Dance Instructors

Kristin Balsamo has over 20 years of experience working with children and adolescents and has trained primarily in modern, contemporary, lyrical, ballet, jazz, improvisation, and partnering. Her passion for dance led her to perform and choreograph in the Eurythmic Dance Company and Youth Dance Company in high school and the Purdue Repertory Dance Company in college, where she had the opportunity to showcase her own choreography at the American College Dance Festival. She graduated with a BA in Psychology and a Dance minor, and went on to complete one year in the MFA dance program, focusing on choreography and teaching. From there Kristin pursued studies in Dance/Movement Therapy, Laban Movement Analysis, and Bartenieff Fundamentals, receiving her Master’s degree. During graduate school, she taught dance and co-founded a modern dance company in Chicago. Recently, Kristin has performed with Freespace Dance in Elgin, and developed a program for dancers addressing performance anxiety and fostering self-esteem and connection through movement. She is a licensed counselor and when she is not working she enjoys watching her daughter dance.

Allison Cole has her degree in Special Ed with an emphasis in visual impairment. Ms. Allison started dancing at a young age here at the St. Charles Dance Academy and competed with the Company Team. Ms. Allison has experience in musical theater, lyrical, ballet, tap, jazz, and hip-hop. Allison is also continually taking dance classes as part of her education. Ms. Allison has been teaching here for many years and is well-loved by her students and parents! Allison is an integral part of our team and she enjoys sharing her passion for dance and education with her students.

Stephanie Cirillo has over 20 years of dancing and coaching experience. She holds a BS degree in Marketing, with a minor in Dance Performance. Stephanie is trained in multiple styles including ballet, modern, jazz and hip hop. Professionally, she has been a member of dance teams including the Chicago Luvabulls, Schaumburg Flyers Dance Team, Chicago Storm Chasers, and McHenry County Pirates Dance team. Stephanie has coached and choreographed for cheer and dance teams for over 20 years including recreational leagues and high school teams; most recently she was the Head Dance Coach for Cheer Illinois Athletics and Illinois Knights Elite. She choreographed for a high school and was a dance coach and team member at Cheer Chicago All Stars. Stephanie is a talented choreographer who is excited to share her passion with her students.

Sheila O'Connor has been involved with Irish Dancing since she was 6 years old. She has been with the Weber School of Irish Dance from the beginning with over 20 years of teaching experience Ms. Sheila frequently visits Ireland and has a deep love and knowledge of the art form and cultural history and significance of Irish dance. She was a school teacher for many years, working with students with learning disabilities. The Weber Dancers have been working with the St. Charles Park District for over 20 years, and Ms. Sheila is looking forward to another exciting year of dance.

Jessica Dirck teaches seasonal and recital classes. She is coming with 10 years of dance experience, which include a background in ballet, tap and modern dance. Jessica has a Bachelor's Degree in Special Education. She has taught for over 15 years as a Special Educator, with 7 of those years being in Early Childhood Education. Jessica has enjoyed working with youth in the community by coaching girls' high school track and field, Special Olympics teams, and being a Girl Scout troop leader. When Ms. Jessica is not teaching she enjoys spending time with her girls and watching them dance.

Katisha Muhammad has a degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked with children for over 20 years. She currently holds a position as family support specialist and is the Head Poms Coach at a middle school. Katisha knew at a young age that dance was special to her. She danced growing up and was on poms and dance teams throughout her education. She has studied with instructors such as Randy Newsom, Judy Chitwood, Paula Franz and Dr. Charles Carter. She was the choreographer her school Hip Hop team. For the past several years, Katisha has been a dance educator, assistant coach and co-choreographer for Competition Teams and recreational dancers. Her love of dance led her to pursue a certification in Zumba and Yoga. Katisha teaches in the recital program, competition team and performance team, motivating dancers and focusing in on their technique and performance abilities.

Brooklyn Brown ...

Calli Walker has been dancing her entire life. Her mother has owned a dance studio for over 50 years and that is where she began her training and teaching. She is trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap, contemporary, modern, and Acro. She has taught students ages 1.5years old to 80 years old. Calli holds a BA in Communications Studies and minor in Dance and Psychology. She has coached recreational and competitive gymnastics in our community. Currently she teaches seasonal and recital classes for our younger dancers and the new Acro classes, which introduce students to tumbling/Acro that can be used in dance classes and routines as well. She is thrilled to see all students grow and excited to be part of the growing St. Charles Dance Academy!

Sophia Reich has been dancing for 15+years. She is trained in pointe, contemporary, ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop, however her heart lies with pointe and contemporary. Dance has been her passion and love her whole life. She is excited to ignite that passion in others! She trained at Duet Dance Academy before joining the D2 Performing Company. Seeing the joy that dance brings to others excites her and she cannot wait to see all of her dancers find the same love.