Emily Firari has been dancing for 18 years and has trained in a variety of styles including, ballet, lyrical, jazz, and contemporary. Her training originated from Diamond School of Dance, in Eau Claire, WI, where she taught for four years within their recreational program. She received her dance certificate from The University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, along with her BBA in Management in 2024.
Throughout her time at UWEC, she danced with UWEC’s Concert Dance Company, where she had the opportunity to choreograph eight pieces and serve as president of the company. She also danced and choreographed collaboratively with UWEC’s Confluence Dance Project.
Emily continues to pursue her dream of becoming a guest choreographer through her partnership of AE Choreography.
She is excited to work with Vibe’s dancers and share her passion for movement with others!
Molly is a versatile dancer who has been dancing for 17 years. She received her training at a variety of Madison-area studios, plus Visceral Dance in Chicago, and finally landed at Vibe right when it opened! Molly’s experiences include being an NBA Dancer for the Milwaukee Bucks, a touring convention assistant, and a competitive dancer for 11 years.
Molly fell in love with dance conventions at the age of 8, and went on to be awarded multiple year-long scholarships and many other awards. For two years, she toured throughout the US, Canada, and Spain as an on-stage assistant with Artistic Dance Exchange (under the mentorship of Keenan Cooks, Tom Richardson, Hamilton Evans, and Mollee Gray). She also spent 6 years as a Protege for The Pulse on Tour, was an Intrigue ‘True Performer’, Team Hollywood Vibe winner, KAOS Kast Member, and Monsters of Hip Hop Cast Nominee and toured and trained extensively with all of those conventions and many more!
Other notable experiences include winning overall top prize in Improv at ADE nationals (as well as at several Intrigue regionals in the Midwest), being a Young Bucks NBA Dancer for two years in middle school, getting first place overall for her contemporary solo at Revel Dance Convention in Chicago (and multiple competitions, as well), being a featured dancer for the band Blackstreet at a halftime show, dancing at Summerfest, and dancing for the Wisconsin Sports Awards (which was televised on ESPN).
Allison has been dancing for over 35 years and teaching for over 20 years. She received her training at West Side Performing Arts in Madison; the EDGE and the Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles; the Broadway Dance Center in New York; and Ballet Chicago. She is trained in ballet, pointe, lyrical, jazz, tap, hip hop, and musical theater and has taught a variety of ages and styles. Her classroom emphasizes technique, core strength, and encourages students to “dance with intent!”
Allison’s experiences include teaching dance at multiple studios in the Madison and Milwaukee areas, dancing competitively with teams and as an individual, choreographing award-winning pieces for several high school, college, and studio dance teams; performing in scholarship shows in Los Angeles and New York, and traveling nationwide for numerous convention circuits – both as a student and assistant. At these conventions, Allison received over 15 scholarships to study at studios in Los Angeles and New York.
Allison received her Bachelor of Science in Secondary English Education from Edgewood College and lives in the Madison area with her husband Tom and their three children, Ryan, Simon and Lucy.
Sarah was born and raised in Sheffield, England, U.K., where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Performing Arts from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. She has performed throughout Europe in a variety of shows including; Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Pomp Duck and Circumstance’, and ‘Russ Steven’s Theater of Illusion’. She was a performer for ‘Williams Entertainment’ in Munich, Germany, a dancer at SeaWorld Australia and choreographer for a Warner Bro’s show at Six Flags, CA.
Sarah holds over 25 years of teaching experience in many styles including contemporary, jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop, lyrical, adaptive dance, and acro. She has taught in studios not only in California, Arizona and Wisconsin, but also in England and Germany.
She has a passion for teaching dance to individuals with developmental differences and was recognized as one of BRAVA’s 2024 Women to Watch, for her efforts. She was the founder of ConfiDANCE and in 2024 took the position of Adaptive Dance Director at ARTS for ALL Wisconsin. Sarah holds a Rhythm Works Integrative Dance certification and is a firm believer that dancing stimulates the mind, body, and soul, and that everyone should have the chance to dance.
When she is not teaching dance, she works as a licensed massage therapist. Her hobbies include painting, yoga, and travel.
Hola, I’m pato
Pato Cierna is the artistic name of Patricio Cierna Estrada, an Argentine singer and dancer.
In 2007, at the age of 8, Pato began his career as an artist until he was 14 years old at a Musical Comedy School in the West Zone, studying Singing, Guitar, Piano, Jazz, Hip Hop, American Zapateo and Theater.
In 2012 he began his work in theater, giving Hip Hop classes, until he reached the dance floor of the successful and popular TV show “Showmatch” at the age of 16.
In 2017, he won a dance scholarship in the United States and decided to travel every month during that year to participate and grow his dance level internationally.
In 2019 he decides to start his career as a singer where during that same year he released his first Album called “VIVO” with 5 video clips of outstanding songs from it.
In 2022 he participated in tours with the singer EMILIA MERNES throughout the Argentine Republic. Also accompany the renowned singer Luis Fonsi as a dancer at the emblematic LUNA PARK theater in Buenos Aires. In the middle of that same year, he managed to stay in the cast of the singer YSY A to make two micro-stadiums in Buenos Aires.
Coleen is the Executive and Artistic Director of StageWorks Projects, Inc founded in 1989.
Coleen’s contributions to the performing arts industry spans over 50 years including; teaching multiple styles of dance, choreography, costuming, directing, production, and competition judge. Coleen’s family legacy in performing arts began with her Great Grandfather, Professor F.W. Kehl with the opening of their family studio in 1880. Studies began there in 1953 for her. She performed at the age of 8 with the Ballet Rouse de Monte Carlo’s production of The Nutcracker Ballet, corps member of Wisconsin Ballet Company, under the direction of Tibor Zana, and attended Stone Cameron Ballet School.
After continued training brought her back to Madison, she founded the Stoughton Center for the Performing Arts in 1987-2018. Dance, music and drama education was the focus at SCPA, along with an award-winning Dance Company.
Jarrell started dancing when he was 13 years old. He first joined his high school varsity dance team and danced with them for four years. While Jarrell was dancing on the dance team, he also started taking classes at a former studio in the Madison area called Studio One Dance School. Jarrell has performed in many recitals and has been to dance competitions, but has never competed himself.
While dance is a major part of Jarrell’s life, he has also participated in plenty of musicals and shows including Legally Blonde, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, A Chorus Line, Little Red Riding Hood, Dracula, and The Nutcracker. After graduating high school, he studied dance at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and got his BA degree in dance.
Being able to teach what he loves is an absolute dream come true. Jarrell values expression, creativity, realism, and artistry and he appreciates hard-working dancers who love learning and trying new things no matter what. Being able to have an outlet to let everything go feels so good and Jarrell loves that there is always an emotion and an intention behind movement. You’re not just dancing, you’re telling your story. Jarrell is so excited to be a part of the Vibe family!
Prior to graduating from Middleton High School in 2022, Bianca danced for eight years and competed for six years. She was trained under the Vibe artistic directors and faculty and joined the Vibe Company when the studio opened in 2020.
Bianca has experience in early childhood education and is a certified assistant childcare teacher. She has worked at a preschool for two years and obtained a certification in childcare services. She now attends the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying biology and Spanish.
Madalin Berube grew up in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota where she began dancing at the age of three at a local Just For Kix program.
She continued to study dance at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point and spent one-year training at the University of Minnesota, Mankato.
During her time in college, she studied various genres of dance and presented original choreography at student-produced shows. She has been instructed by Joan Karlen, Michael Estanich, Pamela Luedtke, Daniel Stark, Julie Kerr-Berry, and Allison Daughty.
Awarded the Suzanne Gingrasso scholarship in 2019, Madalin studied Early Childhood Dance Education, Language of Dance (LOD), and Dance for Social Change at the 92Y in New York. She is currently teaching at Preschool of the Arts and performing professionally with KLJ Movements.
Jasmine received her training at multiple studios in the Madison area, beginning at the age of five. In addition to her studio training, she danced competitively and attended many intensives and conventions regionally. She participated in Dance Wisconsin and Verona Youth Ballet’s Nutcracker as well as other ballet productions.
Right out of high school, she received an internship with the Children’s Theater of Madison, where she served as their dance captain. This then extended itself to choreography opportunities for the Summer Stage productions of Bye Bye Birdie and The Little Mermaid Jr.
Her education includes attending UW-Milwaukee and Madison College; earning both basic and beginning levels in the Giordano Jazz Technique through the NGCP; and earning her barre certification through the American Barre Technique. Jasmine continued to teach as a dance instructor through the YMCA and other studios in the Madison area.
Jasmine plans to explore much more in the dance and fitness community and loves learning new things – she is excited to share with Vibe!
Greta Kunze has been dancing since she was four years old and was trained by almost all Vibe faculty! She excels in tap dancing and enjoys ballet, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, acrobatics, and musical theatre. Greta has assisted in classes including acrobatics and adaptive dance and has done extensive volunteer work with ConfiDANCE over the course of eight years.
Inclusivity and creativity are Greta’s top priorities in the classroom. She strives to engage every child and adapts to children’s needs to further their learning and dance education. Musicality is extremely important to Greta, and she emphasizes how to make different rhythms, stay on beat, and figure out how to put rhythms and music together.
Greta is a senior at Middleton High School. She plans to pursue a career in costume design for film and television.
Leslie Acosta is originally from Queen Creek, Arizona, and trained at Arizona Edge. In 2016, she moved to Wisconsin and began training with several of the Vibe instructors and at the Madison School of Ballet. She is trained in the styles of jazz, lyrical, ballet, contemporary, ballroom, musical theatre, hip hop and tap. She danced competitively for over 10 years and during that time was rewarded several scholarships and invitations to attend intensives. She has successfully set competitive choreography for both high school and studio dance teams.
In 2018, she moved to New York City to attend The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where she furthered her education and training in dance along with singing and acting. In 2020, she graduated from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy with a certificate in Dance Theater.
Leslie’s belief as an instructor is to push each student to the best of their ability. Her favorite part of teaching is seeing the difference when a student fully understands something and the energy of that excitement!
Leslie resides in Blanchardville and is attending Aveda for cosmetology, with hopes to soon become a licensed cosmetologist.
Nicole Nelson is a hip hop teacher and dancer in the greater Madison area. In her students, she values a global mindset, hard work ethic, and an openness to explore and express. Her pursuit of dance and sense of adventure have taken her beyond the Madison area and even the U.S. to cities such as Florence, Italy, and Buenos Aires, Argentina to participate in shows, workshops, and conventions.
Her dance experience, however, began with musical theater, where she discovered her love of the arts, and dance in particular; her intensive dance training began much later when she was 19. When she isn’t teaching dance, Nicole is typically managing Barrio Dance and her clothing line, 1LIFE, or planning her next chance to travel.
She is excited to join the VIBE staff this year and share her passion for hip hop & street/social dance styles!
Sara Bartlett is a Verona native who holds a degree in Dance from Northwestern University. She danced professionally as a Radio City Rockette before returning home to work as a dance instructor and choreographer. Sara taught Advanced Tap and Jazz at Studio One Dance School for twelve years and has been choreographing for schools and community theaters around the Madison area for the past eighteen years.
She is the recipient of six Tommy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in High School Musical Theater. Sara proudly serves as Board President and Executive Choreographer of Middleton Players Theatre, and can occasionally be seen back on stage with them. Sara also teaches Pilates and stays busy with her two children Paige (9) and Guy (6).
Studio Gailanna is Vibe’s main ballet studio, named after Gailanna Jensen. Featuring windows that bring in so much natural light, Gailanna is warm, elegant, and inviting.
Square footage – 46 ft X 27 ft
Flooring – Custom O’mara Sprung Flooring with an upgraded marley for Ballet and Pointe
Sound System – Gailanna has an “active sound system” containing two QSC K12.2 speakers. Each speaker has 2000 Watts of power.
*Each studio’s active sound system interfaces via a Yamaha mixer that can interface with iOS or Droid devices via a plug-in.
Studio Hines is Vibe’s main tap studio, named after Gregory Hines. This studio is very special to us as not only is this a wonderful space for our tappers, but also our Little Vibes and Adaptive Dancers just starting out as they begin their journey in dance.
Square footage – 33 ft X 27 ft
Flooring – Custom O’mara Sprung Flooring with an upgraded maple hardwood flooring
Sound System – Hines has an “active sound system” containing two QSC K12.2 speakers. Each speaker has 2000 Watts of power.
*Each studio’s active sound system interfaces via a Yamaha mixer that can interface with iOS or Droid devices via a plug-in.
Studio Caldwell is Vibe’s main jazz studio, named after Doug Caldwell. Positioned to be used for all styles of dance, we have found that our Senior dancers in particular love the addition of the sub-woofer that no doubt boosts the sound within this inspirational space.
Square footage – 44 ft X 27 ft
Flooring – Custom O’mara Sprung Flooring with a marley overlay
Sound System – Caldwell has an “active sound system” containing two QSC K12.2 speakers. Each speaker has 2000 Watts of power.
Additionally, the Caldwell Studio contains a QSC KS118 Sub-woofer. The sub-woofer has 3600 Watts of power.
*Each studio’s active sound system interfaces via a Yamaha mixer that can interface with iOS or Droid devices via a plug-in.
*The Caldwell Studio has a Bluetooth connection.
Studio Butler is Vibe’s “everything” studio, named after Sharon Butler. From Hip Hop to Jazz, Acro, Little Vibes, and Tap, to name a few – Butler allows for a space that is inspiring to all.
Square footage – 42 ft X 27 ft
Flooring – Custom O’mara Sprung Flooring with a marley overlay
Sound System – Butler has an “active sound system” containing two QSC K12.2 speakers. Each speaker has 2000 Watts of power.
*Each studio’s active sound system interfaces via a Yamaha mixer that can interface with iOS or Droid devices via a plug-in.
Contemporary dance combines the elements of jazz, ballet, modern, and lyrical. It requires dancers to be versatile with their movements and their emotional expression. It focuses on core strength, alignment, and transitions. Lyrical dance combines the elements of jazz and ballet, with an emphasis on expressing emotion and storytelling.
Classes include a warm-up, across the floor progressions, floor work, combinations, and improvisation. There is often overlap between these two styles and many instructors vary their choreography and teaching methods to reflect a blended class format, shifting between and combining lyrical and contemporary dance styles.
Description coming soon!
A fun and energetic, age-appropriate class, teaching the fundamentals of hip hop dance while encouraging body awareness, rhythm, music interpretation, strength, and agility. Classes include warm-up, footwork, combinations, and freestyle opportunities.
Description coming soon!
This class is perfect for students who are looking to increase their acrobatic dance skills. Classes will focus on the fundamentals of acrobatics (cartwheels, handstands, walkovers, ariels, etc.), teaching strength, conditioning, coordination, flexibility, discipline, concentration, and agility. Some basic background in gymnastics or acro is encouraged, but not required.
This class is designed for the youngest dancer, ages 3-4. Experienced instructors guide our Little Vibes through their first dance class using storytelling, games, and creative movement activities. Dancers learn to follow the leader, take turns, stay focused, and be an active participant. Dancers split time between ballet and tap shoes, learning basic steps and terminology, as well as counting and rhythm. Dancers must be potty trained to participate in Little Vibes.
This class offers a unique therapeutic practice to release stress and manage anxiety. It allows a way to release that pressure in our mental and our physical selves while connecting with our inner balance. You will stretch and restore yourself to a calm state of mind.
Ballet is a classical style of dance and is the foundation of all dance styles. In ballet, there is an emphasis on the knowledge of correct terminology and technique. Dancers studying ballet learn to shift between elements of strength, grace, and precision, to present choreography that is typically flowing in nature, while also incorporating theatrical and storytelling aspects. Pointe work is designed for students with substantial ballet training. Students en pointe use their previously learned ballet technique while working in pointe shoes. Pointe exercises and development focuses on strengthening the feet and ankles.
Lauren began dancing at the age of three at West Side Performing Arts, taking her first class from Ms. Michele, and was subsequently trained by the VIBE faculty! She studied ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, and musical theater. She started dancing competitively at the age of 10, assistant teaching at age 11 and taught her first class at age 14. Lauren enjoys teaching tap, jazz, and lyrical and began choreographing pieces at the age of 16. During her time competing and providing choreography, both her own solos she performed and pieces she set for other dancers were rewarded with standout awards and high placement, consistently.
As a believer in adapting her teaching style to best fit each individual student, Lauren strives to instill self-confidence in her dancers while challenging them to achieve new skills and explore choreography.
Lauren will attend UW-Madison in the fall studying Elementary Education. She aspires to become a Kindergarten teacher and potential dance studio owner.
Katrina started dancing at the age of 10 and has been dancing for over 10 years. She is trained in hip hop, jazz, contemporary and ballet; has taught and assisted in the styles of hip hop, jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, and adaptive; and competed nationwide in contemporary, jazz and hip hop for five years. She received her training from the VIBE faculty!
Her extensive volunteer work along with studies pertaining to child development, psychology, as well as her work with children with developmental differences, makes her an asset to the culture of VIBE as both an instructor and office support team member. A fully inclusive environment where dancers and families are made to feel welcome, safe, and treated with kindness and respect, is a priority for Katrina. She wants everyone to feel at home when at the studio!
Katrina lives in the Verona area and is finishing up her undergraduate degree in Education with an emphasis in Child Life from Edgewood College. She is beginning graduate school this fall with the goal to becoming a Certified Child Life Specialist.
Michele began dancing at the age of three, receiving her training at West Side Performing Arts in Madison, WI. She was trained in ballet, tap, and jazz. While she specializes in teaching youth dancers in the styles of tap and ballet, she also teaches jazz and works with students ages 3-15.
Having taught studio dance for nearly 20 years, she also was the director of the Cross Plains Summer Dance program for 11 years. Her program performed annual recitals at the Middleton Performing Arts Center and brought the community of Cross Plains together while supporting a variety of dancers. Michele passionately believes in creating a positive atmosphere for her students and encourages a love for dance while building self-esteem in children of all ages.
Michele lives in Cross Plains with her husband, Jim. She has three grown children – Alex, Erik and Samantha.
Rachel is a passionate teacher who has dedicated 35 years to the development of thousands of dancers. Dancing since the age of six, she received her early dance training and teaching experience at West Side Performing Arts. She enriched her training as she traveled throughout the country, learning from hundreds of renowned teachers and choreographers via workshops and teacher conferences. Rachel holds a degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was a preschool teacher at the Preschool of the Arts for over 20 years.
Throughout her career as a dance educator and choreographer, Rachel has worked with the very youngest of dancers to the adult dancers and everywhere in between, balancing a strong technical foundation with building confidence and discovering the joy of dance. She believes in meeting each dancer where they are at and focusing on individual growth. Rachel is always continuing her education in order to stay current on the latest teaching methods and choreography trends.
Rachel lives in the Fitchburg area with her husband, Jeff. She also has three daughters – Halle, Sydney, and Mia.
With over 30 years of teaching experience and working with students of all ages and levels, Misty has trained and produced countless dancers who have gone on to both teach and dance professionally. She received extensive training at West Side Performing Arts, Milwaukee Ballet, Ballet Chicago, Joffrey Ballet, The Rock School for Dance Education, and Pennsylvania Ballet. During her time with these dance schools and companies, she was awarded multiple scholarships to attend and performed in roles under the direction of world-renowned directors and choreographers.
Misty aims to teach to the individual student and guide them toward reaching their own maximum potential. Her teaching emphasizes the importance of receiving a classical ballet education including proper knowledge of technique and terminology, while also fostering a lifelong love and passion within her students for the art of dance.
Misty lives in the Fitchburg area with her husband, Miles, and has two children, Lily and Grayson.