Mr. Luke (Guest Instructor)
Mr. Luke is a 5th-generation South Dakotan originally from the Black Hills. He received his B.S. in American Dance Pedagogy from Oklahoma City University. At Dance Gallery he has taught non-syllabus ballet, jazz, tap, musical theatre, men's classes, Leap N Learn, and Cecchetti Pre-Grade I and Grade I.
Mr. Luhas also helped choreograph Dance Gallery Youth Ballet’s productions, competition pieces, and musical theatre finales over the past several years. His performance credits include Twice Charmed and Disney Dreams (Disney Cruise Line), Top Hat, 9 to 5, 42nd Street & West Side Story (Surflight Theatre), Royal Rhythms Show and Grand Carnivale (Cedar Fair Amusement Parks), and TEXAS Outdoor Musical (Pioneer Amphitheater).
Allen Desterhaft (D.F.C.C.A. Examiner, Cecchetti Council of America and Guest Instructor)
Allen began his training in the performing arts at the age of ten through competitive dance roller skating. Under the guidance of coach Linda Mottice Clemons, his team took weekly ballet classes to improve movement quality and articulation. These classes sparked Allen’s passion for dance, leading him to further study jazz, tap, and competitive ballroom dancing.
After retiring from competitive skating—with five national titles and two world titles to his name —Allen pursued formal dance training. He studied ballet at The Ohio State University and jazz at Dance Extension in Columbus, Ohio. Upon graduating from OSU's Department of Dance, he relocated to Chicago to continue his ballet training with notable teachers including Birute Barodicaite, Larry Long, Roberta Pfeil-Begly, Natalie Rast, and Anna Paskevska.
Allen’s professional performance career includes work with Chi-Town Jazz Dance Chicago and Winifred Haun & Dancers, as well as guest performances and choreographic contributions with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. His extensive training in ballroom and Latin dance has led to choreography presented across the country. For the 20 years, he served as co-organizer of Chicago’s annual Windy City Dancesport Showcase.
Seeking a comprehensive syllabus to guide dancers from beginner to professional levels, Allen was introduced to the Cecchetti Method by Karla Harris, who mentored him through his Advanced teacher’s examinations. He later earned the prestigious Maestro Cecchetti Diploma under the sponsorship of Lis Brown.
Allen is on faculty at Légère Dance Centre in River Forest, Illinois, and also serves as adjunct faculty at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. His students have gone on to dance programs at institutions such as the University of Cincinnati, University of Iowa, Marymount Manhattan College, Point Park University, The Ohio State University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Many have gone on to professional careers with companies including Giordano Dance Chicago, The Seldoms, Lucky Plush Productions, and Same Planet Performance Project.
Allen holds the Maestro Cecchetti Diploma and serves as an Examiner for the Cecchetti Council of America. He currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.
Ms. Lynne (Substitute Dance Teacher, DGYB President BOD)
Bio Coming Soon…
Tomi Pollock (Examiner and Guest Instructor)
Tomi’’s background of training was geared for a professional career in dance. She began her training with Doris Dieu who trained her in the Cecchetti Method of ballet. Tomi worked on the examinations until she received a scholarship to study at the National Academy of Arts in Champaign, Illinois, a private boarding school for dancers and musicians. The summer following Tomi’s junior year, she received a scholarship to the Joffrey School of Ballet in New York City. Her scholarship continued in the fall and she took her academic classes by correspondence.
Tomi became interested in teaching while recovering from an injury and opened The Dance Studio when she returned home. She began working on her teacher’s examinations in the Cecchetti Method of ballet and continued taking exams also as a dancer. While performing with the Mid America Dance Co. in St. Louis in 1981, and guest performing with The Gateway Ballet, she continued to teach and build her studio. Tomi completed all of the teacher’s exams in the Cecchetti Method in 1991 and now holds the Maestro Enrico Cecchetti Diploma, both as a dancer and a teacher, with the Cecchetti Council of America and with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing-London England. When Tomi took her Diploma exam as a dancer in 1989, there were only six qualified examiners in the USA.
Tomi is a Fellow Diploma member of The Cecchetti Council of America and also a Permanent Examiner in the organization. She is currently Liaison to the Greater St. Louis Cecchetti Committee and the Inner Mountain Cecchetti Committee. Tomi has been on faculty for the Cecchetti Council of America’s International Summer Workshop held in Holland, Michigan. She has also been a guest teacher for several committees of the Cecchetti Council of America. Tomi has been the recipient of the Sylvia Hamer Scholarship to represent the Cecchetti Council of America at the Cecchetti Summer School held in Chichester, England.
The Center of Creative Arts (C.O.C.A) in St. Louis, Missouri has had Tomi as a guest for their Master Class Series, The Ballet Intensive Workshop, and their Summer Dance Intensive. Washington University in St. Louis has also had her teach Cecchetti workshop classes.
Ms. Lizzie (Guest Instructor)
Ms. Lizzie is a professional dancer, teacher, choreographer, and arts manager from South Dakota. She earned her B.S. in Dance and Arts Management from Oklahoma City University and then went on to earn her Masters of Science in Leadership for Creative Enterprises from Northwestern University in Chicago.
Some recent professional dance credits include: Dance Captain and Ensemble in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Big Noise Theatre, Matter Dance Company, Chicago, and the National and international tour of Sesame Street Live as the Dance Captain! Lizzie has recently earned her first national tour credit for choreography as the Assistant Choreographer on Gabby’s Dollhouse Live!, the first US National Tour. Lizzie loves teaching, subbing, and choreographing at Dance Gallery and is grateful to consider it a second home.