Carrie Bohlmann (Polack), Co-owner/Dance Instructor
Carrie Bohlmann (formerly Polack) has been training in the art of dance for thirty years and has worked professionally in the industry for 20 years. She grew up dancing at Accent On Dance (A.O.D.) in Wisconsin, with Dance Instructors, Mary Cummings and Kellie Plath. She continued her training at Oklahoma City University’s Dance Performance Program and finally earned her BFA degree in Dance Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she worked with with artists such as Janet Lilly, Andre Tyson and the late, great Ed Burgess. After graduating, Carrie moved to Chicago and began her career as an instructor of ballet, tap, jazz and modern dance. She had the opportunity of teaching and learning the craft of the business under Jenny Campbell at Jenny’s Dance Centre in Lake Bluff, Illinois for two years. Around that time Carrie also began her health and fitness career as a certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor. She discovered fitness was a great love of hers but after training clients for a few years, decided to put that on hold to open a performing arts school with her sisters, Annie and Margaret. She is proud and thankful to be sharing the realization of her childhood dream with her sisters as the co-owners of Virtuoso Performing Arts.
Carrie is known for her teaching methods and has won recognition at the national level for her innovative choreography. With VPA going into its ninth year, Carrie continues to teach dance and manage/build the studio. Additionally, she has recently decided to again pursue the fitness avenue she started years ago. She will soon graduate as a Holistic Wellness Coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and is already accepting clients to help them with their wellness goals and transform them into the amazing people they were born to be. To learn more about what Carrie does, visit her webpage at carrie-bohlmann@healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com.
Annie Conway (Polack), Co-owner/Dance Instructor
Annie Polack has been dancing for over thirty years. She received her early training from Accent on Dance Studios in Waukesha WI and later went on to earn her BFA in Dance Performance from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Throughout her career, Annie has enjoyed working in both commercial and concert dance. Upon moving to Chicago, she apprenticed with River North Chicago Dance Company and performed in Thodos Dance Chicago New Dances. Her most recent choreography earned her the title “Best Choreography” from various regional dance competitions. Annie feels very fortunate to be able to work alongside her two sisters every day since opening VPA in 2003.
Margaret Thompson (Polack), Co-owner/Dance Instructor
Margaret graduated from SMU in Dallas, earning her BFA in Dance Performance. She has studied with some of the top teachers and choreographers in the country and has been cast in roles by such masters as Robert Battle of the Parsons Dance Company. Margaret is thrilled to be able to work with such wonderful students every day at VPA, which she owns and runs with her two sisters.
David Zizic, Music and Theatre Director/Instructor
David Zizic is proud to have been with Virtuoso Performing Arts since their opening day! Recent performing credits include: Tenor in Phantom at Theatre at the Center, Harlequin in Triumph of Love and Assistant Stage Manager in Enter the Guardsman at Illinois Theatre Center. David is a third year ensemble member with Imagination Theatre in Chicago. Recent Directing and/or Musical Directing credits are: State Fair and Into the Woods at the Woodstock Opera House, Into the Woods and High School Musical at Virtuoso Performing Arts and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown with ArtCraft Theatre.
Simone Baechle, Dance and Pilates
Simone Baechle hails from Randolph, NJ and began intensively studying dance as a student in New Jersey School of Ballet’s pre-professional division. She participated in summer intensives at American Academy of Ballet, Joffrey Ballet (NYC), Ballet Hispanico, and Alvin Ailey. Simone performed works by Laura Wade, Jeff Hancock, Molly Shannahan, and in a MOMIX repertory piece while studying at Northwestern University, from which she graduated cum laude in 2007. After graduating, Simone spent two years as a company member of St. Louis-based MADCO (Modern American Dance Company), where she performed works by Robert Battle, Michael Foley, and John Beasant III. While in St. Louis, Simone taught ballet, jazz, modern, and pointe at local studios; she also earned her Pilates Mat Instructor Certification from Master Teacher Karen Sanzo at the Pilates and Yoga Center of St. Louis. Since moving to Chicago in August 2009, she has performed with Winifred Haun & Dancers, VADCO, and as a guest soloist with Rodriguez Dance Theatre. This summer Simone can be seen performing with Matter Dance Company and in Thodos New Dances.
Joey Bohlmann, Guitar
Joey is an accomplished guitarist originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is actively recording and touring with various Chicago-based acts. Joey has studied guitar for over twenty years with acclaimed instructors and acknowledged organizations. He encourages critical thinking in regard to music principles.
Brook Burkhardt, Dance
Matthew Conway, Piano
Matt has played the piano since age 6. He was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois and credits the diverse community as a major creative influence on his life and music. After winning the Louis Armstrong Jazz award as a teenager, Matt went on to enroll and perform in the jazz programs at Northwestern and Depaul Universities, finally graduating from Depaul with a BA in Marketing. He has spent the last 5 year performing and teaching piano in the Chicago area. He is a mainstay in two highly touted Chicago bands — jazz ensemble ‘Bob Perna & Persistence’ and funk/hip-hop group ‘Abstract Giants’ - and is currently featured on the latest recording from indie giant ‘Bumpus’. Over the last few years, Matt has had the opoportunity to perform at major venues including The House of Blues, Tweeter Center, Metro, Andy’s, and Green Dolphin Street as well as out of town stints in Indianapolis and Las Vegas.
Marlene Flood, Music and Theater
Marlene Flood is an Equity singer-actress in Chicago. Marlene’s regional theatre credits include: Dialogues Of The Carmelites (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Passion, The Taming Of The Shrew, and Sunday In The Park With George (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); “Fosca“ in Passion (Jeff Citation Award--Best Actress , Porchlight Music Theatre); “Raffaela” in Grand Hotel , “Aldonza” in Man Of La Mancha (Theatre At The Center); and “Emma Goldman” in Ragtime ,“Sister Sophia” in Sound Of Music (Light Opera Works). Marlene also created the original character roles for the new musicals, The American Girls Revue and Circle Of Friends; and sang with the show’s lyricist, Gretchen Cryer, to record the CD’s for both shows.
Marlene has been teaching Musical Theatre Classes and Workshops at Metropolis Performing Arts Center. She started teaching “Babes on Broadway” Classes for Northbrook Theatre last year, and has taught Workshops and Classes for Virtuoso Performing Arts. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Arts: Theatre Performance; a Bachelor Degree in Music: Vocal Performance; and, a Masters Degree in Music: Vocal Performance.
Nathan Greer, Drums
A classically trained percussionist, Nathan began studying the drum set in his early teens. While in college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Nathan studied percussion and improvisation with Dr. James Latimer. Through the House of Soundz, a community performance space and music education program, Nathan taught drum lessons, lectured, and performed in public schools and community centers in the Madison metro area. Always searching for new and different musical experiences, Nathan followed his teachers to Chicago in 1997 after graduating from the University with a degree in Communication Arts. Since arriving in town, Nathan’s diverse tastes and abilities have allowed him to play in a wide variety of groups and settings. While jazz has been the center of Nathan’s studies, he has over twenty years experience playing rock and other pop genres. Nathan emphasizes listening, improvisation, and musicality in his own playing and instills these principles in his students, while helping them to develop their own voice.
Gail Mangurten, Piano
Gail graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Music Education. She was Musical Director at Tuxedo Junction and has taught at the Junior High and High School levels. Currently, Gail is a member of the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band and the College of Dupage Jazz Ensemble. She has performed at Carnegie Hall and toured Western Europe.
Matt Pumanes, Choreographer
Sophia Rafiqi, Choreographer
Sophia Rafiqi is a sophomore at Northwestern University double-majoring in Dance and Cognitive Neuroscience. Her most recent dance appearance was in an ensemble of Stamina of Curiosity: Alternatives to Fainting choreographed by Molly Shanahan in Northwestern University's Danceworks 2010, and she is currently in the process of developing her own piece of concert dance for Northwestern's Fall Dance Concert 2010. Sophia's many passions include movement, mountains, going new places, anthropology, psychology, foreign languages, strange hair accessories, babysitting, snow, strong coffee, contemporary art, giving the best hugs possible, all things pumpkin, and Sevilla, Spain. She is a firm believer in movement as a strong, visceral form of communication, but also understands that sometimes the signal can get a little fuzzy if we try too hard to "get it". So she invites you, simply, to take a peek into her colorfully muddled world, and hopes you'll speculate little and enjoy much!
Lynn Teng, RYT - Yoga
Lynn’s intention is to provide a practice of yoga that all can feel capable of embracing whatever one’s experience or physical condition. She believes in honoring a participant’s current condition, the differences in the skeletal body, muscular body and emotional body and having awareness how that presents for each person.
By focusing on the breath and movement in a meditative manner, and balancing the opposing forces in the body, such as yin and yang energy, inhalation and exhalation, one can restore the body to its natural equilibrium.
Through the practice of yoga and focus on the breath, Lynn believes that we can begin to lean how to relax even in our tension. Lynn believes that each yoga class is simply a condensed practice of daily life.
Lynn is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) through Integral Yoga, Satchidananda Ashram, as well as having attended teacher trainings in Yin Yoga with Paul Grilley and Paulie Zink, and many workshops over the years to contribute to her eclectic style. Lynn is also YogaEd and Brain Education certified to teach children.
In addition, she is a certified mediator for the Center for Conflict Resolution, a Brain and Body Life Coach, and has received Pilates Matwork Certification from Pilates PhysicalMind Institute. Lynn also is a Presenter/Trainer for Luster Learning Institute, NFP. Lynn is available for private and small group trainings, as well as healing sessions.
Laura Thurston, Ballet
Laura Tomlinson studied dance at Northern Dance Theatre of Northern Illinois University and at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. She graduated in fall, 2005 from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in dance performance. Laura has been teaching in the Chicago land area since 1999 teaching ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, lyrical, tap, and hip hop. She has choreographed professionally for AJ Ensemble and competitive performance groups. Laura began performing professionally in Chicago in 2004. She is a former company member of Chicago Dance Crash and Corpo Dance Company, Inc. and performed with Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre in their 2008-2009 season. In 2009, Laura co-founded Piel Morena Contemporary Dance in Chicago, IL. She is looking forward to Piel Morena Contemporary Dance’s first season.
Sabriah Wiedeman, Choreographer
Sabriah Wiedeman was born in Missouri and moved to Illinois when she was eight years old. Throughout the eight years that she has been dancing she has received scholarships to Access Broadway workshops and Adrenaline intensives. Sabriah has had the privilege to train under the instruction of many professional dancers and choreographers along with her current teachers Ajay Bedi, Carrie, Annie, and Margaret Polack. Her first and latest choreography piece "Serpentine" won a platinum award at Access Broadway Dance Competition and was well received by numerous dance critics. She hopes to continue dancing through college, dance in a professional company, and teach dance. Sabriah is extremely grateful to her dance teachers at Virtuoso for the professional, yet family atmosphere that they offer at their studio and for the inspiration that they have given her in pursuing a dance career.
FACULTY
(847) 998.9900
