park. At 16, Kaleigh moved to NYC to train at Ellison Ballet-Professional Ballet School with Edward Ellison. She continued to train at Ellison Ballet for three years. During this time, she was a supplemental dancer with Cincinnati Ballet in 2007.

Kaleigh then joined Ballet West II in Salt Lake City in 2008 after being awarded a contract at the Youth American Grand Prix. After two seasons with Ballet West, Kaleigh went to school at the University of Cincinnati, where she attained a BFA in Dance and a minor in Communications; as well as joining Nevada Ballet Theatre in her Junior year in 2012.

While with Nevada Ballet, Kaleigh has danced roles that include: the lead Russian Girl in Balanchine’s Serenade, Striptease Girl in Balanchine’s, Slaughter on 10th Avenue, Lilac Fairy from Sleeping Beauty, Zelma from Giselle, and Summer Fairy in James Canfield’s production of The Nutcracker. Awards include, top 12 in YAGP finals in 2007 and 2008, as well as top 12 in YAGP in the pas de Deux category.

In 2007 she was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School of England’s Graduate Level at the YAGP.

Holly Walker- Producer, Director, Choreographer

Acting

Holly Walker holds a double major in Business – Marketing and Theatre – Acting Specialist from the UW-Madison, and an M.F.A in Dance from the UW-Milwaukee.

Holly began her career as a performer. Acting credits include Nevada Shakespeare Festival, Ed T.V, Blade, Baby Face Music Video, X-Files, and Warner Brother’s Commercial, (Hulu Web Series) Battleground, and (Award Winning Web Series) Ethical. Dance credits include Madison Ballet – The Nutcracker, Walt Disney World/Animal Kingdom – FL, (Dance Scholarship) The Broadway Dance Center – New York.

Holly has worked as a choreographer in Los Angeles with the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and East/West Players. Holly has choreographed for Miller Genuine Draft’s Live Industrials in Milwaukee, WI & Orlando, FL. Holly relocated to her hometown of Madison Wisconsin, where she continues to choreograph, direct, in addition to producing for film and stage. Recently Holly started her own company – Shine On!LLC.

She also published and co-illustrated a children’s book called The Little Girl Who Shined Just Right. Currently, Holly is the Director of Theater at Madison West High School. Walker’s show credits include Fiddler On the Roof, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, A Chorus Line, Steel Magnolias, Juvie (Awards received WHTF), The Miracle Worker, Urinetown, Multico 17-19, and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

In 2016, Holly was honored with a Tony Award Nominee for Excellence in Teaching.

Maya Kadakia

Dance Style: African Dance

Maya is a professional dancer and teacher who possesses an understanding of the cultural traditions of West African dance, an acute sense of rhythm, an engaging and patient teaching persona, and passionate, creative ability to express herself through movement. She is multi-skilled in various West African traditions and is able to translate those skills into performances and educational experiences well-suited to Western audiences which express the amazing tradition, culture, and history of West Africa.

A veteran middle school teacher, she also teaches through the University of Wisconsin-Madison Dance Department in addition to teaching drop-in dance and dundun dance classes.

Maya continues to study, teach, and perform as much as possible. Her most important study has taken place in Guinea and Mali on her multiple trips. Maya is honored to have studied with Mariama Camara, Allhasane Papin Camara, Viex Djara, Djenab Kaba, and Ansu Kaba. She takes classes with the masters residing in the United States, Djeneba Sako, Youssouf Koumbassa, and Moustapha Bangoura, when able.

Currently, she is the dance director of Limanya Drum and Dance Ensemble, a Madison-based African Drum and Dance group, and Kikeh Mato, an Afro-pop group, both under the direction of Mandjou Mara.

Randy Duncan

Modern Jazz

,

A native of Chicago, Randy has the unique privilege to be a three-time recipient of Chicago’s prestigious Ruth Page Award for Outstanding Choreographer of the year. He has received numerous other awards including the Artistic Achievement Award from the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, three Black Theatre Alliance Awards for theatre and the Gay Chicago Magazine After Dark Award for his work in Apple Tree Theatre’s production of Hello Again.

He earned an American Choreography Award Nomination for his choreography in the blockbuster movie Save the Last Dance, starring Julia Stiles. Mr. Duncan’s work can be seen in the companies of Joffrey Ballet, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, River North Chicago Dance Company, Bat-Dor Dance Company of Israel, Ballet Met of Columbus, Ohio and many others. While working in such theatres as the Goodman Theatre of Chicago, Manhattan Theatre Club in New York, South Coast Repertory in Orange County, CA, Actor’s Theatre in Louisville, KY, Washington DC Shakespeare Theatre, Court Theatre of Chicago and Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, OR, he has created original choreography for Hair, Carousel, Zoot Suit, Once On This Island, The Rose Tattoo, Amadeus, Antigone, Death and the King’s Horseman, Pirates of Penzance and the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Ruined.

More recently, he returned from Yale University where he choreographed director Liz Diamond’s production of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. Randy continues his support for HIV/AIDS causes by donating his time and choreography to Dance for Life.

He is a proud member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Union as well as Actor’s Equity. In 1999, Mr. Duncan was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.

He was also inducted into his alma mater, Illinois State University Hall of Fame. He teaches worldwide and for the past 19 years has been on the faculty of The Chicago Academy for the Arts (CAA), where he now serves as Dance Department Chair.

Chelsee Ramos

Dance Style: Shuffle

As an athlete that has trained at a very high level for a long time, I have come to know and understand the body quite well. I understand the physics of it; the way that it moves, feels, connects, and importantly, receives an impact. I am most familiar with my own body but I have learned so much through working with so many different athletes throughout my life – coach or teammate. We all work a bit differently – that’s why it’s so important to become aware of how our own body works through cultivating a strong mind-body connection.

Movement experience: I was tumbling before walking, and have coached it for 10 years. Currently, I get my fix of flips as part of the Milwaukee Bucks Trickers. I was a competitive cheerleader for 10 years winning 3 National titles in high school and briefly cheering at the most prestigious college with some of the best athletes I know. I then coached a coed high school cheerleading team for 4 years.

I have been practicing yoga for 5 years and have had a daily practice for 2 years. I started after I stopped cheering to stay in shape and keep my muscles healthy, but quickly discovered how much more went into it. Yoga is so much more than physical practice. I am now a 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher and I can confidently say that this practice has shaped me and taught me more than anything else in my life. All I want is to share the knowledge of this beautiful lifestyle while I continue on my own journey of self-discovery.

I began learning to shuffle and cut shapes in 2018 after my first music festival (Electric Forest) and took no time to fall in love with all sorts of footwork and the community that surrounds it. I was fortunate to teach the first shuffle class in Wisconsin in February 2020 after booking my first few private dance clients in the new year. I have now helped around 200 people along their journey and began holding workshop experiences in Feb 2021. Training and teaching dance is my newest practice in life, but I’ve been dancing in my room with my door shut for as long as I can remember. It has always been the thing that I held very close and didn’t really share with anyone. It was very emotional and very vulnerable. That is why this movement means so much to me; It’s been my therapy for as long as I can remember. It has always helped me connect to who I am and experience my emotions.

This Movement is about aligning with our highest self, becoming more comfortable in our own skin to express ourselves vulnerably and authentically. Being able to connect, get lost, feel, balance, and love ourselves. And to come to terms with where we’ve been, and where we’re at now, with a clear vision of where we’re going – prepared to flow through whatever life throws us in pursuit of our joy.

Valerie Homburg
Owner/Director

Carol Ceniti
Founder - Jazz - Ballet - Acro - BeMoved - Leaps/Turns

Breanna Brzezinski
Ballet - Modern - Pilates

ALLISON BOWES
JAZZ

Cecilia Monroy
Ballet

Nicole Nelson
hip hop

Elizabeth Newberry
Hip Hop - Jazz - Contemporary - Ballet

Isaac Knuteson
Contemporary

Michelle Ramos
Ballet & Yoga

Sarah Zeisser
Jazz - Tap - hip hop

Meet the Team

Valerie Homburg Owner/Director

Carol Ceniti Founder - Jazz - Ballet - Acro - BeMoved - Leaps/Turns

Breanna Brzezinski Ballet - Modern - Pilates

ALLISON BOWES JAZZ

Cecilia Monroy Ballet

Nicole Nelson hip hop

Elizabeth Newberry Hip Hop - Jazz - Contemporary - Ballet

Isaac Knuteson Contemporary

Michelle Ramos Ballet & Yoga

Sarah Zeisser Jazz - Tap - hip hop

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