BETTY ALLEN currently co-teaches Creative Teaching Methods (DANC 350) as well as assists with the Repertory Company (DANC 232) as a specialized faculty member in the Department of Dance at the University of Illinois. Betty is the Director for the Creative Dance for Children Program which offers dance classes for children ages 4-10 and serves as the laboratory for teaching dance. Betty is also a clinical instructor for the College of Education Early Childhood Program. She is a supervisor and mentor for Early Childhood students during their early field experiences in preschool through second grade classrooms. Prior to coming to the University of Illinois, Betty was an elementary public-school dance and drama instructor for over two decades and served as the elementary fine arts coordinator for Urbana School District #116.

KATIE CALANDRA KRITEK graduated summa cum laude from New York University with a BS in Dance and Dance Education and completed her M.Ed. from National-Louis University.  She has been an active member of the Chicago dance community as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer for over 25 years.  She is the Dance Coordinator and a teacher in New Trier High School’s Dance Division.  Katie is the recipient of the 2021 Shape America National Dance Teacher of the Year award after being named the 2019 Illinois AHPERD Dance Educator of the Year.  She taught dance at McDonald Dance Academy for 23 years and is proud to be a founding teacher at the new studio, Arlington Dance Academy.

PAIGE CUNNINGHAM-CALDARELLA is a dance educator, choreographer, performer, and Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. As a faculty member at Columbia College Chicago from 2007-2022, she taught modern and contemporary dance techniques, ballet, dance pedagogy, and performance-based classes and served as the Associate Chair. Cunningham-Caldarella received a Chicago Dancemakers Forum grant, DCASE Individual Artist grants, and a Teaching Excellence Award from Columbia College. Cunningham-Caldarella performed with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, touring nationally and internationally, and has worked with The Seldoms, Colleen Halloran Performance Group, Darrell Jones, Timothy Buckley, and Onye Ozuzu. She holds a B.F.A. from the Juilliard School and an M.F.A. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

KATHLEEN CANTONE (BS Ed, MS Ed) has studied and performed various folk and classical dances and percussion from Turkey, Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa , and Latin America. Before retiring from teaching, Kat taught in the Chicago Public Schools and was an adjunct professor at Chicago State University. She also taught folkloric dance and cultural activities to children and adults in afterschool and weekend programs and through Intercultural Music Production. Kat consulted on Persian drum rhythms, movement and choreography as part of the Red Tape Theater production of My Name Is Inanna, by Ezzat Goushegir. She contributed dramaturgy and choreography for Chasing the Wind, by Nicholas Patricca and Cecilie Keenan, and a short choreography for The Sultan’s Dilemma,a play in Arabic directed by Hassan Amejal and Patrizia Acerra. She currently performs with the World Music Ensemble (Harper College), the Middle East Music Ensemble (University of Chicago,) and is a member of the folkloric music and dance group Shalizar Ensemble. Kat is a member of the Dance Studies Association, IAHPERD, and NDEO. As an independent researcher, she has given presentations and papers about the Plaisance activities of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 both in the United States and in Turkey. Her research on this important event in US and Chicago history is ongoing!

ISABELLE COLLAZO is a dance artist educator based in Chicago and has been teaching dance at Wells Community Academy High School since 2019, where she also serves as department chair of the Fine Arts Academy. She graduated with her MFA in Choreography and K-12 Dance Licensure from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she focused on Latinx performance, critical dance studies, and community dance programming. Isabelle currently teaches with All-City Dance Ensemble and specializes in topics such as culturally responsive pedagogy, social emotional learning, and universal by design. When not spending time with her dog, she enjoys dancing in the Latin community and has performed at local Latin Congresses with Phyzeke Dance Chicago. She was a two time Creative Schools Fund grant recipient with her former CPS partner organization Whole People Movement. She has presented her work at NCDEO and NDEO and is humbled to share her work with ILDEO.

 ELISA FOSHAY (she/her) earned a BA in Dance from Columbia College Chicago and a MFA in Choreography with K-12 licensure in Dance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she was also a Graduate Teaching Assistant.  Elisa has performed with independent dance and performance art endeavors including Synapse Arts, Posterchild Art and Breakbone DanceCo.  Her choreographed works and improvisations have been presented at venues throughout Chicago, Philadelphia and North Carolina. Elisa has over twenty years of teaching experience in studio, community and school settings.  She has directed the dance program at Jones College Prep since 2015 and has served as an Arts Instructional Specialist for CPS since 2019.  She is the SHAPE America 2022 Midwest Dance Educator of the Year.  She is also a proud mom, bonus mom and cat mom.

MICHELLE LOUCADOUX has been a professional dancer and educator for over thirty years. She danced in 5 Broadway shows, in 4 ballet companies, and on film and television and has traveled the world empowering young dancers. Michelle is a published author (Rowman & LIttlefield), has an MBA and a BA in English, and resigned her position as the associate dean of undergraduate studies at Hussian College in 2020 to create a space for a more compassionate and inclusive dance community. In the past three years, she has worked full-time with mental health professionals to research and create dance-specific resources to support the mental wellness of the dance community and its educators.

LUCY RINER is a native Chicagoan who has been dancing, choreographing and teaching in the Midwest for over twenty years. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Dance Education from Illinois State University in 1996. Since 1997, she has produced, choreographed and danced in a variety of shows in Chicago and nationally. Lucy has been a member of Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak, RTG Dance and Matthew Hollis’ “The Power of Cheer.” Lucy has been part of the community casts of White Oak Dance Project and David Dorfman Dance and continues to enjoy finding work that allows her to meet new people and experience different processes.  She was the Director of Dance at Oak Park and River Forest High School from 1998 to 2012. Lucy left OPRFHS in 2012 to join the dance faculty at New Trier High School. In 2005, Lucy completed her Masters Degree in Education from National Louis University and also received the Midwest Dance Teacher of the Year award. She was honored to be the youngest of four finalists in the running for the National Dance Teacher of the Year award. Lucy started RE|Dance Group in 2009 with her artistic partner Michael Estanich.  Lucy is proud to be a co-founder, executive director, guest choreographer and dancer with RE|dance group.

HOLLY ROSE MOSS has always had a creative spirit, from the time she was a child dancing in the living room. Though her family couldn’t afford to always keep her in dance class, Holly became a dance teacher, directed a dance program (Crystal Lake Park District), and taught at several studios and programs. She showcased choreography during DanceChance (hosted by DanceWorks Chicago), New Moves Choreography Competition (hosted by Noumenon Dance Ensemble), Bella Moxi Choreographic Festival, and four self produced/directed dance projects.The current artistic focus is expanding her choreographic voice while creating performance opportunities for adult-aged dancers. Holly always carries a book/notebook in her purse, loves watching birds, and finds any excuse to giggle. This rose also holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Northeastern Illinois University. She credits her love for the Arts to her mother and hopes to see you on the dance floor!

DIANE SMAGATZ-RAWLINSON holds a degree in Dance Education from Ohio State, MFA from UW-Madison, and was on dance faculties at Northwestern University, UW- Stevens Point, and University of Akron. Ms Rawlinson was one of the first certified leaders of InterPlay worldwide and is a Dance/Education ambassador for the work. A writer/editor for Dance Spirit/Dance Teacher magazines from 1997-2019 she was named NDA Midwest Dance Educator, UW-Madison School of Education Distinguished Alumni, District 214 Friends of the Arts Award, Illinois Teacher of the Year Meritorious Award, and 2014 Chicago’s Ruth Page Award Recipient for her work as an advocate, mentor and educator.   She has presented InterPlay at state, national, and international conferences and workshops including: International InterPlay Conference Illinois State Theatre Festival, National/Regional HS Dance Festival, DePaul University, Illinois State University, Loyola University, Dance Teacher Magazine Conference, Bill Evans Somatics Conference, CNADM, NDEO Conference, Hubbard Street Professional Development Institute, and Gibney Dance Center. Recently Diane retired after 30 years as the Dance/yoga teacher at Wheeling HS (Illlinois) where she directed the dance company, choreographed and assisted musicals, founded Fusion (a student created show), Dance for Life’s Next Generation  charitable benefit concert for 26 years,  and a yearly children’s community workshop.

GINA SPEARS teaches PreK through 8th grade dance at Portage Park Elementary School, where she was hired four years ago to grow the program from the ground up.  She has been teaching dance in Chicago Public Schools for 25 years.  Gina is both an Arts Instruction Specialist and a Framework Specialist for CPS, leading other educators as a professional development facilitator, helping to write the arts scope and sequence unit overviews, and developing resources to help teachers grow in their practice.  Gina mentors new teachers through the CPS New Teacher Cohort, the WeCare Mentoring Program (IL), and in the NDEO Mentorship Program.  Her motto is: "Teaching students is my joy...teaching teachers is my passion!" 

EMILY STEIN is a veteran of Chicago’s dance scene, dancing, choreographing, and Teaching. She teaches ballet technique, anatomy, and Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® at the Dance Center of Columbia College, and is on faculty at the Joffrey Academy and Northwest Ballet Academy. She danced and choreographed with Zephyr Dance, presenting work locally and nationally. Her ongoing interest in the evolution of Ballet inspired her choreographic series “Secret Experiments in Ballet,” which plays in the intersection of ballet and improvisation. In 2012 she co-founded BalletLab Chicago with Paige Caldarella, to share their research and dialogue with the broader dance Community. She holds a BA from the University of Iowa, an MFA from Smith College, and is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner.

TORI STEWART graduated Manga Cum Laude from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, receiving a B.A. in Dance, with a focus on Dance Performance, Choreography and Theory. Tori has been dancing with Trifecta Dance Collective since 2019 and currently is a Choreographer and Principal Dancer for the company. She helped conceptualize TDC 2, Trifecta's second company, and leads both TDC 2 and Trifecta Youth Ensemble as Artistic Director. As a choreographer, her works have been performed across stages in the greater Chicagoland area as well as at festivals and showcases across the nation including Charlotte Dance Festival, American College Dance Association, Wake Forest Dance Festival, Loose Leaves Showcase, Trifecta Dance Festival, Peridance Spring Choreographers’ Showcase, Alluvion Dance Chicago's Emergence, and Detroit Dance City Festival. Internationally,Tori had the privilege to study dance and perform at Italian venues including the Palace of Venaria and Orsolina28. Based in Chicago, IL, she divides her time between dancing, instructing, and choreographing. Tori utilizes contemporary techniques and improvisational practices for movement generation, resulting in thoughtful, athletic, expansive, and experimental choreographic works.

M.K. VICTORSON has worked as an arts educator in Chicago for over 20 years. She holds an MFA in dance from Smith College and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Most recently, she is a graduate of the Dance Education Lab Institute at the 92nd St. Y in New York. A former dancer with the Chicago Moving Company, M.K’.s teaching experiences extend from studios to arts organizations to schools.  At Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, M.K. worked in the education and youth programs and helped to develop the Autism Project. M.K. taught elementary school dance and drama for several years in Chicago Public Schools. She is currently the dance content specialist for CPS Department of Arts Education.