About Us / Faculty

Why Choose MPDC?

"I called nearly every studio in the city before settling on MPDC for my daughter.  The 'whole child' philosophy here is unsurpassed and is consistently reflected in the studio and performance experiences." 
-MPDC Parent

MPDC Faculty

"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 29 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 60 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.   

Lillian Wilner
Ballet

Lillian began her training at the University of Utah’s School of Ballet, under the direction of William Christiansen. She received a scholarship to attend high school at the North Carolina School of Fine Arts. Her early training also included scholarships to the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Lillian trained in New York City with Maggie Black, Zenna Rommett, Laura Alonso and David Howard. She performed as an Apprentice with Les Grand Ballet Canadians before starting her professional career with the Alberta Ballet Company. Her professional career included lead roles in Allegro Brilliante, Raymonda, Paquita, Coppelia, Firebird, Cinderella, Promenade, Melodie, Effanesence/Knoxville, Alice in Wonderland and The Nutcracker, as well as numerous other roles. Lillian was a Principal with the Indianapolis Ballet and the Alberta Ballet Company.  During her professional career, Lillian taught at various schools in Edmonton, Alberta such as the Alberta School of Ballet, Lecky School of Dance, & Dance Workshop Studio.

She attended Canada’s National Ballet School’s Intensive Teacher Training Courses for 3 years before moving to Wisconsin in 1988 with her husband.  In 1988, Lillian opened her own school, The Wisconsin Academy of Ballet in Spring Green, Wisconsin. She taught all levels of Ballet and produced and choreographed “The Nutcracker” for six years. She also was a guest teacher at Ballet Madison, the Madison School of Ballet, and Kanopy Dance. In 2000, she closed her school to take a job with the Madison Ballet as the Ballet Mistress.  In 2001 she began working at the Madison Professional Dance Center (MPDC), teaching Intermediate and Advanced Ballet, Pointe, Variations, and Stretch & Strengthen. She started up the “Ballet Company” working with a chosen group of ten dancers to prepare choreography and set variations for competitions.  She moved back to Calgary, AB in 2006, and taught at the Alberta School of Ballet as well as the MacDonald Wilson Dance Academy.  Lillian returned to Wisconsin in September, 2010, and has enjoyed teaching at MPDC and choreographing for the MPDC Company. 

Sarah Melli
Ballet

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Sarah began her ballet training at the Wisconsin School of Ballet with Tibor Zana. At 14, she received a full scholarship to the Milwaukee Ballet and was asked to stay and dance with the company. Sarah was awarded scholarships and danced with Ballet West, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Joffery Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, Houston Ballet, Cleveland Ohio Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet. While performing with the Burklyn Ballet Theatre, she was invited to audition for the Boston Ballet Company where she began her professional dance career. Sarah went on to dance professionally with Chicago City Ballet (Director, Maria Tallchief), Joffery II (Director, Sally Bliss), San Antonio Ballet (Director, Vladimir Marek) and Dayton Ohio Ballet (Director, Stuart Sebastian). She has performed leading roles in Concerto Barocco, Serenade, Jewels, Stars and Stripes, Apollo, Coppelia, Swan lake, Tarantella, Tchaikovsky Pas De Duex, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, and Graduation Ball.  While dancing at the Jillana School in Taos, New Mexico, Sarah was asked personally by Jillana to be her Choreography Assistant for the Summer Programs. Jillana was one of George Balanchine’s first Prima Ballerinas, and an exclusive authorized teacher of the Balanchine Technique® & Balanchine Style®. 
Sarah now teaches Master Classes at California State Fullerton, Mt. Sac College, Malibu by the Sea, Jillana’s Summer Intensives, Huntington Academy, Tustin Ballet Academy, Bare Dance Company, and Inland Pacific Ballet. She also does private coaching, and was hired to coach Miss California 2010, Kristy Cavinder, for her talent competition in the Miss USA 2011 Pageant. Kristy won First Place performing ballet in the Talent Competition, and 1st Runner-Up overall for Miss USA. Sarah’s students have gone on to receive scholarships and company contracts from Miami City Ballet, School of American Ballet in NYC, San Francisco Ballet, Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Suzanne Farrell, Arizona Ballet, Houston Ballet, Lou Conte’s Hubbard Street, and the Jillana School.

Zach De Vries
Jazz--Lyrical

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.

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. 

Holly Walker
Jazz – Lyrical – Musical Theater

Holly has been dancing for most of her life.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from UW-Madison in Business/Marketing and Theatre Acting Specialist and her Master of Fine Arts in Dance from UW Milwaukee.  She is certified as a yoga and Pilates instructor and has an education license from the State of Wisconsin.  Holly is currently employed by MMSD at Madison West High School where she teaches theatre and choreographs/ directs the dance team and annual musical and one acts.  She has choreographed such musicals as A Chorus Line and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  Most recently, she danced at Walt Disney World and acted in the one act, Phonies, as well as local commercials.  Holly is also directing/choreographing for Celebrations a local entertainment company. 

       
Megan Hastings
Pre-Ballet – Jazz – Hip Hop

Megan is currently studying Accounting and Dance at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  She began her training in ballet, jazz, tap, modern, and hip hop at Bataille Academie of the Danse in Barrington, Illinois when she was 12 years old.  Megan danced with her dance company at many regional competitions.  She has danced at workshops and camps including Dance Directive: The Windy City Dance Camp, for which she received a scholarship to attend, and Chicago National Association of Dance Masters Workshop, where she studied under teachers such as Melissa Thodos, Eddy Ocampo, Alberto Arias, Richard Smith and Jeff Hancock.  Megan has also studied under Karen McShane-Hellenbrand, Mary Hayne, Marlene Skog, and Vivian Tomlinson at the University of Wisconsin.  She has taught for Bataille Academie of the Danse for the past two years.  In addition to teaching at MPDC, Megan is currently a dancer and choreographer for OPTIMA dance at the UW-Madison. 

Phone: 608-273-3453
Email us at:  mpdc@tds.net