EDE Staff

Teia has trained studio-style since the age of 3, and grew up as a competitive dancer, later becoming a choreographer. She is trained in Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, and Tap. She has earned her BA in Dance and Marketing from Columbia College Chicago.  Teia has trained with companies across Chicago in workshops and intensives, as well as has earned national accreditations for her choreography. Teia loves to share her knowledge and love of dance, and watch her students safely explore what movement and creative possibilities they can uncover through dance.  

  Justin Aldea began teaching himself hip-hop choreography at the age of 12 and continues to refine his skills and foundations into adulthood under the tutelage of various mentors. At the age of 18, he is a current member of the professional team: The Chicago Onyx Dance Alliance (CODA) based in Chicago, IL, and is a former Captain of The DLD Distinctive Dance Company in Downers Grove, IL. He also continues to teach recreationally at DLD Dance Center. He has performed in various events such as the opening act for the Windy City Bulls. His choreography has placed amongst the best at various competitions including Bloom, Beyond the Stars, and Dance Idol. Alongside CODA, he will compete and perform at hip-hop events such as World of Dance and Prelude Midwest. As he continues his dance journey into adulthood, he aims not only to grow as a dancer and instructor but as a person. He enjoys giving back to the community and sharing his knowledge and expertise. There’s nothing more important to him than helping the next generation of dancers succeed!  

 Sara Zgonina is elated to share her 15 years of dance training and experience in Ballet/Pointe, Jazz, and Tap with Evolution Dance Experience students! As a company member of DuPage Dance Academy’s Elmhurst Dance Theatre, a dance instructor/choreographer, and a musical theatre performer, she has trained not only at her company’s studio, where she has assisted and taught, but with Ballet North, Aerial Dance Chicago, Ruth Page Center for the Arts, On the FLY Productions, and Lou Conte Dance Studio. Her credits include many ballets, jazz /tap concerts, and musicals including Choreographer for Elmhurst Children’s Theatre’s Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella in Elmhurst Dance Theatre’s Cinderella, Dancer/Aerialist with On the FLY Productions, Dying Swan in Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra’s Carnival of the Animals, Sugar Plum Fairy, Arabian Dancer, and Clara in Elmhurst Dance Theatre’s Nutcracker Highlights, Little Lamb in Surging Films and Theatrics’ Big Fish, Tiger Lily in North Central College Summer Music Theatre’s Peter Pan, and Glinda in CYT Chicago’s Wizard of Oz. 

 Pliéing and tapping since the age of four, she currently teaches dance, choreographs, performs in musicals, and dances as a company member of Elmhurst Dance Theatre. Her 19 years of dance training and stage experience include mastery of ballet, jazz, tap, and pointe through DuPage Dance Academy and Ballet North, along with additional studies in musical theatre, aerial, and dance via Lou Conte, On the FLY Productions, College of DuPage, and North Central College. She has both performed in and/or contributed choreography to ballets, musicals, and jazz/tap shows, with credits such as Nutcracker Highlights (Sugar Plum Fairy, Arabian), The Sleeping Beauty (Carabosse, Enchanted Garden Fairy, Little Red Riding Hood), Peter and the Wolf (Wolf), Carnival of the Animals (Elephant), Cinderella (Stepmother), Honk! (Choreographer), Seussical (Mayzie, Choreographer), Evita (Tango Dancer), Big Fish (Little Lamb), An Enchanted Evening (Dancer/Aerialist), and Peter Pan (Tiger Lily). Motivated by her great joy in performing, Amanda is delighted to instruct and encourage dancers of all ages. 

Jackie is a graduate of Triton College with an Associate degree in Arts (Political/Social Science) and a graduate of the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor of  Science (Business Management). Her full-time position is in Construction – Project Engineer in the Civil Division. She has studied Ballet, Tap, Acrobatics, and Pointe.  She performed in Trinity High School’s productions in dance roles in the “Wizard of Oz” and “The King and I”. She also assisted Helen Hurley with dance classes while she was in high school. Jackie danced with Memorial Park since the age of three. She eventually took on the challenge of Dance Director and hired a staff that would help her revitalize the dance program. Over five years, she was able to train the dancers to take on pointe, which had not been accomplished in over fifteen years at the park district.  She also figure skated, advancing through the levels rapidly because of her dance training. She skated in the performance of “Beauty and The Beast”. She also skated competitively, choreographing her routines for competitions.

 Ruby started dancing on her Jr high poms team. From there, she joined gymnastics and orchesis (high school dance team) in high school. She was the gymnastics choreographer and also choreographed a couple of numbers in the orchesis show. She continued to teach throughout her college years at the Summer Academy of Dance in Lake Zurich, followed by various studios and park districts in the northwest suburbs. She continues to teach her competitive dance team and teaches here at Evolution as well. She love inspiring young dancers and hopes to continue to teach for as long as she can!  

 Nina has been performing on stage since she was 5, and participating in community theater, school musicals, show choir, and high school Poms Team. She holds a B.A. in Communications & Business from Elmhurst University, where she studied tap, jazz, modern, & ballet. She also made the E.U. Dance Team, and choreographed for their annual Spring Showcase and served as their Public Relations chair.  Since then, she has been working with Elmhurst Children's Theatre as a contract choreographer since 2018, and teaches private lessons in tap and jazz.

Lilah has been dancing since the age of three, with experience in studio training, competitive dance, and musical theatre. She has trained in all styles, specializing in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Contemporary. She is currently studying Theatre Education & Musical Theatre with a minor in Dance Education at Elmhurst University. She is a Co-Captain of the Elmhurst University Dance Company, where she leads practices and teaches choreography. As well as experience in performance, she has experience behind the scenes in theatre production, designing and operating lights for Elmhurst University's production of Schoolhouse Rock Live! and designing costumes for Elmhurst University's production of Puffs.