INTUIT Dance has world class dance instructors with extensive credentials with professional companies from Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
Diane VanDerhei, Director Diane VanDerhei is the artistic director of INTUIT Dance! She holds a B.F.A. in dance and dance education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her credentials include developing and implementing comprehensive K-12 dance curriculum for the Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago school systems. She graduated from the National Academy of Dance in Champaign Illinois, a high school exclusively devoted to dance education. There she studied classical ballet with Lupe Serrano and Gwynne Ashton and jazz with Buzz Miller. She performed and toured nationally with the National Ballet of Illinois and the Ballet Folk of Moscow and Wild Space Dance Company. She has choreographed numerous acclaimed works and in 1989 was awarded the first Milwaukee County Fellowship in Choreography. From 2003-2008 she served as a teaching artist and education consultant for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's Education and Community Programs.
Diane teaches » Pre-Ballet/Pre-Tap, Boys & Girls Hip Hop, Contemporary (Modern) Dance for Children/Teens/Adults, Ballet, Movement for Boys, Contemporary Ballet for Children, Boys & Girls Jazz/Tap and Dance with Diane.
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Claire Kissinger (CK)
Has been dancing with her mom since the day she was born! Her classes andchoreography combine her athletic skills with dance – a powerful combination.
Conner Cornelius Burke (CCB)
Drew Lewis (DL)
Has been studying dance and choreography at INTUIT Dance for three years. A gifted young choreographer, his choreography combines ballet, hip hop and contemporary.
Elisa Montalvo (EM)
Elisa is a native of Chicago, Elisa Montalvo training, teaching and performance include the full range of ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, modern, hip hop and contemporary styles of dance. She received her classical ballet training with Watmora Casey and Tatiana Mazur at Faubourg School of Dance. She has worked with nationally known choreographers including Lip Imperio, Chris Judd, Eddie Garcia, Randy Duncun, Nan Giordano, Jon Lehrer, Sakinah LeStage and Savion Glover. Elisa’s professional credentials include television, advertising, sporting events, film and music videos. Most recently she was an assistant choreographer and lead dancer for the Oprah 24th Season Kickoff Party performing alongside the Black Eyed Peas after teaching 21,000 people the choreography for the largest flash mob in history. This past May she performed for Aubrey O’Day, former member of the female music group Danity Kane. Elisa currently attends the University of Chicago and will receive a BA in both Mathematics and Economics June 2011.
Jean Foley (JF)
Jessica Hallam (JH)
Jessica holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (1996). For the past several years she has been in Los Angeles teaching at various studios and working at Disneyworld, Cirque D’ Soliel, Cruiselines as well as in television, music videos and modeling. She is certified in Pilates and is a recent graduate of the Laban Movement Analysis certification program at Columbia College Chicago (2010).
Kelley Watson (KW)
Kelley is trained in the classical Pilates Method. She is certified through the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) in all levels of mat and equipment for all populations. Kelley has over five years and 5,000 hours of cumulative academic and teaching experience.
Margo Ruark (MR) Certified Kripalu Yoga Dance Instructor and Certified Kripalu Yoga Instructor. Margo received a Master’s Degree in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and during her professional dance career was the Artistic Director of her own dance company. Margo was an invited guest artist in residence at the Black Horse Theater in Copenhagen, Denmark and the recipient of several cultural grants.
Mariannell Bassett-Dilley (MBD)
Mariannell started dancing and performing in community musicals in Alaska at the age of 8. Her performance studies include Oberlin Conservatory (vocal performance), the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC, private voice lessons with Marni Nixon, and dance styles with the American Dance Machine at STEPS in NYC. AD/SM credits include Opera San Jose, Opera Idaho, Rogue Valley Opera Company, and other regionals.
Nikki Richardson (NR)
Nikki holds a BFA in Dance from Temple University. She has taught and danced professionally in Cleveland and Chicago. In her creative movement classes, your children will warm up, play games, and create dances. Nikki’s modern dance classes incorporate fundamentals of movement that engage and strengthen your core, as well as phrase work that fosters your creativity and enjoyment of movement.
Oliver Camacho (OC)
Samantha Brenneman (SB)
Samantha is a teacher and performer of the American Tribal Style belly dance and is the founder of the troupe Smoke. She has studied with Carolena Nericcio and Rachel Brice, two of the great contemporary shapers of tribal style.
Thomas Barnard (TB)
Yael Levitin (YL)
Yael trained in her native Israel, where she danced with the Haifa Ballet for three years. In 1991, she joined Bat-Dor Dance Company as a principal dancer. In 1992, Saban represented Israel at the Paris Opera Dance Soloist Competition, receiving a silver medal for her performance. In the U.S., she worked with Complexions, ConnecticutBallet, Ballet Hispanico of New York, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and the Lyric Opera. Yael is currently a faculty member at Columbia College in Chicago and is an active teacher in companies and studios in the Chicago metropolitan area and Israel. |
