Instructors

Michelle Seifrid, Artistic Director, is a graduate of Northern Illinois University with a BA in Performing Arts with a concentration in dance. While at Northern, Michelle was Vice-President of Northern Dance Theatre, Director of Cavan Theatre, a collegiate cheerleader and performed in several productions including Sleeping Beauty and West Side Story. After college, she danced with Joseph Holmes Dance Theatre in their apprentice program. Michelle has performed at a theme park, in commercials and a film. The film won 1st place for short films at the New York Film Festival. She continues her education through dance conventions, workshops and she still takes dance classes.
Michelle was the Studio Manager of The Academy of Dance and Performing Arts. She was Performing Arts Director for 10 years at the local YMCA, which under her directorship won theStudio of Excellence Award. Michelle was the first in Kendall County to start a competitive dance company 16 year ago. Michelle has over 25 years of teaching and dance school management experience.
Michelle is very proud of her students and takes pride in her teaching. Her students have gone on to be dance instructors, receive college dance scholarships, are members of college dance teams, danced at Walt Disney World, and received numerous national dance awards. Michelle is a member of the Professional Dance Teachers Association and Chicago National Association of Dance Masters.
Michelle, along with her business partner Colleen, felt that there was a need for high quality professional dance education in a family friendly atmosphere in the area. They opened Gold Star Academy of Dance 9 years ago, becoming the first Dance Academy in Kendall County.		image
  
Brianna Seifrid – Corrigan, Instructor,has been dancing for as long as she could walk. She danced at her first nationals at the age of four where her trio won 1st top high score. Brianna was trained at Gold Star Academy of Dance in all forms of dance and tumbling, as well as other studios. She was a member of the Gold Star Performance Company for 7 years and now works on cleaning their choreography and rhinestones their costumes for competition.
Brianna was a member of the Storm Chaser Dance team for the Storm soccer team, Swashbucklers cheerleader for the McHenry Country Pirates semi pro football team and a Team Illinois All Star Cheerleader as well as a UCA All Star all four years of high school.
Brianna has already accomplished many things in her young career. She was handpicked from 200 dancers to be represented by Bloc Talent Agency of LA. She has been a front row half time performer at two BCS Collage Bowl games, danced the closing ceremony of the Gay Olympic Games at Wrigley Field and danced down Main Street at USA in the Disney parade. Brianna was in the opening number of Co. Dance Nationals which aired on ESPN. She has also danced on stage with Benji from “So You Think You Can Dance”.
Brianna is currently going to The Illinois Institute of Art- Chicago majoring in Digital Photography and taking classes in costume design. She also takes classes in Chicago to further her dance education.		image
  
Kerri Galas, Instructor,is from a family of talented dancers. Her mother was her dance teacher growing up in Manhattan, Kansas, and has 4 sisters whom are all dancers/teachers. After being selected from a handful of dancers to tour with Dance Olympus Convention/Competition as an assistant, Miss Kerri began teaching. She has taught/choreographed for many dance teams and nationally ranked dance companies. Among these is our very own Vivid Dance Company. Her students have won numerous awards including Best Overall Group Tap, Teachers Choice Award, Choreography Award, several top 10 awards, and top solo awards.
As well as teaching dance, she has received a Bachelor`s of Fine Arts in graphic design. Miss Kerri and her husband, Matt, have two boys, Lucas and Trent. Kerri has a hands on teaching style and is full of energy. She is thrilled to be able to be a part of our dancers` lives and feels she along with the students will grow from this experience.		image
  
Kristen Humbers, Assistant Director, Kristen graduated from NIU with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance. At Northern, she was vice-president of Northern Dance Theatre and on a talented student scholarship. While in college, Kristen performed in Carmina Burana, Nutcracker, Give my Regards to Broadway, Sleeping Beauty, 25th Anniversary Gala and choreographed for student shows.
Kristen has also trained at Ballet Chicago, Lou Conte, Von Heidecke`s and Joffrey Ballet Chicago. She has danced in Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra`s Nutcracker with featured roles of Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy. Mrs. Humbers also performed in the Nutcracker with Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. Kristen has completed the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters teaching program and has been teaching for many years.
In summer of 2005, Kristen was appointed the position as Assistant Director of the Gold Star’s performance company, Vivid. Kristen`s choreography has won many national awards. Her creativity and passion show not only in her choreography, but also within the dance room. She loves playing a major role in our dancers` training and seeing them progress throughout the years. Kristen has two children, her son Carter and daughter Camryn.		image
  
Austria Hutcherson, Instructor, has been dancing since the age of five. She has trained with many teachers and choreographers from around the world including Barry Youngblood, Chris Dupre’, Rachelle Ochsner, and Kim Farah and many throughout her competition years with conventions. Austria trained with the pre-professional company Excel Dance Productions for four years then advanced on as the assistant artistic director for Excel Dance Productions. Austria founded her own company, E2 Dance Alliance, in 2005 for beginner level dancers. E2 was the sister company to Excel Dance Productions. Her mission for E2 was to allow dancers at any level the competition experience. Austria has taught/choreographed for many dance teams and nationally ranked dance companies. Among these is our very own Vivid Dance Company. Her students have won numerous awards including Best Overalls, Teachers Choice Award, Choreography Awards, Odyssey Awards, Costume Awards and several top 10 awards. Austria took her creative skills to L.A. to study Make-Up Artistry where she graduated from one of the top schools in the Nation, MKC Beauty Academy. She is a certified Make - Up Artist and is experienced in beauty, theatrical, entertainment, print and skin care. She has worked with internationally known photographers such as Anthony Moya, Bob Randall and Michael Kostopoulos. She also creates artistry for Pre-professional dance companies.image
  
Candi Morris, Instructor, received a BFA degree in dance and choreographyfrom Temple University in Philadelphia. She studied various modern techniques such as Cunningham, Horton andGraham to name a few. Candi hasalso trained in New York City at Steps and The Broadway Dance Center in jazz, lyrical and modern. Over the years, Candi has developed her own style and technique in dance which is the essences of her unique artistry. She holds certifications in pilates and yoga.image
  
Trina Monken, Instructor, formerly of Montreal, Canada has 20yrs of dance experience. She began her dancing career at the age of 2 where she took ballet classes at her local school. At the age of 3 she transferred to prestigious Montreal dance troupe “Les Amis De La Danse” (Friends of dancing) where she studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Pointe. Trina attended two Dance Caravans in New York City, NY at the age of 12 and 13. At the age of 13, she was given the opportunity to be a teaching assistant for the younger classes in Jazz and Tap. When she was 16, she was offered a position teaching her own classes in Jazz dancing. Trina was asked to be one of the students representing her dance school atseveral showcasws where she and other chosen students performed a number of their routines. Once Trina moved to the Village of Oswego she started to attend Pilates classes. She enjoyed the classes so much that Trina decided to take her certification in Pilates Instruction. She is also certified in kettle weights. Currently she teaches Ballet, Lyrical, Tap, Jazz and Hip Hop. Trina has always loved the world of fitness and dance and takes pride in everything that she does.image
  
Irina Poloubotko, Instructor, began her career over 20 years ago in Russia. She received her degree in Choreography from Moscow State University of Culture and Arts. Before coming to the United States, she was an instructor at the Bryansk College of Culture where she taught world ballet history and folk stage dance, among other courses. Irina founded and was artistic director of the Youth Dance School and ensemble "Radost" in Protvino, Moscow Region, Russia. In 1996, she was given the title of Ballet Master. After moving to the U.S. she founded and was choreographer for Fermilab`s youth dance group, "Fermilab Youth Ballet." Over the years, she has continued to teach children in the surrounding area classical ballet and character dancing. Irina also enjoys designing and sewing dance costumes.image
  
Renee Porter, Instructor,began her dance training in the third grade at a local dance academy in her hometown. Within a few years, she began focusing on tumbling, spending several hours each week practicing in the studio. Renee began teaching tumbling at the young age of 14, and eight years later, ran the tumbling program, which consisted of boys and girls ages 4-21. Renee received her BA in psychology from North Central College in 2003, and her love of teaching lead her to go on to graduate school in the field of school psychology. Renee received her Masters of Education in 2004, at University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, and continued her studies until completing the school psychology program in 2005. Renee has been employed as a school psychologist in Kendall County since the fall of 2005, and finds great fulfillment in teaching tumbling.image
  
Erin Smith, Instructor and Desk Staff, discovered her love for dancing after attending her younger sister Kerri’s first dance recital. She came to Gold Star in 2003 to further her dance education. She has trained in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, and Hop Hop.Erin is a 2008 graduate of Sandwich High School where she was captain of the pom squad her senior year and choreographed many dances that have been performed at football and basketball games. She was the student choreographer for her high school’s production of Footloose in 2007.She recently completed her Associates Degree of Science, and graduated with honors, fromWabaunsee Community Collegewhere she was a member of Phi Theta Kappa National Honors Society.Erin will be attending Northern Illinois University where she is majoring in business advertising.image