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Danceforce and Dance Department Staff

Katrina Amante
Dance Department Coordinator, Danceforce Co-Director, Instructor
Katrina Amante recently received her BA in Marketing Communications at Columbia College Chicago. She began dancing with the Bolingbrook Park District Dance Force at the root of its beginnings when she was 15. Since then Katrina has trained in jazz, lyrical, some tap and ballet but is mostly skilled in hip hop technique. Along with her Coordinator position at the Park District, Katrina is also a Co. Artistic Director for Dance 2XS Chicago, a Co. Choreographer for Redefinition Chicago and is an award winning choreographer for BPD Dance Force. Katrina began teaching back in 2003 and since then she has received a number of awards for her work at regional and national competitions such as Urban Jamm, Nuvo and Chicago Dance Connection. Recently one of Katrina's pieces received the Overall High Score at the Urban Jamm Convention in 2009 and has had choreography chosen for the Dance Chicago Series 2007, 2008 and 2009. As a dancer, Katrina has opened for Hip Hop Artist's such as Chris Brown and danced for Rhymefest at Lollapalooza in Chicago. With her previous company, Hip Hop Connxion, Katrina was selected to be one of the competing team members who took 4th place representing the U.S. at the World Hip Hop Championships in 2006. In the past, she has also had experience performing for professional athletic teams such as the Major League Indoor Soccer Chicago Storm and was the choreographer for the Women’s National Basketball Association Chicago Sky during half time performances. However, her latest achievement was being chosen as one of the 20 instructors who helped with the 20,000 person flash mob for the 24^th season anniversary of the Oprah Winfrey Show which aired September 8, 2009. Some notable dance training includes Mariel Martin, Tony Testa, Tabitha & Napoleon, Shaun Evaristo, Phi Nguyen of the JabbaWokeez, and Marty Kudelka.

Aileen Puzon
Power Dance Project Coordinator, Danceforce Co-Director, Instructor
Aileen received a Bachelor's in psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is currently a nursing student at Joliet Junior College. Aileen has been a part of the Bolingbrook Park District dance program for more than 16 years and has trained in all areas of dance, concentrating in ballet, modern, lyrical, tap, and hip hop. She has been on staff since January 2000 and has taught creative movement, ballet/tap, ballet/tumbling, pre-ballet and Ballet I. Aileen has also worked with Danceforce as a dancer and teacher, which has allowed her to perform at the World Veterinarians’ Conference and Gala in Minneapolis, MN (July 2005); American Veterinarians’ Christmas conference and luncheon in Schaumburg, IL (December 2005); WNBA Chicago Sky half-times (August 2006); and Dance Chicago. She has also been a back-up dancer for Ashley Garland (Radio Disney) opening up for Jordan Knight, and Od Tapo Imi Steel Drum Band.



Arlette (Chelly) Ixchell Benzinger
Instructor
Chelly’s dance roots are in the island of Puerto Rico where she performed as a child for the acclaimed choreographer Sophie Sanfiorenzo. Later she attended Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, where she concentrated in Ballet and Modern Dance while studying the performing arts and trained with the Salt Creek Ballet simultaneously. For 18 years, Chelly has taught jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, ballet, modern, Latin dance and tap to children and adults of all ages. She has worked for Geneva Dance Academy, The Indian Oaks Recreation Center, Dance Dimensions, Arial Dance Studio, Center for the Arts and most recently for the Bolingbrook Park District. She helped develop Arial Entertainment, a professional dance ensemble where she also choreographed and performed. Among other professional works, she was part of the Chicago Honey Bears Dance Ensemble and Brasileida Productions (Samba Dance Company) which frequently performed with the Chicago Samba School. Her choreography has been seen at Northern Illinois University through Northern Dance Theatre, Orchesis and she was president/choreographer of Dança Quente (university Latin Dance Ensemble). For two consecutive years she choreographed for the Latin group at Benedictine University in Lisle. Her choreography was also featured in the Brook Players’ (now Theater on the Hill) production of “My Fair Lady”. Her most recent accomplishment as a professional dancer was performing and choreographing for the original recording artist, Petra Luna where she also made her debut as a singer. Chelly has been the assistant director for the acclaimed Bolingbrook Park District DanceForce in addition to being the coordinator of the Power Dance Project outreach program for 3 years (2005-2008). Chelly is a devoted wife and mother of two. That same devotion can be seen in her work as a passionate performer, teacher and choreographer.



Jaimie Castonguay
Instructor
Jaimie Castonguay has been dancing for 14 years, first training at various studios, then focusing her dance training at the Bolingbrook Park District in jazz, ballet, lyrical, and hip-hop. Jaimie has been instructing dance for four years at the Park District and was a member of the Danceforce Jamm teams for six years. Jaimie currently teaches early childhood and youth classes and has taught and choreographed for the Junior and Teen Danceforce companies, as well as youth and teen/adult jazz, ballet, and hip-hop classes. Jaimie also shares her experience of teaching dance to children with special needs and is happy to be part of the staff at the Bolingbrook Park District.



Julia Czupryn
Instructor
Julia has been dancing since she was in the 5th grade all with the Bolingbrook Park District which she has been with from the very beginning of its existence. While a part of Danceforce, Julia has been a member of the Danceforce Jamm Teams since they formed and she has trained in jazz, ballet, lyrical and hip-hop. She also performed at Chicago Sky basketball games as a member of the Danceforce Sky Dancers. Julia began teaching in 2007 and currently teaches hip hop and ballet classes as well as working with the Junior and Teen Danceforce companies. During the school year she also works with the Power Dance Project at many of the schools in the area. She is grateful for the opportunity to work with such a distinguished dance department and company and hopes to continue to pursue her love of teaching for many years to come.



Stefany Drabes
Instructor
Stefany began dancing for the park district in 2000. After years of training in jazz, ballet, lyrical and hip hop, she progressed from performer to instructor and choreographer. She was also a member of Bolingbrook High school Varsity Poms, Thespian Society and dance captain of the Bolingbrook High school theatre department. While in Danceforce, she competed nationally in various destinations such as Hawaii, Las Vegas and Minnesota as well as performed with Chicago Sky Dancers. She has performed for some of L.A.’s most credible choreographers as well as rapper Chingy. Currently, she specializes in early childhood classes and Danceforce’s very own Kidz Company. She is delighted to be teaching and hopes to continue long into the future. 



Molly Ghahtani
Instructor
Molly studied ballet from a young age through college. She was a member of a semi-professional company, the Grand Rapids Ballet of Michigan, for several years and studied with two former Joffrey Ballet dancers, one of whom is the head ballet mistress for Joffrey Ballet Chicago. Molly has performed in ballets such as the Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Cinderella, Our Town, Gaite Parisienne, Ambulations and other small repertoire pieces. She has also studied some jazz, modern and character dance. Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Molly is the mother of two girls, Sophie and Isabella. She and her husband, Sultan, have been married for 10 years and have lived in Bolingbrook for the past 5. Molly has a Bachelor’s of Science in Merchandising Management from Michigan State University. She was recruited to teach for the park district and considers teaching a blessing.



Jeanne O'Connell
Instructor
Jeanne O'Connell is a "triple threat" in her own right. She is a dancer, teacher and choreographer of equal quality. Jeanne began dancing as a toddler in her mother's studio and eventually trained nationwide from New York to Los Angeles. At 19, Jeanne joined the national tour of 42nd Street and as they say, the rest is history. She toured with the show, doing many productions, and eventually landed the lead role of Peggy Sawyer. She has been featured in many other equity productions including Joseph, Music Man, Singing in the Rain, Sweet Charity, and Me and My Girl. Jeanne has performed extensively at Disneyland, appeared in many television shows, movies, and commercials, and has even been "sawed in half" as a magician's assistant. Jeanne is also a very accomplished teacher and choreographer. She has taught and directed many teams and performing groups, which include such notable students as Christina Applegate, Drew Barrymore and Katie Holmes. Her choregraphy has won many top overall awards including a dance which received a perfect score. More importantly, Jeanne has a true passion for dancing, teaching and performing, which is apparent in her classes. Her energy is infectious and her drive is contagious. Jeanne's job is to teach dance, but her mission is to develop dancers with good character.


Desiree Pepper-Venzant
Ballet Instructor
Desiree Pepper-Venzant is a native Chicagoan and holds a MBA from Benedictine University, Lisle, IL and a B.A. in Dance and Business Marketing from Barat College of DePaul University in Lake Forest, IL. She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and is the Recreation Supervisor for the Bolingbrook Park District and Director for the Danceforce Dance Company. Pepper-Venzant is also active in her community and has been involved with the ACT-SO (Aftro-American Cultural and Technical Science Olympics organizations for four years. She has been a board member for the HFS Chicago Scholars Scholarship program for three years. This is a scholarship serving economically disadvantage high school students throughout the Chicagoland area. She has also been a mentor to high school and college students affiliated with this program.

Pepper-Venzant has trained with notable teachers from the American Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor (Modern Dance) Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, Joseph Holmes Dance Theatre, Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) and The American Dance Festival (ADF). She teaches ballet, tap, jazz, creative movement, modern dance, and hip hop at the Bolingbrook Park District. Previously she taught at Westside Elementary School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Roanoke, Virginia and was the Director and an instructor at the Floyd Ward School of Dance Studios in Roanoke, Virginia. She later joined Hollins College of Roanoke, Virginia as an adjunct professor for the Dance Department. Desiree has also taught for the Jeraldyne’s School of Dance (the official training school for the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company) in Dayton, Ohio, for the Umoja Dance Company, Blacksburg, Virginia, and for The North Shore School of Dance in Highland Park, IL. She has performed with the Southwest Virginia Ballet in Salem, Virginia; Hollins College Dance Repertoire; the Opera Roanoke; and Li Chiao Ping Dance. She also performs for various Chicagoland groups and choreographs liturgical dances for various religious groups.



Lynette Puzon
Instructor
Lynette started dancing at age 3 at the Bolingbrook Park District and became a member of the Park Dancers at age 8. She has been trained in jazz, ballet, modern, tap, hip-hop and lyrical. She had her first professional job dancing as a back-up dancer at age 13 and started teaching at age 14. In January 2008, Lynette was selected as Chicago's most well-rounded dancer from Urban Jamm Conventions.  She currently is working with the Danceforce Jamm Teams.

Nicole Sidney
Instructor
Nicole began dancing at the age of 7 in the genres of Liturgical and African dance. She began her formal training in Jazz and Ballet at the age of 19 under the tutelage of Rosemary Doolas of the Chicago Dancespace. She then auditioned and received a dance scholarship to study at the Joel Hall Dance studio. Nicole has a dual Bachelors degree in English Literature and Dance from Point Park University, where she also had a double concentration in Ballet and Modern dance. Nicole has performed as an actress and served as choreographer for the Children’s Theatre Fantasy Orchard and has worked as an independent choreographer for various churches and organizations. She brings to the Bolingbrook Park District a true passion for dance, discipline, teaching and every aspect of the creative process and hopes to impart that same love for the arts to each of her students.
 


Beverly Jane Bautista
Specialty Instructor
Beverly Jane Bautista was born in Chicago, IL. but currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. She has been dancing for 9 years and received her Bachelors in Dance in 2007 from Ball State University. She is trained in various styles such as jazz, ballet, lyrical, Hawaiian, and Tahitian styles as well as hip hop and modern.
Beverly has danced for the Hawaiian group, Na Pua O Hawaii Ko Aine E, the modern company, the Valerie Alpert Dance Company, and also danced with hip hop groups, Dance 2XS Chicago and Redefinition. In August of 2008, she performed in Los Angeles, CA. for Monsters of Hip Hop: The Show 2008 where she worked with highly renowned hip hop choreographers such as Tony Testa, Kevin Maher, Tabitha & Napoleon Dumo, Chonique, and Rhapsody to name a few. Beverly was also awarded scholarships from the Monsters of Contemporary Conventions in Santa Clara, CA. and Chicago, IL. She has also received the award, "Best Choreography" for the Dance Force Senior Company from Bolingbrook, IL. at the Urban Jamm Dance Convention.
Currently, Beverly trains at Debbie Reynolds Studio and has performed in Carnival: Choreographer's Showcase for Andye J as well as Majestic Funk with Derrell Bullock featuring up and coming artist, Countre Black. Not only has she performed in several venues in the Los Angeles area she has also taught at various studios in LA and Rancho Cucamonga.

Dionna PridGeon
Specialty Instructor
Dionna received her B.A. in dance from Point Park University (PA) in May 2004. This past year, Dionna received the Future Star Award from Dance Spirit Magazine, a full scholarship through Monsters of Hip Hop, an invite to Janet Jackson’s private audition in L.A, and is now represented by Lily’s Talent Agency/Clear Talent Group. Currently, she performs with Dance2xs Chicago and also works with pillowproject dance company in Pittsburgh. Dionna is on staff at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago where she teaches dance as a part of the Education Program in partnership with D.A.R.E. and Kraft Foods. In addition, she also teaches dance at four other facilities in the Chicagoland area. Aside from teaching, Dionna has had the privilege of performing concert works by well-known choreographers, such as Robert Battle, Lou Conte, Carmen deLavallade, Daniel Ezralow, Kevin Iega Jeff, Donald McKayle and Margo Sappington. Her other performance credits include Congo Square’s production of Black Nativity at The Goodman Theatre, December 2005.

Brian Rabenda
Specialty Instructor
Brian started his dance training at the age of 15 at Steps Dance Center in Aurora, IL. After only a year he found himself dancing up and beyond the level of even the most advanced students. Motivation, perseverance and hard work have lead to Brian’s success as a dancer. He has won numerous awards from competitions all around the country for his show stopping performances. Now residing in Schaumburg, IL, he dances for Midwest Movement, training under the direction of artistic director Ted Jackson, specializing in Jazz/Lyrical dance. While he loves taking classes and hitting the stage, Brian’s passion is in teaching/choreographing dance. His movement comes from his heart, producing first place routines for local high schools and studios. Brian now shares his talent and passion with the Bolingbrook Park District Danceforce and also teaches a number of the dance department's jazz and ballet classes. 

Additional Bolingbrook Park District Dance Department Staff

Karen Wilson
Instructor; Director, Excel Musical Theater Company
Karen has studied dance since the age of 5. In high school, she was the lead dancer in the musical "Hello Dolly," "Pippin," and "The Wiz." Karen received a dance scholarship to Columbia College her freshman year where she studied jazz, ballet, tap and modern dance. Her professional credits include assistant choreographer for the musicals "Oliver," "Annie," "Chicago," and "Bye, Bye, Birdie." Karen has also choreographed for many local high schools, including Lockport, Reavis and Andrew. Karen has taught creative movement, tap, ballet and pre-ballet classes.