Our Teachers

Our Touring Company Performers from left to right: Brittney Coughlin, Nina Shaw, Liz Monnier and Gloria Minnich

In class evaluations, one of the strengths most often listed for the  Fort Wayne Dance Collective is its staff and faculty. It’s true — we have some of the best people you can find in Fort Wayne, and quite possibly the world.

Performers

Brittney Coughlin 

Brittney Coughlin is a graduate of Hope College dance department and is currently a Continuing Lecturer in Dance In IPFW. She has choreographed and danced in many local productions.

Gloria Minnich

Gloria Minnich is a recent graduate from IPFW. She has a degree in General Studies with minors in Theatre and Dance. She also has an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education. She has appeared in many productions at IPFW, including The Music Man, Medea, Oklahoma!, Talking With…, Once Upon a Mattress, Moments, and Suddenly Last Summer, among others. She is an instructor for the IPFW Community Arts Academy youth drama classes, as well as being a member of the FWDC’s Touring Company.

Instructors

Lindsey Helmer-Pilates Mat & Toning

Lindsey Helmer is a certified Pilates Instructor and has been teaching Pilates in Ft. Wayne for the past three years. She returned home from Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships where she was a vocalist in the production show to concentrate on physical fitness and her own company Vocal Power Academy. Lindsey teaches private vocal lessons and coordinates shows for her students to perform in through Vocal Power Academy. She is very active throughout the community and also sings with a jazz group called The Brat Pack performing for private parties, weddings, and company events!

Allison Ballard-  Music Together®, Taiko drumming, Outreach Teacher

In 1999 Allison Ballard attended various workshops and camps in California where she studied taiko drumming with masters from Japan and the West Coast. She has been teaching and performing taiko since that time and has facilitated the building of four taiko drums and stands with local volunteers. She has also studied creative movement, improvisation, modern dance and Authentic Movement and and has taught creative movement to all ages in various settings since 1992. She received a MA in Dance/Movement Therapy from Columbia College Chicago in 2003 and is certified as a Dance/Movement Therapist Registered through the American Dance Therapy Association. She specializes in trauma and dissociation and provides movement therapy to individual clients.

Elizabeth Mikautadze-Continuing Adult Ballet, Continuing Modern Dance Technique

Elizabeth Mikautadze has been dancing since the age of three.  She became a serious student when she joined the Movement Laboratories Youth Ensemble in Lancaster, PA.  Under the direction of Judy Williams Henry she trained in ballet, modern, and jazz .  Elizabeth was chosen to study abroad at the Hungarian Ballet School prior to graduating high school.  She was accepted into The Boston Conservatory where she earned her BFA in Dance, under The Jan Veen Scholarship. Before graduating, she spent a summer at The Milwaukee Ballet .  Elizabeth has studied at many schools such as, The Paul Taylor School, The Alvin Ailey Dance Center, and at The Martha Graham Dance Center. In 2000 Elizabeth joined Mereminne Dancers and Buglisi/Foreman Dance Company.  She has performed at Jacob’s Pillow, The Julliard Theater, The Joyce Theater,  John Jay Theater, WAX Works and The White Room. She has taught ballet and modern technique classes and workshops at The Fort Wayne Dance Collective,  New American Youth Ballet, and Tri -County Dance Academy(TC Dance).  Elizabeth became artistic director and founder of Mikautadze Dance Theatre in May 2008.

Mary Newell-Vinyasa Flow Yoga

Mary first began studying yoga in 1994. Since then she has completed over 200 hours of Master instruction. Her classes range from slow flow yin to heated vinyasa and include asana practice, incorporating techniques from various styles such as vinyasa, yin-yang, ashtanga and restorative. Pranayama, meditation and reflection are interwoven so that each class tells a story. Students leave class in the calm balanced state, helpful for dealing with life’s ups and downs.

Mary enjoys spreading her love of yoga to others. She has taught students ranging from age 2 to 92. In 2009, Mary received her 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certification through Prairie Yoga. That same year she completed EnhanceFitness training and became a certified instructor for the aging and elderly. Since 1999, she has been a Certified Health Fitness Instructor through American College of Sports Medicine. Mary also holds a B.S. from Indiana University in Business Management. She and her husband, Steve, live in Fort Wayne and have 3 daughters.

Liz Monnier- Modern Dance for Kids, Music Together®, Modern Dance Improv and Technique for Adults, Movement Fundamentals

Liz is a graduate of Indiana University’s Modern Dance Department and has studied with such nationally renowned artists as Alwin Nikolais, Ruth Zaporah, Joe Goode, Remy Charlip and many more. She was a founding member of Windfall Dancers in Bloomington in 1977 and the FWDC in 1979.

She has served as Artistic Director since 1985 and have developed a curriculum for dance education for disabled adults. Since 1993, Liz has annually created a full-length story dance with FWDC co-founder Lisa Tsetse which allows for a wide range of ages and skill levels. These productions are performed at the Arts United Center.

Liz has taught Modern Dance and related forms for 25 years and I served on the Dance Standards Committee for the Indiana Department of Education. She is currently pursuing her Feldenkrais certification.

Kelly Parris-Beginning Adult Ballet

Kelly spent most of her childhood years studying Ballet at the Fort Wayne Ballet.  She quit Ballet just before high school in order to be involved with high school activities; and was involved in cheer-leading through her senior of high school.  Then she went on to college and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources from IPFW.  As an adult, she decided to come back to Ballet class; and has studied Ballet at the Fort Wayne Dance Collective, Fort Wayne Ballet and New American Youth Ballet.   She has also dabbled in Hip Hop, Modern, African and Jazz styles of dance; and has practiced both Tai Chi and Qui Gong.  Kelly continues to study Ballet and Hip Hop.  She also enjoys taking Zumba classes and participates in other artistic endeavors such as painting and playing the piano.  While teaching Beginning Ballet at the Fort Wayne Dance Collective, Kelly also works in Human Resources as a Compensation Analyst.

Joellen Wojtowicz-Beginning Ballet, Dance Sampler 1

Joining us from the Fort Wayne Ballet is Joellen Wojtowicz. Joellen began her training with Sylvia Hamer, FISTD, in the Cecchetti Method of Ballet, passing student examinations in grades 1-6. She furthered her studies at Texas Christian University with the Nordan Fine Arts Scholarship and received her BFA in Ballet. Ms. Wojtowicz joins the Fort Wayne Dance Collective from an extensive performing and teaching career in Tennessee and Indiana. She recently served as guest choreographer for the Chattanooga Ballet in Chattanooga, TN., setting an original ballet that combines her passion for ballet and modern dance. Ms. Wojtowicz has recently taken and passed CCA teacher examinations for grades 1 and 2.

Barbara Ulmer-All levels Iyengar Yoga

Barbara has taught Yoga for over 30 years. She updates her knowledge with frequent workshops.

Rebecca Wegner-Creative Movement, Modern Dance for Kids, Dance Tech for Kids

Rebecca Wegner has a degree in Social Work and is currently teaching creative movement, dance technique 1 & 2 for children, beginning modern for teens and adults, as well as dance sampler 1. Becca has been teaching on-site classes for the FWDC for 10 years and is a vital part of what makes this organization special. Her expressive talent has been cultivated through the fine educational dance program of FWDC.

Nancy Woollacott-All Levels T’ai Chi Chuan

Nancy Woollacott has been practicing Tai Chi Chuan since 1987 and teaches Grandmaster Williams C.C. Chens Yang style short form. She has studied with Grandmaster Chen,   Master Laura Stone of the Netherlands, Dr. Tao Ping-siang of Taiwan, Nathan Menaged of the Chinese Martial Arts Institute in Ohio and Master John Charlton of Indianapolis.  She is also certified to teach Chi-lel Qigong by Master Luke Chan of the Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Center in China.