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A Step Above's Faculty
Tamra Bisbee McKittrick, Director
Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Hip Hop
Tami grew up in McFarland, WI and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance
Choreography and Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She began her training in ballet, jazz and tap at Madison Performing Arts and
continued to study here at A Step Above adding lyrical and pointe to her
training. Tami has attended The Pulse, Tremaine, Company Dace, NYCDA and
LA Underground conventions and has taught ballet, jazz, tap, and lyrical to all
levels throughout the Madison area for over 14 years. In addition to her
experience working with high school dance teams, Tami has traveled to London
and New York to appear in holiday parades.
At the University level, Tami added modern, ballroom, African, Asian-American,
composition and improvisation to her training. She has worked with Li
Chiao-Ping, Jin-Wen Yu, James Sutton, Marlene Skog, Sean Curran, Gloria McLean,
Lori May, Claudia Melrose, Frank Hatchet, Kirby Reed, Tyce Diorio, Mia
Michaels, Dave Scott, Doug Caldwell, Chris Judd, Joe Tremaine as well as with several
guest artists through master classes and seminars including American College
Dance Festival. Tami's choreography has been showcased in several UW
Dance Department Student Concerts, in local recitals, in local high school
musicals, and at several regional competitions.
Tami became the director of A Step Above in June 2004. Tami continues to
further expand her knowledge of dance through classes and seminars. She
believes that a diverse dance education is what makes a dancer successful in
life as well as in dance. She has made teaching dancer her lifelong
commitment and looks forward to a long career of helping her students build
confidence and love for the arts through dance.
Marsden Dieck
Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, and Hip Hop
Marsden is currently a junior at the UW-Madison studying speech pathology. She considers dance a major part of her life
since she put on her first pair of ballet shoes at the age of six. After studying ballet at the Makaroff School
of Ballet in Appleton, WI for several years, she joined her high school’s dance
team. Marsden and her team’s four year
commitment and dedication to developing individual and team skills in the areas
of jazz, hip hop and pom culminated in a first place finish at nationals in
Orlando, FL.
Throughout high school, Marsden relished opportunities to mentor, choreograph
and to teach you dance skills while working as a dance teacher at a local dance
and cheer studio in Appleton. She is
excited to utilize her knowledge and experience as well as her love of dance
and children as she joins the A Step Above family.
Jessica M. Duplessis
Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Musical Theater, Conditioning,
and Hip Hop
Jessica grew up in New Hampshire. Starting her dance career at the
age of four, Jessica's passion for the art never stopped growing. She
began her education with the Jenkins School of Dance and Gymnastics and
eventually became a member of their faculty. Jessica's teaching
experience didn't stop with Jenkins; she continued to teach through an artist
residency program at the Sunapee High School, coached two college teams and
also began professionally judging cheerleading and dance competitions.
Graduating from Keene State College in 2004 with a degree in Theatre Dance and
Film Education with a specialization in Dance Education, Jessica continued work
with the KSC dance team moving from team member and captain to coach.
Jessica enrolled the team in their first competition in 2004 and they were an
unstoppable force ever since. They have won over 8 first place regional
titles, four grand champion titles and were also named the 2007 Reach the Beach
National Champions. Jessica says the one thing she misses more than
family in NH is her dance team.
Jessica teaches all styles but favors contemporary, jazz and hip hop.
While attending KSC, Jessica danced in numerous student and faculty works and
had the chance to work with many choreographers such as Paul Tayler, Sean
Curran, Sarah Parson, Momix and Pilabolous Dance Theatre.
Jessica also works as a judge for the American Cheer and Dance Academy judging
competitions up and down the East Coast. Her favorite competitions are
the ones hosted in Ocean City, MD.
Jessica is excited to be involved with the theatrical and dance community in Madison
and is extremely happy to be with A Step Above.
Kelly Ehresman
Piano
Kelly moved to Madison from Rochester, MN where she taught piano
lessons at the Hovland Jost Conservatory of Music. From a very young age, Kelly has performed in
front of congregations with voice and piano.
During her high school years she was actively involved with the drama
team and many vocal groups. She has
traveled to many summer camps teaching drama, voice and various instruments to
children of all ages. Throughout Kelly’s
college career, she directed her church choir and helped the college choir
during their tour. She has performed in
Sweet Adalines, King’s Choristers, Adoration and Praise Bands. She has also accompanied many choirs and
soloists as well as played for church services.
Kelly has graduated cum laude with a Music Major at Crossroads College in
Rochester, MN. She continues her
education in the Madison area in the areas of teaching and performance. Kelly is excited to be a part of A Step
Above’s Faculty and looks forward to encouraging her students to develop their
abilities.
Maria McDonough
Voice and Piano
Maria received her Bachelors of Music in Piano Performance from Wartburg
College in Waverly, IA. She has been
teaching and performing since the age of 6.
An avid musician, she has toured over 11 countries and 45 states
performing as a vocalist and a soloist in piano, trumpet, mellophone and French
horn. She has been a member of the Colts
Drum and Bugle Corps, the Knightliters Jazz Band, the Wartburg A-Cappella
Choir, and many other touring ensembles.
Maria has been teaching choir, piano and early childhood for over 15
years. Most recently, she was the
director of the Men’s Choir in Arizona School for the Arts, ranked top 10 as
last year’s Charter/Public School in Arizona.
For 7 years, she worked as the assistant director at Prairie Music
Academy.
Maria believes that music should be enjoyed by everyone and sees teaching music
as the greatest job EVER! It is her goal
that everyone has the opportunity to experience the life changing joy of music
study.
Abigail Olsen
Ballet and Modern
Abigail began her ballet training in her hometown of Lynchburg,
Virginia, studying for ten years under the direction of Colin and Sylvia
Worth. While studying at the Fine Arts Center, Abigail performed in
multiple productions as a member of the Lynchburg Regional Ballet Theatre,
including numerous season of The Nutcracker, as well as Coppelia, Cinderella,
The Tales of Beatrix Potter and selections from Swan Lake.
After graduating from high school, she continued her dance training at Belhaven
College, a Christ-centered liberal arts school located in Jackson,
Mississippi. It was not until she attended Belhaven that she was
introduced to modern dance. There she studied under Amy Roark-McIntosh,
Stephen Wynne (founder of At Marah Dance Theatre), Yvette Koonce, Lauri Worrill-Bigs
and Marc Arentsen (co-founder of Polarity Dance Theatre), and performed in
various faculty and student choreographed works. Abigail has also worked
under other instructors at different times, including Marcia Dale Weary,
director of the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.
Greg Punswick
Piano
Gregg was raised in Cottage Grove, WI.
He is a graduate of Monona Grove High school and then studied must at
the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in Ohio. There he received a Bachelor of Music degree
in Piano and Organ Performance. For most
of his working life, Gregg has participated in a variety of musical activities,
including teaching, accompanying, performing and church music. Currently Gregg served as a musician for the
Olivet Congregational Church. He also
accompanies in the choral program at Glacial Drumlin Middle School. Gregg also enjoys singing in the Madison
Symphony Chorus and playing the piano in soirees.
Gregg is very excited to be a part of A Step Above’s faculty and hopes to pass
on his passion for music to his students.
Nicole Rindt
Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Hip Hop
Nicole grew up in Madison, WI and has been dancing since the age of six. She began her training in ballet, jazz and
tap here at A Step Above. She has
furthered her dance instruction adding Hip Hop and Poms as a member of her
middle school and high school dance team.
She also has experience in gymnastics and cheerleading as a member of
the Badger All Stars Competition Squad for three years.
Nicole love for dance continued as she co-coached the Oregon High School Dance
Team for 5 years. She has choreographed
many pom, jazz and hip hop routines including competition dances.
Nicole continues to continue her dance education in hip hop, jazz and ballet at
surrounding studios, dance schools and dance conventions. Teaching and coaching dance has been
extremely rewarding for Nicole and she is very excited to continue into her 5th
year with A Step Above.
Sara Rohs
Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Musical Theater and Hip Hop
Sara trained at many Twin Cities dance studios, including Zenon Dance
Company, Ballet Arts, Stage Door Dance for Performing Arts, The FIRM, Dance
Spectrum, The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts and the UW-Madison Dance
Program.
She danced for the Fairbault high school dance team which is a team that has
taken 1st place in the state competition almost every year since
1997. She danced with and was captain of
Augsburg College dance team and then stayed on for four years as coach. Sara started the Ascending Star Dance Team in
2004 and was the director and dancer for 3 years. Sara taught for Just for Kix summer camps and
hosted workshops with the Augsburg College dance team. She has dance professionally for various
events and was a member of the 2007 Swarm Performance Team. Recently, Sara has danced with the Diamond
Dancers from the Milwaukee Brewers and The SweatShop Hip Hop Crew out of
Madison. Sara is the artistic director
for Madison Contemporary Vision Dance Company.
Sara is the owner of Ascending Star Dance, an internet dance magazine. Her goal is to connect dancers and give them
the opportunities and training to succeed.
Sara has studied with Marlene Skog, Mia Michaels, Wade Robson, Brian Friedman,
LaurieAnn Gibson, Chris Judd, Joe Tremaine, Dave Scott, Tyce Diorio, Napoleon
and Tabitha D’umo, Tony Meredith, Melanie LaPatin, Doug Caldwell and Nick
Lazzarini.
She has taught dance and choreographed for many dance studios and dance teams
including college and professional dance teams as well as dance companies. She is excited to join the faculty at A Step Above.
Brienna Tipler
Ballet and Modern
Brienna began her dance training at the Markaroff School of Ballet in Appleton,
WI where she studied under Juanita and Jeanette Markaroff for ten years. She was a member of the Youth Ballet Theater
for five years, through which she had the opportunity to perform various
community theaters and schools. At age
15, she was accepted into the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
where she intensively studied ballet under renowned instructors. After completing high school at the UNCSA,
she went on to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University
of Oklahoma on scholarship. There she
was a member of both Contemporary Dance Oklahoma and Oklahoma Festival
Ballet. She performed many works including
The Nutcracker, Coppelia, La Bayadere, Don Quixote, A Midsummer’s Night Dream,
Swan Lake, Oklahoma!, Roma, Jean Erdman’s Daughters of the Lonesome Isle, and
Vastus Silva. Brienna had the privilege
to work with choreographers Dudley Williams, Betty Jones, Nancy Allison and
Fritz Ludin among others. She developed
her own choreography and repertoire including an African/Modern piece selected
for the Young Choreographers Showcase.
Throughout the years, she also studied on scholarship at Milwaukee Ballet,
Joffery Midwest, Boston Ballet, Ballet Magnificat!, and Ad Deum. Brienna is currently performing with Kanopy
Dance Company in Madison and studies the Graham Technique under Lisa Thurrell
and Robert Cleary. It is her continuing
passion to develop students’ technical foundation and strength to facilitate
their freedom of movement and artistic expression in dance. Brienna is excited to join the A Step Above
Faculty.
Sara Williams
Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical and Musical Theater
Sara began her dance training at A Step Above in 1995 at the age of
six. She has taken classes in ballet,
jazz, tap and lyrical through her senior year of high school. She was a member of A Step Beyond Dance
Company for 10 years where she performed and competed in solo and group dances
in the Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago areas.
She has attended Tremaine or NYCDA dance conventions each year. She also performed in the Peter Rabbit Ballet
with the Wisconsin Dance Ensemble.
Sara began assisting with classes in middle school and became a substitute
teacher at the studio in high school.
Sara was instrumental in implementing a summer program in dance within
the Cottage Grove Recreation Department and taught classes to four to ten year
olds for four summers. She has continued
to teach as a substitute teacher at A Step Above since graduating from high
school.
Sara will be graduating from the UW-Whitewater with her degree in Early
Childhood Education. Upon graduating she
will have a dual licensure in special and regular education for birth through
third grade. She continues to take dance
class at the studio, through conventions and at UW-Whitewater. Sara is so excited to be a part of A Step
Above’s Faculty.
Cristen
Woolston
Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Musical Theater and Hip
Hop
Cristen Woolston has been dancing for the last 28 years. Her
training began in her hometown of St. Louis, MO in ballet, tap, jazz and
lyrical. She later added hip hop, modern and musical theater to her
resume which she aquired from attending numerous workshops in New York and Los
Angeles. Cristen then movd to LA to further her dance experience with
Edge Performing Arts Center and Debbie Reynolds Studio. She continues to
further her education through workshops and conventions keeping her updated
with the latest moves and styles.
Cristen began teaching alongside her mother, studio own of Dance Connection in
the St. Louise area, and by the age of 16, took on classes of her own.
She has since taught in Illinois, Kentucky, California and Wisconsin, winning
choreography awards at regional and national dance competitions. Locally,
she teaches ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop for 'A Step Above' and enjoys doing
musical theater choreography for Madcap, Strollers Theter, and Oregon Straw Hat
Players.
Some of Cristen’s
performance experience includes performing as a featured dancer for the Shoji
Tabuchi show in Branson, MO, dancing as a member of the first cast to perform
at the Hyperion Theater in Disneyland’s newest addition, Disney California Adventures,
and traveling to Paris, France to perform as a magician’s assistant in a
television special.
Cristen would like to
extend her gratitude to ‘A Step Above’ for allowing her the opportunity to
become a part of the Madison dance community, and for giving her the
opportunity to continue sharing her love for the art of dance and
movement.
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