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ABOUT US

Performing Arts Louisville (formerly Dancers Center Training) can take actors, dancers, and singers as far as they want to go by offering convenient drop-in classes, class cards, memberships, training programs, and private lessons.

We began this journey in 2018 with a group of professional instructors and performers that saw a need in the community for performing arts training that went beyond the traditional recital and competition model. Spearheaded by Beth Craig Hall and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky in St. Matthew's Station, DCT opened its doors in July of 2018. Based on the same model and principals as its sister company ACTORS CENTER FOR TRAINING. After three successful years, we realized that the Dancers Center for Training name did not represent all that we do. We train performing artists from beginner to professional.  Our approach is practical, rigorous, and develops the performer for more than just the stage. This training nurtures self-confidence, artistry, and professionalism. 

 

If we are to take our mission seriously, “training artists as far as they want to go,” then our name should reflect that. We are now Performing Arts Louisville (PAL). With multiple class options for the casual student who might have social or fitness goals in mind, to the serious student who is training for college, to the professional actor who will audition for a company or production, we have all the tools to help you succeed.

 

PAL offers drop-in classes, class cards, memberships, training programs, and private lessons that are tailored to a student's specific needs. Our training programs are designed to produce a well-rounded artist that is highly skilled and can market their strength Don’t see something that fits you? PAL will help design a program for you.

 

The success of our performers lies in how we train with acting first.  Each performance is a role whether you speak, dance, or sing.  You have to communicate and connect with your audience, and acting is where that begins. We are also always working towards a goal. We help students self-evaluate, side-by-side with their instructors, to measure how well we are meeting goals and what we may need to work on next.  

 

We also work exclusively with ACT Louisville Productions. Through education and performance opportunities, students can take what they’ve learned and bring performing arts to the community. In 2021 we helped to bring Musical Theatre back to Iroquois Amphitheater. We can't wait to see what new opportunities lie ahead!

OUR INSTRUCTORS

Jenny Von Gerlachter

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Jenny began her training at Monona Academy of Dance in Madison, WI under Jo Jean Retrum, Jason and Nicole Cisler. She was a member of Dance Wisconsin, where she participated in the Regional Dance America Mid-States Festival and The Youth America Grand Prix Regional Competition. She has also trained with Orlando Ballet, Ballet Austin, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Houston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Ballet West.

 

Jenny graduated from Butler University with a BFA in Dance Performance in 2009. While at Butler, she performed in a variety of roles including Cinderella in Cinderella, Giselle in Giselle, Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, the Waltz Girl in George Balanchine's Serenade, and in Paul Taylor’s Cloven Kingdom. Jenny worked at Louisville Ballet for six years as a trainee and as the Director of Education and Outreach. 

 

She is excited to be teaching at Dancers Center for Training!

Madison Case

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Madison is a native of Kentucky. She began her training in ballet, tap, jazz, and modern at The Dance Centre of Elizabethtown under the director of Sherry Barnard. She was also often found on stage in numerous musical theatre productions.  In 2014, Madison graduated from the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts as a dance major. In 2015, she moved to Chicago to dance with Ballet Chicago where she had the opportunity to train under Daniel Duell and perform excerpts from Balanchine's Serenade, and Who Cares. She then went on to dance professionally with Charlottesville Ballet, Manassas Ballet Theatre, Stavna Ballet, and Ballet Virginia. Some of her favorite roles she has performed include Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz, Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Swan Corps in Swan Lake, and the Fairy of Generosity in Sleeping Beauty.

Tiffany Bordenkircher

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Tiffany is an ADTA certified instructor with 30 years of dance experience. A dedicated dancer, who loves to share my talents by influencing others through teaching. She is a very patient and determined mother of three and has a lot of experience with children. She loves to motivate and educate students in the art of dance and acro while focusing on proper technique.

Justin Michael Hogan

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Justin has performed across the United States over his career, spanning 14 years to date. In that time, he has excelled in classical and contemporary repertoire. Some of Justin’s most notable roles have demanded strong character performances, such as Paris in Adam Hoagland’s Romeo and Juliet, where he is credited with “embodying the role with disturbing believability,” and being “decadently awful.” Roles requiring explosive jumps and turns also feature heavily; the Lead Pontevedrian in Ronald Hynd’s Merry Widow, Center Russian in Val Caniparoli’s Nutcracker, and Jester in Robert Curran’s Swan Lake to name a few. In contemporary works, Justin has given soloist and principal performances in a number of world premieres by the likes of Andrea Schermoly, Lucas Jervies, Adam Hoagland, Daniel Riley, and more.

 

As a choreographer, Justin’s work continues to expand. He has professional credits with the Louisville Ballet, St. Louis Ballet, and Carolina Ballet 2. Justin has had four works commissioned for Louisville Ballet’s Choreographer’s Showcase program, with one such work, The Heart of Light, the Silence, re-staged the following year after being called “the heart of the evening, the power of the piece exemplified by the audience's silence as it ended.” His work, Behind Closed Doors for the Mercyhurst Dance Department, was a gala selection at the American College Dance Festival.

 

Justin also brings over ten years of experience teaching. At the heart of his teaching philosophy is a belief that every time a dancer enters the studio, it is to become better human being first and better dancer second, by fostering an atmosphere of acknowledgment, accountability, respect and empathy. Pertaining to methodology, Justin brings a myriad of influences to his teaching. Having been trained by teachers of every established classical syllabus, he brings a unique outlook on ballet that encompasses the strengths of each. In addition, university courses in Functional Human Anatomy, Biology, and Kinesiology allow for a nuanced musculoskeletal approach to movement.

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