Penny Michonski (co-director) is a graduate of Creighton University with a degree in music.  She has taught at the Omaha Academy of Ballet for seven years and has successfully completed exams in the ISTD system through the Advanced I level.  She has performed with many local dance and theater groups.

Sheila Nelson (co-director) received her training at the Omaha Academy of Ballet and at Creighton University under the direction of Valerie Roche.  She has performed with Creighton’s dance company and served as a faculty member in its dance department.  She was selected by the Nebraska Department of Education as a team member for Frameworks, a program which brought dance education to Nebraska schools.  She has completed many exams in both the RAD and ISTD systems and holds full membership status in the Royal Academy of Dancing.

Patti Zukaitis (co-director) received her BFA degree in dance from Creighton University in 1974 and graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with an MFA in dance in 1986.  She has performed with The Omaha Ballet, Creighton Dance Company, and various choreographers in New York City and Omaha.  Patti has been a teacher at OAB and a faculty member in the dance department at Creighton University since 1991. She holds the Associate Diploma through the ISTD Professional Teaching Examinations.

Siri Drontle has a Master’s of Education degree from the University of Minnesota.  She received training in the Russian method of ballet, jazz, and character dance at Saint Paul City Ballet under teachers including Wilor Bluege and Gabriela Komleva.  Siri has taught dance to ages two through adult for more than a decade. She has performed with a number of groups including Saint Anthony Sacred Dance.

Juliette Henning is a former member of Milwaukee Ballet, Ballet Omaha, and Cincinnati Ballet.  She has danced professionally in classical, neo-classical, and contemporary styles with such dance legends as Suzanne Farrell and Frederic Franklin.  She has taught ballet and pointe for more than 15 years.

Ruth Hoagboon trained at College of the Royal Academy of Dance in London, where she undertook intensive training in the art and teaching of ballet and its supporting subjects.  She graduated as a Licentiate and Advanced Executant of the Royal Academy of Dance and as an Associate of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance in three branches. She has taught dance in England, Germany, Mississippi, and at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Lynne Nevin began her dance training in Lincoln with Flavia Waters Champe, and later continued her studies in Omaha with Valerie Roche.  She received a BA degree in art history from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  She holds the Associate Diploma through the ISTD Professional Teaching examinations and has studied the Alexander Technique (a method for analyzing and improving movement patterns.)  She teaches dance at UNL and serves as a teaching artist for Lincoln’s Arts Are Basic Artist in the Schools program.

Danielle Laurion recently returned to Omaha after completing her master’s degree in dance/movement therapy & counseling from Columbia College Chicago.  Throughout her professional dance career, she performed with companies such as David Dorfman, Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, Ko Thi, and Hip Hop Connexions, and studied with companies including Gus Giordano’s Jazz Company, the Pulse Tour, the Broadway Dance Center, and Edge Performing Arts Center.  She is a member of the National Dance Educators’ Organization and the American Dance Therapy Association.  Danielle has choreographed for show choirs, musical theater productions, youth companies, dance teams, studios, and universities.

Roxanne Nielsen served as choreographer and director of education and outreach for the Omaha Community Playhouse and currently is a free-lance choreographer and dance instructor.  Roxanne has received numerous awards for choreography and performance and has worked at many local theaters and schools.  She has many years of teaching experience and has taught for the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Creighton University, Omaha Dance Teachers Association, The Moving Company, and the Omaha Dance Project.

Lauren Navratil has been dancing for eight years.  She started studying dance in, Arvada, Colorado, in 2002, at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities.  During the years, she has danced with the Arvada Center’s pre-professional company, Arvada Center Dance Theater ( ACDT), and the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s The Moving Company.

Sara Mau (guest teacher) completed her formal dance education with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Professional Division.  Accepted into the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, she quickly moved up through the company, performing soloist and principal roles internationally.  In 1994 she moved to American Ballet Theater, which allowed her to work with the dance world’s most knowledgeable dance coaches and choreographers, perfecting numerous roles and touring the world.