Instructors

Sandi Cooksey

Sandi's professional career began at Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, but much of her performing career was spent with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC), where she worked with world-renowned choreographers Lynn Taylor Corbett, Nacho Duato, Danny Ezralow, Alonzo King, James Kudelka, Ohad Naharin, David Parsons, Margo Sappington, and Twyla Tharp. Sandi came back to dance in 2008 through Sherry Zunker’s Mature Dance Project where she was able to rediscover the joy of dance and was introduced to BeMoved. Throughout her performing years, Sandi taught ballet and jazz extensively, both nationally and internationally, for professional and recreational dancers alike. Regardless of level, her classes always focus on musicality and the joyful essence of movement rather than perfection in technique. She looks forward to helping her BeMoved students discover their dancer within, regardless of their past experience with movement.

Jennifer Cupani

Jennifer comes to BeMoved with an eclectic background. After a childhood spent studying ballet and jazz, she attended the Conservatory of Dance at Barat College on a dance scholarship, studying ballet and modern dance under Rory Foster and Eileen Cropley. After recovering from an injury and subsequent surgery, Jennifer earned her B.A. in Public Relations and Spanish from Illinois State University. Jennifer returned to dance in her post-collegiate years, most notably as the director of the dance program at Saint Viator High School for 8 wonderful years. She has also taught all levels and types of dance at studios throughout the Northwest suburbs. Her ability to adapt to music styles and mediums has led her to direct and choreograph over 40 musical productions. Jennifer was the Director of Public Relations for Saint Viator High School and also a Marketing Manager for Jam Theatricals, overseeing the marketing of Broadway touring productions. She is the mother of a wonderful little girl and teaches dance at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre and BeMoved at the Arlington Heights Park District and the Cary-Grove Performing Arts Centre. She also is delighted to join BeMoved, LLC as the Marketing Manager. Passionate about her commitment to dancing, Jennifer is happy to be able to share her love of dance with others through BeMoved.

Tiffiny Stanfield Flaim

Tiffiny is happy to find balance with BeMoved. She is a graduate of the Harid Conservatory and has performed the classics with Lone Star Ballet and Fort Worth City Ballet. Tiffiny spent nine years with River North Chicago Dance Company as a founding member. She is infatuated with any form of social dance; favorites include Salsa, Tango, and West Coast Swing. Tiffiny was on the faculty at Lou Conte Dance Studio and has taught workshops across the country from swing to ballet to students of all ages. She danced with the Lyric Opera, Chicago Symphony, Light Opera Works and other various projects. She walked the cat walk for Design Industry Foundation Fighting Aids (DIFFA) Red Dress Tour and for two years was the Associate Producer of Dance for Life. Tiffiny has traveled internationally performing in industrials and trade shows. Her credits for television & film include: The Producers, Road to Perdition, Kahlua, Sara Lee, Reality of a Dreamer, and River North Rising. After retiring from dance, Tiffiny became the broker owner of Avanti Real Estate and entered the world of residential development. This led to the creation of Biofoam Inc, an energy conservation company specializing in the building envelope. Tiffiny is thrilled to be back in the studio with the Mature Dance Project, and is looking forward to sharing her first love of dance with the students of BeMoved.

Richard Havey

Richard comes to BeMoved with an extensive performing and teaching career in dance. He is currently on faculty at the University of Las Vegas and teaches dance to the senior adult population. He is a member of the Solaris dance theatre, which is a senior performance group. Before coming to UNLV Richard was the Artistic Director of the Zurich Tanz Theater School. Richard was a soloist with Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, danced with Danny Buraczeski Dance New York, Kaleidoscope Indianapolis, Watson Dance Company, and First City Dance Theatre in Florida to name a few. He also performed in Switzerland. In addition to his extensive knowledge in jazz dance Richard studied the art of Chinese Medicine in the form of body therapy, and now incorporates this in his teaching techniques. He is a certified Zen Shiatsu Therapist. To add to his credits in bodywork, he studied a form of three-dimensional movements called Spiral Dynamiks, in Zurich Switzerland. He is furthering his studies in body therapy with voice and movement.

Mary Heller

Mary Heller was a full-Time lecturer in Dance at the University of Idaho as part of the Movement Sciences Department from 2006-2011. Mary is from Chicago and holds an MFA in Dance from Florida State University where she was on full graduate assistant-ship, and a BA in Dance from Loretto Heights College in Denver. Her repertory of work has been professionally performed nationally over the last 21 years. She is Artistic Director of her own pick-up professional dance company, SatchDance-One People. Mary is a veteran dance educator who has taught in studios and schools and for over 22 years. She was the assistant to and student rehearsal director for Suzanne Farrell at FSU in the re-staging of George Balanchine’s Western Symphony. Amongst dancing with numerous companies where she created original roles as a company member and guest artist touring the Midwest she was a founding, principle dancer with Winfred Haun & Dancers in Chicago. Mary was a member of Lynda Davis’s Dance Repertory Theatre at FSU, and was a guest artist with The Dayton Ballet. She has danced in the repertory of such choreographers as Randy Duncan, Susan Marshall, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Sherry Zunker, and Bill T. Jones’s Continuous Replay, being the first female in the role of “the clock”.

Mari Jo Irbe

Mari Jo, an accomplished performer, choreographer, and teacher, is originally from La Grange, Illinois, and has called Chicago "home" during much of her career. She has been a featured performer with River North Chicago Dance Company (RNCDC), under the direction of both Sherry Zunker and Frank Chaves, for 15 years and has toured extensively, performing works by internationally acclaimed choreographers. Mari Jo also danced with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and toured the United States and Mexico with Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre, under the direction of Randy Duncan. Mari Jo continues to choreograph, teach, and perform extensively throughout the metropolitan area, as well as the U.S. She is currently on faculty at Loyola University of Chicago's new dance department and dances with the Mature Dance Project under the direction of Sherry Zunker.

Debbie Kristofek

Debbie comes to BeMoved with a long and accomplished career as a dancer and dance educator. From Evanston, Illinois, Debbie trained with Phyllis Wills and Kerry Hubata at the Evanston School of Ballet, and was a scholarship student at the National Academy of Dance at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She went on to perform as a soloist with the Sybil Shearer Company, Gemze de Lappe’s Off Broadway Touring Company, and the Evanston Concert Ballet. Debbie is recognized as a dynamic teacher with a keen ability to make dance fun, relevant, and accessible to people of all movement abilities and experiences. Co-founder of DanceWorks Chicago, and a former teaching artist for The Kennedy Center, she has authored award-winning dance education workshops and is the recipient of the Service Recognition Award for Outstanding Artist from the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education for her work with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Chicago Public Schools, and the Kraft Art Discovery project. Debbie believes that when bodies move, minds and spirits soar. She looks forward to helping you take flight with BeMoved Dance Fitness.

Cheryl Mann

Cheryl Mann fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a Hubbard Street Dance Chicago company member in 1997. Throughout her career, she has been fortunate to have traveled and performed in 17 countries, and countless domestic cities in the U.S. Cheryl retired after more than ten years of performing with HSDC. She began her professional career at the age of 17 dancing with Walt Disney World in Orlando and received her B.A. in dance from Point Park College in Pittsburgh, where she also performed in Civic Light Opera’s South Pacific as “Liat” under the direction of Robby Marshall. In 1995 Cheryl moved to the mid-west and joined River North Chicago Dance Company where she danced and toured until she joined HSDC. In 2002, Cheryl received the Chicago Dance Coalition’s Ruth Page Award for her contribution to the Chicago dance community. In October 2007, Mann transitioned from full-time dancer, to full-time photographer. She owns her photography business and keeps close to the dance community by regularly working with companies from all over the country. Her credits include; Joffrey Ballet Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Thodos & Dancers, River North Chicago Dance Company, Ballet Hispanico, Trisha Brown, Koresh Dance Theater, Chicago Dancing Festival, Columbia College, Northwestern University, Point Park University, & Western Michigan University, to name a few. She also serves as Répétiteur, setting works for world-renowned choreographers such as Ohad Naharin, Toru Shimazaki, Danny Ezralow, and Alejandro Cerrudo.

Kate Robinson

Kate Robinson first came to BeMoved as a student. After a long hiatus from dance, she rediscovered her passion and set her sights on becoming a Certified BeMoved Dance Instructor. Kate moved to Chicago right after high school to study with Gus Giordano. She was a member of Gus Giordano’s second company and performed with Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago throughout her years at the studio. Kate was an instructor at Giordano’s and taught beginning Jazz technique classes. She was a guest performer with the Lynda Martha Dance Company and danced in many industrial shows. Kate stopped dancing due to an injury but continued to study acting, voice and improvisation while earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree at DePaul University. She was accepted into the graduate program at Northwestern University where she works towards a masters degree in mass media communication (Radio/TV/Film). Throughout her years in school, she was a popular fitness instructor at Jamnastics and Lehman’s Fitness Center. Kate was the Special Events and Catering Manager with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises at Scoozi! Restaurant. She is a mother of two boys and is the Business Manager for Kathryn Quinn Architects. Kate is grateful that her passion for dance has been rekindled as a BeMoved student and instructor.