Tehila Nierenberg is the Founder and Director of DanceWorks Chicago, where creativity, confidence, and community come alive through movement. She began dancing at just two years old, and from the start, dance became her way of connecting, expressing, and inspiring others.

Raised in Chicago, Tehila trained at leading studios across the Chicagoland area and beyond, developing a versatile background in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, hip hop, acro, gymnastics, musical theater, singing, and Tae Kwon Do. She went on to earn degrees in Business, Marketing, and Judaic Studies from Blitstein University of Chicago, blending her artistic passion with strong entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

With over 16 years of teaching experience, Tehila has choreographed for schools, universities, productions, and events, as well as for music artists such as Tehila Ehrlich. She has also taught classes at Frumba Chicago, The Workout Zone Jerusalem, and led a variety of fitness-based programs including Zumba, Pilates, and HIIT, both locally and internationally.

In 2022, Tehila founded Studio IQ, a consulting and mentorship business created specifically for dance studio owners and educators. Through Studio IQ, she has advised and mentored fellow dance professionals in areas including studio leadership, program development, teaching strategy, marketing, business growth, and the day-to-day realities of building and leading a successful dance organization. Her work has allowed her to support other professionals as they strengthen their studios, develop as leaders, and navigate their own journeys within the dance industry.

A proud recipient of the Ralla Klepak Performing Arts Scholarship Award from Touro University, Tehila has also worked extensively with underprivileged and disabled youth, using dance as a tool for empowerment, inclusion, and joy.

In 2025, Tehila completed the Full-Time Dance Teacher Intensive with Miss Angela Cole and opened her state-of-the-art DanceWorks Chicago studio in Northside Chicago — a space designed to help every dancer grow stronger in skill, confidence, and character. She leads a team of passionate instructors who serve as uplifting role models, inspiring the studio’s students and families.

Beyond the studio, Tehila offers marketing consulting and professional photography, combining creativity and business expertise to help others bring their visions to life.

Driven by her belief that dance has the power to transform lives, Tehila is proud to provide a studio where students build confidence, develop strong life skills, and experience the DanceWorks transformation — in a warm, professional, and uplifting environment.

You can learn more about Tehila’s work in Mishpacha Magazine and Collabs Entrepreneurial Magazine.

See DanceWorks’s feature in The Jewish Press!

Nichola Goss’s dance career started as a youngster with the Southwest Texas Dance Repertoire and Star Search, she continued until receiving a BFA with honors from the University of Texas at Austin. Nichola has dance professionally in Austin, Dallas, and Chicago. Evanston Arts grant recipient, syllabus writer and instructor for Evanston Community Foundation dance program, she has even choreographed for little ones in Ralph’s World. She holds a professional teacher’s certificate with the Cecchetti Council of America, an organization dedicated to maintaining the standards and method of classical ballet training established by Cavalier Enrico Cecchetti, and is currently the Midwest treasure. Nichola has been teaching dance in the NorthShore area since 1995 including Chicago Public Schools to the Joffrey.

A note from Nichola about her teaching philosophy:

Since childhood, dancing has been my release and joy in life. Teaching has been a passion fulfilled as I believe the body to be an instrument through which one is able to communicate. Facilitating the growth of others is truly rewarding. Watching a student conquer the movement with their personal artistry is inspiring.

My classroom experience is based on creating a physical, mental, and emotional atmosphere in which respect is expected. As the body is continually adapting to one’s social and mental environments, I strive to have a supportive dance space. I encourage dancers to challenge themselves, yet also provide support, as I feel it is important for one to also leave class with a feeling of accomplishment.

I am influenced by the Cecchetti Method, Graham, Cunningham, and release technique. I have spent years entertaining jazz, tap, and drama. I have been exposed to several forms of dance from Hawaiian, African, Israeli folk, and country line and see they all have posture elements that are important to performing. I believe a strong understanding of ballet is an important tool in succeeding in many forms as body alignment and spatial awareness transform all disciplines.

My goal is for the students to gain personal strength and a desire to share dance as artists with society. I instill in my students that by understanding their body in space, they will feel more empowered.

I have worked with a variety of populations and cherish the dance all have to offer. Each body is a vessel with its unique talents and limitations ultimately sharing performance art every day.

At age three, Torin began taking dance classes and quickly fell in love with it. She trained at a few studios around Michigan before settling into Imprint Dance Company. At Imprint, she found a second family and received instruction from Markus Shields, DJ Smart, Rachel Siegel and many other talented professionals. Torin also began competing at age eight on a regional and national level. As a sophomore, Torin captained her Varsity Dance Team in Grand Rapids, MI and led the team to several first place awards in Hip Hop. She also took on the job of coaching and choreographing for a newly created middle school level dance team in her district. After finding her love for choreography, she began creating her own solo routines for competition.
Torin moved to Chicago in 2019 to attend DePaul University and joined the Division One dance team there. The team competed at UDA Nationals in Florida in the 2020-2021 season and was awarded a top 5 trophy. She performed at countless DePaul basketball games, made many tv appearances and represented the team at any community event possible in the Chicago area.
Other credits include national scholarship awards from VIP, ASH and DanceMakers Inc, training with the ‘Luvabulls’ NBA Dance Team, UDA Dance camps, performing at GR Drive basketball games, and teaching drop in classes at Visceral and PuzzleBox Dance Co.
With her degree in filmmaking from DePaul, Torin went on to direct a short documentary titled “Call Them Athletes”- a passion project to showcase how hard collegiate dancers work. The film garnered a lot of attention and Torin traveled around the US to attend festivals, collecting four awards for the film. She was praised for speaking up for the dance community and inspiring positive change for collegiate dancers.
Torin travels over the summer teaching for American Dance Training Camps. She sets choreography for the dancers and teaches technique/training classes.
Torin currently works for a few studios around the Chicagoland area, teaching everything from foundations with 1st graders to advanced choreography for adults.
Torin is trained in Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Lyrical, Pom, Musical Theater, Jazz Funk, and more. Her mission in life is to be just like the dance teachers she had- talented, inspiring, positive and supportive. The best dance teachers are those you cannot forget, and role models who can encourage you to achieve whatever skill level you’re looking for. Torin aims to leave a lasting impression anywhere she teaches, and her passion shines through in her work.

Vanessa Bonilla, originally from New Jersey, found her passion for dance at a young age and has been devoted to her craft ever since. She trained at East Brunswick Magnet School’s performing arts program under the direction of Cleo Mack, developing a strong foundation in modern and ballet and a deep love for concert dance.

Vanessa continued her studies at The Ohio State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with minors in Psychology and Disability Studies. During her time there, she performed works by Martha Graham, Anna Sokolow, Jose Limón, Daniel Roberts, Eddie Taketa, and other esteemed choreographers, and furthered her artistic education abroad in Paris, Denmark, and Brazil.

After moving to Chicago, Vanessa joined Identity Performing Arts as a company artist under the direction of Ginny Ching-Yin Lo. In 2025, she became certified through Acrobatic Arts, the global gold standard in acro training.

At DanceWorks, Vanessa is known as a sweet, diligent, and deeply attentive teacher who puts incredible care into each dancer’s growth. She is committed to helping every student progress quickly while building their confidence, encouraging their individuality, and supporting their joy in the studio. Her dancers feel seen, supported, and celebrated—hallmarks of the strong, uplifting environment she creates.

Emily Horowitz, originally from Raleigh, NC, is a Chicago-based professional dancer, educator, and arts administrator. She fell in love with ballet at the age of four and has been living and working across various sectors of the dance world ever since. She earned her degree in Dance Pedagogy from Butler University, where she trained extensively in ballet, pointe, jazz, and modern techniques, including Graham, Taylor, and Cunningham.

After graduating, Emily returned to Raleigh to join Black Box Dance Theatre, where she made her professional debut at the American Dance Festival. Since relocating to Chicago in the summer of 2023, she has studied on scholarship through the Claire Bataille Legacy Program at Chicago Movement Collective, performed as an apprentice with Winifred Haun & Dancers, and worked in administrative and fundraising roles at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She currently teaches throughout the city and rehearses and performs as a company dancer with Aerial Dance Chicago (ADC).

Emily’s passion for dance education and arts accessibility is deeply rooted in the personal impact dance has had on her life. She wholeheartedly believes that dance has shaped her not only as a teacher and performer, but as a human being. She credits dance with some of her best memories, deepest friendships, and most formative life lessons. The studio has been a second home through every phase of her life, and her goal is to share the joy, curiosity, and love of movement with each of her students.

Isadora “Coco” Gonzalez graduated from Northwestern University in 2025 with a Bachelor’s in Theatre with a concentration in Theatre for Young Audiences, a Music Theatre Certificate, and a minor in Art History. Her Northwestern performance credits include Man of La Mancha, The Tempest, Me…Jane, Frida, Working, Seussical, and Matilda.

Coco has been dancing since she was three, beginning her training at Columbus Dance Theatre. She has studied Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Tap, and Musical Theatre Jazz extensively, and brings a strong foundation in both technique and expression to her classes.

She has choreographed over five full-length musicals—from Cabaret to Sunday in the Park with George—and is passionate about creating work that centers storytelling and history through movement.

Students rave about Coco’s fun, engaging teaching style and her spectacular attitude. She brings so much joy, energy, and creativity into the studio—making every class both meaningful and an absolute blast!

Miss Allison brings more than 20 years of dance education experience to DanceWorks, along with an extensive background in performance, choreography, curriculum development, youth programming, and creating safe and supportive learning environments for dancers.

Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Allison began dancing at just three years old and spent 14 years as a competitive dancer. She went on to earn her B.S. in Dance Performance from Illinois State University in 2011. Since then, she has taught dance throughout the Midwest, traveling across Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan to share her love of dance and the performing arts with students of all ages.

In 2016, Allison helped open Top Note Performing Arts Academy, where she continues to serve as a choreographer and summer theatre educator. Her current teaching credits also include Le Ballet Petit School of Dance and the Devonshire Cultural Center, where she works within both the dance and theatre programs, in addition to choreography and guest teaching for facilities throughout Illinois and Wisconsin.

Allison is a certified Youth Protection Advocates in Dance (YPAD) educator and is also certified through Right At School and Virtus. She is a certified instructor with Rhythm Works Integrative Dance (RWID) and has completed coursework focused on developing trauma-informed classrooms and incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) frameworks into curriculum.

We especially value this part of Allison’s background at DanceWorks because we believe excellent dance education is about more than teaching steps. Our dancers deserve teachers who understand how to develop strong technique while also creating classrooms where children feel safe, supported, included, challenged, and confident enough to grow.

Allison’s leadership experience within the dance industry is equally extensive. She was a member of the Artistic Board and a choreographer with Innervation Dance Cooperative from 1998–2019, serving as a choreographer for three seasons and a performer with the company for six.

From March 2020 through the end of 2023, Allison served as Program Manager of Dance and Movement at the Old Town School of Folk Music, where she was also a faculty member for eight years. During her time there, she developed a vibrant curriculum for both youth and adult students, curated programming encompassing more than 20 dance styles, and founded Community, a professional choreography festival that made its inaugural debut in 2023.

Her work at Old Town School extended beyond the classroom as well. Allison was a key contributor to lasting policy work surrounding the safety and protection of youth students, as well as policies supporting appropriate accommodations for disabled and neurodivergent students and faculty.

Allison also brings significant professional performance and choreography experience to her teaching. Her dance credits include Body Movin Dance, IDC S.P.E.A.K.S., The Subconscious Development Motion Project, The Monocle Eclectic Dance Company, and work with numerous independent choreographers. Additional performance credits include Tiffany Lawson Dance’s Summer Shorts, The Emergence Choreographer’s Showcase, RADFest, Kaleidoscope Choreographer’s Festival, and Dance Chicago.

In addition to her dance training and education credentials, Allison is a certified fitness instructor in both Zumba and Barre fitness formats.

At DanceWorks, Miss Allison brings all of this experience into the classroom with a focus on the individual dancer in front of her. Her combination of professional training, decades of teaching experience, curriculum development, youth-safety education, inclusive teaching practices, choreography, performance, and program leadership allows her to help dancers develop not only their technique, but also their artistry, confidence, creativity, and love of dance.

Ashley Gaziano is a passionate dance educator, choreographer, and performer with over 18 years of dance training and 7 years of experience teaching and choreographing. She began her dance training at The School of Performing Arts and continued her competitive training at AKA Dance in Aurora, where she studied ballet, pointe, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and tap. Throughout her years as a competitive dancer, Ashley received recognition at numerous regional and national competitions for her electric stage presence, strong performance quality, and emotive passion on stage.

Ashley began assisting with classes and choreography at a young age and has been teaching and choreographing independently since 2021. She has experience teaching dancers ages 18 months–16 in beginning through intermediate levels, as well as choreographing competition pieces for regional and national competitions. Her choreography has received numerous first-place overall and judges’ awards, as well as “Excellence in Choreography” recognition from The Power of Dance for her pieces “Coastline” and “Wondering.”

During high school, Ashley was also a member of the Orchesis Dance Company at Metea Valley High School, where she gained additional experience performing as part of an ensemble, collaborating with other dancers, and co-choreographing advanced group pieces.

Currently, Ashley is pursuing a degree in Visual Communications with minors in Dance and Photography at Loyola University Chicago, where she continues her training in ballet, modern, jazz, pointe, and global dance techniques. She is also a member of Loyola’s Scorch Hip-Hop Dance Team and has performed in university dance showcases, as a featured dancer in Legally Blonde the Musical, and in professional shows such as Simantikos Choreo Kick Off for the past two years.

Ashley has also worked in a theater and dance costume shop, gaining experience in costume construction, fittings, and alterations. She has even hand-stitched a broken costume in the wings just minutes before a performance!

As a teacher, Ashley strives to create a positive, encouraging, and challenging environment where dancers feel comfortable being themselves while being pushed to grow. Through her collegiate studies, she has taken courses in dance history and dance kinesiology, which she enjoys incorporating into her teaching to help dancers better understand the art, history, and mechanics behind their movement.

She is especially passionate about helping dancers understand their bodies, develop healthy and sustainable technique, and build confidence both inside and outside the studio.