Our Instructors
Alyssa Owen Treutelaar
Alyssa started dance at age two and by age 9 she began training at the one and only Talent Forum. Focused on ballet and jazz she also trained in hip-hop, modern and tap. Alyssa was part of her middle school and high school competitive pom pons/dance team, and proudly captain sophomore though senior year. – Read More
Becca Snow
Becca Snow has been teaching tap for nearly 17 years after starting her dance training at Talent Forum. She is a former Footprint, having joined the youth ensemble in 1996. In 2000, Becca became a Rehearsal Director for Footprints during their first year of self-direction, and continued in that role until 2005 before attending college in New York City. While in NYC she joined the professional tap company CPD Plus (Cats Paying Dues) in 2007, directed by Andrew Nemr. Performances with CPD Plus included: a featured residency for BRICLab, Celebrate Brooklyn performing for crowds up 2,000 people, Ecofest at Lincoln Center, MassMOCA, Tap Extravaganza, DUMBO Dance Festival, New York City Tap Festival, a CPD Plus exclusive production of Where the Music Lives, and ringing the NASDAQ Closing Bell in Times Square. – Read More
Beth Brilowski
Beth Brilowski was the Head Varsity Coach Vernon Hills High School for years. She was a volunteer Coach for Steveson High School’s dance team, as well as the Junior Varsity Coach at Conant High School. While she was a member of Fremd High School’s Varsity Poms for 4 years, she coached a 2nd & 3rd grade competitive Poms team, that was a feeder program for FHS.
Beth McNeill
Beth holds an MFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from New York University, and a BA in Philosophy from the University of Louisville. She danced with the professionally with the Louisville Ballet. She has taught ballet and modern dance at the University of Louisville, Columbia College Chicago, and Santa Clara University. Additionally, she has taught for many pre-professional companies and dance schools in the Chicago area including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Youth Program and Talent Forum. In 2012, she trained to become a Certified Rolfer™ at the Rolf Institute® in Boulder, CO. She enjoys bringing her knowledge of the body and movement to her young students. While away from Talent Forum, she maintains a Rolfing® practice in Chicago. – Read More
Brent Caburnay
Brent Caburnay trained on full scholarship with the Giordano Dance Center, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Boston Ballet and the University of Michigan. While at the University of Michigan, Brent performed with Ann Arbor Ballet Theatre, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, and with the University of Michigan Dance Department where he performed works by legendary artists Paul Taylor and Donald McKayle. – Read More
Catie Deitz Griffith
Catie Deitz-Griffith begins her first year as Artistic Director for Forum. She had previously served as Forum 2 Director for the past 5 years. Catie began her training in Newton, New Jersey where she studied the Royal Academy of Dance and Vaganova Ballet techniques. She furthered her training in New York City at the Joffrey Ballet School, Broadway Dance Center and Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. – Read More
Cheryl Leahy
Cheryl Leahy has studied acrobatics, tumbling, jazz, tap, ballet, drama and voice from various instructors. She has been teaching for over 25 years in a variety of locations, including the 10+ years of competitive dance & tumbling teams. Cheryl also is a certified Zumba instructor and has performed in numerous musicals including Annie, The Sound of Music and 42nd Street. With rave reviews for the Acro Program at the recital, she adds a new approach to enhance every dancers training.
Julianne Deitz
Julianne Deitz began her training at the ballet barre school of dance in New Jersey studying all styles of dance. Her love of ballet lead her to the Kirov academy in Washington DC where she was trained in the Vaganova technique. She continued her training in nyc at the Joffrey ballet school, broadway dance center and steps on broadway. After moving to Chicago she began training and performing with Inaside Chicago Dance. Julianne is excited to share her knowledge & love of dance with the students of Talent Forum. – Read More
Kathleen McCann
Katie McCann has been teaching ballet for over 15 years and at Talent Forum since 2005. A graduate of Butler University’s Dance Program, she danced with Kentucky Ballet Theater and was a freelance dancer in Chicago for more than a decade. She is the founding director of Dance in the Parks, a professional summer dance company that presents contemporary dance concerts in Chicago’s neighborhood parks. Her goal as a teacher is to train dancers to be professionals she would hire (in and out of the studio): technically strong in many styles of dance, responsible, quick, team players, and pleasant to have in the room. – Read More
Lindsey Beebe
Lindsey Beebe began her dance training at age 8 in her hometown of Wichita, KS at Wichita Children’s Theatre and Dance Center under Kristine Anderson and Monica Flynn. By age 13 she was performing with Metropolitan Ballet of Wichita, where she worked her way up to Company Soloist. Miss Beebe Continued her training at Oklahoma City University where she studied with Jo Rowan and Robert Reed, and also at Wichita State University where she studied with Nicholas Johnson, Sabrina Vasquez and Denise Celestin. – Read More
Mark Yonally
Mark Yonally has been performing for over 37 years. He has performed in over eight countries as a soloist and as a principal dancer and choreographer with the Bill Evans Dance Company and Especially Tap Chicago. He is also the founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Tap Theatre (in residence at the Joel Hall Dancers and Center), which presents a 3 show season in Chicago every year as well as touring nationally and internationally. In 2016 he choreographed and danced the lead in TimeSteps (a time travel love tragedy tap opera), which was selected as the Best New Production of 2016 in the Dance Magazine reader’s poll. That same season Chicago Tap Theatre made the Top 10 list in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Windy City Media and SeeChicagoDance. – Read More
Richard Smith
Richard Smith is the former artistic director of Inaside Chicago Dance. He is currently the co-founder of Dance Teachers Forum a resource organization for the dance industry and co- founder of VTique.com, an online coaching tool for individual dancers as well as larger groups. Smith is an IHSA dance official and works with many high school dance teams in IL, WI, MI and OH. He is also a national judge for multiple large dance competitions across the country. This is Smith’s 17th year at Talent Forum and is grateful to have had many generations of successful dancers move through his classrooms. The new adventure that is on his horizon is he has been named the Jazz Dance Expert for More Than Just Great Dancing! He will be touring the US teaching teachers and sharing his knowledge to continue the legacy of American Jazz Dance. – Read More
Shelley Page Hoselton
Shelley Page Hoselton is the owner and director of Talent Forum, home of Forum Dance Theatre and Footprints Tap Ensemble. Shelley is the Executive Director for both of these highly acclaimed, not-for-profit youth dance performance companies. For the past 24 years, she has tried to put forth excellence by providing a nurturing atmosphere and the finest training staff. Providing a facility that has opportunities for those who dream of a professional career in dance or with to have dance in their life as healthy recreation maintains Shelley’s mission. – Read More
Sinead Gildea
Sinead Gildea is in her fourth season as Training Company Director. She is also currently Co-Artistic Director for Motions Dance Company in Bartlett. Sinead graduated from the University of Iowa, where she was a member of Dancers in Company (the University’s professional touring company) for two years. She was a co-founder and the Executive Director of Impetus Dance Theater, a professional dance company based in Chicago. – Read More
Taylor Mitchell
Taylor Mitchell trained in Baton Rouge with the Dancers’ Workshop and the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre. Now based in Chicago, he performs, choreographs and teaches nationally and internationally. With a BFA in dance from the University of Arizona, he received the Creative Achievement Award for numerous works set on the UA Dance Ensemble and the Musical Theater Department. Taylor has performed, and choreographed for Thodos Dance Chicago and Cerqua Rivera Dance Thetare. Other professional choreography credits include DanceWorks Chicago, Dance in the Parks and LevelDance. Taylor showcased his choreography at the 2017 summer Kieler-Woche Festival (Keil, Germany), and taught American Jazz Technique across Germany. We welcome him on Tuesday evenings.
Wesley Owens
Wesley "Wesside" Owens is a multi-faceted performer, entertainer, and instructor. At Indiana University, he was the artistic director of Hip Hop Connxion Indiana. Wesside was a competitor on American Ninja Warrior, and an IncrediBull for the Chicago Bulls. He has competed in Hip Hop Battles and opened for artists Jason Derulo, LMFAO, Mike Poesner, and Big Boi of Outkast. The Trilogy School of Performing Arts, Joffrey Ballet and Indiana Pacers NBA has prepared him to be the Artistic Director of Forum Squad. He is ready to bring more of his cutting edge style, more performances, and competition to the hippest students.