Our Faculty

View profiles: Music, Dance

Dance

Kathy Chase

Kathy Chase began her dance training at the age of six as a tap student and baton twirler! She continued her dance and theatre through high school. Kathy graduated from the College of St. Teresa in 1987 with a BA in Dance and a minor in Psychology. In 1988, she joined the Continental Ballet Company in Bloomington, Minnesota where she danced in the full length ballets: The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Peter and the Wolf, as well as many short works. She has taught dance in Rochester, Winona, Wabasha, Stewartville, Kasson, and numerous locations in the Twin Cities area. Kathy has been an artist in residence in Rochester and Red Wing public schools. She has choreographed for musical productions in the Burnsville, Chatfield, and Rochester communities. Kathy has been with Allegro and the former Rochester Ballet School since 1990 teaching creative movement, ballet, tap and jazz.

Katie Cook

Katie Cook, a Rochester native, received her B.S. degree in both Dance and Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in December of 2004. While at UWSP, she performed in numerous faculty and student choreographed concerts, and had her own choreography selected for two of the annual Afterimages dance concerts. She attended the American College Dance Festival in Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan, and even trained at the Sydney Dance Company (Sydney, Australia) and performed with the Block E performance group of Zenon Dance Company and School (Minneapolis,MN). In addition to teaching at Allegro, Katie is currently the Artistic Director for Children’s Dance Theatre’s 2007-2008 season.

Jeanette Cunningham

Jeanette Cunningham teaches the tap program at Allegro School of Dance. Jeanette started tapping at the age of five in St. Paul at Phil Alesso’s Studio. Jeanette continued dancing until she married and started a family. In Rochester, she taught tap for 2 years before she began teaching with Janet Johnson in 1988. Jeanette has been on faculty with Allegro since its conception. Jeanette is known for her choreography and signature pieces such as Bye Bye Blues and Sing, Sing, Sing.

Samantha Dolan

Samantha Dolan, a fulltime college student at RCTC in the dental hygiene program, will join the Allegro staff as a teacher of hip hop. Her background in dance includes taking classes in ballet, tap, jazz, high kick, lyrical, and hip hop. She has attended Dance Express in Mankato, Just For Kix in Austin, and the Zumbrota Dance Studio in Zumbrota. Samantha belonged to the Austin Junior Varsity Dance Team and Zumbrota High School's Varsity Dance Team. While on the Zumbrota High School Dance Team, she choreographed high kick, jazz funk, and hip hop. Additionally, she was a member of the Zumbrota Dance Studio's hip hop team. Samantha will share her enthusiasm and skills with students enrolling in hip hop.

Gwen Hendee

Gwen Hendee was born on a farm in Colorado and danced feverishly in her mother’s kitchen until she was 15. Four years later, she transferred to the University of Oregon to pursue her degree in dance. After graduation, she danced professionally with two companies in Milwaukee. She taught dance at Mount Mary College, the Jewish Community Center, Danceworks, and the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre in Wisconsin. She was an adjunct faculty member of dance at Winona State University in Minnesota and started its yoga program in 2002. She is also a massage therapist which helps inform her understanding of the body in motion. Modern dance is her true love and she loves to share it with others, from the very young to the very old.

Janet M. Johnson

Janet Johnson’s love of dance began at age three when her parents enrolled her in Evelyn Knight’s School of Dance. Without interruption Janet’s career as a dance student continued. Janet received her BFA degree in dance performance with an emphasis in ballet from the College of St. Teresa in Winona, Minnesota. After a variety of teaching experiences in the region, Janet established the Allegro School of Dance in Rochester, MN in 1989. As Allegro grew and expanded Janet acquired the Rochester Ballet School in 1998 and merged it with Allegro School of Dance. Janet fills many roles for the school: owner, administrator, employer, artistic director and most importantly teacher.

Kristina Kurtz

Kristina Kurtz is returning to the Allegro School of Dance & Music, not as a student, but as a teacher. A native of Rochester, she began her dance training under the instruction of Janet M. Johnson. Kristina continued to pursue her love of ballet joining Continental Ballet Company in 1999. While with CBC, Kristina performed in excerpts from Paquita, Rodeo, Coppelia, and other original works in addition to her roles at Rat Queen, Flower Queen & Dolls in The Nutcracker, and the Jester and Summer Fairy in Cinderella.  She has experience teaching many levels of ballet as well as Pilates based conditioning classes. Her teaching experiences include classes at the school of Continental Ballet, The Phipps Center for the Arts and a variety of summer classes at Allegro School of Dance & Music.  Additionally Kristina has a special interest in dance & sports medicine. She has her B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota, is a certified Athletic Trainer and most recently graduated from the College of St. Catherine with her Doctor of Physical Therapy.

Risse Miller

Prior to joining the Allegro Staff in 2007, Risse accumulated 19 years of dance experience. As a student, she studied ballet, hip-hop, jazz, and tap. She had the opportunity to compete in Scottish Victory Dance for 5 years and to travel with a professional hip-hop team, NSTep, throughout southern California from 1999-2000. And, as a teacher, she has previously worked with preschoolers in creative movement in Huntsville, ALA and more recently served as a Senior Faculty member, Choreographer & Instructor at the Dream Dane Center in Houston, TX. In addition to a dance training background, Risse’s education includes undergraduate studies at Westmont College as a National Merit & Presidential Scholarship recipient, a BS in Theology, and an Associate of Arts degree (magna cum laude) from North Harris Montgomery Community College. She has had additional education courses in Adobe InDesign, Information Mapping Knowledge, and Pappas Advanced Continuing Education Seminars. Risse will direct the studio’s competitive Company girls’ team and tech Jazz 3 & 4 and Hip-Hop 2.

Heidi Oehler

Heidi Oehler is an instructor for Ballet 5/6 and Pointe Classes. She is a Rochester native and began her training in our school. She holds a BFA in Ballet Performance from the University of Utah and has done teacher training courses in the styles of Cecchetti, Vaganova, Royal Academy of Ballet, and Virginia Tanner creative movement. She has worked extensively as an Artist-in Residence in schools and was awarded the status of a Minnesota State Arts Board Roster Artist. She has been active in the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council and is part president. Her choreography has been commissioned and performed many times with the Rochester Symphony Orchestra.During her career, Heidi has choreographed and produced numerous "Nutcrackers."

Jennifer Taber-O'Neill

Jennifer Taber-O'Neill earned a Bachelor Arts in Dance from the University of Michigan and a Master of Education in Dance from Barat College. Her educational dance background also includes studying in New York City at Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, and at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. She also holds a Cecchetti I Teaching Certification.

Some of her varied experience includes performing with Happendance Company from 1995-1996 and touring nationally with Emily Berry Dance Company during 1996-1998. From 1999-2000, she was an elementary school educator and created an after-school dance program for her school. During the same period, she returned to her Community College in Lansing, Michigan to teach, perform, and choreograph. From 2001-2003, Jennifer was an instructor at the Lake Forest Dance Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois. In addition to Allegro, Jennifer is an instructor at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts in Winona. She is an adjunct faculty member at Winona State University and St. Mary's University where she co-developed the dance minor. In the fall of 2008, Jennifer will create several dance courses at Rochester Community and Technical College.

Mrs. Taber-O-Neill has teaching experience in ballet, modern (Graham/Limon based), jazz, lyrical jazz/modern, choreography, improvisation, musical theater, pre-ballet, pre-tap, and creative movement at various studios. At Allegro, she currently instructs in ballet, choreography, jazz, modern, and the studio's competitive team, The Company. Locally she has choreographed for Children's Dance Theatre's Hansel & Gretel's March 2008 production.

 

Music

Tom Burson

Mr. Burson holds a bachelor of education, a bachelor of music, and a master’s degree in music. He is knowledgeable about the technical and artistic aspects of many musical instruments including piano, organ, flute, clarinet, and trumpet. He is proficient in directing both individuals and ensembles. In addition to private piano instruction, Mr. Burson is busy with performing, directing and teaching. His work places include Evangel United Methodist Church, School Age Child Care, and Resurrection Lutheran School, all of Rochester. Tom will be offering private instruction in piano, flute, clarinet, trumpet, and saxophone at Allegro School of Dance and Music.

Martha Kenne

Martha joined the Allegro staff, in the area of vocal music, during the summer of 2007. Martha presently teaches classroom music and directs the 7th and 8th grade choir at Willow Creek Junior High. She has been in that position for 13 years. Previously she taught vocal music for 3 years at Dover-Eyota High School and directed Bethel Lutheran Church’s 3rd-6th grade choirs. While at Bethel, she participated in the handbell choir. Her Bachelor of Science degree in vocal music came from St. Olaf College in Northfield. During undergraduate studies, she sang in the St. Olaf choir, performed personal half and full recitals and earned an academic distinction in music. She has furthered her teaching education by completing a Master of Science degree at Winona State. Besides raising her children and teaching middle schoolers, Martha enjoys playing the piano and violin.