"The instructors at MPDC are talented choreographers as well as teachers always striving for fresh presentations. Their dances are always innovative and exciting to watch.  It’s no wonder the students love to dance
at MPDC!" 
-MPDC Parent

Carol Marion Ceniti
Director of the Madison Professional Dance Center (MPDC)
Jazz – Lyrical – Musical Theater

Carol received her B.S. in Physical Education and Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been active as a dance instructor, performer, and choreographer nation-wide for the past 26 years, training with professionals from jazz and modern companies, including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, River North Chicago Dance Company, Spectrum Dance Theatre, Nicholais/Murray Louis Dance Company and the Joseph Holmes Dance Company. Carol has served as Jazzworks Dance Company’s Artistic Director and principle choreographer since 1985, contributing 57 works to the company’s repertoire. Under her direction, the company has earned a reputation for being “sophisticated, technically proficient, and tremendously entertaining…” (The Wisconsin State Journal), and “one of the gems of Madison’s performing arts landscape” (The Overture Center).

Carol teaches all levels of jazz dance and choreographs for the dance companies at MPDC. Carol’s choreography is dynamic and athletic, often combining movement vocabulary from ballet, modern and jazz dance. Her work has been described as “Innovative…charming and breezy…no clichés” (Dance International).  Career highlights include: receiving 1 bronze and 2 silver medals at the International Choreographer’s Competition at the Jazz Dance World Congress; performing her work at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, as well as in Wiesbaden, Germany; setting her work on the Amsterdam School of the Arts Dance Company in Holland; receiving the 1999 Wisconsin Dance Council Leadership Award and the 2003 and 1997 Choreographer’s Fellowship from the Wisconsin Arts Board. Carol travels throughout the United States, teaching dance majors at university dance programs and setting her choreography on regional dance companies.        

Zach De Vries
Jazz

Zach has been involved professionally with Jazzworks Dance Company, both on stage and off, since 1992 and continues to work closely with the company as associate director running rehearsals, teaching company classes and choreographing new pieces for their repertoire. Originally from Southern California, he received his degree in dance from California State University, Long Beach while dancing for Disney at their theme parks in California, Florida and Japan. He was also a member of the United States National Gymnastics Team for 3 years representing his country in international competitions in Russia, Germany, and China. Zach has also been involved with Winter Guard International since 1990 both as a competitor with the 5-time world champion guard State Street Review from here in Madison and as an educator working with groups from California, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin. Zach teaches all levels of jazz dance and choreographs for the MPDC Dance Companies.  

Arianne Kluesner
Ballet – Pre-Ballet – Creative Dance – Tap

Arianne began her study of ballet, tap and jazz at the age of 3. She is trained in ballet through the Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus for Ballet and the Imperial Society of Dance, completing both through the Advanced Level. She attended the University of Iowa on a dance scholarship, performed with the University of Iowa touring company, Dancers in Company, taught dance for the University TAG program for young dancers, and received her BFA in Dance in 1996. After moving to Madison in 1999, she began teaching ballet, tap and creative dance at MPDC, The Madison Ballet, Storybook Ballet, A Step Above Dance and Music Academy and the YMCA. Arianne currently teaches at MPDC and the YMCA, performs professionally with Jazzworks Dance Company, and choreographs for the MPDC Dance Companies.

Kate, originally from Philadelphia, studied under Ethel Phillips from Ballet Russe and later danced as a member of the ballet company of the Philadelphia Grand Opera, additionally touring the Philadelphia Area in concerts and lecture demonstrations. Kate has taught ballet in New York City for the June Taylor and Harkness Schools and has been a guest teacher in Lucca, Italy for Centro Fuori. Since moving to the Madison area, she has worked with Wisconsin Dance Ensemble and Ballet Madison. She also worked with The Wisconsin Academy of Ballet, Lillian Wilner, Director. Kate danced in and choreographed several musicals and original works including Dorothy LaMour Special N.Y.C. Centennial Celebration at Washington D.C., and Happy Prince by the River Arts Center at Sauk Prairie. Kate has staged The Sleeping Beauty, Raymonda Variations, Hansel and Gretel and The Nutcracker for Range Ballet Theatre. 

Alli Schoen
Hip Hop – Lyrical - Tap – Jazz

Alli is currently studying a combination of Vocal Music Education and Dance at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She began her study of ballet, tap and jazz 17 years ago at Accent on Dance in southeastern Wisconsin and has been dancing ever since. Alli has won numerous championships at the national level and was selected as a semi-finalist for the Dance America “Dancer of the Year” in 2004. In addition to teaching and choreographing for MPDC classes and dance companies, she is currently on the executive board of the University of Wisconsin OPTIMA Dance, is a Badgerette Pom Pon staff member, and teaches hip hop classes for the UW-Extension program.

Karen Smith-English
Ballet – Modern 

Karen began her dance training at Northern Illinois University where she studied ballet and modern dance and received a degree in Theater Dance Performance. Upon receipt of her degree, she was offered a scholarship to study with the Joseph Holmes Dance Company in Chicago. Her professional career was launched while dancing principle roles with Emergence Dance Theater, under the direction of Sandra Schramel. As a soloist with The Lynda Martha Dance Company of Chicago, she toured the U.S. and performed in Amsterdam. Other performance credits include dancing with Fuego Español, and creating and performing in The Passage of Time: Fair System Project, a joint choreography project with Andy Taylor-Blenis at Eastern Illinois University. Karen has been teaching dance for 23 years. She has taught at the Milwaukee Ballet, the Monona Academy of Dance, The Rockford Ballet School, and currently teaches and choreographs at MPDC. Her choreographic works have been commissioned by Dance Wisconsin and the Connolly Dance Company, where she also served on the Board of Directors.  

608-273-3453
E-mail us at:  MPDC@tds.net

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