Meet our Staff

Impact Dance Studio has some of the best dance instructors in the Chicago suburbs including: Diane Fotino, Amanda Piagnarelli, Aubrey A. Kinger, Cecilia Bravo, Courtney White, Janis Jaksa, Kara Querio, Krisit Przybylski , Kelly Pennington, Lauren Wienke, Logan Lipton, Maegan Baetz and many more!
Diane Fotino (DF) is the owner and director of the award winning Impact Dance Studio. She purchased the studio from her mentor, Sue Wagoner, in July of 2000. As a student, Diane took her very first dance class at Impact. From the beginning of her dance training, it was always a dream of hers to one day have a studio of her own. Along with her training at Impact, she furthered her studies with intensives and classes in London, New York, and Los Angeles, California. After dancing professionally for a few years, Diane purchased Impact Dance Studio at the age of 21. In addition to owning the studio, Diane is also the director and one of the choreographers of the Impact Dance Studio Performance Company. As a choreographer, she has won numerous regional and national titles, including: Entertainment, Choreography, and Top Teacher awards with various organizations. Six years later in 2007, Diane opened her second location in Countryside. Diane has a unique ability to help her students reach their fullest potential while instilling a strong work ethic and passion for the art of dance. Her students have gone on to dance professionally for the Radio City Rockettes, musical artists such as Carrie Underwood, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga, to name a few. E-mail: dfotino@impactdancestudio.com Video: Meet the Director
Guest Teacher: Amanda Piagnarelli (AP)‘s passion for dance started at the age of three. She danced at St. Charles School of dance as well as Hubbard Street Lou Conte in Chicago. She was a captain of the State Champion Pom team, the Montini Broncettes, as well as choreographed the 2003 Spring Musical at Montini Catholic High School. After high school, Amanda continued her education at Hope College in Holland Michigan. She majored in Dance and Business. She performed in faculty dance shows as well as choreographed her own piece’s in student run shows. After graduating in 2007, Amanda followed her passion of dance to New York where she participated in a Joffery Ballet Jazz Summer Intensive. After dancing in New York she taught at various studios in Oak Park, Naperville, Wheeling and LaGrange. She danced with Hip Hop Connxion, a professional Hip Hop Company that has competed in the World Championship of Hip Hop. Amanda is currently getting her M.A.T in Special Education and will graduate in Spring of 2011. Amanda’s dedication and passion has led her to a life of educating children in school and in dance. She enjoys working with all children and is very excited to start another dance year at Impact Dance Studio.
Aubrey A. Klinger (AK) began her dance training under the tutelage of her grandmother Nan Klinger, and performed with the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet for ten seasons. Aubrey then spent three years at Point Park University, graduated magna cum laude, earning her B.A. in dance performance. There she performed Myrta in Giselle, Rodeo and original works choreographed by Francis Patrelle, Jay Kirk, Nicholas Petrov, Ron Tassone, Melissa Barak, Erin Halloran, and Peter Merz. While in school Aubrey also performed with Ballet Blight in Pittsburgh, PA for its inaugural season, premiering contemporary works by Andrew Blight. After graduation, she began dancing in Denver for both Davis Contemporary Dance Company under Terrell Davis and Apex Contemporary Dance Theater under David Reuille for two seasons. Aubrey was blessed with the opportunity to not only dance principal roles for DCDC, but also make her professional choreographic debut with The Influences We Carry. Recently relocated to Chicago, Aubrey is ecstatic to be performing with all the amazing artists of Renegade Performance Group, and she would like to thank her friends and family for their endless support.
Cecilia Bravo (CB) is a native Chicagoan and a former ballet dancer turned AFAA and Zumba Fitness certified fitness instructor. She began ballet classes at age 6 and continued training for 7 years. Cecilia credits those early years as an important foundation for her future years as a performer and instructor. Though the ballet classes ended, she continued to dance throughout high school and college, ranging from dance team performance to university-level dance classes. After graduating from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana with a B.S. in Human Relations and Family Studies, Cecilia pursued her career in human resources; but her love of dance continued to call out to her. After realizing that Lou Conte Dance Studio was located across the street from her office, she quickly became a regular student, primarily with hip hop dance. After several years as a student, Cecilia jumped at the opportunity to become a ballet and hip hop dance instructor at a studio in the south suburbs. In 2003, she became a performer with the professional dance troupe, Hip Hop ConnXion, for nearly 2 years. Cecilia attained certification with AFAA in 2007 and with Zumba Fitness (a Latin dance inspired workout) in 2008. She also completed certificate workshops for yoga, Pilates and capoeira (Afro-Brazilian martial arts). After four years on the team, she decided to focus her talents primarily towards fitness instruction, teaching no less than four classes per week at fitness centers and studios throughout the western suburbs. Cecilia’s friendly, enthusiastic and energetic teaching style caters to students of all levels. She teaches not only because of her continued love of dance and fitness, but also to serve as a balance with her work life as a human resources manager.
Courtney White (CW) has been dancing since the age of five. Courtney is excited to be returning to Impact Dance studio and teaching with her mentor, Diane Fotino. After graduating from Nazareth Academy in 2007, she began her professional dancing career. Courtney was a cover dancer for Julius Caesar at The Lyric Opera, a performer/dancer/character on the Disney Magic Cruise Line, a dancer for the 2009 “Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular” Arena Tour, and a dancer in a video for the Disney Channel. As a young dancer at Impact, Courtney was a travel dance apprentice for Company Dance, and a Magic Performer Dance Staff Assistant for LA Dance Magic. Courtney has studied ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop and lyrical. Courtney has assisted professional dancers Brian Friedman, Tyce Diorio, Barry Youngblood, Nancy O’Meara, and Judy Rice. Courtney is so happy to be back home at Impact and to be working with Diane and teaching the students of Impact Dance Studio.
Janis Jaksa (JJ) is originally from Windsor Ontario, Canada where she worked locally as a dancer and choreographer for many productions including “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Grease”. She was a dancer and choreographer for “Automotion”, the Detroit Piston’s Dance Team. She was a member of the Inaugural Cast of “Rhythm and Rhyme” and “Dreamscape” dancing on Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas. She now resides in Chicago where she is a dancer, teacher and choreographer. She has danced with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in the production of “Iphigenie en Tauride”, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and works with many production companies as a dancer and choreographer for various events and industrials.
Kara Querio (KQ) has studied dance for over 15 years, receiving her dance training from Midwest Dance Company and competed with Excel Dance Productions, a top ranking team in the area. During the past few years as a professional dancer, she has worked with many top artists in the industry including Brian Friedman, who is Britney Spears’ choreographer, Brooke Pierotti, Sonyah Tayeh, Rhapsody, Nappytabs, Justin Giles, Rachelle Ochsner, Tyce Diorio, and many more. She prides herself on her intricate style. Her recent work includes Hair Wars at Enclave in Chicago, Rockaholic Fasion show, B96 Bash, Soulja Boy, and various up and coming artists. Recently, Kara trained in Los Angeles, CA with some of the hottest hip hop choreographers in the industry such as Marty Kudelka, Laura Edwards, Chris Jones, and Wade Robson. She is happy to be furthering her career in Chicago by branching out as a choreographer and master class instructor for studios in the surrounding areas, as well as teaching and assisting for multiple competition circuits. Kara is thrilled to be teaching and giving back the knowledge and passion she has learned to the next generation of dancers.
Kristi Przybylski (KPZ) has over 20 years of dance experience. She started her dance career at the age of 7 as a competitive gymnast trained in classical ballet. As a teen, she continued her dance studies at Gus Giordano dance studio in Evanston and was a member of her high school dance team. At the age of 18, Kristi worked as a dance instructor for the National Cheerleaders Association, teaching High School and College dance camps all over the country. She later moved to Florida where she danced professionally for several years, including Bush Gardens Tampa and Disney World. She also danced for professional teams such as the Tampa Bay Storm and Orlando Predators, as well as for the Orlando Magic. Kristi moved back to Chicago in 1997 where she danced for the Chicago Bulls for three years. In 2001, she joined the Chicago Rush arena football dance team where she was a captain and assistant choreographer for two years. Throughout her professional career, Kristi has traveled all over the world and has made many television and video appearances. She is currently working as a choreographer and teacher for various nationally-ranked dance teams, as well as a choreographer for the Chicago Bulls organization. She is excited to be working at Impact Dance and hopes to use her experience to inspire all of her students.
Kelley Pennington (KP) started dancing at a very young age and has always loved being involved with dance, whether it was competing with the company, partaking in musicals, or dancing on her high school dance team. She attended Barat College in Lake Forest, IL and graduated with a degree in Dance. She has performed in nationally televised events, Momentum Dance Company, and various pieces throughout Chicago and DC. In 2007, Kelley received a Yoga certification from Moksha Yoga. With 12 years of teaching experience under her belt, she emphasizes proper alignment and technique in every class. Kelley is a nurturing teacher who wants her students to love who they are and what they do.
Lauren Wienke (LW) began her dance training right here at Impact. She started dancing at three years old with “Miss Sue” Wagoner and continued to train and perform with the Impact Dance Studio Performance Company beginning at the age of six. Under the direction of Diane Fotino, Lauren received numerous scholarships and awards during her time on the company. At the age of fifteen, Lauren began training under the direction of Missy Ridgway at the nationally-ranked Perseverance Dance Company. She has been rewarded many honors and awards, and continues to compete with Perseverance. Lauren has participated in many master classes and pieces choreographed by Justin Giles, Sonya Tayeh, Mandy Moore, Jackie Ford, and several other notable choreographers. Lauren is excited to teach at Impact in the environment that first sparked her love for dance.
Logan Lipton (LL) is a native of Phoenix, AZ, where she began her training at the Dance Connection under the direction of Lisa and Lori Waddell. She was awarded a full tuition scholarship to The University of Arizona, where she received a BFA in dance summa cum laude and continued on to receive a MFA in dance and choreography. She has performed works by several internationally recognized choreographers including: Susan Quinn, Sam Watson, Doug Nielsen, James Clouser, Ray Leeper, Dee Caspary and Wes Veldink. Logan also had the opportunity to travel to China to perform at the Shanghai International Performing Arts Festival. She has served as a guest teacher/choreographer at The University of Arizona, Glendale Community College, Highland Park High School and several dance studios across the nation.
Maegan Baetz (MB) graduated from Ball State University with a B.S. in Entrepreneurship and a Minor in Dance Performance. Dancing since the age of seven, she has trained in Ballet, Tap, Modern, Jazz, and Contemporary. Over the years, Maegan has performed with Dance Chicago, Motivity Dance, InFlight Dance Collective, and many Ball State Choreography Showcases. Maegan is happy to be a part of the Impact staff and loves sharing her love of dance with all her students.
Guest Teacher: Reginald Harris (RH) began his dance training at age five with his uncle and mentor Marshall Lindsey. At age twelve, he began his classical ballet training with former Dance Theatre of Harlem principal dancer Homer Bryant. After high school, Reginald studied year-round as a professional division student at The Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Reginald has danced professionally with the River North Chicago Dance Company, Dances Patrelle and Ballet Austin, dancing the works of Marius Petipa, George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Stephen Mills, Thang Dao, Thaddeus Davis, Viktor Kabaniev, Sidra, Bell, Gina Patterson, Frank Chaves, Harrison McEldwoney and Kevin Iega Jeff. Reginald is also a teacher and choreographer. He has taught at the Ballet Austin Academy, and various studios around the country. He has also been commissioned by Ballet Austin to create five ballets for Ballet Austin II. Reginald was named Resident Choreographer for the Ballet Conservatory of South Texas for the 2006-2008 seasons. He was the 2008 recipient of the Gem City Ballet’s choreographic competition. Currently, Reginald is on faculty at the Chicago High School for the Performing Arts and a regular guest teacher for the River North Chicago Dance Company.
Rebecca King (RK) grew up in Colorado where her dance training began at the Academy of Colorado Ballet. In 1997, she graduated from the academy with honors and moved to perform in New York. Rebecca is a critically acclaimed artist in ballet roles such as Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Giselle, Cinderella, Swan Lake and many more. During her professional career, Rebecca developed a love for Pilates and teaching. Her Pedagogy training began five years ago, and at that time she also went through her Pilates instructors program. Rebecca is a well known and recognized dancer, dance teacher and Pilates instructor throughout North America.
Sue Wagoner (SW) is the original owner of Impact Dance Studio. She started Impact in the Brookfield Community Center back in 1987 with just a handful of students. The studio continually grew and she soon moved it from Brookfield to the current LaGrange location. Sue was the director until 2000. She retired from teaching in 2002 to spend more time with her twin daughters and husband. Now that her daughters are grown and pursuing their own careers, she is very excited to return to teaching again. Sue is a native of London, England where she started her dance training at age three. She went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dance in London. After earning her degree in dance and movement therapy, she traveled all over the world as a professional dancer. Sue has wonderful warmth with children, as well as a sense of humor that they are drawn to. She teaches with radiant positivity and knows how to encourage every student to do and be their very best. We are so excited to welcome Sue back home to Impact!