Our Faculty Members
Fusun Alpakin Naska
Co-Founder / Director of Music Department / Violin / Ensemble
Mrs. Fusun Naska is a native of Turkey, she started playing violin at the age of eight as a student of well-known composer and violinist Ekrem Zeki Un and Prof. Yusuf Guler Aksoz. After she graduated Istanbul State Conservatory, in 1988, she worked for 10 years in Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra as assistant-concertmaster.
Altin J. Naska
Co-Founder / Director of Dance Department / Ballet-Pointe / Character / Modern
Mr. Altin Naska is an internationally known award winning choreographer, dancer, and master teacher, with over two decades of performing experience in Europe and the United States. He was a soloist with Istanbul State Opera and Ballet and Istanbul City Theater in Turkey, also; soloist with Tirana State Opera and Ballet in his native Albania where he graduated from the Albanian Academy of Ballet and studied choreography at the Tirana Institute of Arts.
Hulya Alpakin Luthi
Piano Instructor
Hulya Alpakin is a native of Turkey and holds a Bachelor's degree in piano from Istanbul State Conservatory, a Master's degree in piano performance, and an Artist Diploma, both from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. She has been performing internationally as soloist, as part of ensembles, and as accompanist. Her performances were featured on the radio and as well as on records, among them compositions especially dedicated to her.
Bryan Albert
Guitar
Bryan Albert-Guitar, M.M., Northwestern University; B.M., Northeastern Illinois University. Bryan is an active performer in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, and a faculty member of Southport Performing Arts Conservatory, McGaw YMCA, and Sherwood, the Community Music School at Columbia College.
Reggio 'The Hoofer' McLaughlin
Tap Instructor
Reggio 'The Hoofer' McLaughlin began his career dancing in the subways of Chicago, where he developed his unique and extraordinary style of hoofing. Now he is a Chicago tap icon. Reggio has been profiled on educational television programs, numerous news highlights, magazines and books. He is currently appearing in a tap documentary called 'JUBA-Masters of Tap', partnering the legendary Ernest 'Brownie' Brown. He is also featured tap dancing in a documentary due out in 2005 on the legendary singer Nat King Cole.
Michelle Burger
Pre-Ballet / Ballet / Office Manager
Michelle Burger passion for dance has followed her for a total of 19 years. A 2007 Ball State University graduate, Michelle received her B.A. in Dance Performance, with a minor in Religious Studies. While at Ball State she received the Alumni Award in Dance, and Upper-class Scholarship in Dance, as well as Academic Honors. She has had the opportunity to work with and perform pieces by Gail Benedict, Bill Evans, Doris Ressl, Sarah Semonis, Audra Sokol and Lou Ann Young.
Lindsay Williams
Percussion Instructor
Lindsay began playing in fourth grade in Olathe, Kansas. He performed extensively with every ensemble that would let him: Concert Band, Pep Band, Jazz band and was a member of the Kansas City Youth Symphony. This led him to go to The University of Michigan where he studied with Dr. Michael Udow, Julie Spencer, Salvatore Rabbio, and Michael Gould. He graduated with a bachelor degree in Instrumental Music Education.
Jessica Grocott
Hip Hop / Pilates
Jessica's dance background includes over 19 years of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, modern, hip-hop and b-girling (break-dancing). In college, Jessica was a member of the NDA-competitive University of South Dakota dance team, took classes in the University of Minnesota dance program and was on scholarship with the Zenon Company and School in Minneapolis and with Joel Hall Dance Center in Chicago. She has performed for numerous choreographers through her scholarship at Zenon and experience as a professional dancer for various dance teams.
Sarah Ritch
Piano / Theory Solfege / Sing & Play
Sarah J. Ritch was introduced to music early in life through various instrumental studies encouraged by a very musical family. Though encouraged in the classics, Sarah found herself playing guitar and bass in several Punk and Metal bands between 1996 and 2003, eventually leading to an interest in composition. In 1999, Sarah began her formal musical training in cello performance studying with Moonlight Tran, Assistant Principal of the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra and Dr. Andrew Smith.
Irena A. Svidovsky
Ballroom/Latin
Irena A. Svidovsky, originally from Belarus, is a professional DanceSport competitor specializing in the Latin style. Although her first experiences with dance were jazz and ballet, she ultimately fell in love with ballroom. She first performed and competed in high school, but left dancing behind to study computer animation in college. Soon after graduating, Irena realized how much she missed dancing and quickly resumed training and competing.
AJ Tran
Hip-Hop Instructor
AJ Tran began informally dancing at the age of 9. She started choreographing and dancing on a Hip Hop team, named Hypnotik, at the age of 14. She fell in love with the culture, and was appointed President the next year. In 2010, she led Hypnotik to be the first dance team in Northside’s history to be awarded 1st place in the annual talent show. Today, she still holds the title as President and is the director and choreographer of the team.
Cheryl Cavey
Pre-Ballet
Cheryl Cavey moved to Chicago four years ago from Colorado to pursue a career in dance. She briefly attended Columbia College Chicago as a Dance Major at before moving on to a work study position at Visceral Dance Center where she currently trains. She is incredibly grateful to have worked the likes of Darrell Jones, Nick Pupillo, Ricky Ruiz, and Van Collins, as well as various companies around the Chicago area including Rasa Dance Chicago, The Laboratory Dancers, and currently with Esoteric Dance Project.
Daniel 'Bravemonk' Haywood
Break Dance Instructor
Daniel Haywood, known as BRAVEMONK in the Hip-Hop community, is an eclectic, passionate, and energetic soul whose dance was inspired by Gung-Fu, his older siblings, and various street dance styles.
Veronika Catana Class Offerings
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