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Our Faculty and Pianists:

Our faculty is top notch. Director Michele Holzman, who received her BFA in Ballet from the University of Utah and her MBA from Northwestern, has built a faculty of eight professionals with vast teaching and performing experience. All have college degrees in dance or music, or notable performance credentials with leading dance companies. All have strong ballet backgrounds, but some have gone on to have careers with focuses in jazz, modern and tap.
 
Our staff of pianists is also the cream of the crop. They accompany ballet and tap classes and provide an inspirational environment which stimulates creativity and expression.

Director
Michele Leslie Holzman

Professional Training and Experience

Co-Director, The Schaumburg Nutcracker and Schaumburg Dance Ensemble

Performed with Ballet West, a professional ballet company.

Studied at American Ballet Center--the school for Joffrey Ballet Company, Gus Giordano Studio, and Ruth Page School.

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet, University of Utah

Masters Degree, Northwestern University.

Faculty

 Roberta Pfeil-Begley

  • Former Director & Instructor, Redwood Empire Ballet, Santa Rosa, CA
  • Former Director & Instructor, Ballet Theater North, Northbrook IL
  • Former Owner & Director, Dancer's Workshop, Mill Valley, CA
  • San Francisco Ballet Company (Soloist)
  • Geneva (Switzerland) Ballet
  • Ruth Page Chicago Ballet
  • Trained at Ellis-DuBoulay School of Ballet-Chicago

Linda Gehrt

  • Trained with J. Puodziunas at Univ. of Illinois
  • Numerous performance credits, Northwest Ballet Ensemble
  • B.S. Univ. of Illinois, B.S. Midwestern University

Jennifer Wycykal

  • Performed with Vadco, Fisher Dance Foundation, Urban Dance Force, and Dance Crash
  • Numerous Performance Credits, Schaumburg Dance Ensemble
  • Formerly Scholarship Student, Joffrey Summer Ballet Program
  • B.F.A. in Ballet, University of Utah
Allen Desterhaft
  • Dance Faculty member, Columbia College
  • Former National Finalist, American Style Ballroom Dancing
  • Former World Champion, World Class Dance Roller Skating
  • Licentiate Teacher of Cecchetti Method of Ballet
  • B.F.A., Dance Performance, Ohio State University 

Karla Harris

  • Former Director, Ballet Theater North, Northbrook
  • Holds Teacher's Advanced Professional Certificate in the Cecchetti Mothod of Ballet
  • Permanent Examiner, Cecchetti Council of America
  • B.A., Millikan University

Tarah Brown-Hartung

  • 9 years professional dance experience in Chicago, Cerqua-Rivera Dance Theater, Dance Loop Chicago, Same Planet Different World, Thodos Dance
  • Numerous performance credits, Schaumburg Dance Ensemble
  • B.F.A. in Dance, Northern Illinois University

Glenna Monroe

  • Pilates certified instructor
  • ACE certified group exercise instructor
  • Formerly danced professionally with Nina Weiner & Dancers, New York
  • Dance Major, University of Illinois, trained with Gus Glordano, David Howard & Kenneth Rinker

Wade Schaaf

  • Performed with Ohio Ballet, State Street Ballet, Omaha Dance Theater, and Norwegian Dream Cruiseships
  • Trained at Dance Theater of Elgin and Barrington Dance Academy
  • B.F.A. in Theater Arts, Northern Illinois Univ

Lori Narciso

(Music & Movement)


  • B.S. in elemenary education, Indiana Univ., was a member of Indiana Dance Theater.
  • 16 years of dance training at Northwest Ballet including Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, Character, Musical Theater