Faculty
The highest educational standards are expected from Expressions Dance Studio faculty members. They are lifelong learners who continue to educate themselves through certification programs, teacher-training schools, conferences, and other learning opportunities.
Biographies:
Jenny Reed – Dance Director
Jenny Reed is a dance teacher and choreographer based in northern Illinois. She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and she graduated magna cum laude from Grand Valley State University in 2018 with a BA in Dance. Her graduate research examined dancers with chronic pain/medical conditions and how they manage their health while working in the dance field. During her time at Grand Valley, she had the privilege of performing in guest artist works by Richard Bowman, Autumn Eckman, Mark Haim, and Simon Thomas-Train. Her work “comPULSE” was selected by faculty to perform in the GVSU Spring Dance Concert in 2018. Jenny is an adjunct faculty member teaching ballet at Carthage College, and her choreographic works “Submerged” (2019) and “Pieces of Me” (2021) received the Carthage College Outstanding Dance Ensemble Award. She has also choreographed for the College of Lake County and Trifecta Dance Collective. Her dance on camera work “Uplifted” was presented at the 2020 Trifecta Dance Film Screening in Chicago. Jenny grew up dancing at the Grayslake Park District, and she is thrilled to serve the studio as director of dance.
Anna Erdman
Following her competitive dance training, Anna began immersing herself in the pre-professional world in high school when she had the privilege of studying under renowned choreographers such as Mark Yonnelly, Eddy Ocampo, Richard Smith, Katie Dietz-Griffith, Kathleen MacCann and more. Her performance credits span across multiple events both locally and worldwide, including Dance Chicago, Carnival, Chicago Tap Theatre’s Tidings of Tap, and The American College Dance Festival Association. She also performed as an ambassador for the College of Lake County in China. Throughout college while obtaining her degree in English, she diversified her training with studies in Spanish, Indian, and African dance styles under the guidance of Irma Suarez Ruiz and Jamie Cage. As a former member of Framework Dance Chicago and Meraki Dance Company, Anna’s dedication to dance is evident outside of her full-time job. Recently, her work with the Expressions Unlimited Dance Company received a nomination for her dance “Seasons Change” through the Trifecta Dance Collective Contemporary Awards. Currently engaged in classes throughout Chicagoland, Anna combines her passion for dance with her interest in Kinesiology, seamlessly integrating both into her teaching philosophy as she strives to cultivate a safe space to learn and grow.
Cate Storlie
Cate began dancing at the age of 4 with the Menagerie Dance Program at the Wauconda Park District. Menagerie gave her the opportunity to be an assistant dance teacher in middle school, and she continued until graduating high school. Cate has studied many different styles of dance, including ballet, lyrical, modern, jazz, and tap. Currently, she is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology at Northern Illinois University, with hopes to minor in Dance! Cate adores park district programs, and has loved every second of being a part of Expressions. She is very thankful for the chance to give back to a program very similar to her childhood one. She hopes her students are ready to work hard and have fun!
Megan Griesser
Megan is a passionate dance teacher and choreographer based in Lake Villa, Illinois. A recent graduate of Oklahoma City University, Megan earned a Bachelor of Science in Dance and Arts Management, where she gained extensive knowledge in both performance and production aspects of dance. During her time at OCU, she performed in the Star Dance Company for all four years, further honing her skills and stage presence. Having danced since the age of 2, Megan grew up dancing at Shine Bright Dance Studio in Antioch, Illinois. She has trained in a variety of styles, including ballet, jazz, musical theatre, tap, hip hop, lyrical, and contemporary, with a particular focus on precision line. Working closely with Vincent Sandoval, a former ensemble performer from the Radio City “Christmas Spectacular”, Megan aspires to become a Radio City Rockette. In addition to teaching, Megan is skilled in stage management, lighting design, costuming, and administrative tasks, bringing a well-rounded perspective to the studio. She is excited to join Expressions Dance Studio and inspire the next generation of dancers!
Giselle Leon
Giselle began her training as an adult at various studios and at the College of Lake County. Since then, she has studied several forms of dance such as Hip Hop, Latin, West African, Modern, and Ballet. Giselle holds a BA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is a College of Lake County alumni. Her passion and ambition have led to many performance and choreographic opportunities at her schools and at several events in her own community. Giselle is currently a dance instructor at various studios in the Lake County area and is passionate about sharing her craft with her students!
For more information, please contact Dance Director Jenny Reed by email at jreed@glpd.com.