Instructors

Alicia Karczewski – MOVE! Artistic Director & Instructor – Creative Movement, Improvisation  Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theater Dance, Modern Dance Instructor

SOLE MERGER – Artistic Director, Choreographer

Graduated Summa Cum Laude from Loretto Heights/Regis University with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Dance and later received her professional teaching licensure in Physical Movement and an additional endorsement in Dance.  While pursuing her degree, she worked in musical theatre (42nd Street, Oklahoma!, Peter Pan, Unsinkable Molly Brown) and toured West Side Story as dance captain. She choreographed musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, Brigadoon, South Pacific, for numerous high schools, and continuing her career as choreographer she was selected for the 1996, 1997 and 2000 Colorado Choreographers Showcase. Concurrently, she danced with modern, jazz, and tap dance companies (Interweave Dance Theatre, Jan Justis Dance Company, Jumpstart) and worked in the entertainment and film industries (Step by Step; An Amateurs Guide to choreography, Father Dowling – Viacom Film Productions). Ms. Karczewski tributes her move into a dance career  to Miller’s Dance Studio (Aurora CO), where she was inspired by owner Sabrina Helma, and served as  faculty and office manager for over 15 years. She has guest taught for Colorado Ballet, Glenwood Springs Dance Festival, the cast of Phantom of the Opera, David Taylor Dance Theatre, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Summer Intensive, and a variety of studio’s nationally.   Ms. Karczewski was Co-Director of the Department of Dance and Movement  at Denver School of the Arts, Denver Colorado  (DSA) for over 20 years. Her focus was in teaching  classical jazz, rhythm tap, modern, choreography and composition. While at DSA her students participated in the National High School Dance Festival where they performed  through the adjudication process amongst over a 1000 high school dancers from across the country.

Ms. Karczewski participated as Colorado Dance Alliance board member, adjudication committee for Scientific & Cultural Facilities District New Grants program for dance, Colorado Dance Education Organization (CoDeo) advisory committee and 2009/2010 Dance Standards review committee for Colorado Department of Education and was chosen to participate for the 2017/18 review. Additionally, she enjoyed traveling all over the U.S. adjudicating dance competitions for many years and recently was part of the adjudicating team for presentingdenver dance festival performance 2017/18.  Ms. Karczewski is excited to be part of MOVE! –  focusing on dance and movement experiences in a holistic integrated environment for all ages and experiences.

Instructor’s

Tracey Blustein- Meditation Guide

Traceyhas had a meditation practice for over 25 years and studied meditation in India for five and a half years. While her study of meditation comes from a Hindu perspective, the meditation classes she teaches are non secular and not associated with a specific tradition. Meditation has changed her life and she is excited to share the practice of meditation with you.

  Justin Boccitto – Tap Dance, Broadway Style Jazz Dance – Guest Instructor

SOLE MERGER –Choreographer, Marketing

COMMON GROUND Denver

Justin Boccitto is an international dance artist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over 30 years. He’s instructed at Broadway Dance Center, The Juilliard School, NYU, and Steps on Broadway. His students have included Lady Gaga, Sophia Anne Caruso, and Sean Fosse along with being asked to teach Stephen Colbert. As a tap dancer he performed at Tap City, Tap Extravaganza, The Big Apple Tap Festival, Symphony Space, and the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.  He also appeared on the MTV series MADE. An award-winning director/choreographer, Justin has staged over 100 live theatrical events including his own program, The Choreographers Canvas. Justin is the Co-Director of Common Ground, a tap dance project based out of New York, Denver, and across the country, conducting masterclasses and teaching the origins of the art form. He currently resides in Denver where he collaborates with Move! Dance Space. www.justinboccitto.com

Amanda Bouza – Pilates Mat – Instructor

Amanda Bouza, a native of Miami, FL, began dancing at the age of four. With support from her family and her undeniable passion for movement, she attended the nationally recognized high school New World School of the Arts. She continued her education at the world-renowned Juilliard School in New York City and graduated with a Bachelors’s in Fine Arts in 2018. She is a recipient of the Martha Hills Award and the Career Advancement Grant. She has had the privilege to dance in the works of choreographers Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Gustavo Ramirez, Pam Tanowitz, and Crystal Pite. Her profound interest in the mind-body connection led her to receive her Balance Body:  Pilates Full Apparatus Certification through Just like Om Studio in New York, City. In 2019, Ms. Bouza moved to Denver, CO, to join Wonderbound, a contemporary ballet company (Artistic Director Garret Ammon). After two successful seasons with the company, she has decided to return to graduate school and will be pursuing a Masters in Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Colorado. Ms. Bouza is thrilled to share her wealth of knowledge in body mechanics, functional movement techniques, and the mind/body connection as a Pilates instructor as she begins her new chapter in life.

Rachel Brady – EBAS, Ballet, Jazz Dance, Whimsey Dance & Creative Movement – Substitute Instructor

Rachel was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She has a formal education in Dance from the Denver School of the Arts and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University. She grew up with Dance as a huge part of her life and is continuously finding new ways to explore her relationship to movement. She’s had the pleasure of working with many artists in Colorado, Virginia, New York, North Carolina and Puerto Rico. She loves to teach and believes that dance plays an integral part in child development both physically and cognitively. Alongside dancing and teaching, she has a passionate reverence for traditional Thai healing which informs her teaching. She is also a mom of a toddler boy who is always keeping her on her toes.

Russ Canino – Tap Dance – Guest Instructor

Russ Canino started on his entertainment career path by  singing on stage at the tender age of 9 years old. He started doing summer stock in his early teens.  Russ performed with various groups in Colorado while gaining notoriety for his talent.

In 1987, Russ moved to Las Vegas where he worked at the Osmond’s Performance Academy teaching tap and jazz classes. He went to dance for Princess Cruises in California in 1989, but eventually came back to Las Vegas where he worked with Jackie Jaeger at the University of Nevada Las Vegas for three years on such productions as Kiss Me Kate, Oklahoma, and Best Little Whore House in Texas.  He also worked closely with teacher and choreographer Donna Washington on several shows for Penny France Productions in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada.  Russ’ talents afforded him the opportunity to study with tap legend Henry LeTang, where his relationship as student and protege grew for over a decade. Within that time, Russ worked on several projects with Mr. LeTang in various Las Vegas, California, and Colorado locations, assisting with staging and production. Mr. LeTang endorsed Russ with the privilege of his teaching method, curriculum, and choreography.  Russ also studied with vocal teacher and coach Kenneth Kamal Scott from New York.

Russ performed in several industry productions while working with James Coburn and danced in a production with Billy Vera and the Beaters.  He also performed as a voiceover for the Pointer Sisters.  Russ was a lead dancer for the Country Star Cafe in Las Vegas where he worked with some of country music royalty like Reba McIntyre, Vince Gill, and Tracy Lawrence.  It was experience such as this that led Russ to begin producing and choreographing on his own in Las Vegas for local events.

In 2000, Russ moved back to Colorado and became an intricate part of the tap program at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities.  He builds off his life experiences as he produces, choreographs and sings in Colorado for the Center and for various organizations.

 Russ was the 2008 recipient of the Italian Entertainer of the Year Award in Colorado at the Primo Awards produced by the Andiamo newspaper.

 Dani Champagne – Tap Dance – Guest Instructor

SOLE MERGER – Performer, Choreographer

COMMON GROUND Denver

Dani Champagne is an award-winning tap artist from New York City. She has performed with Demi Remick & Dancers, Drumatix, Boston Tap Company, and her own company, ACM (resident artist at the American Tap Dance Foundation). She has instructed at such world-renowned studios as Broadway Dance, Mark Morris Dance Group, and Common Ground (where she also acts as Workshop Coordinator). Dani has worked with a roster of incredible artists including Dianne Walker, Derick Grant, and has performed at Symphony Space, Arts On Site, Emerging Choreographer Series, and the Performance Lab at Steps On Broadway. She is currently the Co-Director for Common Ground Denver, working in collaboration with Move! Dance Space in Colorado. Dani also instructs private lessons and sets choreography for companies and studios nationwide. Learn more about Dani at www.danichampagne.com.

Laurie Clyne – YOGA – Instructor

Laurie first discovered yoga in 2015 when she stumbled across a “30 classes for 30-days for $30” offer at a local yoga studio within walking distance from her home. She quickly realized that the true gift of yoga was not just the physical workout, but the combined mind, body and spirit experience.

She completed teacher training in May 2019 and has been sharing the gift of yoga ever since. 

Her classes are a well-balanced, moderately paced flow vinyasa style practice, tying breath to movement. Classes are perfect for beginners as well as seasoned practitioners alike and cater to all ages and body types.

She believes that ordinary people walk into yoga classes and extraordinary people walk out.

Sarah DellaFave – Tap Dance – Guest Instructor

Sarah studied ballet and jazz during her childhood and teen years in New Jersey, attending both a small local studio as well as the Princeton Ballet School.  When not dancing her other active pursuits have included gymnastics, jiujitsu, cycling, and hiking.  Her love of tap began as an adult and she now teaches the Ageless Adult Tap classes at the Arvada Center.  She enjoys the challenge of teaching various levels of classes and loves seeing her students have fun.  Her teaching style is gentle, encouraging and patient, which works especially well for adult beginners.  Sarah currently studies with Alicia Karczewski and Emily Jones, and former teachers included Gene GeBauer and Peg Emery.   She participated in a week-long intensive workshop with the modern dance company, Pilobolus, in Washington, CT, and also attended the Rocky Mountain Percussive Dance Festival at the Peak Academy of Dance in Morrison, CO. Other master class highlights have included classes with Barbara Duffy, Leonardo Sandoval of Dorrance Dance, Anthony Lo Cascio, Ellie Sciarra, and Max Pollak.  You’ll also find her at the Tap-In Festival every year at Move!  

  Sally Fortenberry – Tap Dance – Guest Instructor

Gene GeBauer – Tap Dance “In Memory of”

Gene danced twenty years on Broadway and appeared in such hits as “Once Upon A Mattress”, “Camelot”, “No Strings”, “Hello, Dolly!”, “Oh! Calcutta”, and “Sugar” with such stars as Carol Burnett, Julie Andrews, Carol Channing, Richard Burton, Robert Goulet, and Steve Condos. He danced for many choreographers including Gower Champion, Hanya Holm, and Alvin Ailey. After Broadway Mr. GeBauer joined the dance faculty at the University of Iowa where he started the tap program while working on his B.A. He is currently a private contractor with a number of the major dance studios along the Front Range. His tap classes concentrate on strong technique, drawing on material from classic tap through Broadway tap to rhythm tap.

Adhara Hamilton – Trauma-informed Yoga Instructor 

 Adhara Hamilton is a licensed somatic-based therapist and certified yoga/movement teacher, who specializes in empowering others to get in touch with the body’s intuitive wisdom and healing capacity through movement & sound. She has been participating and leading in healing circles for over 25 years, and believes in the time-tested benefits of supportive community circles. She regularly engages in various forms of movement, yoga, and dance including ecstatic/improv and conscious movement practices. Adhara also enjoys singing/songwriting and anything outside with nature!

John Huddle – Tai Chi – Instructor

I started practicing Tai Chi sometime in 2007 or 2008 at Green Mountain Recreation Center. We learned Yang style Tai Chi. I think that I fell in love with Tai Chi with my first class. I just continued to sign up for the class. We also learned “Tai Chi for Arthritis”, a form that incorporates Sun style Tai Chi. Six or seven years later my teacher moved away. Before he left I got permission to teach the class. It was a year or so later that I became certified for “Tai Chi for Arthritis”, through Tai Chi for Health, an organization led by Dr. Paul Lam. A year after that I began teaching Tai Chi at City of Lakewood at the same rec center where I had started practicing Tai Chi. That is now coming up on seven years ago. My teacher moved back and we get together from time to time to practice. I have found that I really enjoy teaching Tai Chi, and I have learned so much more about Tai Chi with the help of my students. It benefits my health, as well as theirs.

Emily Jones – Tap Dance, Musical Theater Dance – Instructor

SOLE MERGER – Performer, Choreographer

Emily Jones has been teaching and performing tap in Denver for over five years, and is excited to be on the faculty of TAP-IN to Colorado Tap Dance Festival. She is a founding member of Sole Merger Percussive Dance Company, and lead choreographer of the company’s breakout collaborative piece with Radical Love Movement, “Pulse”. In 2024, Emily and fellow Sole Merger company member, Kaitlyn Powers, began the Youth Tap Showcase to create a performance opportunity for up and coming youth tap dancers in Colorado. She also spoke with Danielle Heller on a panel for dance educators at the 10th Annual Colorado Dance Education Organization conference regarding creating and growing tap curriculum for various age and skill groups, as part of Danielle’s faculty for the Rocky Mountain Tap Teacher’s Training Program. Emily teaches on Thursday evenings at Move!, and on rotating Sundays each month. She is originally from Denton, TX, and has a degree in American Dance Pedagogy from Oklahoma City University. Her fun fact is that both her mom and her mom’s mom were professional tap dancers too!

Emma S. Kimball – Artist-in-Residence, Rehearsal Director

Emma S. Kimball is an independent dancetheater artist who directs, choreographs, performs in, and collaborates on projects for stage and film. She has worked with companies and artists in Colorado and New York including Stain’d Arts, Built for Collapse, Nerd Rat Media, Theater Reconstruction Ensemble, Analía Alegre-Femenias Weber, Canyon Concert Ballet, and Life/Art 

Dance, among others. Emma is currently a company member of Life/Art Dance Ensemble, and employee at DCPA, and an artist in residence at MOVE Dance Space & Arts Center. Her work has been described as multidisciplinary, conceptual, story-centric, and playful.

Karen Kleber – Tap Dance – Guest Instructor

SOLE MERGER –Choreographer

Karen’s folks always knew that she was born to dance, but it wasn’t until age 15 that she started studying seriously at the Carmichael School of performing arts in Northern California. Everyday after school studying and performing ballet, jazz and of course, tap.

Two years later, a call back from A Chorus Line in San Francisco sends Karen to New York City to await an opening in the Broadway cast. In the meantime, she spies an open call for David Merrick’s 42nd Street in Backstage Magazine. She and her BFF Neva went, and long story short, they were both cast!  Eight shows a week for five and a half years, and it was time to change it up. A tap concert with DancEllington, Mercedes Ellington’s company, was the perfect gig. Incredible choreography by Maurice and Gregory Hines, and a special feature by a young Savion Glover. That show led to a Broadway industrial production in Hong Kong, produced by the Tony Award winning choreographer, George Faison.  Along the way, Karen met Dr. Bill Kleber, the man of her dreams, and soon they moved to Colorado with their four fantastic kids. She became known along the Front Range as ‘Dr. Dance,’ teaching tap, choreographing musicals and show choirs. (Most notably, Berthoud’s award-winning Bridge Between Show Choir.)

Enter tap legend Barbara Duffy, who suggests the Tap Teacher Training Program at The American Tap Dance Foundation in New York City, which literally changed Karen’s life! Karen currently holds two certificates in this challenging program that focuses on jazz rhythms, tap history, technique and the Copacetic Cannon.

Creating choreography and teaching has always been her passion.  She brings a sense of humor and joy to her classes, while always carrying a deep respect for the art form and the masters of the past.

Karen along with Sally Fortenberry created ‘KrampStamp,’ a company that produces tap videos and champions tap wherever possible. Realizing the need for fun tap merchandise in the marketplace, she and her tap student Marlene Cavanagh created TapTogs. An online shop just for tap dancers! You can check them out on Instagram @TapTogs.

  Mary Martin – Tap Dance – Guest Instructor

SOLE MERGER – Performer

Mary Martin began dancing at the age of three in her home state, Maryland.  She studied ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, and contemporary extensively and earned a BFA in Dance Performance from Oklahoma City University. Mary has danced with several dance companies, including the Chicago Honey Bears, traveling across the USA and abroad.  Having studied under many wonderful teachers over the years including Robert Reed, Lyn Cramer, Mark Yonally, Marge Comey, and Lester Holmes, Mary has continued to hone her tap dance skills. She has also had the privilege of attending Master Classes from Michelle Dorrance, Gregg Russell, Sam Weber, Anthony LoCascio, Barbara Duffy, Anthony Morigerato, Steve Zee, Max Pollack, and the incomparable Dianne Walker. With over 20 years of teaching experience, Mary loves to pass on her passion for dance to students of all ages and levels. Mary also holds a Master’s degree in Somatic Psychology/Dance Movement Therapy from Naropa University and has a private practice, Growth in Motion Therapy, in Westminster, CO. 

Tina Miller – Tap Dance – Instructor

 Tina Miller began dancing with her father at the age of 3. Early on she developed a love for tap, her father’s favorite. She started teaching for her father in 10th grade while continuing her own dance education with Kit Andree and Phan Peterson. While dancing with Kit and Phan she performed at the Paramount Theatre doing 4 separate shows celebrating the 100th anniversary of the historic Moffat Tunnel with the remodel and reopening of the Paramount Theatre. She also performed in Hello Dolly with Theatre Together, Gotta Dance – Stars Fight Leukemia with Joan Van Ark, Robert Shields, and Donald O’Connor. She lived in New York for almost 5 years while continuing her dance training with Thommie Walsh, Chet Walker, Bill Hastings, David Howard, Finis Jung, Henry LeTang, After returning to Colorado, she joined her sister in running Miller’s Dance Studio. She started teaching the adult tap 17 years ago and is enjoying teaching again.  She also enjoys teaching the adults tappers at Heather Gardens.

 Kaitlyn Powers – Ballet, Jazz, Tap Dance – Instructor

SOLE MERGER – Performer

Kaitlyn Powers most recently was a company member of Kim Robards Dance Company.  She has taught ballet, modern, tap, jazz, contemporary and lyrical at studios since 2016. She is originally from Hutchinson, Kansas, where she began her dance training at Artistree. Kaitlyn then received a BFA in Dance with a focus in Modern from Wichita State University where she performed in both the student and faculty companies. During her time in Kansas, she performed as a soloist with Metropolitan Ballet of Wichita and Ballet Wichita. Kaitlyn has toured internationally as a member of Wichita Contemporary Dance Theater and worked with Darrel Grand Moultrie, Charlotte Boye-Christensen, Cheyla Clawson Chandler, Denise Celestin, and C. Nicholas Johnson. Kaitlyn has attended workshops and intensives with Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Diavolo and River North Dance Chicago.

Jenna Roe – Tap – Instructor

SOLE MERGER – Performer, Choreographer

Carlee Taga – Tap – Guest Instructor

Carlee Taga started dancing at age two and has been teaching dance for the last 18 years. Her specialty is tap dancing. She studied under Gene Gebuaer for many, many years. She was also a founding member of Rocky Mountain Rhythm. Her favorite thing about tap dancing is improving student technique, musicality, and spreading joy! Outside of the dance studio, Miss Carlee keeps busy as a high school science and health teacher. She also enjoys reading, baking, hiking, swimming, and crochet. 

Adrien Terrell – Yoga – Instructor

Adrien found yoga during a time of grief and found solace and healing in the practice. Her journey was so powerful she felt compelled to share her yoga passion with the community, so she received her yoga teacher training in Arvada, Colorado. She believes awareness of the body and breath is an invaluable tool that should be open to all. Adrien feels blessed to share and encourage all body types to try yoga. She feels yoga is a fantastic way to strengthen both the body and the mind.

 Jenny Warchesik – Yoga – Instructor

Jenny is a Colorado native who loves spending time in nature- walking around a lake, hiking, snowshoeing, meditating by a river and gardening. She also appreciates listening to music and reading a good novel. Jenny has been practicing yoga since 1997, starting for low back pain after a car accident and continuing for stress relief from increasing pressure at work. She completed her 200 hour Hatha based training in December 2012 under the guidance of five amazing yogis – Karen Boeser, Lauren Duker, Santosh, Darrin Zeer and Julia Kalish.

Through teaching, she aspires to create a safe and comfortable place to begin or deepen your yoga practice. Class focus will include breath work, or pranyama, and tying the breath to movement through a balance of flowing between poses and holding poses. She always encourages students to connect with and listen to their own body, taking their practice to the level that is right for them on any given day. She believes the peace, joy and lightheartedness achieved during class are still accessible to us after we roll up our mats.

    Katie Zezula – Tap Dance – Guest Instructor

Katie Zezula grew up dancing in her hometown of Colorado Springs, CO. She was part of Synergy Dance Academy’s Elite Competition Company through grade school and by age 14 started teaching tap and jazz. In 2008, she tap danced on board Carnival Cruise Lines with John Tesh’s Live Concert Series. In 2011, Katie was accepted into Tap Kids Summer Intensive and performed solo in the annual Showcase. Katie moved to Denver for college in 2012 and taught various styles at many competition studios, elementary schools, and cheer gyms across the greater Denver region. From 2012-2015, Katie served as Rehearsal Director, tap choreographer, and company member with The Damsels Dance Company. She was a frequent performer at The Mezzanine and with the Colorado Springs Conservatory. From 2017-2022 Katie was a choreographer and company member of Industrial Dance Alliance and Rocky Mountain Rhythm. She has attended and performed with Big Apple Tap Festival, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, and St. Louis Tap Festival. In the 2020-2021 dance competition season, Katie was a Regional Judge with Talent on Parade. Currently, Katie resides in Colorado Springs as Tap Director with Kemper Dance Academy. August 2016, Katie graduated with her MBA from Johnson & Wales University in Denver, CO.