Teachers

Jessica Swiggum Goldman is the founder and artistic director of All About Dance. She grew up studying and competing nationally in jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, modern, and hip hop, and continued her dance education at the University of Minnesota where she danced on the University’s nationally ranked varsity.

The professional title states Studio Guru Galore, which basically means she’s the glue that holds this whole AAD dance mecca together — and she can command a room of 3 yr olds better than Barney! When asked for a teacher bio she came back with a 36-point PowerPoint presentation highlighting her career.

Lisa Demaio has over 12 years of experience teaching dance and 10 years of experience working as a personal trainer and fitness professional. She received her degree in dance from Columbia College in 2001 and went on to perform professionally and tour nationally with Zephyr Dance (Chicago), and later Kairos Dance Co (Los Angeles).

Regan Fairfield received her early training at the Peoria Ballet and Water Street Dance Company in central Illinois. She then attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts High School Program, under the direction of Ethan Stiefel and Brenda Daniels, graduating in 2011.

Jennifer Kopka graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Elementary Education (Middle Childhood-Early Adolescence), a minor in English/Language Arts, and a certificate in Dance. She is also a certified Acrobatic Dance instructor through Acrobatic Arts.

Lola began her dance training in ballet, tap, and jazz at the age of four in Chicago, IL. She first discovered her love of hip hop in 2002, and soon found herself sharing her passion with others through performing, choreographing, and teaching. In addition to hip hop, tap, and salsa performance.

Mariterese Altosino received her early dance training from local studios, Academy of Dance Arts, and Xtreme Dance Force. She graduated with honors from Columbia College Chicago with a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Business/Entrepreneurship. Mariterese is a veteran instructor with the Universal Dance Association (UDA).

Ashley began her training and love of dance at Legacy Dance Studio and graduated with honors from St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists in Minnesota. And she graduated magna cum laude from Point Park University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a concentration in Jazz.

Ari Israel (Jacksonville, NC) began her training at the Dance Theatre of Jacksonville under the guidance of Maura Herrera, Debra Baile, and Debbie Baile. After high school, Ari furthered her training at Towson University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in the year of 2015 and received a BFA in Dance Performance.

Jack Halbert began his dance training at the age of 5 in his hometown of St. Louis, MO. Over the years, he has trained extensively in ballet, jazz, tap, and modern. In 2013, Jack accepted a scholarship to continue his training with the University of Arizona School of Dance. While at the U of A, he was privileged to perform works by Michael Williams, Sam Watson, James Clouser, Sherry Zunker, and Jose Limon.

Kathrine Muska found her love and passion for dance at a very young age. She has been trained as a classical and competitive dancer since the age of five in all disciplines. She won many 1st and 2nd place titles for her work in jazz, tap, and lyrical at multiple regional and national competitions, and was also nominated for Dancer of the Year.

Jaime Raglow grew up in Akron, Ohio doing theatre and dance, as well as a community show choir through high school. She moved to Chicago for school, earning a BA in both Theatre and Dance from Loyola University Chicago in 2015. Through college and since Jaime has shown a passion for working in the arts with kids.

A native of Chicago, Marceia holds great passion for creative art, performance, and women’s studies. A recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago, she stands as a company member of both Ground Rhythm Dance Project, as well as Red Clay Dance Company, under the great instruction of Vershawn Sanders-Ward.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Emily was a natural athlete growing up, specializing in cross country. Upon graduation, Emily joined the team at ivivva, the girls brand of Lululemon, as an educator, and found her niche. Combining yoga with helping young girls become their best selves led Emily to spearhead a wide variety of community outreach activities.

Stephanie Frantz, a native of the northern suburbs of Chicago, graduated cum laude from DePaul University with a degree in Economics and Business Administration. During her time at DePaul, she gained experience in discipline, organization, and analytics while interning at financial and marketing firms.