Facutly
KATIE KINYON founded Performing Arts Limited in 2000, and is now celebrating PAL’s 10th season! She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre and Dance from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Katie has had vast experience as both a performer and dance educator for the past 20 years. She has participated in many local dance festivals and performances both as a performer and choreographer. She has choreographed musicals such as Mary Poppins, Anne of Green Gables, and The Sound of Music for the Chicago Women Charity Players, and her work as been shown as part of Dance Chicago. Katie is very active in the community, providing dance programs at various North Shore schools such as Decatur Classical, Stone Academy, and St. Margaret Mary. Katie’s students have achieved roles in "The American Girl Revue," commercials for the Illinois Board of Tourism, performed at Great America and are represented by such talent agencies as Shirley Hamilton and Ford Modeling. Katie has also started a performing company as part of Performing Arts Limited that produces such shows as The Nutcracker. In addition to many local performances, the company recently performed in a fashion show choreographed by Katie at Lincolnwood Town Center.
Dance
SHAWN RENEE LENT is the full-time Arts Integration Program Specialist at Columbia College Chicago, a dance teacher for Performing Arts Limited, and has the unique honor of being selected as a member of the British Council’s Transatlantic Network 2020, United Nations Alliance of Civilizations International Fellowship Program travelling to the Middle East, and American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy in New York. Shawn spent 2001-2003 in London, UK as a youth worker and dance critic, and has been a teacher of dance and tumbling for over twenty years. In May 2011, Shawn travelled to Prijedor, Bosnia-Herzegovina to teach dance as part of the Most Mira “Bridge of Peace” Youth Festival. Formerly a core member of Open House Dance Collective, she now serves on the Founding Board for Donna’s Good Things, Young Associates Board of Children’s Memorial Hospital, Advisory Board for the Chicago Arts Educators Forum, and is Founding Chair of the Associates Board for Links Hall, Chicago’s home for independent dance and performance. Ms. Lent holds a Masters degree in Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago with a focus on Arts in Youth and Community Development, a post-graduate certificate in Youth Arts Development from Goldsmith’s College at the University of London, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre and Dance from Millikin University in Decatur, IL.
KRISTINA (KASPER) SALDARELLI grew up dancing and making rhythm in the Chicagoland area. After years of traditional dance training she furthered her education at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point (UWSP), earning a BA in Theatre Arts- Dance. Kristina has performed in several dance and theatre productions, was awarded the Festival of the Arts scholarship and nominated for the Chancellor's Excellence in Leadership award. She has interned with the American Dance Festival at Duke University. Her choreography has been adjudicated at the American College Dance Festival, produced in concert venues including Open House Dance Collective, Northwestern University’s Danceworks and ranked highly in national youth dance competitions. Kristina has been working as a professional dancer, teacher and choreographer for over ten years. She is a company member with Jump Rhythm Jazz Project (JRJP) and coordinates JRJP’s teen education program. She received a 2006-2007 Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Achievement for Individual Excellence On Camera/Performer for the JRJP’s work in the multiple-Emmy-Award-winning documentary Jump Rhythm Jazz Project: Getting There, produced by HMS Media for public television. Kristina got married this summer and is working toward her Master’s degree in Communication, Media and Theatre. She is truly delighted to be starting her seventh year teaching at Performing Arts Limited.
CHRISTINE HANDS attended the University of Iowa on scholarship and graduated in 2007 with a BFA in dance with honors and a BA in English. While there she had the privilege of dancing for notable choreographers such as David Dorfman, George de La Pena, Armando Duarte, and Charlotte Adams. Christine has danced for Matter Dance Company and Corpo Dance Company in Chicago as well as Travelers Dance Company in Iowa City. Her choreography has most recently been performed at the Iowa Dance Fest and in Rebound Dance Festival. Christine has spent time in England, teaching and choreographing at an international boarding school. She has also presented her academic writing and her choreography at the University of Iowa Craft Critique Culture Conference. When she’s not dancing she enjoys reading, running, playing with her cat, and napping in the park.
MEGAN RHYME is originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 2006 she graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in dance. She has since studied with teachers such as Molly Shanahan and danced with artists such as Nicole Gifford Dance, Janet Schmid, and Khecari Dance Theater. Megan has also trained in Pilates with the PhysicalMind Institute, and is qualified to teach beginning through advanced level Pilates mat classes. Megan teaches dance around the Chicagoland area, and loves teaching at PAL!
KATERINA HERDER graduated from Northwestern University in June with a B.S in dance and sociology. She began dancing at her Maryland hometown dance studio and taught at Wheaton Studio of Dance every summer throughout college. At Northwestern, she studied with Laura Wade, Molly Shanahan, and Jeff Hancock and choreographed pieces for TONIK Tap and Dance Department shows. She was first introduced to PAL during her senior year when she researched and wrote her thesis titled "Beyond Ballet: Social Processes in a Chicago Dance Studio." Currently, Katerina is working at Protein Bar, interning with the Production Department of the Joffrey Ballet, and enjoying Chicago, complete with riding her bike everywhere. She is very excited for her first full year teaching at PAL!
MOLLY KAY STOLTZ is originally from North Dakota and is a graduate from the University of Minnesota where she earned her Dance BFA with honors. She currently performs with Chicago Tap Theatre and has performed for many choreographers including Mark Yonally, Max Pollack, Brenda Buffalino, Keane Sense of Rhythm, the University of Minneapolis Opera Theater, and others. She has presented her choreography at the University of Minnesota and other venues in the Minneapolis area and has experience in dance education in public schools, stage management, and was also an administrative intern with the Chicago Human Rhythm Project. Molly is also an aspiring dance scholar, and has presented research on jazz dance history at the Congress on Research in Dance. This is her first year with PAL!
KATIE (MANITOWOC, WIS) began her dance training with Jean Wolfmeyer School of Dance at the age of 5. In 2003 she graduated from Virginia School of the Arts in Lynchburg, Virginia under the direction of Petrus Bosman. She then when on to dance with Ballet West in Salt Lake City, Utah and attended the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, New York. In 2007-2009 she danced for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines performing choreography of Sherry Zunker, Jeremy Plummer, Frank Chaves, Laura Dunlop, and Harrison McEldowney. In 2009 she began working with C5 under the direction of Jeremy Plummer. Katie is currently dancing with Elements Contemporary Ballet under the direction of Mike Gosney. Katie is very excited about becoming a teacher at PAL, and is looking forward to becoming a part of the wonderful PAL family.
Music
LARRY BAER (PIANO) has a diverse background in piano performance and instruction. He has performed with a wide variety of orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the Chicago area, in addition to solo performances. Larry has also dedicated much time to music composition and arrangement, having written award-winning compositions that have been selected for publication across the country. He also arranged music that was performed by dancers in the Open House Dance Collective. Larry teaches classical piano and music theory at Performing Arts Limited. A music scholarship recipient, Larry holds a BS from DePaul University.
Lindsey Poling (PIANO and VOICE) Pennsylvania native C. Lindsey Poling has delighted audiences with her performances throughout the East and Midwest.
While living in Erie, Pennsylvania, Lindsey performed both opera and oratorio works. She sang Hansel in Humperdink’s opera Hansel und Gretel, Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, First Prioress in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites as well as oratorio pieces ranging from Mozart’s Requiem to Rutter’s Magnificat. While in Erie, Lindsey performed Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Erie Philharmonic.
In Lindsey’s current home of Chicago, career highlights include La Zia Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte, and Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos. Concert credits include Mozart’s Requiem, Lauridson’s Cuatro Canciones and Second Woman in Handel’s Solomon performed with Apollo Chorus.
Outside of Chicago, Lindsey has been seen performing Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible, Nurse in Michael Torke’s Strawberry Field’s, Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflote with New Jersey Opera, Hippolyta in “ A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte with Peninsula Music Festival. She has had the pleasure of singing in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to WFMT Radio Chicago.
Lindsey received her Masters in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University, where she studied with Pamela Hinchman and Sherrill Milnes.
ELDA PERALTA (PIANO AND VOICE) lyric mezzo-soprano, is a native of Tijuana, México. Peralta earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and completed her masters of music degree in Voice Performance & Literature at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. She has performed as a soloist with the Chicago Arts Orchestra, La Jolla Symphony & Chorus, the Orquesta de Baja California, Opera de Tijuana, the Aspen Opera Theater Center, Castleton Artists Training Seminar, and at Northwestern University she performed the roles of Vera Boronel (The Consul), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), and the roles of Susanna and Samira for Northwestern’s production of The Ghosts of Versailles by John Corigliano.
She has been the recipient of numerous awards, among those, 1st place in Evanston’s Opera Idol competition in 2011, 1st place in the 2010 Evanston Music Club Competition and in the graduate division of NATS Chicago Chapter in 2009. In March 2011, she had the privilege to perform rediscovered 18thcentury works from Spain and México with the Chicago Arts Orchestra. She is a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, and before coming to Chicago she sang with the San Diego Opera Chorus for three seasons.
Elda currently lives in Evanston with her husband, Joel. In addition to singing and playing piano/guitar, she loves songwriting, playing tennis, running, baking, hanging out with friends, and teaching at PAL!!!
JAMES WEIGEL (GUITAR) was born into a musical family and began piano lessons at age 6. He began learning the guitar and trumpet as a sophomore in high school where he took music theory classes and became involved in the jazz and concert bands. He continued involvement in music while attending college, joining choir, show choir, and forming his own rock band. It was during college that he began to teach at a local music store. After graduating, James moved to Chicago to attend graduate school at Columbia College.
James has appeared on several television shows including NBC's The Today Show, syndicated reality program "NASCAR Angels," and a variety of local news programs. James' songs have been used in a video game, "Lawmower Racing" and in a PBS documentary series "The Ride of Our Lives." As a member of bluegrass band The Henhouse Prowlers, James was one of several artists showcased at the International Bluegrass Music Association's annual convention in Nashville in 2007 and 2008. James continues to be active in the local Chicago music scene, playing in several folk, rock, and country and bluegrass bands and teaching guitar and resophonic guitar (more commonly known as Dobro).
PAL STUDIO
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