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STAFF


Sara Bibik
Dance360 Program Director

A Founding Dancer with River North Dance Chicago, Sara is passionate about training, mentoring, and inspiring future generations of dancers.

Emma Lambert
Operations Manager

Emma has always loved being a part of the dance commUNITY and is grateful for all the lessons she’s learned in the studio. She is eager to apply those lessons outside the studio in her administrative role with DanceWorks Chicago.

Julie Nakagawa
Co-founder and Artistic Director

Julie is passionate about encouraging young artists along their journey from good to great. Her dance citizenship includes service to the commUNITY as a board member, consultant, mentor, peer review panelist, and teacher.

Cole Vernon
NextGems Coordinator

Survival lies in sanity, and sanity lies in paying attention… the capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.
- Julia Cameron from The Artist’s Way

BOARD


Henry
Honorary Board Member

Henry is a smitten kitten to be the newest Honorary Board Member as he is so paw-ssionate
about dance. He’s looking fur-ward to making great memories in SEASON 17!

Kirstin L. Jones
Board Member

A Barnard College alumna and lifelong dancer of various techniques, Kirstin relocated to Chicago to make a difference in the nonprofit sector and is eager to make dance accessible for all.

Kimberly Miller
Board President

A seasoned business advisor and consultant, Kimberly is a dance enthusiast with zeal for developing individuals, teams, and organizations to reach their full potential.

Mōnō
Honorary Board Member

Mōnō is an accomplished, Chicago-based Corgi who is completing his studies at the the Urban Pooch Puppy School. He looks forward to turning that fur real ruff day into a paws-itive one.

Jimi Loc Nguyen
Board Member

Returning as an alumni, Jimi never lost his passion for the arts. Having experienced firsthand the spirit that is cultivated at DanceWorks Chicago, Jimi is committed to help mentor and pave the way for the next generation of artists.

Lauren Vitale
Treasurer

A graduate of University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, investment banker and previous dancer, Lauren brings her unyielding commitment to furthering the opportunity, education and well-being of future dance generations.

MENTORS


Andreas Böttcher
Co-Founder & CEO Emeritus

A co-founder of DanceWorks Chicago, Andreas brings his stage experience, behind-the-scenes knowledge, and global thinking to Team DWC.

Mazen Ghalayini

Mazen is a firm believer that you can have it all in life, all you need is the right intention and a little hope. With this in mind, he shares his business savvy with DWC in the pursuit of always moving forward.

Katherine Hynan
Former Board Secretary

A graduate of Loyola University Chicago, Katie brings her alma mater's guiding principle "to prepare people to lead extraordinary lives", to her support of the young artists of DanceWorks Chicago.

Leah Kaiser
Former Board President

An avid supporter of the Chicago arts scene, Leah brings a passion for the arts as well as successful strategies for fundraising and management to the DWC family.

Sarah Lombardi

Passionate about the performing arts, Sarah uses her finance knowledge to help individuals and organizations embrace fiscal discipline on the journey to achieving their dreams.

Julie O'Connell
Former Board President

An avid athlete herself, O'Connell has worked with AthletiCo for 13 years in the pursuit of wellness and healing among performing artists. She values the longevity of the dancing body and is constantly seeking new ways to support athletes and dancers alike.

CHOREOGRAPHERS