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.
Laura Barbalato is a sophomore at Muhlenberg College pursuing a double major in dance and biology. Originally from New York, she has been dancing from the age of three and has studied a variety of dance genres including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, and pointe. She was a member of the Linda Duci Dance Ensemble from 2005-2011 with whom she performed at SUNY Purchase College and participated in community service performances at local elementary schools. At Muhlenberg, Laura has performed in a number of faculty and student choreographed performances and will be making her debut as a choreographer in May 2013. Last spring, she taught an afterschool dance program for the Allentown Public School District while completing the Teaching Dance course. Laura has previous experience assistant teaching both pointe and hip hop classes at The Country Academy of Dance in Yorktown Heights, NY. She is ecstatic to join the MCDC program and begin her training in the Muhlenberg teaching dance practicum.
Sarah Braviak is a sophomore at Muhlenberg College majoring in dance and psychology. She graduated from the Academy for Visual and Performing Arts High School at MCST where she expanded her technical dance training from modern, ballet, and contemporary to other elements of video design and technical theater. Before Muhlenberg, Sarah was a member of project: Smith and Freespace 2 where she performed in NYC, while also assistant teaching contemporary and jazz classes. This past spring she taught an after-school dance program in the Allentown School District through the Teaching Dance class at Muhlenberg. Sarah is excited to begin her first year with DanceMax Moving Co., and with MCDC.
Jill Casella is a senior at Muhlenberg College majoring in dance and media & communication. This is her third 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 senior 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.
Christine DeLuca is a junior at Muhlenberg College pursuing a double
major in dance and mathematics. She has completed both the Teaching
Dance course and the MCDC practicum, where she worked in both the
Creative Movement and Beginner/Intermediate Tap classes. Prior to MCDC,
Christine has worked as a teacher and teacher aide at various schools on
Long Island teaching in ballet, tap, jazz and modern with students
ranging from 3 to 18 years old. This upcoming school year will be
Christine's second year with DanceMax Moving Company, a group which
travels to local elementary schools teaching life lessons through dance.
Kelsey Hutchison is a senior at Muhlenberg College studying dance, English, and creative writing. This is her third 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 has completed courses in Teaching Dance, Movement, Dance Composition, and Advanced Dance Composition. In addition, Kelsey regularly choreographs for and performs in Muhlenberg’s Mainstage dance concerts. Last summer, she interned for The Kennedy Center’s Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell program in Washington, DC. Kelsey also completed the David Parsons Dance Company intensive and choreography workshop in New York City in the summer of 2011. On campus, Kelsey tutors college students in ballet and modern for the academic resource center and is the public relations chair for the Muhlenberg Dance Association.
Jenna Kiefer, Ed.M., is a 2009 graduate of the University of Maryland where she received her B.A. in dance and psychology. She went on to graduate in the first ever dance cohort from Rutgers University with her Masters of Education in Dance and received her PK-12 New Jersey Teaching Certification. During her time at Rutgers, Jenna has been a repertory teacher and workshop presenter for the Rutgers Dance Camp and has also presented on the importance of Assessment in Dance to NJ dance educators. She has been a teaching assistant for Rutgers undergraduate courses, including Dance Appreciation and The History of Dance on Broadway, teaching over 2,000 students. She has also consulted in curriculum design and assessment for the Mason Gross School of the Arts BFA dance program. Jenna presented on a 2011 panel for the National Dance Education Organization in Minnesota and presented at the 2012 New Jersey AHPERD convention. Before starting classes at Rutgers, Jenna was a company dancer with Alight Dance Theatre, Greenbelt, MD.
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.