ACADEMY OF DANCE - Key Persons
Bonnie started her dance career in Racine at the age of six. Since then, she has studied at American Ballet Theatre and with instructors of the Joffrey Ballet. Jazz instructors have included Peter Gennaro, Luigi, Gus Giordano and Joe Tremaine, an internationally-known coach, dance instructor and choreographer for many television and night club shows. In tap, she has studied with Mary Jane Brown, Tommy Sutton and Al Gilbert, as well as tap masters Louis DaPron, Jack Stanley and Henry LeTang, choreographer of Sophisticated Ladies and Cotton Club. She has also studied with Charile McGowen, who was "Mike" in the film A Chorus Line and who has also performed in Bette Midler's Beaches, Grease 2 and I'll Do Anything.
During her career, Bonnie has also been fortunate to be able to study with world-renowned instructors at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. Instructors included Golovkina from the Russian Ballet, Ferenc Havas from the Hungarian Ballet Institute and Sergui Stefanshi from the National Ballet School of Canada. She has also studied with Savion Glover who appeared in the movie Tap as well as in numerous Broadway shows, including Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk and Sophisticated Ladies, among others.
Bonnie's own choreographic and performing credits include musical comedy and variety performances throughout Wisconsin. She was choreographer and director of the Academy Performing Arts Company, and was also director and choreographer for the Penguin Players, a Racine-based group of veteran musical performers. Bonnie has also choreographed numerous dances for reigning Miss Racine's for the Miss Wisconsin Pageant. (Six former Academy of Dance students have gone on to become Miss Racine, one of them Miss Wisconsin.) She continues to keep up to date with the newest dance trends by studying annually in Chicago, Orlando and New York City.
Job Titles:
- Owner / Director, Teacher )
Kelli started her dance career in Racine at the age of two. Since then, she has studied with numerous teachers nationwide in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop & Musical Theatre. Teachers have included Fernando Bujones, Lawrence Rosenberg and members of the American Ballet Theatre in Ballet, Joe Tremaine, Sheila Barker, Peter Gennaro, Luigi, Frank Hatchett, Gus Giordano, Nan Giordano, and Mia Michaels in Jazz, Tony Coppola, Savion Glover, Charlie McGowan, Mike Minery and Al Gilbert in Tap. She has studied Musical Theatre with performers from the Broadway shows "Fosse", "A Chorus Line" and "Cabaret". Her dancing has won her many national titles in numerous competitions and has enabled her to travel throughout the country and perform in such places as New York, Florida, Hawaii, California and Texas. Kelli has also won numerous choreography awards in competitions throughout the country.