Join us for training and conditioning classes for professional and pre-professional level dancers, taught by leading dance artists in the field.

Our Teachers

Sara Bibik

Sara Bibik is a founding member of River North Chicago Dance Company where she spent ten years as a performer. She currently serves as Assistant Artistic Director for the company. She is honored to have received a prestigious Ruth Page Award for "A Season of Outstanding Dancing" with River North Chicago in 1996. Sara began her training in Manitowoc, WI with Jean Wolfmeyer and continued in Champaign, IL at the National Academy of Arts. She moved to Chicago to work professionally with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, the Lynda Martha Dance Company, and as a guest artist with Chicago Repertory Dance Ensemble. She has also worked with HMS Media as assistant producer and choreographer for television commercials for the national tours of "Hairspray," "The Producers," and "The Wedding Singer." She serves as guest faculty for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and at such renowned venues as the Lou Conte Dance Studio, Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, and the Virginia School of the Arts, where she is honored to have been the 1998 commencement speaker.

Laura Wade

Laura Wade is Rehearsal Director for Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and is in her 2nd year on faculty at the Giordano Dance School. As a performer, Ms. Wade long danced the parts of Cantiniere Doll and Arabian in the Ruth Page production of The Nutcracker, and appeared as a soloist in modern and ballet works of David Dorfman, Robin Lakes/Rough Dance, Ballet Chicago, Ballet Theatre of Chicago, Ballet Espanol of Louisville, The Moose Project, and Scott Putman. For 9 years she served as Artistic Director of AKASHA Dance Company, leading the company on tours to Scotland's Edinburgh Festival, England, and throughout the Midwest. Ms. Wade's early training was with Velta Cernonok and Marie Vogt at the Toledo Ballet. She earned a BS in dance education from Indiana University, where she danced in works by Nicolas Beriosov, Marina Svetlova, and Anna Paskevska. Larry Long, Warren Conover, and Nana Shineflug are other important artisitic influences. Currently in her 8th year on faculty at Northwestern University, Ms. Wade also gives company class for River North Dance Chicago and teaches at the Lou Conte Dance Studio.

Dardi McGinley Gallivan

Dardi McGinley Gallivan received a BA in Art History from Emory University and an MA in Dance from The Ohio State University. She has been on the faculty at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago since 1993 when she also joined Mordine and Company Dance Theatre. In 1996 she received a Ruth Page Dance Achievement Award for her performance in Mordine's Edge Mode. Dardi is also a founding member of Mad Shak Dance Company and has performed many times for the Colleen Halloran Performance Group. Dardi has had the pleasure of teaching company classes for The Dance COLEctive, Mordine & Company Dance Theatre, Thodos Dance Company, River North, Luna Negra, and Giordano. She has taught residencies at the invitation of Antares Danza Contemporeanea in Hermosillio, Mexico and recently taught at the International Dance Festival in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. In addition to teaching Modern technique classes, Dardi also currently teaches Dance Pedagogy. Dardi has also taught several lecture classes at the Dance Center of Columbia College and has worked as a teacher with community outreach and arts integration.

Zachary Whittenburg

Originally from Boulder, Colorado, Zachary's career began with the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, where he was a company member until 2001. Since then he has danced for North Carolina Dance Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance in Asheville, NC, and BJM Danse Montreal, and locally with Lucky Plush Productions, Same Planet Different World Dance, and Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak. His choreography has been presented in Chicago and Canada and is currently in the repertoire of Thodos Dance Chicago; in the spring of 2009 he premiered a new work through Mordine & Co. Dance Theater's Emerging Artist Mentoring Project. Zachary teaches ballet for professional dancers for numerous companies and writes about dance for international online magazine Flavorpill, The Windy City Times, SeeChicagoDance.com and his own site, trailerpilot.com.

Paige Cunningham

Paige Cunningham is currently on the faculty of The Dance Center, Columbia College Chicago. She studied under Sheila Cohen at Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts. She received her B.F.A. from the Juilliard School and went on to dance for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, touring throughout Europe, Australia and the U.S. Ms. Cunningham received an M.F.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was chosen as one of three choreographic fellows at Summer Stages Dance to create a new work on students. She has taught at the Cincinnati Ballet, Alabama School of Fine Arts and Boston Ballet among others.

Carrie Hanson

Carrie Hanson has been performing, teaching and making dance in Chicago since 1991, and is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Seldoms. Ms. Hanson teaches contemporary technique, dancemaking and anatomy classes at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. She has been a guest teacher for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Dance Company, Mordine and Company, and Thodos and Dancers. Contemporary technique classes are informed by Bartenieff Fundamentals, release technique, and yoga, and are grounded in the language of Laban Movement Analysis. Ms. Hanson holds an MA in Dance Studies from Laban Centre London and a BFA in Modern Dance from Texas Christian University, and is certified in Laban Movement Analysis.

Domé Lorusso

Domé Lorusso was born In Valencia, Venezuela and came to live in Chicago at the age of 6. At 19 Domé started his dance career with One World Dance Theater, where he performed for two years. There he trained in Latin, Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern, and Contemporary Dance. He left One World Dance Theater to Direct the Jai Wil project where he danced and Choreographed for R&B artist Jai Wil's promotional tour. Returning to Chicago he started his own Hip Hop dance company called Pure Renditionz. Since the start of Pure Renditionz, Domé has worked on various projects such as becoming artistic director of Hip Hop ConnXion Chicago, teaching at the Alvin Ailey Dance Camp, Head Choreographer of the Phoneix Phenom project, and appearing in music videos for The Mannheim Steamrollers and Reggae sensation Ms. Triniti. Today Domé is manager, choreographer, and dancer for Dance2XS Chicago. You can see him on Fuse TV Dec. 16th at 8pm dancing for Fall Out Boy. And also live in concert with F.O.B. in New York Dec. 19th!!

Benjamin Law

Benjamin Law has danced with the Dance COLEctive, Hedwig Dances, Instruments of Movement, Mordine & Co. Dance Theater, and Lucky Plush Productions and is currently working with Molly Shanahan/Madshak and Concert Dance Inc. He has also performed Tino Seghal's Kiss at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2007 he was selected as the guest choreographer at Northeastern Illinois University. He received his BA in Psychology and Dance with a minor in Mathematics from Beloit College in 2005 and was presented the Beloit College Department of Theatre Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography.

Pamela McNeil

Pamela McNeil is on the faculty at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago where she currently teaches Modern technique, Teaching, Anatomy and Kinesiology. In Addition, Pam is a certified Pilates instructor and owner of Classic Pilates in Oak Park, Illinois. Ms. McNeil danced professionally with Mordine and Company Dance Theater from 1992 – 2001 and is a guest teacher for Mordine & Company and Thodos and Dancers. Originally from Michigan, Ms. McNeil graduated with a BA in Philosophy with a Specialization in Dance from Grand Valley State University. Soon after Pam began dancing professionally in New York, performing with numerous independent choreographers. Ms. McNeil studied intensively with Erick Hawkins where she became an understudy for the Hawkins Company and taught at the Hawkins' studio. In 2008 Ms. McNeil received a Graduate Certificate in Laban Movement Analysis.

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Autumn Eckman

Autumn Eckman, originally from Atlanta, GA received her classical ballet training from Tom Pazik, Kathyrn MacBeth, and Susan Bebee of the Atlanta Ballet, and from the Houston Ballet Academy under Steve Brulee and Clara Cravey. In 2000, Autumn relocated to Chicago to join Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. She enjoyed several seasons with the company before moving to California to dance in the State Street Ballet as a principal. After returning to Chicago, Ms. Eckman danced with Luna Negra Dance Theater, Lucky Plush Productions, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Autumn has choreographed for several Chicago area companies including Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Inaside Chicago Dance, Momenta, Instruments of Movement, Northwest Ballet Ensemble, Terpsichore Dance Company, Indiana Ballet Theater, and Schaumburg Dance Ensemble, where she also dances regularly as a guest artist. Recently, she received the 2009 Dance Chicago's New Voice in Outstanding Choreography award for a new work created for Western Michigan University's Western Dance Project. Immediately following twelve years as a touring company dancer, Ms. Eckman has focused on teaching. She has quickly become in demand with a wide range of students, from beginner to professional. She is currently on fulltime faculty at Northern Illinois University and teaches advanced/professional jazz at the Lou Conte Dance Studio.

Kristina Fluty

Kristina Fluty is a long-time movement collaborator with Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak. She has been honored to work with many other choreographers in Chicago and New York, including Jenny Mendez, Asimina Chremos, Julia Rhoads/Lucky Plush Productions, and Carleen Healy. Kristina holds a Graduate Certificate in Laban Movement Analysis from Columbia College Chicago, and is currently pursuing the MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling at Columbia. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Point Park University (Pittsburgh), attaining a BA in Dance with a minor in English. Kristina enjoys teaching at Point Park University, Columbia College Chicago, Lou Conte Dance Studio, Thodos Dance Chicago, the Chicago Park District, and The University of Chicago. She continues to cultivate a personal movement practice influenced by the Feldenkrais Method, Bartenieff Fundamentals, Authentic Movement, and Contact Improvisation.