Brittany McMillan - Acro & Combos
Brittany McMillan was born in Los Angeles, CA. Her family was in the entertainment industry, so performing arts were part of her life at an early age. At the age of two, she started dancing and singing at The Lost Angeles Academy of Performing Arts. Upon moving to Minnesota, Brittany began taking gymnastics and competed gymnastics at Tartan High School. Dance became a big part of her life again once her first daughter started dancing. She has experience teaching preschool classes, creative movement, ballet, tap and acro.
Chloe is a graduate of MYDT and attended the University of Iowa, where she earned degrees in Dance and Marketing, and completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training. In addition to dancing at MYDT, Chloe has attended multiple dance intensives, including training at Minnesota Dance Theatre and Interlochen Center for the Arts. She has performed in works by various choreographers throughout the Midwest, including Eloy Barragan, Kristin Marrs, Margaret Marinoff and Emily Blacik Joos. Chloe has been teaching at MYDT since 2020.
Kendall Edstrom - Jazz, Modern, Combos
Emily has been teaching at MYDT for over 20 years. Prior to her career as a teacher and choreographer, Emily was a founding member of Li Chiao-Ping Dance, with whom she performed around the country including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Emily is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Dance Program with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography.
Nancy is a Hmong American woman who has been dancing for 11 years, specializing in Hip Hop. She is the co-founder and co-director of a dance company called Elite Family Dance. She has lead and participated in multiple teams and productions throughout the years such as: Mixtape, Abandon Outline, and Rooted. She is a passionate individual who loves to learn and dive more into Hip Hop and travels often to expand her knowledge.
Margaret Marinoff - Ballet & Pointe
Margaret studied dance at the University of Utah and the University of Minnesota where she received a BFA in Dance. She has also trained with many prestigious teachers across the United States, and has performed with the Continental Ballet.
Genesis Mora-Hernandez - Preschool
Irene is a graduate of MYDT and attended school in Winona, MN where she performed with Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts. She received her degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education and is currently teaching in West St. Paul, MN. She began teaching combo classes at MYDT in 2021 and enjoys sharing her love of dance with the little ones!
Tony van de Ligt - Tap
Irene Hvidhyld - Combos
Conley Pitzl is a graduate of MYDT and has been teaching there since 2017. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in dance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and recently achieved her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Minnesota.
Janet Blacik - Director
Midwest Youth Dance Theatre
MYDT Faculty and Staff
Tony van de Ligt is a performer, choreographer, and teacher primarily focused on tap dance, based in the Twin Cities. He works with many companies including Kaleena Miller Dance and Keane Sense of Rhythm, and he performs professionally with The Flying Foot Forum and Rhythm Street Movement. Tony is studying kinesiology with a minor in nutrition at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, with aspirations to help dancers prevent injuries and care for their well-being.
Kendall Edstrom (they/she) is a movement artist and educator from Minneapolis, MN - Mni Sota Makoce. She attended Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists and went on to attain a BFA from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in 2019. After graduating, they lived in Brussels, Belgium and studied at Charleroi Danse and TicTac Arts Centre. They are a company member of Alternative Motion Project and teach/learn with children at Minneapolis Parks and Recreation, Young Dance, and Midwest Youth Dance Theatre. At the moment she is most interested in using her body to run, swim, fall, wiggle, and play.
Genesis first studied ballet at Minnesota Dance Theater and then entered MYDT where she danced for 10 years and from where she graduated in 2023. She is also a graduate of Minnesota Virtual Academic High School, and began working full-time in the fall of 2022 at Spanish Immersion Bilingual Childcare and Education Center. She will be finishing up her Child Development Associates Degree this fall!
Janet Blacik has been the Director of MYDT since 1994, first as a partnership and then incorporated in 2001. Janet has a background in studio art, civil engineering and business management. She tap danced as an adult (not very well) for 4 years. She's hoping her love of dance will keep her young.
Emily Blacik Joos - Assistant Director; Ballet & Modern
Conley Pitzl - Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Musical Theatre
Nancy Xiong - Hip Hop
Chloe Sekhran - Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Musical Theatre