Meet the Staff

The People Who Make Dance Happen

Chelsea Martin

Director of Dance/Resident Choreographer
chelsea@thestudiorockford.com

Chelsea Gallivan has been involved with The Studio since their first production in 2014. Now as their Director of Dance and Resident Choreographer, she is responsible for choreographing, teaching, and supervising all dance aspects at The Studio. Chelsea has 18 years of dance experience, as well as 12 years of teaching. She holds a Dance degree from Rockford University (Rockford, IL), with a minor in Business Administration. She also has a Certificate of Dance Ministry from Ingredients Dance Company and Training Program (Dallas, TX).

Over the years, Chelsea has performed with professional companies such as Bad Wolf Dance Theatre, Without Shoes Modern Dance Company, Ingredients Dance Company, and Dance Revolution. These companies have given her the opportunity to participate in events such as Gateway Church’s Pink Impact Women’s Conference (Dallas, TX), Reinhard Bonnke: Firestorm USA (Dallas, TX), The Rockford City Dance Festival (Rockford, IL), Elgin Fringe Festival (Elgin, IL), and The American College Dance Association (ACDA – Central Region). Beyond The Studio’s musical productions, Chelsea’s choreography has been showcased at events and concerts including The American College Dance Association (ACDA), Rockford University’s Orchesis, Immersion Performing Arts Company, Rockford Christian High School, and Dance Revolution.

Her passion is to see her students make discoveries within their gifts and talents and find confidence in who they are as individuals, artists, and performers. Chelsea is currently an Adjunct Dance Professor at Rockford University, as well as the Artistic Director for Immersion Performing Arts Company.

Lindsey Wirth

Lindsey began dancing 35 years ago and very early on developed a great love for ballet. She went on to study with Rockford Dance Company, Metropolitan Ballet, and Northern Illinois University to name a few. Some of her favorite roles include dancing as the Snow Queen in the Nutcracker, the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, and even Mother Ginger in the Nutcracker when she was pregnant with her first child. Lindsey has been teaching in the Rockford area for 20 years and enjoys teaching not only the discipline of dance, but the love of the art.

Outside of the dance world, Lindsey holds a Bachelors degree in Project Management and utilized it in the construction field for several years before switching to a full time stay at home mom. She is married and has 5 children.

Peyton Lapp

Bio Coming Soon!

Mariah Hughes

Mariah has been dancing for almost 14 years, growing up dancing with different studios, one of them being The Studio Rockford. After graduating out of The Studio at 18, she still continued to further her dance career in college. She was part of (and Co-President of) the Legendary African American Dance Company for two years. She also was blessed to be featured in the Indiana University Contemporary dance department.

Outside of teaching dance, the passion of teaching kids goes beyond the barre. This will be her second year teaching, currently at Jackson Charter School mentoring and teaching Kindergarten to 5th!

Gloria KaluhioKalani

Gloria is excited to begin working her first year here at The Studio! She most recently moved from Wisconsin where she taught dance and performing arts classes at Birder Studio. Her education includes a BFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah, and an AFA in Musical Theatre from Western Wyoming Community College.

As a choreographer, dancer, and teacher, she has performed in, taught, and choreographed many works including pieces performed at Utah Tech University, Red Rock Dance Company, and Brigham’s Playhouse in St. George, Utah.

She loves the magic that can happen in the space between the studio walls where students can be challenged, participate in creative inquiry, discover new ideas and potential, and have a blast moving their body!