Instructors
Currently, there are 12 instructors who train and prepare our students in the areas of Art, Beginning Ballet, Cheerleading, Creative Dramatics, Interpretive Dance, Modern Dance, Music, Holy Hype, Ballroom Dancing & Stepping.
Maria Bacher (Ballroom Dancing/Cheerleading)
Maria is getting her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in May, 2011 from Concordia University (WI) and has experience in Music Theory, Music History, Cheerleading and is a leader & instructor of the Ballroom Dancing club and part of the Kammerchor choir.
Donna Bender (Music/Acting)
Donna has established herself as a skilled vocalist & songwriter on the Wisconsin music scene. In 1998, she began her current musical project, the Donna Woodall Group (DWG). Exposure to everything from "Billy Holliday to Billy Joel" has contributed to the group's musical style.
The DWG has performed at some of Milwaukee's most prestigious events and festivals. A partial list includes: River Rhythms, Rainbow Summer @ the Cathedral Park Jazz series (aka Jazz in the Park), Summerfest and Lakefront Festival of the Arts.
As the former singer for Streetlife, the highly acclaimed house band of the National Basketball Association's Milwaukee Bucks, Donna has been seen by thousands each week at the Bradley Center and on cable television. With Streetlife, Donna has opened for: Al Jarreau, Tower of Power, The Neville Brothers, and a host of other artists. Milwaukee Urban League's Black & White Ball, River Splash and the Wisconsin State Fair are just a few of the venues at which she has performed.
Kim Brunner (Ballet)
Experience: Started dance class at the age of 5; Began teaching dance at age 15 through the Brown Deer Recreational Dept.; Director of a dance ministry (beginning in 1985); Taught interpretive ballet for 8 years at Eastbrook School of Fine Arts; Directed numerous dance conferences in the Milwaukee area; Ministers in dance throughout the country through Dance Eternal
Laura Brunner (Cheerleading)
Education: Grafton H.S., Liberty University, Concordia University - B.A. in Exercise Leadership
Accomplishments: Established 2 competitive cheerleading squads that have placed in the top three at every national competition and the top five at every regional championship and local competition they have attended; Awarded Marine Corps Scholar/Athlete; Inducted into Cheer Ltd. Coaching Hall of Fame; Has a successful club cheerleading program; Head Cheer Coach for North Shore Academy of Gymnastics (Cedarburg)
Tana Dehning (Drama)
Work Experience: Concordia University University, Peer Leader & Career Services Assistant; Winona Lake Parks Department, Camp Counselor; St. Peter-Immanuel Lutheran Elementary School; Oriole Lane Elementary School
Education: Concordia University (WI), Major: Elementary Educations, Minor: English/Language Arts
Awards: Scholastic Honors List - Concordia University Presidential Scholarship
Co-Founder: Concordia University Drama Ministry
Cherise Easley (Stepping)
Work Experience: Young Leaders Academy - Lower School Administrator and Gifted & Talented Teacher, Third grade teacher / Harley Readers Program director; Milwaukee Urban League Academy of Business and Economics - Third grade teacher / Administrative Lead teacher
Education: National Louis University - Master's in Educational Leadership, DPI Administrative License, DPI Director of Curriculum Instruction License, DPI Director of Special Education License; National Teachers and Educators College - DPI Professional Educators license; Cardinal Stritch University - Masters in Education/ Certification; Marquette University - Bachelors of Arts in Communication and Education (Special focus on Educational Leadership, Human Relations, and Public Communications)
Professional memberships: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Top Ladies of Distinction; Walt Disney Outstanding Teacher of the Year Nominee ('05); Outstanding Program development and Implementation for the YMCA of Greater Milwaukee ('05); Black Achiever Inductee ('05); YMCA Metropolitan Milwaukee “Strong Kids” Honoree ('05)
Karen Moses (Modern Dance)
Dance Instructor: Ballroom Dance, White Rock Elementary School; Employed by Danceworks and the Mad Hot Ballroom Program Milwaukee
Performance History: Divine Expressions Recital (Elgin, IL); Choreography by Katie Dahlsing Lutheran Pastors Conference (Rosemont, IL); World Jazz Conference (Buffalo, New York)
Company History: Zephyr Dancers (Chicago, IL); Winnifred Haun and Dancers, Chicago’s Next Dance Festival, 2000 Paula Frasz (Chicago, IL)
Education: Vineyard Leadership Institute, Certificate of Completion; Northern Illinois University, BFA Dance Performance
Christopher Orth (Drama)
Experience: Concordia University - Office of Residence Life & Office of Campus Activities; Milwaukee Lutheran High School – Madrigal Dinner Coordinator; Metavente Club - Host
Education: Concordia University – Bachelor of Arts in Theatre; Association of Concordia Theatre - Member & Drama Ministry Team President; Milwaukee Area Technical College - Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design.
Julia Richter (Drama/All Around Art)
Education: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater - Bachelor of Science in Education (grades 1-6), Master of Education Curriculum and Instruction (Integrate Teaching Through the Arts)
Experience: Show Choir Choreographer @ Westosha Central H.S., 4th Grade Teracher @ Curtis Strange Elementary, Summer School ESCAPE Teacher/Coordinator @ Curtis Strange Elementary, Tutor at Milwaukee Resuce Mission
Lori Woodall-Schaufler (Drama)
Education: California Institute of the Arts - MFA in Acting; University of WI-Madison - BA in African-American Studies & Theatre & Drama
Experience: Theatre Professor – Concordia University; Administrative Assistant and Scriptwriter – Performing Arts Workshops, CA; Musical Theater Teacher – Performing Arts Workshops, CA; Theatre Teacher – Children’s Arts Institute, CA; SAT Teacher – Ivywest, CA; Summer Drama Instructor – First Stage, Milwaukee; Summer Drama Instructor – Children’s Theatre of Madison; Director, Performing Arts Committee – Wis. Union Directorate, Madison
Honors: Lovelace Full Scholarship, Cal Arts; Outstanding Multicultural Leadership Award, Multicultural Council; Porter Butts Creative Arts Award; Helen T. Hermann Award; Outstanding Dramatic Arts Award
Ryan Schaufler (Drama)
Education: California Institute of the Arts - BFA in Acting; Portland Community College - Liberal Arts Major
Experience: Shoreline Entertainment, Richard Pires Los Angeles Film School, Geoffrey Mark Media, Daniel Glasser Productions, Acacia Theatre, Walt Disney Mudular Theatre, The Other Side Theatre
Special Skills: Play write, Poet, Short Story Writer, Character Voices
Shantee Swan (Holy Hype)
Experience: Preparatory School for Global Leadership – Operations Assistant; St. Mary’s Hospital – Emergency Service Coordinator; Ko-thi Dance Company – Junior Level Performing Artist; New Restoration Church – Holy Hype & Stepping Instructor.
Education: Esperanza Unida – Computer Applications; Bryant & Stratton Business College – Business Management
Rosalita Villa (Interpretative Dance)
Rosalita began studying dance (ballet, jazz, and tap) at age 6. At 19 yr old, she began assisting her teachers and started to teach at 21 yrs old. She has received training at: Donna Jeanne School of Dance; Dance Circus Inc., Allegro Dance Studio, Adagio Dance Center, NADAA (National Association of Dance and Affiliated Artists), Pat Kellar Dance Studio, Lion of Judah School of Dance. She has taught at the Adagio Dance Center; Cudahy, Oak Creek, St. Francis & Greenfield Recreation Dept.; Arabesque Dance Studio.
Crushun Stanley (Sean) (Stepping)
Sean has been a student of Urban Praise for over 10 years and is a graduate of Travis Acdemey H.S. Sean danced/studied with ATC for several years under the instruction of our own ATC instructor Cherise Easley. Currently, Sean teaches for Above The Clouds as a Stepping Instructor.
Jeannine Rivers (Music-vocal)
Jeannine Rivers is a Classical Jazz and R&B singer-songwriter out of Milwaukee who discovered her love of performing at a very early age. Jeannine’s first music award was won in third grade when she sang Al Green’s song” Lets Stay Together” for a talent Contest. She has participated in and won 1st place in Wisconsin state vocal competitions and proceeded on to win 1st place in state wide Regional competitions. Jeannine currently holds an Associates Degree in Music and is currently working on her Bachelors’ of Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Communications/Marketing at Cardinal Stritch University.
Jeannine is currently the lead vocalist of her own musical group called Jeannine Rivers Group and currently performs at various venues throughout Milwaukee and surrounding areas. In addition to singing with her own group she also performs as a guest soloist with the Eastbrook Church Choir and other local musicians. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described her voice as having the precision and diction like that of Dinah Washington with some comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald.