Meet the Instructors
Tara Repsher, BFA (Head Professional Teacher) holds a BFA in dance performance and education from Towson University. She received her early training from Patricia Bartholomew at Stage Door Studio. Her teaching experience covers many genres of dance, including ballet, modern, jazz, pointe, lyrical, musical theatre, and tap. While performing with the Towson University Dance Company she was asked to perform in a restaging of Martha Graham’s “Panorama.” Tara recently served as company director and dance teacher at Meade Senior High School in Maryland for five years. Her choreography has been seen at the Maryland High School Dance Festivals, Northampton Community College, and Walt Disney World. Tara is an adjunct faculty member in Muhlenberg College’s Department of Theatre and Dance.
Sarah Biren is a second-year teacher with Muhlenberg Community Dance Center. This year, she has taught Advanced & Intermediate Ballet. Sarah is a senior at Muhlenberg College double majoring in sociology and dance. She has been teaching ballet since she was 16 years old, at levels of ballet ranging from Pre-Ballet to Advanced Ballet. In college, Sarah has taken three Anatomy and Kinesiology classes to further her education on alignment and muscle action to apply a better kinesthetic awareness to movement. She predominantly focuses on the Balanchine technique with individual artistry work. Sarah has performed in numerous Muhlenberg mainstage dance concerts, including the lead role in the re-staging of Balanchine’s Valse Fantasie in February 2012.
Jill Casella is a junior at Muhlenberg College majoring in dance and media & communications. This is her second year with MCDC. She has had extensive training in ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, and hip-hop. Before joining MCDC, Jill spent her four years of high school giving private dance lessons to young children. While at Muhlenberg, Jill has choreographed her own work, as well as dancing on the mainstage in many student- and faculty-choreographed dance pieces.
Kaitlin Correnti is currently a junior at Muhlenberg College as a double major in dance and business. Her coursework has included Teaching Dance, Biology of Movement, and Dance History. Kaitlin has trained in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and pointe. Before joining MCDC, she had two years of previous dance teaching experience. At Muhlenberg, Kaitlin has choreographed and been cast in several pieces for the Informal Concert as well as participating in the DanceMax Moving Company, which travels to local elementary schools to teach life lessons through dance.
Angela DeAngelo is a senior at Muhlenberg College majoring in theatre with a minor in dance. For the past two summers, Angela has been a teacher's assistant for the College's Camp Imagine program for middle school kids of Allentown. She assistant teaches creative drama, movement and music classes. Prior to the Camp Imagine experience, Angela also was a summer camp counselor for elementary and middle school students. Angela has had the honor of being cast in several productions, both theatre and dance, at Muhlenberg. She has also choreographed a few community theatre productions.
Kelsey Hutchison teaches creative movement and advanced modern. She is a junior at Muhlenberg College studying dance, English, and Creative Writing. This is her second year teaching for Muhlenberg Community Dance Center. Before coming to Muhlenberg, Kelsey taught and assistant taught ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and tumbling for five years. She is currently enrolled in the Teaching Dance course, for which she teaches dance as an after-school program for the Allentown School District. On campus, Kelsey tutors college students in ballet and modern for the academic resource center. As part of her focus in dance composition and choreography, Kelsey regularly choreographs ballet and contemporary pieces for the Muhlenberg student dance concerts.
Sioned Papparotto has been teaching for the Muhlenberg Community Dance Center for the past three years. Currently, Sioned is teaching beginning and intermediate tap. She is a senior at Muhlenberg College double majoring in Dance and Psychology. With eight years of experience, Sioned has worked with ages 3 through 18, teaching tap, ballet, modern, and jazz. At Muhlenberg, she has completed the Teaching Dance course, Anatomy and Kinesiology, Child and Adolescent Psychology classes, and Developmental Psychology classes. Sioned has choreographed and been cast in numerous pieces in the Muhlenberg student dance concerts as well as Master Choreographer concerts. Her work can also be seen in the spring 2012 theatre production of Three Sisters.
Alexandra Reekie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in dance and media & communications from Muhlenberg College in 2007, where she was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society. She has over six years of experience teaching ballet, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, hip hop and creative movement to students of all ages. In addition to MCDC, Alex teaches at Dance Fusion Performing Arts Studio in Fogelsville. She is artistic director of Fusion Dance Company and executive director and cofounder of the Lehigh Valley Dance Exchange, an organization for professional dancers in the Lehigh Valley. Her choreography has been showcased at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival and the American College Dance Festival, and she continues to be an active performer as well as instructor.
Teresa VanDenend Sorge, Ed.M., in addition to supervising and mentoring the MCDC teaching staff, is teaching Monday evening's Creative Movement class. Teresa has been sharing her talents in various teaching positions since 2000, including instructor of dance at Hope College in Holland, Mich.; dance instructor at Koresh Dance Company, in Philadelphia; and adjunct professor at Temple University. Teresa has performed with Aerial Dance Theatre, PUSH Physical Theatre, and InLet Dance Theatre. Teresa received her B.A. in dance performance/choreography as well as receiving her certification in dance education for children K through 12.