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.

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!

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.

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!