Rich Ashworth

Richard Ashworth (Milwaukee, WI) is an educator, choreographer, and performer whose interest in technical foundation and corresponding social cultures have made him a resource in the social and percussive African Diaspora dance communities. Richard attended the University at Buffalo, receiving a BFA in Dance in June 2007. After graduating, Rich performed aboard Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas and upon returning to the States, danced in several crews for live performances and industrials including for artists such as Flo Rida and The Goo Goo Dolls. Rich has performed, choreographed, and toured with several internationally celebrated dance companies including Lehrerdance (dir. Jon Lehrer), Chicago Dance Crash (dir. Jessica Deahr), Be The Groove (dir. Stephanie Paul) serving as educational director, and Chicago Tap Theatre (dir. Mark Yonally), where he served as a choreographer and rehearsal director. As an educator Rich has been on the faculty of several dance based organizations including Dance Masters of America, Flow 40 Dance, Beyond the Stars dance convention, and Interdanza of Mexico. Rich has served as a choreographer and lecturer at Hope College and Salve Regina University. Rich most recently attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, achieving a Masters of Fine Arts in Dance in May 2021. He now teaches courses at UWM, Carthage College, Danceworks Milwaukee, and guest lectures around the country.

Maggie Batterman

Maggie Batterman (they/them) is a dance artist and educator from Madison, WI. Their training began with JoJean Retrum at Monona Academy of Dance and Dance Wisconsin. Their pursuit of dance brought them to Chicago at 16, training at the Grainger Academy of the Joffrey Ballet and later the Lou Conte Scholarship Program. They then attended the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program, graduating in 2021. Maggie was a member of St. Louis Dance Theatre (formerly the Big Muddy Dance Company) from 2021-2024. Maggie has performed works by Brian Josiah Martinez, Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Omar Román de Jesús, Adam Burrach, Aaron Choate, Jessi Stegall, Sidra Bell, and Norbert De La Cruz III, among others. They are currently performing with Boykin Dance Project in Chicago. Outside of their own practice, Maggie loves teaching and feels passionate about bettering dance education and building confidence in young artists.

Miye Bishop

Miye trained classically in Sendai, Japan and Bellingham, Washington with Northwest Ballet Theatre, where she performed roles such as Cinderella, Clara in the Nutcracker, Peasant Pas in Giselle, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Ballerina Doll in Petrushka. She attended summer intensives and workshops at American Ballet Theatre, St. Petersburg Russia’s Dance Open, International Ballet Academy, and Kirov Ballet Academy. After college she danced with Bellingham Repertory Dance for four seasons. As a guest artist, Miye has performed in Ballet Bellevue's Les Sylphide, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Rodeo and Northwest Ballet Theatre's Dracula. She has been a guest choreographer and dancer for Seattle Opera and Skagit Opera. Miye has taught and choreographed at several dance schools including; Northwest Ballet Academy, NW Dance and Acro, Camano Dance Academy, Transcendence Dance Company, Dance Wisconsin, and Monona Academy of Dance. Miye has recently coached dancers in Washington and Wisconsin for Youth American Grand Prix, where her students have been placed from top 12 to first place. Miye is also a certified yoga instructor who works to strengthen and prevent injuries for dancers. She most recently performed with Kanopy Dance Theatre.

Catrina Choate-Heretoiu

Catrina Choate-Heretoiu is a ballet teacher and somatic educator who works toward assisting students achieve excellence in a stress-free manner. She received her primary ballet training with the Cecchetti Method and later with the School of American Ballet in New York City. She danced professionally with Miami City Ballet, Carolina Ballet, and Miami Contemporary Dance Company. Ms. Heretoiu performed many Balanchine Ballets including Agon, Concerto Barocco, The Four Temperaments, Jewels, and Serenade. As a teacher, she has staged many productions such as The Nutcracker, Les Sylphides, Coppelia, and she has choreographed many original contemporary ballets. She has also successfully coached many students for the Youth America Grand Prix. Ms. Heretoiu holds a B.A. degree in English Literature from Florida International University and an MFA degree in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has been a full-time faculty member with the UIUC Dance Department and is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais practitioner and has structured specific Awareness Through Movement lessons for dancers to help the physical rehabilitation process and to increase an understanding of body awareness. Ms. Heretoiu is the co-founder of KineOasis and the founder of SomaStudies, an in person and online school that is dedicated to helping people in pain and assisting performing artists achieve their physical goals so they may withstand their career of choice. She is also the founder of classes called Soma Ballet, Soma Floor, and an Early Childhood Dance Program called Ballet Joy. Catrina is excited to share her passion and knowledge with many wonderful students!

Yumelia Garcia-McClaren

Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Yumelia began training professionally at a young age at the Escuela de Ballet Gustavo Franklin. She graduated with honors and started her career at the National Ballet of Caracas. She then continued her career at Ohio Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet (where she was promoted to principal dancer), Ballet Florida, and finally the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago.

Yumelia retired from the Joffrey in 2014 continuing to make guest appearances across the U.S. and teaching and coaching in ballet schools. She is also a certified personal trainer and barre fitness instructor.

Ashley Paige Romines

Ashley Paige Romines began her dance training at age ten in Sevierville, Tennessee, and continued on to pre-professional ballet training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. She then studied on scholarship at the University of Oklahoma and graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Ballet Pedagogy. Ashley Paige’s performance experience includes Oklahoma Festival Ballet and Northern Ballet Theatre in New Hampshire where she danced professionally for three seasons. During her training and professional career, Ashley Paige had the honor to learn from such inspiring teachers as Marcia Dale Weary, Darla Hoover, Mary Margaret Holt, Donn Edwards, Dennis Marshall, Marjorie Grundvig, Melinda Howe, Leslie Hench, Laurie Jones, Denise Vale, Jeremy Lindberg, Karyn Edison, and many others, all who helped shape the type of teacher she strives to be.

Additionally, Ashley Paige received her Pilates mat certification through Power Pilates and has used Pilates as a powerful cross-training tool for both herself and her students. During and after her performance career, Ashley Paige focused more on her teaching, choreography and ballet administration career. Throughout the Northeast, she taught all levels of classical ballet, creative movement, and Pilates at several pre-professional schools, choreographed several original works and acted as administrative and rehearsal assistant at Dancing Arts Center in Holliston, Massachusetts. Ashley Paige then joined Springfield Ballet in Springfield, Missouri, as the Artistic & School Director, where she was integral to transforming the organization into a reputable preprofessional school in the region during her twelve-year tenure.

While there, she choreographed and staged an annual production of The Nutcracker as well as several original full-length and one-act classical and contemporary ballets. She attended Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s Teacher’s Workshop several times, which was instrumental in developing the curriculum at Springfield Ballet, from the tots to the pre-professional dancers. Ashley Paige was on faculty at Colorado Ballet Academy, and then returned to Springfield Ballet as Artistic and School Director before most recently relocating to the Madison area.

Jessica Tomlinson

As a young dancer, Jessica apprenticed with NC Dance Theatre under the direction of former New York City Ballet principals Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride. Tomlinson graduated from the University of NC School of the Arts with a BFA in Contemporary Dance. Upon moving to Chicago she collaborated with Lauri Stallings (formerly of Hubbard Street and current Artistic Director of gloATL) and performed with her company NANDANSE. Jessica was a dancer, choreographer, assistant rehearsal director , director of the Thodos Youth Ensemble and teacher for Thodos Dance Chicago from 2005-2017, where she performed and toured both Nationally and Internationally. Jessica continued developing her own choreography through the Thodos New Dances Performance Series, with several works becoming part of the company’s repertoire. She produced her first evening length performance JMT/JLS Choreography following a Grand Prize Win/Grant from the Joyce Theater Foundation’s A.W.A.R.D. Show! 2009.

Jessica Miller Tomlinson’s Award Winning Choreography has been commissioned or produced by the Chautauqua Ballet Company, NC School of the Arts, Aerial Dance Chicago, Take Up Space Dance Fest, Unearth Virtual Arts Festival, Moonwater Dance Project, Alluvion Dance Chicago, Hot Crowd, The Universal Ballet Competition, Dancing To Dream Fundraiser, DanceWorks Chicago, Chicago Repertory Ballet,The Joyce Theater Foundation, The Inconvenience Performance Group,The Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Idaho Dance Theatre, Regional Dance America, Columbia College of Chicago, Spring To Dance Festival St Louis, Washington and Lee University, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival , Forum Dance Theatre, Nomi Dance Company, Common Conservatory, Dance in the Parks, The Dance Gallery Festival, Visceral Dance Chicago, Nebraska Contemporary Dance Theatre, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, The Harvest Dance Festival, The HSDC Youth Ensemble, Northern Illinois University, SHIFT DANCE | FESTIVAL Albuquerque, Dance For Life, Water Street Dance Milwaukee and Thodos Dance Chicago. She has collaborated with Dance For Life's Our Voices Dance, Jacqueline Stewart/JAXON Movement Arts, Joshua Manculich, local Chicago band District 97, and the Andy Warhol Silver Clouds Exhibit at the MCA.

Jessica was the Winner of Idaho Dance Theater’s Inaugural New Visions Choreography Competition as well as a Winner of DanceWorks Chicago’s Inaugural NewMoves Choreography Competition. She has been a Finalist for the Avant Chamber Ballet Women’s Choreography Competition 3 times in addition to being a Finalist for the METdance Emerging Choreographer Competition.

Jessica was a Faculty member for the Hubbard Street Youth Dance Program, as well as the Joffrey Academy of Dance, where she taught Contemporary for the Joffrey Studio Company and Trainees. She was Adjunct Faculty at Northern Illinois University for two years. Jessica was a Guest Alumni Choreographer/Teacher for UNCSA, and has been a Guest Artist in Residence for Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Columbia College of Chicago, and Washington and Lee University. Jessica currently teaches company classes for Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, South Chicago Dance Theatre, Visceral Dance Chicago, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Additionally, Jessica served as the Rehearsal Director for South Chicago Dance Theatre for the past four years. She is also currently a Faculty member for Pure Vibe Dance Center and The Rooted Space.

Bios

Summer 2026 Guest Instructors