Ann Marie Frank, AMA Creator & Director
Ann Marie Frank has been working non-stop for years building an environment where students not only learn the arts and life-long skills, but are always made to feel welcome as they step through the doors of AMA. Her lifelong love of the arts is richly based in music and dance.
Having studied music and primary education at Northeastern University, Ms. Frank learned all instrumentation applications and also studied trombone and piano privately for over 12 years. She studied dance at Lou Conte’s Dance Studio in Chicago, home of the Hubbard Street Dancers, and with numerous professionals such as Ruth Page and tap legends, Ben Ofer, Avi Miller, Gregg Russell, Jimmy Payne, Tommy Sutton, and Bruce Stegman.
Continued study is the mark of a true artist and Miss Ann Marie has participated in hundreds of dance workshops over the years. Most recently, she has traveled to Los Angeles, Scottsdale, New York, Orlando and Vancouver to learn from the best dance masters in the industry. “I want to be able to expose our AMA students to everything dance has to offer,” she says. “It is very important to me to be able to bring the latest styles of dance being taught all over the country to our AMA students!”
Ann Marie has taught dance for over 25 years in the Park Ridge and Des Plaines communities, and is well known for her energetic style, original choreography and contagious excitement. She attributes her current success in part to attitude, greeting every new AMA season with unshakable enthusiasm and optimism.
Passionate about the performing arts, AMA began offering private music lessons in 2008, and added dramatic, vocal and music group classes this fall. Miss Ann Marie’s dream is to create a performing arts school where children and adults can come together, grow and excel in a nurturing cultural environment.
Planting flowers in her front yard every summer and traveling to warm climates are some of the things Ann Marie loves to do outside of AMA. She also loves to play Scrabble with her kids and seeing every Broadway musical possible with them!
Christina Gale, Dance Instructor
Christina Gale was born and raised in Elk Grove Village, where she began her dance training at the age of four at the Pavillion Dance Center in Elk Grove. Having danced throughout her elementary and high school years, she continued her dance education at the college level and earned a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance, with a concentration in teaching from Columbia College in Chicago.
Miss Christina has studied many dance forms including Ballet, Modern, Jazz, African, and Improvisation, with concentrations in Tai Chi and Pilates. While at Columbia, she also had the opportunity to work with top professionals from the national and worldwide dance communities at The Dance Center. Her passion in the arts is specifically directed towards education and the integration of dance into daily living.
Trained in providing creative movement and technique classes for all ages, Christina is a devoted advocate for the needs and benefits of movement and is a positive and encouraging role model, who maintains true engagement with her students. Her working mantra is to create a comfortable and open place for students to learn, explore and develop themselves, not just physically, but intellectually and emotionally as well.
Miss Christina continues to fulfill her creative desires by taking dance classes and performing, which she also brings to her teaching, sharing new ideas and information with her students. She loves to watch her AMA students grow into even more beautiful dancers with each passing year and is always excited to meet her new students. She has a weakness for sweets, (in particular anything made of chocolate), loves to travel to Arizona to visit her sister and dreams of seeing the ocean one day.
Amy Probasco, Dance Instructor
Amy Probasco hails from Virginia Beach, VA, where she received her early dance training at the Governor’s School for the Arts and the Virginia Ballet Theater in Norfolk. She received dance scholarships and outstanding performance awards throughout her college career at Shenandoah University, and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Dance Performance.
Trained in a variety of performance styles including ballet, pointe, jazz, hip-hop, modern, and musical theater, Miss Amy also studied in New York, Washington D.C. and Chicago with such professionally renown studios and companies as the Joffrey Ballet, Todd Rosenlieb Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Gus Giordano Jazz Dance, Paul Taylor Dance Company and with Frank Hatchett at Steps on Broadway.
Blessed with a plethora of opportunities to perform throughout the United States, Miss Amy’s choreographic talent was also used at the “Estada Internacional de Dansa” an international choreography showcase in Banyoles, Spain. She has danced principal roles in The Nutcracker, La Sylphide, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake, and performed at The American College Dance Festival, The Dance Place, Jazz Dance World Congress and for Chita Rivera’s tribute during a national broadcast of the annual Kennedy Center Honors. Her musical theatre experience consists of numerous regional Broadway productions including, Cats, Sweet Charity, Will Rogers’ Follies, West Side Story, Kiss Me Kate and other musical variety shows.
Miss Amy loves hugs, swimming in the ocean, vanilla ice cream, and the color pink – and she adores teaching all her amazing students at AMA!
Dan Walsh, Drama Instructor
Dan Walsh is the consummate theatre professional, with years of performing, directing and choreographing experience to his name. Dan has worked for cruise lines, theme parks, theatres, touring companies and at numerous star venues in Branson, Missouri.
Some of his favorite theatrical credits include the roles of: Danny in Baby, Schroeder in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Rum Tum Tugger in Cats, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, Albert in Bye Bye Birdie, Danny Zuko in Grease, Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof, Rooster in Annie and The Baker in Into the Woods. You may also have seen Dan on episodes of E.R., Chicago Hope, or Early Edition, in addition to numerous print ads and commercials for McDonald’s, Lord & Taylor, Claiborne for Men, Pepto Bismol and the General Learning Corporation.
Arts Education has also been a constant in Dan’s life. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Theatre and an Illinois Board of Education Teaching Certificate from Loyola University. He has taught children and teens at theatres, performing arts schools and park district programs from California to Ohio and works with various high schools, colleges and theatre programs in the Chicago area. He is the founder of ArtReach Educational Theatre based in the Chicago suburbs and in his “spare time” is an avid SCUBA diver.
Jessica Walker, Piano Instructor
Jessica Walker has been referred to as a “piano prodigy.” Her musical talent has been called upon numerous times to perform at the locally televised Wilmette Young Artist Concerts and she has played in the North Shore Music Teachers’ Association’s prestigious Sonatina/Sonata Festival, where she was awarded performance medals at each of her four consecutive appearances.
An accomplished accompanist, Miss Jessica has played with jazz bands and orchestras, and for religious services and youth groups. She has also accompanied the students of Chippewa Middle School, Maine West High School and the local home-schooled student population at numerous solo and ensemble contests.
In addition to studying piano for over 10 years, Jessica studied music theory and technique through Achievement in Music (AIM) courses and is currently pursuing a college degree in fine arts. She has been teaching piano for the last six years and finds it to be her passion working with children as young as five years old to advanced levels.
“There is nothing more fulfilling than to take what I have learned and be able to share it with others,” says Miss Jessica. She excels in making lessons a fun learning experience for her students and adores teaching at AMA. Her newest passion is Eli’s cheesecake!
Daniel Nagle, Music Instructor
Daniel Nagle comes to AMA with 20+ years of music teaching experience in private lesson settings, band, orchestra and choral group classes at the elementary, secondary and college levels.
Mr. Nagle began his teaching career after graduating in 1986 with a Bachelor’s in Music Education and Performance from Indiana University. Upon receiving his Masters in Music in 1994 from I.U., Daniel taught strings at the Timothy Christian Schools in Elmhurst, general music classes at the Prairie Elementary School in Buffalo Grove, band at C.H.A.M.P.S. and strings for School District 59.
Trained in all instrumentation, Mr. Nagle can teach students at the beginning and intermediate levels and take brass and piano students through advanced training. He is a consummate musical talent who transposes keys on the spot while playing, writes and arranges music and enjoys teaching improvisation. His passion for music is upstaged only by the joy he receives from working with children and adults, imparting to them a love for music.
Daniel also loves to garden; he grows 10–12 foot sunflowers annually and cultivates tomatoes, green beans, lettuce, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and a host of other flowers in his yard. He is also a lifelong Cubs fan.
JJ Rusch, Percussion/Drum Instructor & Marketing Specialist
Joanne Jerger Rusch is a percussionist, singer and writer who believes the art of performing is as important as the instrument performed. She comes to AMA with over 25 years of percussion, vocal and media experience.
JJ’s music education began at the age of 6, when her father, renown drummer, composer and educator, Jake Jerger, built a small platform for her to stand on so she could reach the marimba. By the age of 12, she was playing college level mallet solos, schooled in total percussion, and had embarked upon more than a decade’s worth of voice training ahead.
While still in college, JJ was offered the opportunity to study abroad with a European opera company, but her love of percussion and non-classical vocals were far bigger. She opted instead to finish college with a BA in Business and a Minor in Music from North Central College in Naperville.
Having sung and played throughout the Chicago area with ensembles, orchestras and jazz bands on the concert stage and in theatre, Joanne developed a passion for creative staging. She routinely fuses different genres into percussion performances using narration, song, dance, comedy and numerous other theatrical techniques to promote the musicality and versatility of percussion.
JJ’s most cherished performance was at Carnegie Hall, where she played mallets and drums as a senior member of a local jazz percussion ensemble. “Carnegie Hall is everything you’ve ever heard about it and more,” she says. “The acoustics are mind blowing. When I made an announcement during the performance, you could hear the sound of my footsteps walking up to the mike.”
Joanne’s talents were also enlisted by the P.A.S., (Percussive Arts Society), to help provide media coverage of their annual conventions. She mingled with percussionists from all over the world and had the opportunity to interview music legends like, Bill Ludwig, then President of Ludwig Drums and the amazing Louie Bellson, whom she also performed with numerous times.
When the publisher of Chicago Jazz Magazine, who also played with her at Carnegie, offered her a position for a new magazine he was starting, she accepted. The opportunity ultimately led her to a full time tenure in media as Publisher & Editor in Chief of Chicago Wellness Magazine and TV work as the NBC5 “Food Cop” on the morning news and co-host for a CLTV health show called, “Fit Today”. JJ also became involved with video production, on camera and off, and has produced multi-purposed segments for broadcast and web. Also experienced in studio recording, one of her favorite projects was working with her dad on his latest book, Putting it Together Piece by Piece, an instructional Latin percussion book for which she wrote and recorded the narrative voice over script for the companion CD.
While Joanne enjoys working in media, the opportunity to help develop and build AMA’s music and drama programs was too enticing to pass up. She is extremely excited to be a part of this expansion and looks forward to being part of the AMA family.
JJ lives in Des Plaines with her husband, Kurt, a financial planner who grew up in Park Ridge, her nine year old daughter, Jacquelyn (who has no interest in music but appears to be a drama queen in waiting), and their 3 lap dogs: Cookie, Calvin and Gizmo.
Omar Nevarez, Guitar Instructor
Omar Nevarez graduated from Elmhurst College where he received a Bachelor’s in Music with a concentration in jazz. During his college tenure with the Elmhurst Classical Guitar Ensemble, he developed an expertise in solo, duet and trio performance. He has also studied privately with music legends, Jazz Guitarist, Frank Portolese and Classical Guitarist, Steve Suvada.
Mr. Omar has played guitar professionally throughout the Chicagoland area and Midwest with various artists and also bass with several bands. He is very excited to record his first album this year, a compilation of musical styles with other musicians, including some of his former teachers.
Omar believes that music “is a powerful and beautiful energy that can guide us to happiness when you put love into it.” His approach to teaching guitar is richly based upon sharing information and having fun because, “that’s what music is all about.”
Long walks, biking, and attending concerts are some of Mr. Omar’s favorite things to do and he is a HUGE Bears, Bulls, and Cubs fan. Go Chicago! Spending time with family and friends keeps him extremely well-balanced.
Denise Mlynski, Tumbling Instructor
Denise Mylnski first developed her interest in coaching while on the Maine West gymnastics team when she had the opportunity to work with local children between the ages of 3 to 10 in tumbling and gymnastics.
During her college career at Illinois State University, Miss Denise also became a member of the Gamma Phi Circus, adding tightwire, acrosport, adagio and teeterboard to her skill base. She performed with the Circus for 6 years and also volunteered her time and talents in teaching circus arts to 6-14 year old children for the Junior Gamma Phi Circus.
Denise received her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Speech Pathology from ISU, and currently works as a speech language pathologist for Pediatric Therapy in Arlington Heights. She continues to perform throughout the Chicago area with Forms in Motion, a circus arts company and is thrilled to be part of the AMA team for the 5th year in a row!
Miss Denise’s teaching objectives are to provide a fun and safe environment for her students to learn, practice, and become passionate about the skills of tumbling. She strives to promote dedication, commitment, and confidence in her students as life skills to be utilized inside and outside of AMA’s walls.
In her free time, she continues to study her craft with fellow performers from the Gamma Phi Circus. Denise also enjoys playing on a recreational volleyball league, being an aunt to her nephew, Noah, and going out to eat!