teaches traditional Scottish Highland dancing to students of all ages, from four years old onwards! Under the direction of Sarah Breckenridge, we offer opportunities to perform, compete and take exams internationally (online!) Highland dancing is a solo dance form characterized by graceful extensions and powerful leaps, where males and females perform and compete together and equally. You can learn more at https://www.facebook.com/tartandance

The Hitterz Collective LLC is a dynamic, Black-owned creative organization rooted in Madison, Wisconsin, dedicated to promoting dance, culture, community, health, and wellness. With a mission to bridge generational gaps, The Hitterz Collective curates events, artist residencies, and educational programs that uplift youth and foster healing through movement and storytelling. Their work celebrates street dance styles and creative expression, building spaces where artists and communities connect, learn, and thrive.

Thehitterzcollective.com

is an open-style dance company located in Madison, Wisconsin. Established in January 2015, we welcome adults of all experience levels and backgrounds, and we do not hold auditions. The company's goal is to help its members develop as dancers, grow as choreographers, and connect with the community through performances and other events. Learn more about Breakthrough at breakthroughdance.weebly.com or follow on Facebook at facebook.com/breakthroughdancecompany or Instagram instagram.com/breakthrough_dance_company

Sarah Barnard has been making dances her whole life. She has danced professionally in Charlotte, NC since 2011 with various grassroots companies in the area and a few larger companies as well.

She has been the Artistic Director of Wingspan Dance since 2012. Wingspan Dance is made up of adult dancers in Charlotte, NC & has a sister company in Madison, WI.

Sarah has also taught dance at the studio level since 2006. Sarah moved from Charlotte in 2018. Wingspan strives to bring authentic dancing to an audience, give space for the adult dancer to thrive and a safe space to collaborate between the arts.

is a dancer, choreographer, and breaker. She was born in Wausau, Wisconsin and started off as a self taught dancer/breaker for 6 years until she came to UW Madison to study more about dance. Thao is the first women’s Hmong dancer to enter the Red Bull BC ONE competition in 2023. In that same year, she was also placed top four at the Shoreham Jam for Toprock Battle. Her determination to learning other styles besides being a breaker has allowed her to discover new ways to move the body. She has worked with choreographers, Karen McShane-Hellenbrand, Omari Carter, and Li-Chiao Ping. Thao’s determination will bring her goals to become a professional competitive dancer, and use her versatility as a mover to inspire others!

Tania Tandias has studied flamenco and Spanish classical dance with top dancers in the United States and Spain, including Pablo Rodarte, Eva Enciñias-Sandoval, Rosa Montoya, Juana Amaya and numerous other Spanish artists. Ms. Tandias has performed with Alma Flamenca in Albuquerque and with Maria Benitez’s Nuevo Flamenco in Santa Fe. She has also recently choreographed and performed in pieces for the Madison Opera, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Milwaukee Ballet, Kanopy Dance Company, Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. In 2016, Ms. Tandias was honored to receive the “Performance/Choreography Award” from the Wisconsin Dance Council. Tania Tandias now lives in her hometown of Madison, WI where she teaches, performs and directs her company Tania Tandias Flamenco & Spanish Dance.

www.flamencodance.net

Odissi (O-ri-see) dance is an exquisite representation of the Hindustani traditions of art and tantric practice of balancing Shiva and Shakti and play with Kundalini. Evidence of its origins dates back to the second century BC, yet the form also benefits from a cultural revitalization in this last century that brings its spiritual ancestry and soul to life in a sophisticated and classical quality on the world stage for all to enjoy.

Artistic director Raka Bandyo began her study of the classical Indian art form Odissi Dance at 4 years of age in the parampara of Padma Vibushan Guru Kelucharun Mohapatra. She continued to study and dance while completing a Bachelors and Master's degree. In 2003, she began teaching Odissi dance and continue to do so today from her home in Madison, WI, USA.

is a dynamic professional dancer and emerging choreographer originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He received formal training at The Governor’s School for the Arts for four years and further honed his craft at Elevate Performing Arts Center for three years. Eric began his professional career with Charlotte Ballet’s Second Company (CBII), under the direction of Christopher Stuart. He is currently a company artist with Madison Ballet, directed by Ja’Malik. His choreographic journey began in May 2022 with a debut work for Charlotte Ballet’s Choreographic Lab. Following his time in Charlotte, Eric created a new ballet for the Virginia Ballet Theatre Ensemble. In 2023, after relocating to Madison, he continued developing his choreographic voice, presenting original contemporary works at Eisenhower Dance Detroit’s New Dance Fest, Madison Ballet’s Innovation program, and the Alley Islands Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Harley Blanchard is from Downers Grove, Illinois and began practicing various styles of dance when she was seven years old. She currently studies at the University of Wisconsin– Madison, working to earn a Bachelor of Science in Dance and Environmental Science with the intent of graduating in May of 2026. She has worked with choreographers Jin-Wen Yu, Kate Corby, Anna Peretz Rogovoy, and Takehiro Ueyama. Her own choreography has been shown in the H’Doubler Concert and Kloepper Concert at UW– Madison. She has also performed in musical theater productions, danced on competitive teams, and taught ballet and contemporary to young children. In the future, Harley will be continuing to explore her passion for dance, love for the environment, and curiosity about the intersection of the two!

Madison Circus Space is a largely volunteer-driven non-profit organization which prides itself as being a hub for circus and movement arts in Wisconsin. Their mission of inclusivity and accessibility means that they love to support artists, athletes, and performers from all walks of life and at all stages of their creative journeys. MCS is thrilled to participate in the Shifting Gears Bike Path Festival, showcasing 15 different aerialists in the disciplines of aerial anchor, hoop, dance trapeze, silks, sling, and aerial harness & wheelchair dance.

Ev is a hip hop and modern dancer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They trained in Ballet, Jazz, and Modern from childhood to college and moved towards other styles during graduate school. Outside of dance, they are a professional Nonprofit Writer and Grant Manager.

Dance Fabulous, LLC is a drop-in style studio for adults of all skill levels. They offer a variety of unique styles and opportunities for dancers and provide a place for all skill levels and disciplines to continue their passion. The Dance Fabulous motto is “Never stop dancing!”

started dancing as a teen then went on to receive her BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota. After graduating, she produced and choreographed “Ooh La Lounge: An Evening of Dance and Jazz” at the Suburban World Theater and the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. She was curated by the Red Eye Theater for her collaboration with Erinn Liebhard: Lulladreams and Insomnimares, and was an Artist in Residence at the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Arts. Erica has performed in Madison and Minneapolis with the Kanopy Dance Company, Peel and Core Dance Company, University Dance Theater, Zenon Block E performance group, the Eclectic Edge Ensemble, and Marylee Hardenbergh’s Global Site Performance. Erica migrated to the Bay Area where she was a company member of Facing East Dance & Music, Paco Gomes & Dancers, the Natasha Carlitz Dance Ensemble, Slick Babble Dance Project, H2O Dance, and Bianca Cabrera’s Blind Tiger Society. Erica completed her MFA in performance and choreography at Mills College and was honored with the E.L Wiegand award for excellence in performance and choreography. Since returning to Madison, Erica and several colleagues founded the Isthmus Dance Collective, a non-profit cooperatively run organization that supports dance artists. You can learn more at ericapinigis.com.

Integrating three universal elements of dance, Ang (grace), Taal (rhythm), and Abhinaya (emotion), Natalia creates her own original aesthetics by weaving the multiple global dance styles she has loved and learned in depth, including Kathak dance, Peruvian, Middle Eastern and others, into one tapestry which connects her and others to spirit, culture and ancestral wisdom. Guided by her Indigenous Andean roots and having lived within  multiple communities throughout her life, Natalia now shares her art with audiences internationally, inspired by art’s ability to transcend binaries and borders and as a medium through which we can thrive despite historical trauma. As a life-long professional exponent of Kathak dance -  the uniqueness in Natalia's movement, rhythm and storytelling practices are defined by her femme subtleness and sensitivity, as well as, by a traditional attention to detail, which are  unconventional in an environment of superficiality, flashiness and violence. Blessed by her dance mentors Mekhala Devi Natavar, Smt. Sandhya Desai and others, in 2008, she was awarded a prestigious fellowship award as Senior Performing artist by the American Institute of Indian Studies and has performed solos at renowned international venues such as Kamani Theater in Delhi, India (2010) , Sadler's Wells in London UK (2013) and Edinburgh festival, Scotland (2016).  As an M.A. graduate in dance from Roehampton University, Natalia now continues to perform, teach and choreograph in her hometown of Madison, Wisconsin and abroad.

Since September of 2018, The Capitol Social has functioned as Madison’s first monthly Latin dance studio social. What’s a “studio social”? In the Latin dance context, a social is quite simply a dance party where the focus is entirely on great music, making new friends, exploring the joy that dance brings, and doing so in an environment that is welcoming to all backgrounds and skill levels. While we provide these elements at all our events, socials stand out because they almost exclusively happen at dance studios, banquet halls, ballrooms, and other venues that aren’t restaurants, nightclubs, or bars.

Essentially, socials are safe and enjoyable spaces “for dancers, by dancers.” Considerations such as having enough room and optimal floor surfaces to dance, danceable music (manageable tempos and very little to no mixing between songs), and dance partners that legitimately participate for the love of dance are the foundations of a good social. The Capitol Social has this, with added attractions like complimentary pre-dance lessons; guest DJs and professional dancers (local and international talent); dance showcases; affordability and access for all; quality event photography, and much more!

To this day, we still strive to keep diversity in the rotation of DJs, guest instructors, themes, showcases, and other special attractions.

Studio Dansu is dedicated to educating and encouraging students to become knowledgeable, passionate, thinking artists.

With the goal of inspiring, nurturing, and sustaining a love of dance and theatre arts in all our students, Studio Dansu provides a comprehensive performing arts education to train the next generation of performers.

Students will develop their technique, artistry, and creativity...learn the skills of self-discipline, teamwork, and confidence...and aspire to local performance opportunities, college performing arts programs, and professional careers.

Owner & Artistic Director Jayme has been sharing her love for the performing arts with students for over 20 years. She has a Bachelor of the Arts Degree from UW-Eau Claire in Theatre Arts, Dance, and Music. During this time, she focused on arts management and continuing her dance studies. She also has a Bachelor of Science Degree from UW-Madison in Dance Theory where she concentrated on dance history and theory while continuing her technical discipline. Jayme founded Studio Dansu to bring a performing arts studio with singing, dancing and acting to the Madison area where she grew up.

Kripa Baskaran is a renowned performer, teacher, and director of the Natyarpana dance company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Kripa considers it an honor to be associated with the prestegius Wisconsin Arts Board in their folkarts apprenticeship program.

Kripa initiated the propagation of Bharatanatyam across universities in Wisconsin and beyond. She introduced an accredited course titled "World Movement Traditions" at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Kripa is a globally recognized performer and a frequent participant in the prestigious Chennai Music and Dance Festival.

Her contributions to the arts have been acknowledged with several awards, including the "Nritya Seva Mani" from the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aaradhana Committee in 2015 and the Papanasam Sivan Award in 2016. Her dedication to teaching Bharatanatyam began in high school, where she worked with students with Down syndrome, autism, and cerebral palsy. Through Natyarpana Cares, she continues this mission, engaging high school volunteers in India and the US to introduce classical arts to special needs children.

Kripa aims to create not only skilled dancers but also future leaders. Over 100 students have done their arangetram from Natyarpana, with three establishing their own dance schools in Tennessee, Chicago, and Madison. Kripa holds a Master's and an M.Phil degree in Bharatanatyam with distinction and is pursuing her Doctorate in the same field.

Ms. Pettersen holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in dance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She taught classes there as a graduate student and post-retirement in 2011/2012. Robin was an Assistant Professor in the Performing Arts department at Alfred University, NY, from 1983 to 1985, and is emeritus faculty at UW-Whitewater. Robin has been honored to have her choreography chosen four times for the adjudicated Gala Concerts at American College Dance Association annual conferences. She completed visiting artist residencies teaching and setting choreography, at University of Northern Iowa, Kent State University, James Madison University and St. Cloud State University. University of Kansas had Ms. Pettersen provide a week-long workshop on composition for their dance majors. Her choreography has also been performed at Beloit College, University of Chicago and Mankato State University. She has created work for the Thompson/Trammell and Kanopy dance companies. Ms. Pettersen received the Wisconsin Dance Council Distinction Award in October of 2003. Actively involved in arts funding, she has served on numerous Wisconsin Arts Board grants panels, been a member of the Overture Center Arts Access Fund panel, the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission Arts Grants Panel and was Vice President of the Madison Civic Center Foundation for five years.

In recent years Ms. Pettersen has created choreography for Marie Millard, faculty at the Crooked Tree School of Ballet in Petoskey, Michigan, as well as their pre-professional students. The school held a week-long choreography workshop last year where Robin was Workshop co-director with Peter Sparling, formerly of the Martha Graham Company. In 2026 her co-director will be Richard Walters of the Madison Ballet Company.

Robin has created this new work for the Unincorporated Dance Lab group in Madison, Wisconsin. She also teaches ballet to adults and private students.

Swapna Srinivasan a Bharathanatyam dancer from Madison, WI, USA. She began dancing at age of 8 under the guidance of Smt. Charusmitha Rao. Later, she was introduced to the dancing duo Karnataka Kalashree Sri. Kiran Subramanian and Smt. Sandhya Kiran at the Rasika academy of performing arts. Currently she is getting her advanced training from Guru Vid. Radika Ramanujan and Smt. Meenakshi Ganesan.

Swapna has performed nationally and internationally. She completed her junior and senior level Bharatanatyam exam with distinction. She is a "B" grade artist of DD Chandana channel. She has been awarded the “Cadenza Srinatya Kala Shreshtha” in 2019 and received scholarship for her excellence from Karnataka Sangeetha nruthya academy and from Rasika academy. Some of her prominent performances in India are at Yuva sourabha, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ashram, IIDF, Sai Nrityotsav, Indian pavilion- Dubai. In the USA, she has performed for various associations, including the International book Tasting festival, India fest and in Midsouth international festival.

Swapna has 15 years of experience as a dance instructor. She has taught various age group of students (5 years to 40 years) at Euphoria Dance and Music Academy,

Bangalore,at Diksoochi Natyalaya, Gowribidnoor and at Dance Versify Academy in Memphis. She has guided students in dance exams such as Bharatanatyam junior exam and Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal examination. At present, Swapna is an instructor at Mukula. She has been actively training students for the Bhangiya sangeetha Parishad Bharatanatyam examination. Swapna has also served the Oxford community by introducing adults and children to Indian classical dance.

Apart from dancing career she is a budding yogini. Yoga has been an integral part of her preparation for dance and for a healthy lifestyle. Namastae!

Choreographer | Performer | Integrated Wellness Expert | Rising Couples Founder

Dianné Jean Aldrich is an internationally recognized dance artist, Integrated Wellness Expert, and founder of both 4Pillars4Health EcoSpace and Rising Couples, weaving movement, healing, and heart-centered leadership into every aspect of her work. With a BFA from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance and the honor of receiving the prestigious Thayer Fellowship in the Arts, Dianné spent 14 vibrant years performing, choreographing, and producing in New York City and abroad. Her credits include work on and off Broadway, on MTV, with artists such as Annabelle Gamson, Meg Wolfe, and Joan Miller Danceplayers, performances at Lincoln Center and Radio City Music Hall, a national tour with Nickelodeon’s Rugrats...A Live Adventure, and international appearances with her contemporary company STRIIP. She was the recipient of the Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Award and produced the long-running Off-Broadway performance art series BODY OF ART.

A master teacher of the Luigi Jazz Dance Technique, Dianné dedicates this Labor Day to Luigi’s enduring legacy: “Thank you, Luigi, for teaching me to never stop moving.” Her classes transmit the joyful rigor and soulful flow of classic jazz, offering dancers of all backgrounds a grounded, expressive, and deeply healing experience.

Since returning to Wisconsin, Dianné has continued to perform and collaborate with companies including LI CHIAO-PING DANCE, the Madison Opera (Rigoletto), the Unitarian Dance Fellowship, and with Peggy Choy and Nina Watt in José Limón’s Dances for Isadora. She is a guest lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Dance Department, teaches at regional dance festivals and created Dance for Health for UW-Health’s wellness center. She founded, directed, and taught the Madison Country Day School Dance Club for seven years, inspiring young dancers through a blend of jazz, modern, ballet, and improvisational forms—culminating in a memorable performance trip to New York City.

Today, Dianné channels her decades of somatic experience into guiding individuals and couples through transformational practices that unite body, mind, and spirit. Her programs—including Lit Up Love, The Way of Qigong for Couples, and Rise In Love—are rooted in sacred partnership, deep listening, and embodied energy practices, bridging the worlds of dance, healing, and conscious connection.

With every step, Dianné reminds us that movement is medicine—and love is the rhythm that leads us home.