5721 W. Irving Park Rd. Chicago, IL 773.736.6677
Instructors
Jeanne Sok - Studio Owner/Director
Jeanne began her dance training at The Dance Academy when she was three years old. In 1995 she purchased the studio from her first teacher, Mary Lou, and has been running it strong ever since. In addition to her valuable dance education that started at The Dance Academy, she has studied at Lou Conte Dance Studio (home of the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago) and has taken workshops and master classes with Savion Glover, Tommy Sutton, Jimmy Payne, and Bruce Stegmann to name a few. Ms. Jeanne has been teaching in the Chicago area for more than 20 years! Her specialties are in children’s combination classes as well as teen/adult tap classes. You can always see her smiling face around the studio -- probably with one of her three beautiful children in tow!
Kathy Decker
Kathy Decker was born and raised in Chicago. Her love for movement began at age four at The Dance Academy and grew with cheerleading at Portage Park and gymnastics at Merrimac Park. Her true passion was for tap, and she began her teaching career as an assistant at The Dance Academy with Mary Lou Tromanhauser – officially joining the staff in 1991. It was from Mary Lou that she learned how to balance discipline, fun, classic techniques and creativity to make the best learning experience for all ages and levels of dance.After graduating from Notre Dame H.S., Kathy continued her dance training at Northeaster Illinois University where she received a dance scholarship studying with Dame Libby Komiako and Venitia Stifler. In 1998 she traveled with the studio to New York performing and taking master classes in the Autumn Dance Festival at Carnegie Hall.
Her specialties are tap and combination classes for children. Over the years, in addition to taking continuing classes at The Dance Academy, she has taken master classes with some of the most talented dancers in the Chicagoland area such as Kirby Reed of The Kirby Reed Project and Bril Barrett and Lane Alexander of the Chicgao Human Rhythm Project.
In addition to teaching weekly classes, Kathy runs the studio's childrens performance group, Lil' Starz along with owner Jeanne Sok.
Rachel Gordon
Rachel Gordon has been dancing for the past seven years and has professionally trained in tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet, gymnastics and Irish dance. Her training began under Ginger Jensen as a company member and Rehearsal Director of Equilibrium Dance Chicago and has since extended her education under many teachers at Lou Conte Dance Studio and Visceral Dance Chicago. Ms. Rachel has also mentored under Dawn Penny, Director of Lincoln Park, West Loop and Lakeview Kids' Clubs, studying early childhood development through movement classes. She has performed, as well as choreographed, many musicals over the years -- her favorites include You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Ragtime and Les Miserables. She has also been lucky enough to work with freelance choreographers from professional dance companies around Chicago, including River North Chicago Dance Company. Her dancing also led her to volunteer time to work as a Stage Manager for InAside Chicago Dance for two and a half seasons. She enjoys the continuing pursuit of her dance career, as well as having the chance to teach a variety of ages. Ms. Rachel taught at Lincoln Park and West Loop Kids' Club for two years, teaching children from 6 weeks to 4 years old in a variety of movement classes. She is also very excited to be coming back to The Dance Academy for her second year. Having the opportunity to have an impact on so many lives through movement is incredible to her, and she cherishes it every time she steps into the studio. Her love for dance and the community grows deeper the more she emerges herself in it, and she looks forward to dancing and teaching in Chicago for many years to come.
Nell Heflin
Nell Heflin began her dance training in Nashville, Tennessee with the Nashville Dance Ensemble (now Harding Academy School of Dance) under the direction of Tina Cowlyn. She attended summer intensives at the Nashville Ballet, Virginia School of the Arts, and River North Chicago Dance Company. Upon graduation from high school, she attended Birmingham-Southern College with a scholarship for dance and trained under Mira Popovich and Ruth Henry. She graduated Cum Laude with a degrees in Dance Performance and Business Administration. Immediately following graduation, Nell was asked to join the Atlanta Festival Ballet, under the direction of Nicolas Pacana and Gregory Aaron. After a season with AFB, Nell moved to Chicago; she is currently dancing with Inaside Chicago Dance and Project 606.
Kylie Nieves - Teaching Assistant
Kylie has been dancing for 14 years at The Dance Academy. Over the years, she has studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Modern, and Contemporary. At age 8 she was in Ballet Legere's production of "The Nutcracker", and a few years later studied at Joel Hall Dancer's & Center. When she was 13, Kylie became a Teacher's Assistant at The Dance Academy and few years later became a substitute teacher. Kylie has performed at Dance Chicago and has also competed & choreographed in several dance competitions in the Chicagoland area. For the past 2 years Kylie has danced as an Advanced Apprentice Artist at Gallery37, which is part of After School Matters, a City of Chicago program. She has had the privilage of taking several Master classes with professional dancers from Columbia College, Deeply Rooted Productions and Dance Works Chicago. She is a recent graduate of Walter Payton College Prep High School and will be attending Northeastern Illinois University where she plans to study Psychology with a minor in Dance. She is thrilled to become a part of The Dance Academy staff & cannot wait to share her love of dance with her students. She looks forward to all of the exciting opportunities now and in the future.
Ashley Smith
Ashley Smith is from Phoenix, Arizona and began her dance training at the age of 3. Ashley studied all forms of dance and grew up in Dallas and Phoenix as a competitive dancer. Ashley received a scholarship to attend Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA and graduated cum laude with a B.A. degree in Dance. During the summer months, Ashley continued her dance training at the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles and at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC along with the Lou Conte Dance center, River North intensives and The Giordano Dance School in Chicago. After graduating from college, Ashley received a full scholarship to study and perform at the Giordano Dance School in Evanston, IL as a member of Giordano 3. Since living in Chicago the past year Ashley has had the opportunity to perform in Dance Chicago and the Giordano on Giordano showcase as well as Matter Dance Company's 2009 show "Revolving Doors". Ashley is excited to be in her first season as an apprentice with Inaside Chicago Dance. Ashley is so ecstatic to share her passion and love for dance with her students this year!