Our Awesome Staff
Lily Henson - Instructor
Lily started her training with Dance Dynamics at the age of 9 years old and continued with us as an elite member of the Dance Dynamics Dance Company member until she graduated High school in 2021. Lily is now an Art major in college and has started teaching for us this fall.
Lily was an incredible part of our studio and an amazing leader on our company. She was an inspiration to watch on stage and grew into such an incredible dancer in her time with us. Dance still continues to be a passion of Lily’s and we are so excited to welcome her on Saturday mornings teaching our youngest dancers.
We are so excited to have Lily on staff with us and look forward to many more years together.
Brittany Piech - Instructor/Choreographer
Brittany began dancing at the age of 3 with Moves Dance Theater in IL. She studied ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, acro, musical theater and acting. By the age of 8, Brittany was competing nationally winning many high scores and scholarships. She also had many performance opportunities such as Nuts and Bolts with Joel Hall, The Christmas Spectacular with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and The Bob McGrath Show at Navy Pier. Some of the dance masters she studied with included Terry Fox, Avnun Yakubov, Van Collins, Marc Wayne, Anne Wayne, Sherry Moray, Missy Ridgeway and Watmora Casey. Besides dance, Brittany was involved in many print and acting jobs. She was chosen to attend the Peter Sklar acting camp in New York and starred in a Subway commercial. She could also be seen as a model in the Speigel Catalogue.
Throughout her Middle School and High School years, Brittany continued to dance competitively with Perseverance Dance Company under the direction of Missy Ridgeway. Perseverance was recognized as one of the top children’s competitive troops in the nation and Brittany won several prestigious dance awards and scholarships. She even signed on with her first agent at DDO Talent Agency. She kept busy by teaching her own dance classes at Dance Dance Dance in Glen Ellyn and choreographing for her high school poms team.
Straight out of high school, Brittany trained at Gus Giardano Dance School in Chicago on scholarship. She trained there for a year and then received the exciting news that she was accepted to train on scholarship at The Edge Performing Arts Center in LA. Brittany decided to move out to California to pursue a professional career in dance. She was very successful and performed in years and years of live stage shows at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood and made television appearances on the Suite Life of Zack and Cody. She traveled to many different countries with Franz Harary as a magician’s dancer/assistant. She began studying Latin Jazz under one of Jennifer Lopez’s choreographers, Gustavo Vargas, and performed in many Latin Jazz shows. She also taught classes at Gotta Dance in Grenada Hills, CA.
Brittany will be stating her 4th season with us and is also the co-director of our elite competition team. Brittany's amazing choreography has won numerous awards over the years and we are honored to have her continue being a part of our staff.
Michelle Balsamo - Instructor/Choreographer
Michelle Balsamo began dancing at three years old. She danced competitively until the age of eighteen and studied ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap, hip-hop and contemporary. From the age of eighteen and on she has been teaching and choreographing pieces for competitive dancers. She graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2017 with a BA in dance. She studied modern techniques, ballet, west African, jazz, hip-hop and improvisation under the Columbia faculty. Through Columbia’s Repertoire Performance Workshop Michelle had the opportunity to work with and perform the choreography of Carrie Hanson, Thomas DeFrantz, and Vershawn Ward. She has also performed the works of Gil Mata, Cameron Mathe, Alvin Ramirez, Matt Pilalis, Julian Carmolinga, and Dionna Pridgeon at the Carnival Choreographer’s Ball in Chicago. She hopes to continue training, teaching, and performing in all different styles and work with new artists and students in the future.
Michelle teaches lyrical, hip hop, modern & contemporary as well as choreographs for our award winning dance company! Michelle's choreography has won numerous awards as well as National Champion winner for 2023 and we are honored to have her for her 7th season at Dance Dynamics!
Denise Quinn - Instructor/Dynamic Dancers Director
Denise has been in the dance business for over 40 years. She has been dancing and teaching since she was a young girl. In 1980, after many years of experience in teaching at different studios and park districts, Denise opened her own dance and gymnastics studio that ran successfully for 20 years. There she taught all ages and levels both gymnastics and dance. Denise raised two daughters with the same love and passion for dance that she had, and her youngest, Brittnie, has followed in her footsteps by opening Dance Dynamics in 2008. Denise now works with children of all ages in dance and in special education in preparation for the Special Olympics. Denise runs the "Dynamics Dancers" program-a program dedicated to special needs Children of all ages and skill level. Denise also teaches some of our tot classes throughout the week.
Summer of 2015 one of Denise's long time students attended the Special Olympic World Games in LA and won the GOLD MEDAL!!!! Denise has many, many years of experience and now has a gold medal winner under her belt!! We are so lucky to have her working with our dancers at Dance Dynamics.
Denise also runs our tot program for all of our 2-5 year olds. Denise is also runs our in studio apparel shop "KinleyBelle" for all your dance attire and shoes needed for our classes.
Susan Altman - Instructor/Adult Ballet & Baton Director
Susan Altman is an accomplished ballerina with an extensive history of performing and teaching for over 30 years. She teaches multiple levels of ballet at our studio as well as Pointe.
In 2016, Susan earned the honor of becoming a certified teacher for American Ballet Theatre in New York, NY.
To become an ABT Certified Teacher, candidates must complete intensive training in the ABT National Training Curriculum and successfully pass comprehensive examinations. As an ABT Certified teacher, Susan is permitted to teach the ABT National Training Curriculum, levels pre-primary through Level 3. We are one of the few studios in the Midwest to have an ABT certified teacher on our staff!
Susan performed with the Pointe Park Ballet of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and the Detroit Civic Ballet in Royal Oak, MI. She has completed ballet mastery and choreography courses in recent years with the California Ballet, and the Del Mar Ballet in California.
Susan has been with us since 2014 and we are honored to have her continue with us this Fall on Thursday nights with various level of ballet & pointe.
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Nickie Del Re Masino - Instructor
With her love of performing and explosive style, Chicago native Nickie Del Re-Masinoʼs vast experience includes touring the country as a world renowned Radio City Rockette in the annual production “Radio City Rockette Christmas Spectacular,” “The Masquerade Village Show in the Sky” at the Rio Suites Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, the World Cup opening ceremonies, and featured roll in “Dance Chicago”, “Jazz Hot”, and Lisa Boehmʼs annual production of the “Nutcracker Suite Ballet.” Nickie has performed with recording artists such as Tony Bennett, Richard Marx, Kristine W., and Jon Secada.
She has choreographed and performed in numerous industrials across the United States and has appeared in commercials for Reebok, Rio Suites Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and the Broadway musical “The Producers.” You may have also seen here 'eye highʼ kicks as a Radio City Rockette on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and her choreography was spotlighted on NBCʼs Americas Got Talent in 2014. Nickie has been teaching for more than 25 years and receives high praise for teaching award winning choreography, exceptional technique, and a strong work ethic, which has advanced many of her students to the professional level.
We are so excited to continue having Nickie at Dance Dynamics for her 5th year this fall! She will be teaching different jazz & ballet levels, as well as choreographing for our elite dance company!
Annalisa Bomicino - Instructor/Choreographer
Annalisa began dancing at age 3 at Center Stage Dance Studio in Bloomingdale, Illinois. Up until she graduated at 18, she trained in tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, contemporary, and musical theatre. She became a part of Aspire Dance Company, the competition team of Center Stage at around age 5. With 13 years of experience in competitive dance, she began teaching tap technique class at Center Stage as a freshman in high school. She continued teaching technique classes along with tap, jazz, and ballet recital classes throughout her high school years. After graduating, she started choreographing for the competition company with additional tap technique classes and various styles of recital classes. Annalisa has been such a huge asset to our incredible staff and we are so happy to have her.
We are pleased to have Annalisa back at Dance Dynamics this fall for her 4th season! Annalisa will also be choreographing for our elite competition team for our upcoming 2023/2024 season!
Nikki Perley - Office Manager & Instructor
Nikki has been our wonderful office Manager at Dance Dynamics for the last 9 years and now, as a certified yoga instructor, she also runs our amazing Yoga Program! Nikki got her Certification in Yoga & Yoga Sculpt in May of 2019 and teaches 12-15 classes a week! We are so excited to offer Yoga sculpt at the studio several times a week with Nikki, this class is for anyone ages 18+ looking for a GREAT work out!
Julie Carson - Instructor
Julie began her training in Peoria, Illinois where she became a member of Peoria Civic Ballet. She was invited to attend Chicago City Ballet School on full scholarship under the direction of world-renowned prima ballerina Maria Tallchief. Julie also trained intensively with Miss Tallchief’s sister, Marjorie Tallchief (Paris Opera Ballet) and Paul Mejia (New York City Ballet.) She attended Northern Illinois University where she studied under Randall Newsom and Margaret Faust. Throughout her professional career, Julie trained in Chicago at the Ruth Page School of Dance with legendary ballet teacher Larry Long. Along with Mr. Long, she studied with Warren Conover (American Ballet Theatre) and Dolores Lipinski Long (Ruth Page’s Chicago Ballet.)
Julie’s career highlights include performing in Ruth Page’s production of The Nutcracker at Chicago’s Airie Crown Theatre for 12 years under the direction of Larry Long. She performed in the operas La Sonnambula, Eugene Onegin, and Alceste at the Chicago Civic Opera House as a member of the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet under the artistic direction of Maria Tallchief. Julie also performed in Chicago City Ballet’s production of Cinderella at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre with Maria Tallchief as artistic director.
Julie has been teaching in the Chicago area for over 35 years and is a master of ballet. We are so excited to welcome Julie into her 3rd season with us this fall teaching multiple levels of ballet & Pointe!
Danielle Addante - Instructor/Choreographer
Danielle started her training for dance at the early age of 3 alongside of a competitive team. As she grew older, she quickly realized her passion for dance which led her to receive multiple awards and scholarships from conventions and competitions in a variety of styles. She has choreographed for multiple high school dance varsity and junior varsity teams, Danielle has taught for 5 years for ages 2-18 as a lyrical, jazz, and contemporary instructor at Ignite Dance Company, where she created many high scoring dances and received numerous choreography awards. Danielle continues to inspire and pass on her knowledge to her students and has been such a great asset to our staff!
We are so excited to have Danielle in her 3rd season with us not only teaching more classes for us this fall with all ages and levels, but also choreographing for our award winning elite competition team.
