Sofie Besser grew up in Oak Park, Illinois attending technique classes at the Academy of Movement and Music. She was a member of MOMENTA for seven years and travelled with them to Austria to perform in Young Tanzommer in 2013. After graduating from OPRF in 2016, she continued her education at Purdue University where she earned a B.S. degree in Athletic Training along with minors in Dance and Psychology. While at Purdue, she had opportunities to study sports medicine techniques in China as well as a summer internship with the sports medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital. Sofie recently passed her Board of Certification exam and earned an Athletic Training Certification (ATC). Currently, she is enrolled in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. While at Northwestern, she hopes to grow as a medical professional and seek opportunities providing care for performing arts companies. Sofie hopes to work with ballet companies in the future and use her ATC and future DPT credentials to engage dancers in injury prevention and rehabilitation to keep them on the stage rather than in the wings. Sofie has always had a passion for working with early childhood programs. This began at the Academy when at age 11 she started demonstrating for Intro level ballet classes. She also worked at the Park District of Oak Park in their early childhood summer day camps. Her favorite part of working with kids is seeing them grow into their individuality as they develop new interests and learn about the world. Sofie is excited to return to the Academy to teach Intro ballet classes this year!

Laura Brand has performed extensively in classical and modern concert dance companies as well as in musical theater, commercial and industrial shows. Her concert work includes performances with the Chicago Ballet Theater, MOMENTA, The Beverly Dance Ensemble, The Polish Opera Company, the Lyric Opera Company of Chicago, The David Puszh Company, the Ukrainian Folk Dancers and in the Tribune Charities production of Ruth Page’s Nutcracker. She has also been in the PBS television production of Page’s Die Fledermaus and conducted workshops for dance teachers. She was a judge at the Dance Olympus competition. Laura has studied with Loretto Rozak, Larry Long, Richard Arve and Lou Conte. She currently works at a number of Chicago area schools including the Academy of Movement and Music.

Tatiana Castañeda is a dancer, singer, and actor originally from Oak Park, Illinois who grew up dancing at the Academy and from age three all the way through high school. During her time as a student here, she also danced with MOMENTA Dance Company and was able to gain valuable performance and company experience through both organizations. Tatiana is currently a company dancer with Aerial Dance Chicago, under the direction of Chloe Jensen, and teaches ballet and jazz here at the Academy. She has trained extensively in ballet, modern, jazz, and contemporary dance at The Academy of Movement and Music, The San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, and Point Park University. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance from Point Park University in the spring of 2020. Tatiana has performed classical ballets and historical modern works, as well as works by Matthew Powell, Dominic Walsh, Jay Kirk,  Randy Duncan, Monte Rezell, Chloe Jensen, Tracy von Kaenel, Karen Fisher Doyle, and was a swing for the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center’s 2019 production of In the Heights with choreography by Kiesha Lalama. She has experience teaching ballet and jazz at  the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels, as well as pre-pointe and pointe. Tatiana is thrilled to be working with her Academy family!

Born and raised in Taiwan, Mei-Kuang Chen received her early dance training in Chinese classical dance and folk dance as well as Ballet and Modern dance. Seeking further dance education, Ms. Chen has since received her BFA from Ohio State University and her MFA from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Ms. Chen joined Chicago based professional contemporary dance company-Hedwig Dances in 1999 and became the artistic associate two years later. In 2003 Ms. Chen received the prestigious Ruth Page Dance Award from the Chicago Dance Coalition. From 2007-2010 Ms. Chen also taught Mandarin Chinese at Proviso Math and Science Academy. Being a long-time  faculty member at the Loyola University Chicago and The Academy of Movement and Music in Oak Park, Ms. Chen is truly grateful for the good fortune to be surrounded by so many wonderful colleagues and students. Continuing to be able to perform and choreograph with MOMENTA dance company is the cherry on the top!!  

Sally Donaubauer, DPT, OCS, is a physical therapist who specializes in orthopedics and dance medicine, a Pilates instructor, ballet teacher, and former professional modern/contemporary dancer.  Sally attended the University of Iowa for undergrad, where she studied Exercise Science and Dance and performed with the University’s ‘Dancers in Company’. While at Iowa, she performed works by Doris Humphrey, David Parsons, Alan Sener, and many others. Upon graduation she moved to New York City where she danced professionally as a modern/contemporary dancer with Pam Tanowitz Dance, among others. While dancing in NYC, she became certified to teach Pilates at the Kane School/Kinected in 2000. Eventually she went on to earn her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Southern California in 2008. After PT school, Sally moved back to NYC and worked as a physical therapist for the renowned Harkness Center for Dance Injuries. Through Harkness, she worked exclusively with dancers in the clinic and provided on-site physical therapy backstage at Broadway shows such as Wicked and, In the Heights, as well as for several professional dance companies including the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Sally has taught anatomy courses for dancers and Pilates instructors, Pilates teacher training and continuing education courses, dance medicine courses, Pilates for physical therapy lectures, and dancer injury prevention workshops throughout the country. In addition, she has presented at several regional and international performing arts and dance medicine conferences and was cofounder of the Dance Clinic at the Cleveland Clinic.  Sally is thrilled to have now settled in the Chicago area with her family and is excited to continue to blend her passions for dance, Pilates, and dancer wellness at the Academy!

Teresa Deziel is an alum of both the Academy of Movement and Music as well as MOMENTA. Teresa traveled to Austria in 2007 with MOMENTA to perform as part of Young Tanzommer. She has duel Bachelor of Science degrees in Dance and Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as a Bachelor of Art Degree in Advertising Art Direction from Columbia College Chicago. While at UW-Madison she participated in several College Dance conferences, spent a month in Brazil dancing at the Universidade Federal da Bahia, and attended the Dance Education Laboratory at the Harkness Center for Dance in New York City. After graduating she traveled to the World Dance Alliance-America’s conference in Vancouver to perform with Li Chiao-Ping Dance and Jin Wen Yu. Teresa teaches beginning ballet classes at the Academy and is currently the Assistant Director of MOMENTA Dance Company.

Anne Marie Loesch grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina.  There her first job was as an assistant at the local dance studio. Ever since, Anne Marie has been teaching and sharing her love for dance.  She began studying Humphrey-Weidman's modern dance technique under Mary Ann Mee, dancer and demonstrator for Charles Weidman. Katharyn Horne provided her with a solid ballet background in Cecchetti.  It was under these two talented women that she began her professional dance career with Dance Central, Kinetyx Dance Ensemble, and Moving Poets Theatre of Dance.  Since settling in Chicago she has performed with MOMENTA, Joel Hall Dancers, Paul Sanasardo, Zephyr Dance, and various independent artists.  Ms. Loesch has served as the Ballet Mistress for the Joel Hall Second Company and Noumenon Dance Ensemble.  It is with great joy that Anne Marie joins the faculty of the Academy of Movement and Music.

Gina Sigismondi began her formal dance training in Oak Park at the Academy of Movement and Music.  Gina danced on scholarship for four years at Northern Illinois University, where she earned her B.A. in Dance Performance.  Her professional experience includes dancing for Chicago area independent choreographers Paula Frasz, Kirby Reed, Winifred Haun, Sarita Smith Childs, Sandra Kaufmann, and as a member of Fox River Dance Company, MOMENTA Repertory Ensemble, and MOMENTA.  She has taught ballet, jazz, modern, musical theater, creative movement, and physical fitness. Gina continues to perform and choreograph for MOMENTA. 

JP Tenuta, Director of the Academy of Movement and Music, replaces his mother, retired Director Stephanie Clemens. He grew up dancing at the Academy of Movement and Music and with MOMENTA. He completed his BFA in Dance at Northern Illinois University in 1999, where he studied with Randall Newsom and Judith Chitwood. He performed for two years with the Nashville Ballet and two years with Luna Negra. He has also performed in the Chicago area with Lyric Opera, The Civic Ballet, Von Heidecke’s Chicago Festival Ballet and with the Salt Creek Ballet. He performed and choreographed for MOMENTA and toured Austria with them in 2003 and 2010. He has taught in a number of Chicago area schools and is a regular faculty member at the Academy of Movement and Music; he has also taught on the Dance Masters circuit and recently served as assistant director for MOMENTA as it toured for Tanzsommer International in Austria.

Julia spent her childhood in St. Louis, Missouri and later attended the National Ballet School of Canada in Toronto on scholarship. Over a twenty-year career, she danced for the National Ballet of Canada, where she was a soloist under director Reid Anderson, Le Grand Théâtre de Genève in Switzerland, Ballet British Columbia, Galili Dance in the Netherlands, and, most recently, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Julia has worked with Erik Bruhn, Robert Joffrey, Kenneth MacMillan, Anthony Dowell, John Neumeier, Peter Schaufuss, Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato, Ohad Naharin, Jean-Christophe Maillot, Christopher Bruce, and Julia Rhoads, among others, and has created roles in original works by choreographers such as William Forsythe, Amanda Miller, Duato, Neumeier, James Kudelka, Glen Tetley, Giorgio Mancini, Trey MacIntyre, and John Alleyne.

Julia received an undergraduate degree in Latin American studies and art history with honors from the College at The University of Chicago in 2010, later completing a master’s degree in library and information science from Dominican University. She currently works as a reference librarian at DePaul University and as an academic, foreign language, and test prep tutor. Julia has led classes and workshops for the Hubbard Street Youth Dance Program and the Teen Intensive Program under Claire Bataille. She has been teaching ballet and pointe at the Academy of Movement and Music in Oak Park, Illinois since 2012 and has enjoyed choreographing for the senior dancers in MOMENTA.