Meet Our Instructors

 

 

Matthew Keefe

Artistic Director

Matthew Keefe is proud to join Rockford Dance Company as Artistic Director.
Matthew has served the arts for over 20 years as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, administrator, company, stage and production manager, board member and artistic director. He was accepted directly into the Master’s program at University of Iowa Dance Department without an undergraduate degree. He received an MFA in Dance Performance in May, 1999
As a dancer, Matthew has performed nationally and internationally, dancing with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Lynda Martha Dance Company, Fort Wayne Ballet, Charleston Ballet Theater, Boston Ballet II, Louisville Ballet, Ohio Ballet, BalletMet Columbus, the move, Minnesota Opera the James Sewell Ballet as well as numerous appearances as a guest artist.
An acclaimed choreographer of more that 40 ballets, Matthew’s award-winning works have been produced by professional dance companies, student ensembles and various commercial projects.
Matthew began his dance training at age 19 while a student at the University of New Mexico. He continued in Chicago and New York and counts among his mentors many notable teachers and choreographers in the dance world.
An accomplished teacher of ballet, modern, partnering, composition and jazz techniques, as well as a creator of numerous community outreach projects. Matthew has served on the faculty of the University of Iowa Dance Department, The University of Louisville Dance Academy, the Louisville Ballet Academy, Minnetonka Dance Theater, the Princeton Ballet School and Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University and has taught master classes and workshops all over the United States as a guest artist.
Matthew currently serves as a Vice Chair and Officer on the Board of Trustees of Dance/USA, a service organization focused on serving and supporting professional dance in the United States. Matthew and his wife, dancer Brittany Fridenstine-Keefe, are proud to call Rockford, IL their new home.

 

Robert Baudry

Ballet
Robert Baudry studied in Paris, France at the Academie International de la Danse with faculty from the Paris Opera under the direction of the renowned ballerina Yvette Chauvire. He was a member of the Ballet de Bretange Company and taught extensively in Paris.

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Linda Burton

Linda Burton has been an avid Ballroom, Swing, and Argentine Tango dancer since 1998, and after retiring as a cartographer in 2004 has made dance her vocation. Linda teaches all forms of Ballroom and Latin dance in addition to social partner dances including East and West Coast Swing, Lindy, Night Club Two Step, Salsa and Hustle. Linda teaches Ballroom Dance lessons at Alpine Lutheran Church, Steps to Grace Dance Academy, and at her private studio. Linda has studied dance with many gifted instructors in Rockford, Milwaukee, and Madison, and continues her studies with John Abrams of Madison WI.

Many people begin ballroom dancing as a social, or couples activity, swearing to me that they have two left feet. Others are drawn to ballroom dancing as an outlet for their love of music or dance. It is my delight to show the former that physicality and musicality are skills that can be developed, and to show the latter that creativity and passion can be channeled into both art and friendships.

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Jessica Jaye Mackinson

Ballet, Modern, DanceReach, Chance to Dance, Adapted Dance, Outreach dance classes
Jessica received her training at the Milwaukee Ballet School. She has also studied with the School of American Ballet, Boston Ballet School, the Vail International Dance Festival, and was a member of the ProTrack dance program at BalletMet Columbus. Jessica has performed corps de ballet and soloist roles with the Milwaukee Ballet Company, BalletMet Columbus, the Chautauqua Ballet Company, and the Rockford Dance Company.

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Renee Lozdoski

Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Kinderdance, Adapted Dance
Renee began studying dance at Helen Olson School of Dance. She continued her training at Forest Hills Dance Academy where she was a member of the competitive dance team and an instructor. She most recently taught dance at J&J and was also the recreational co-director. Renee also has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and is a licensed Zumba Fitness and Zumba Toning instructor.

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Lisa Mayes

Ballet, Tap, Chance to Dance, Outreach dance classes
Lisa Mayes is a senior at Northern Illinois University majoring in Rehabilitation Services and counseling and minoring in Dance Performance. She has been dancing on and off for over eleven years and has recently been seen performing in several student choreographed shows at NIU. She is thrilled to be teaching at RDC and cant wait to motivate all her students to love dance!

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Katie Davis

 

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Brittany Keefe

Brittany Fridenstine-Keefe was most recently a member of Morphoses in New York City. Brittany has danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet as a school student, and continued her dancing pursuits becoming a company member of
the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet Memphis, Minnesota Dance Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, Terpsicorps Dance Theater, Terra Firma Dance Company, Chamber Dance Project and at the National
Choreographers' Initiative. She has had numerous international engagements
including a solo improvisation show in Germany and Italy staged by Luca Veggetti. Brittany was selected to be an American ambassador at the
international dance festival in Cali, Columbia in 2009. Ms. Fridenstine has created a dance therapy program for children with special needs that she has implemented in many cities, and has served as the chair of the dancer council for Dance/USA. Additionally, Brittany is devoted to the health and wellbeing of dancers, and people who wish to feel like dancers, through her certification in the GYROTONIC® exercise system.

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Lily Wellen

Ballet, Modern
Lily Wellen has been training at Rockford Dance Company for 12 years. This year she joined the staff after completing the RDC teacher training program. She is currently teaching Modern I and Kinderdance. Lily has recently been chosen to be a Trainee in the Rockford Dance Company. She has performed in many Rockford Dance Company productions including The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Cinderella.

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Anna Moczynski

Ballet
Anna Moczynski has studied with the Rockford Dance Company since the age of three. This is her second year as a company member. She has performed in The Nutcracker, Rhapsody in Blood, Peter and the Wolf, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her choreography has recently been presented in the Young Choreographers' Concert. This year she joined the staff after completing The RDC Teacher Training program.

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Kim Didier / Amanda Mehl

Kim Didier: Zumba

After being a lifelong dance enthusiast, Kim caught the Zumba bug a little more than a year ago and became a certified instructor. She started out offering classes to her stressed-out coworkers at a local middle school and then began teaching adult and children’s Zumba classes at the YMCA. She is thrilled to be able to introduce Zumba to new students at the RDC. It has been so exciting watching these new students blossom. They transform from apprehensively following my movements from the back to standing upfront confidently lost in the joy of dance. Beyond all the fun, we have also had many weight lost success stories in the process. It has been an honor to be part of this transformation. We welcome all to join us!

Amanda Mehl: Zumba
Amanda Mehl is a graduate of Beloit College and she is completing her Masters in Public Health through the University of Illinois Chicago. Amanda works as a Family Case Manager at the Winnebago County Health Department, participates in a doula group, Mothering Roots, who provide support for mom's during labor and birth and manages a small jewelry business with lia sophia. Amanda uses dance to relax, unwind, and stay in shape. She has been a certified Zumba instructor for a year and a half and has taught salsa and Latin Dance classes for about 3 years. Amanda took Ballroom Dance in college and loves incorporating international dances into a fun and challenging party packed hour of Zumba! Amanda teaches here at Rockford Dance Company, the YMCA and Physical Difference and works with other instructors in the area to organize community fundraisers and demonstrations that incorporate Zumba and get more people moving and shaking!

 

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Sharon Smith

Primary Ballet

Sharon danced with companies in Kansas and Illinois and has been teaching ballet and pointe and choreographing dance pieces for over 15 years. She has trained under David Howard, Cynthia Harvey, Kennet Oberly, Wes Chapman and Roger Van Fleteren and also has training as a figure skater and as a gymnast. In addition to teaching dance, Sharon was co-coach of the Level 5 and Level 6 Junior Olympic Gymnastics Team at the YMCA in Hutchinson, Kansas and taught gymnastics and dance at the Illini Gymnastics Club and was assistant choreographer for the Illini Figure Skating Club.

She was the former owner of the Center for Performing Arts, Inc. in Lake in the Hills and artistic director of the studio dance company. She also has choreographed for high school musicals.

While dancing and teaching, Sharon received a B.S. in Ecology, Ethology and Evolution and a M.S. in Wildlife Research/Ornithology from the University of Illinois, a Legal Assistant Certificate from Wichita State University and a Paralegal Degree from Elgin Community College. Currently, she is studying to become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).

 

 

 

 
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