Ms. Miller is a former Montgomery Ballet Soloist with experience teaching and dancing internationally since 2008. She began her early training at the age of 10 with the Ballet Repertory Theatre of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. From there, she went on to study at the Public Academy for Performing Arts, where she attended high school, to focus on professional dance and injury prevention for dancers. Nicole's training includes many forms of dance such as classical ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, hip hop, flamenco, and Ballet Folklorico. She has had the privilege of training with teachers specializing in the Vaganova technique, Bournonville technique, Cecchetti technique, and the styling of the great George Balanchine. Much of her professional training was received at The Joffrey Ballet with teachers such as Diane Orio, Eleanore D'Antuono, Willy Shives, and Trinette Singleton (who set an original piece with Ms. Miller performing the lead in 2007). In 2008, at the age of 18, Nicole became a Montgomery Ballet professional apprentice under the direction of Elie Lazar. During Mr. Lazar's tenure she performed many soloist roles including "Moth" in A Midsummer's Night Dream and "Bridesmaid" in Don Quixote, Sylvia Pas de Deux, and Rossini Pas de Deux. In 2010, Nicole toured Italy with the Montgomery Ballet to perform in the Dance Festival, "Pietrasanta en Danza”, where the company received rave reviews. By 2013, Ms. Miller had become a soloist in the Montgomery Ballet Company. During her tenure with the Montgomery Ballet, she has performed many works including, Carmina Burana, Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, Le Corsaire, and The Nutcracker. In addition, Nicole has performed several leading roles such as "Swanhilda" in Coppelia, "Arethusa" in Italian Choreographer Adria Ferrali's Alpheus et Arethusa, "Mercedes" in Don Quixote, "Zulma" in Giselle, and "Aurora" in The Sleeping Beauty. In 2014, Ms. Miller was promoted to Director of the Montgomery Ballet School and acted as The Montgomery Ballet's Ballet Mistress for the Professional Company with director Foye DuBose. While directing the Montgomery Ballet School, Nicole re-staged and choreographed several works from Swan Lake such as "Cygnets," "Big Swans," and "Princesses." She also choreographed her own original excerpt from Le Corsaire, "Jardine Anime." Ms. Miller's students have placed in the Top 12 at the regional and New York City Finals for the Youth America Grand Prix. Nicole Miller is a certified teacher for the Progressing Ballet Technique program. PBT was created in Sydney, Australia by Marie Walton-Mahon and brought to the United States by Megan Berlint-Nicko. Ms. Miller is honored to begin her sixth season at HDA as the new director of both the academy and the Hinsdale Ballet Theatre.
Jennifer Grapes is a former Principal Ballerina, Master Instructor, and the founder and owner of the Hinsdale Dance Academy located in Westmont, IL. Ms. Grapes is an internationally traveled dancer, teacher, and choreographer. Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Ms. Grapes grew up studying all forms of dance including ballet, modern/contemporary, jazz, and tap. She received her early training from Melissa Morris (Blue Springs Ballet), Yvonne Craig, Sharon Romine, Luba Gulyaeva, Michael Simms, and the Kansas City Ballet School as well as receiving scholarships to study at the Joffrey Ballet, Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and the Rock School. After high school, she was able to fine-tune her technique and artistry by studying extensively under the tutelage of former Milwaukee Ballet Principal, Paula Weber, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. There, she was able to also add Lester Horton’s and Martha Graham’s Modern technique to her technical repertoire. Ms. Grapes started dancing professionally at the tender age of 19 with the Albany Berkshire Ballet whilst also working toward completing her college degree. Since then, Jennifer has seen much success all around the globe performing as a Principal Artist, master teacher, and adjudicator. Her professional career includes most of the title roles in the traditional ballet repertory and also other classical, neoclassical, and contemporary works by Alvin Ailey, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Antony Tudor, August Bournonville, Kevin “Iega” Jeff, Adam Houghland, Laura Dean, Margo Sappington, Stephen Mills, Salvatore Aiello, Stuart Sebastien, Mark Godden, Dermot Burke, Karen Russo, Gregory Robinson, and Michael Pink to name a few. Ms. Grapes has danced for many elite professional companies such as the Milwaukee Ballet, Montgomery Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Albany Berkshire Ballet, Ajkun Ballet Theatre, Atlantic Southeast Ballet, Lexington Ballet, and Wylliams/Henry Contemporary DANSE Theatre. She has been a guest artist, master teacher, and adjudicator for several national and international dance festivals in Europe, Australia, and Canada and also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In 2006, she performed as the guest Principal Artist at the International Ballet Festival of Calabria (Italy) to rave reviews and in 2007; she portrayed the title roles in Carmen, Diana and Acteon, Karien, The Amazon (original creation), and Mozart: Epilogue of the Genius (original creation) at the legendary Symphony Space and City Center on Broadway in NYC. In 2008, she was selected to represent the Milwaukee Ballet at the Crossroads Ballet Festival in Kansas City, MO, where she danced one of her most popular roles, Black Swan Pas de Deux. Also in 2008, Jennifer toured throughout Australia’s east coast performing the leads in Paquita, The Sleeping Beauty, Alvin Ailey’s The River, as well as teaching several master classes and adjudicating the famous nationally acclaimed scholarship programs, Sydney Eistedfodd and the Marianne McIntyre Memorial International Scholarship Program. During her tenure with the Milwaukee Ballet she had several roles created for her in works such as Michael Pink’s Aubade, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Peter Pan, Nelly Van Bommel’s Gelem! Gelem!, Timothy O’Donnell’s The Games We Play, Mark Godden’s Wonder Wild, and Adam Houghland’s K413. In 2011, Jennifer joined the Montgomery Ballet as a Principal Artist where she again danced the coveted role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. That same year Jennifer was appointed Ballet Mistress of DManagement Dance Agency (an international artist agency representing the finest artists, teachers, and choreographers.) and co-directed the agency’s first international dance workshop, Performing in Chicago. She won glowing praise for her restaging of Giselle, Don Quixote, and her very own original work, Black Swan. In addition, Ms. Grapes has been featured in DANCEtrain magazine and photographed by former American Ballet Theatre star, Ted Kivitt, and acclaimed dance photographer, Dani Brown. She is also a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and has also worked with Bloch and Bunheads of New York to create new product lines for dancers. She was also featured in the documentary film, The Waiting, by Tomosol Digital. In the summer of 2012, Ms. Grapes hosted her own sold out summer dance workshop, Ballet JG, in Chicago as well as in New York at the Albany Berkshire Ballet. In the fall of 2012, Ms. Grapes was chosen by the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters (CNADM) to be on faculty for their Fall Workshop. Since opening HDA in the fall of 2012, HDA students have seen incredible success, with some achieving the highest accolades in the dance industry. Since 2013, over 100 HDA students have qualified or attended the Youth America Grand Prix New York City Finals, with 15 of them placing in the Top 12 as soloists. Students have placed 1st , 2nd, and 3rd in the classical category and advanced to the final round at Lincoln Center in NYC. HDA was also presented with the coveted YAGP Outstanding School Award in 2018. The exceptional training students receive at HDA has created five professional dancers and numerous scholarships to many prestigious colleges and schools, including the world- acclaimed State Ballet School of Berlin and the American Ballet Theatre. This is a testament to the high caliber of classical dance training that Ms. Grapes and the faculty of HDA provides its students. Ms. Grapes has also directed and choreographed five full-length ballets for HDA: The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Giselle, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Little Mermaid. All productions have included professional dancers from around the world. Through its faculty’s connections in the dance industry, HDA has welcomed guest master instructors from prestigious companies such as Alvin Ailey, Australian Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Augsburg (Germany), Ballet Austin, Ballet Hagen, Ballet Idaho, Boston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Kirov Academy, Milwaukee Ballet, New York City Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, and the University of Missouri- Kansas City. In 2015, Ms. Grapes began a partnership with Italian choreographer, Riccardo DeNigris, the former resident choreographer for Ballet Augsburg and graduate of the Teatro alla Scala. Every other year, Mr. DeNigris comes to HDA to set a new work on the dancers and expose them to newest, most current choreography. His work has seen great success by not only winning awards, but also winning over the hearts of audience members. In 2017, Ms. Grapes introduced the Progressing Ballet Technique © to the academy in order to keep improving the dancers’ technique and understanding of their bodies and how they can work properly. In 2019, she also added two more leading classical ballet instructors, rounding the leading faculty to 6 leading instructors (3 men and 3 women). In 2021, Ms. Grapes won the Youth America Grand Prix's Outstanding Teacher award. Ms. Grapes is looking forward to continuing to grow the young artists of the future by continuing to seek out the best education, opportunities, and performances for all of the students at HDA.
Mr. Patrick Willison began his dance education at the Judith Lee Johnson School of Dance in St. Petersburg, Florida. Upon entering middle school, Patrick began studying with the School of the Nashville Ballet on scholarship. Mr. Willison finished his graduate studies at the prestigious Houston Ballet Academy on scholarship as well. He also received full scholarships to study in the summer with the American Ballet Theatre, School of American Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Harrid Conservatory, Houston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet (New York City, NY), and the Kirov Academy (Washington D.C.). Mr. Willison began his performance career with the Bay Ballet Theatre, under the direction of Christopher Fleming. From there he went on to become a trainee with the Nashville Ballet where he performed in Paul Vasterling's The Nutcracker, Dracula, and Cinderella. While at the Houston Ballet Academy, he danced with the Houston Ballet in Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Cleopatra, L, Martinu 5th, and Swan Lake, Kenneth MacMillian's Mannon, Trey McIntyre's Peter Pan, as well as Graduation Ball, Vespri, and Le Diablo a Quatre. As a member of the Alabama Ballet in Birmingham, Patrick performed in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, Serenade, and Stars and Stripes. He also performed Carousel, Flower Festival Pas de Deux, Concert Fantasy, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, An American in Paris, and Don Quixote, as well as Leslie Browne's Brahm's Trio. Mr. Willison finished his performance career, and spent eight seasons, with the Montgomery Ballet. With MB, he toured Italy and all across the United States and Canada performing the leading roles in Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Firebird, and Tim O’Donnell’s The Games We Play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, La Vivandiere, Snow White, The Phantom of the Opera, Fairy Doll, and Coppelia. Mr. Willison found his passion for teaching during his graduate studies at the Houston Ballet Academy. From then, he began to hone his craft for teaching, coaching, directing, and creating syllabi for the next generation of dancers. During his last season with the Montgomery Ballet, he was appointed as co-director/ballet master for the Montgomery Ballet Academy & Company. Mr. Willison's students have placed in the Top 12 at the regional and New York City Finals for the Youth America Grand Prix. Mr. Willison is excited to be co-directing the new Ballet Boys program at HDA, a program that explores men and ballet along with cross training for athletes. This is Mr. Willison's sixth season at HDA.
Stephen Blood is an accomplished dancer and mixed-media choreographer based in Chicago. With a rich professional background, Stephen has performed with renowned companies such as Mareck Dance (formerly Missouri Contemporary Ballet), Wonderbound, and Fort Wayne Ballet. His diverse repertoire includes roles in productions like *Alice in Wonderland*, *Phantom of the Opera*, and *Light Rain*.As a choreographer, Stephen is known for his innovative approach, blending technology and storytelling to create immersive dance experiences. His works often incorporate engineered props and unique settings, from short films in natural landscapes to stage pieces featuring dynamic elements like moving walls. In 2022, Stephen's creativity was recognized when he won the Director's Choice award at MADCO’s Dare to Dance. Stephen holds a B.F.A. in Dance Performance from Northern Illinois University and has completed advanced training, including a Post-Baccalaureate Dance Teacher Certification from Washington University in St. Louis and a Full Bronze Certification from Arthur Murray Dance Center. His teaching philosophy is rooted in a deep passion for dance and a commitment to inspiring the next generation of dancers. At Hinsdale Dance Academy, Stephen brings his extensive experience and artistic vision to the classroom, fostering a supportive and creative environment where students can develop their technical skills and artistic expression.
Takara Fukushima was born in Osaka, Japan, and began ballet at the age of 8. In 2007, after participating in the Saint Petersburg State Ballet's Japan tour, she committed to pursuing a career in ballet. During her middle and high school years, she received several prestigious awards, including the Special Jury Outstanding Prize from Japan Ballet Association President Kenji Usui at the Kyoto National Ballet Competition in 2011, the Second Prize at the National Ballet Competition in Japan in 2010, and the Excellence Award at the All Japan Ballet Union Competition in 2010.In 2009, she had the opportunity to study at the Academie de Danse Classique Princess Grace under Marika Bezobrazova in Monaco. In 2011, she earned a scholarship to study at the Central School of Ballet in London, England. Upon graduating from high school in Japan, she received offers from ballet companies in England, Russia, and the US, ultimately deciding to join the Kentucky Ballet Theater (KBT) on a full-year contract in 2013.At KBT, she was cast as Clara in The Nutcracker during her first year and continued to perform soloist and principal roles until she left the company in 2017. She won the First Prize in the Professional Category at the World Ballet Art Competition in 2015 in Indianapolis and was invited by the Shanghai Municipal Government to participate in the 5th Shanghai International Competition in 2016.After relocating to Chicago, she continued performing as a guest ballet dancer and taught as a master ballet instructor. In 2021, she began teaching at the award-winning Hinsdale Dance Academy, where she was promoted to Junior Company Director in 2024.
Tessa is thrilled to be joining the faculty of Hinsdale Dance Academy for a second season. She is one of the founding members of the academy and Hinsdale Ballet Theater. She has a life long love of dance and has performed in HDA’s Nutcracker as Arabian as well as Little Mermaid, Cinderella and Mid Summers Nights Dream . In addition, Tessa competed in 3 YAGP competitions as a soloist and with 2 award winning ensembles. She ascended to the role of team captain of the Montini Catholic High School’s Dance team her senior year. While on the team, her and her teammates placed top three at IHSA State all 4 years that she competed. Tessa is currently pursuing a career in nursing and is excited to share her love for dance at HDA.
Shannon Hershman, originally from Pittsburgh, PA, began her early dance training with Laurel Youth Ballet, Johnstown Concert Ballet, and BalletMet. She graduated high school in three years and began her college education at La Roche University at the age of 17. Shannon simultaneously earned a B.S. in Biology, a Performing Arts minor, and a Psychology minor while dancing professionally with Bodiography Contemporary Ballet from 2002 to 2007. From there, she moved to Chicago to dance on scholarship with River North Chicago Dance and Giordano Dance Chicago before finishing her professional career with Cerqua-Rivera Dance Theatre (2008) and Inaside Chicago Dance (2009-2014). She has had the amazing opportunity to dance original works by Ze’eva Cohen, Lizzie Mackenzie, Eddy Ocampo, Anjali Austin (formerly of Dance Theatre of Harlem), and Johan Renvall (formerly of American Ballet Theatre), to name a few.Shannon is now the director of Hinsdale Dance Project, after directing the Junior Company for seven seasons. In addition to teaching dance for over 20 years, she holds over two dozen certifications in various modalities, including Pilates, Fascia Stretch Therapy™, CranioSacral Therapy, and is a Reiki Master and Energy Healer. Shannon is proud to begin her 10th season with HDA!
Mary Kovalcheck grew up in Grayslake, IL and started training at Dance Connection along with the Lou Conte Dance Studio in Chicago. She recently graduated from Grand Valley State University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and a Business minor. She worked with guest artists such as Queala Clancy, Yoshito Sakuraba, Wallie Wolfgruber, Deborah Lohse, and Renaldo Maurice. During her final year, Mary’s solo “Forward” was selected to be in the Spring Dance Concert and received the Alexander Calder Honors Scholarship as well as the Upper Division Dance Scholarship. She attended the American Dance Festival in 2023 on scholarship, where she worked with Brian Brooks before joining South Chicago Dance Theatre.
Grace Koznarek, also known as Mary Grace Koznarek, grew up in the Chicago land area, beginning her dance education at the age of eleven with Hinsdale Dance Academy. With the guidance of the academy's teachers, Koznarek participated in competitions and took on lead roles in ballets such as Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Nutcracker. At 16, she received a scholarship to study at Staatliche Ballettschule Berlin, where she learned from experienced instructors including Viara Natcheva and Merek Rozycki. During her time there, she had the opportunity to rehearse La Bayadère with the main company, giving her a taste of the professional dance world, and solidifying her decision to pursue dance as a career. Grace has achieved notable success at several international ballet competitions, earning the Senior Bronze medal at YAGP Finals and the Youth Grand Prix Award at the Chicago Semi Final. Her classical and contemporary performances also earned her the Senior Gold and Bronze awards respectively at ADC/IBC's Finals. Grace went on to secure a contract with the Finnish National Ballet’s Youth Company, performing in ballets like Sleeping Beauty, Wayne Eagling and Toer van Schayk’s rendition of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, along with the world premiere of a brand new staging of Spartacus. Later, Grace to returned to Illinois, where she was invited to rejoin the HDA community as a teacher, coach, and administrator. After her tenure as a faculty member at HDA, Grace transitioned to working with small businesses as Office Supervisor, becoming an integral part of those company's operations. She continues on at HDA as Communications Director, working closely behind the scenes on productions and with clients.
Tanya Lewis is a San Diego native where she danced professionally, choreographed and directed. While in San Diego she worked primarily with Mounarath Powell Dance (formerly Visionary Dance Theatre) dancing with the company for 10 years, eventually becoming the Assistant Artistic Director and now board member; as well as setting work and directing. Tanya has also ran and directed Movement Makers, a choreography contest for local San Diego artists, with the goal of creating more inclusivity within the San Diego dance community. She has also performed work for local, national and international choreographers such as Erika Moore, Eric Geiger, Patricia Rincon, Monica Bill Barnes, Trixi Agiao, Jeanne Travers, Emily Navarra, Spencer Powell and most recently, Fresh Congress directed by Rachel Catalano. As a choreographer she has produced and directed her work independently both on stage and on film. Projects that she has produced on stage include You’re Late, Ebb &, Prism, and Cradle. Her most recent piece titled Fractal was created as part of a cultural exchange in Vietnam and performed by the Lyricist Dance Company. Tanya’s film projects include Between Two Ends which was featured in the international film festival 40North, and Becoming. Her choreography for the short film Song of Birds and Bees, won her the Silver Award for Best Choreography from the International Film Awards. Tanya is a University of California San Diego graduate with a BA in dance and a theatre minor, she received the Stewart Prize for Choreography upon graduating.
Hannah started dancing when she was eight years old. She fell in love with ballet at her home studio in Morgan Hill, California, where she had opportunities to perform many lead roles in classical ballets, while exploring the contemporary world as well. As she continued to grow, her summers were spent training all around the country with American Ballet Theater in New York City, Ballet Austin, Colorado Ballet, and more. She danced for two years in the professional track trainee program at State Street Ballet where she dove deeper into both classical and contemporary training, and performed with the professional company. She then moved to Chicago and spent two years dancing with Ballet 5:8, where she had many performance opportunities, including new works and lead roles in their productions of the Nutcracker. Having been greatly inspired by her teachers, she is now fully invested in teaching! She has taught a wide range of ages all around the Chicagoland area, as well as directing rehearsals and guest performing. Hannah is passionate about bringing the art of dance to the next generation of dancers with care, excellence, and grace.
Emily Stephenitch, a St. Louis native was trained under Alexandra Zaharias and Amy Scheers. She was a company member to the pre-professional company Alexandra Ballet Company. Emily developed her artistry by attending many master classes and summer programs including; Miami City Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadians, North Carolina School of the Arts, and Kansas City Ballet. She graduated from Butler University with a B.S. in Dance and Arts Administration, training under Marek Cholewa and Michelle Jarvis. While at Butler University, she had the opportunity to study in St. Petersburg at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. After graduation, she was chosen to be a member of Nashville Ballet 2. The Alabama Ballet, under direction of Tracy Alvey, offered her a contract where she danced for two seasons. She was also on faculty at the Alabama Ballet School. Relocating back to the Midwest in 2009, she was thrilled to join the faculty of the Joffrey Academy of Dance. She worked with the Academy Directors to further the development of the curriculum of the Children’s division of Dance. Emily has also taught at Salt Creek Ballet, A&A Ballet, and School of the Performing Arts. Emily’s passion to teach young dancers is by trying to instill the love of dance, nurturing each student’s self-artistry, and progressing upon the building blocks of ballet technique.
Originally from the Chicago suburbs, Julianne spent her early dancing years dedicated to the study of classical ballet. At age fourteen, she began training at Classical Ballet Academy with Catherine Bays (Ballet Arkansas) and Melinda Tobian (Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Arkansas) and joined the Classical Youth Ballet Company of Northwest Arkansas under the direction of Ms. Bays. During her time there, she performed in such ballets as The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara, Snow Queen), Raymonda (Raymonda), Swan Lake, Giselle, Graduation Ball, and La Bayedere. Julianne was privileged to study with guest artists George de la Pena, Konstantine and Arina Kolotov and attend the Joffrey Workshop, Texas to study with Diane Orio, Willie Shives, and Trinette Singleton. She has also choreographed works for the Classical Youth Ballet, Indiana University Dance Theatre and Project606 Dance. In 2016, her work was accepted to the Inaugural Choreography Showcase & Competition at the College of DuPage. Julianne graduated from Indiana University with High Honors. She received her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a Major in Modern Dance and a Minor in Exercise Science. During her time at IU, she studied under Elizabeth Shea, Selene Carter, Roberta Wong, and Benjamin Wegman. In college, she worked with guest artists Connie Dinopoli and Liz Lerman, and performed in the works of guest choreographers such as Ben Munisteri, David Parsons, and Laurie Eisenhower. She has danced with Newfangled Dance, currently performs with Project606 Dance and continues her dance studies at Lou Conte Dance Studio. Julianne has been teaching ballet for 12 years and Contemporary for 5 years. She is passionate about sharing her love of ballet and dance with her students, while instilling in them a strong work ethic, building their confidence, and nurturing their excitement for the arts. Ms. Wlodarski is excited to begin her first season at HDA and share her love of dance with the HDA students, while instilling in them a strong work ethic, building their confidence and nurturing their excitement for the arts.
Mrs. Melissa Gramann began her training in upstate New York at the age of five. She soon joined the School of Dance Arts for the Elmira-Corning Ballet under that direction of Mme. Halina Lutomski. She became a company apprentice at the age of 12. Melissa then joined the pre-company program at the Minnesota Dance Theatre, studying under director Loyce Houlton. In Minnesota, she went on to study with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, and The Zenon Dance Company at The University of Minnesota. Melissa went on to join The South Community Theatre with lead roles in “A Chorus Line”, “Pippin” and “Swing, Swing, Swing” (original choreography by Vance Holmes). Locally, she has studied with the Lou Conte Dance School and The Ruth Page Dance Center. Melissa holds a Bachelors of Arts from Loyola University of Chicago. In 2018, Melissa became certified by the Boston Ballet in their adaptive dance program, a program that brings the joy of dance to students of all abilities. She is looking forward to beginning her fourth season with HDA and to be sharing her passion for dance with students of all ages.