Academy Faculty
Mary Brennan
Mary Brennan as been at the helm of Barrington Dance Ensemble for the past thirty years. In addition to founding BDE, she directs Barrington Dance Academy, which has been in operation since 1984. Ms. Brennan's training includes study with Walter Camryn, Bentley Stone, Richard Ellis, Christine DuBoulay, and Pamela Johnson Tanis. She holds a theatre education degree from the University of Illinois and studied at the National Academy of Dance from 1973-1975 under the direction of Michael Maule. Upon graduation from the University of Illinois, she held the position of drama departmental director for the Champaign public schools before opening her first school of dance in 1976. Later, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dance in London and is a certified RAD teacher. Mary's choreographic and directional credits include The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Peter and the Wolf, Graduation Ball, Under the Big Top, Scenes from Childhood, L'Art des Enfants, and The Nutcracker in addition to numerous original works and musicals. Ms. Brennan founded the first dance committee for the Barrington Area Arts Council and served as its co-chair for many years. She was a member of the Illinois Arts Council Dance Panel for four years and served on a committee that created dance curriculum for the State of Illinois Public School System. She is currently a member of UNESCO's International Dance Council. Ms. Brennan's mission is to expand young artists’ life experiences through the art form of dance and to provide high-caliber education and performances for the community. Mary has received the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Women’s Leadership award for her mentorship improving the lives of others through education and guidance.
FounderRoberta Pfeil-Begley started her early dance studies in Chicago with Richard Ellis and Christine DuBoulay, performing under their direction with the Illinois Ballet Company. She went on to perform professionally with Ruth Page’s Chicago Ballet, Geneva Ballet of Switzerland, and San Francisco Ballet. Her directing credits include Redwood Empire Ballet Company, and Ballet Theatre North, both accepted members of the Regional Ballet Association. She founded Dancer’s Workshop, her own school and company in California, before returning to Chicago, where she continues to teach and choreograph. Her pieces have been presented nationally at Regional Ballet Festivals and throughout the Chicagoland area. Roberta has also been featured in the book "SOB-Save Our Ballet" by Anton Ness, which follows the financial struggles of San Francisco Ballet and the campaign to save it. Joining Barrington Dance Academy in 1994, Roberta currently enjoys teaching, coaching, and choreographing for the school and the Barrington Dance Ensemble.
InstructorRoberta Pfeil-Begley
Karen Janet received her early training from Ruby Gaba, Joyce Lang, and in Chicago with Richard Ellis and Christine DuBoulay. While dancing with The Brookfield Ballet, she was awarded a scholarship from the George F. Koehnke Foundation of Colorado Springs to study, train, and perform throughout Europe with an Ensemble of hand-picked talented dancers from across the United States. While in Germany, the ensemble was invited to perform in Heidelburg for USA Armed Forces and their families. Karen was asked to audition and became a member of the DuPage Ballet Company under the direction of Lloyd Labit, dancing many roles. She also performed in ballets created by Gayle Parmelee, Artistic Director of the Louisiana Ballet. After a career-halting injury, she met the late Patricia Sigurdson, former Founder and Director of the Salt Creek Ballet. Under Ms. Sigurdson’s guidance, Karen again resumed her professional dance career and was asked to join the faculty and assist with the operations of the school. She accepted an invitation to study with Jurgen Schneider and Madame Janina Cunova in a specialized program devoted to the Russian Method. Other credits include Artistic Director of the McCook Ballet Program and Assistant Artistic Director of the Woodstock Ballet. Currently, Ms. Janet is a faculty member of the BDA and continues to serve as a choreographer and rehearsal mistress for the BDE. She is also involved in other ballet programs, to which she is sharing her teaching knowledge.
InstructorKaren Janet
Pamela Johnson Tanis
Pamela Johnson Tanis is a former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet (New York) and also danced with American Ballet Theatre, Maria Tallchief’s Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Illinois Ballet. She was coached in principal roles by Robert Joffrey, Gerald Arpino, George Balanchine, Leonide Massine, Danilova, Bronislava Nijinska, Todd Bolender, Jerome Robbins and Alvin Ailey, among others. She trained with Richard Ellis & Christine Du Boulay, Robert Joffrey, Hector Zaraspe, and Basil Thompson. She has taught at Dartmouth College, Ballet Folk of Moscow (Idaho), Gus Giordano’s Dance Studio, Joel Hall Dance Center, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and served on the faculties of Northern Illinois University (co-director), Columbia College Dance Center (Chicago) and Barat College Dance Conservatory (Lake Forest). She is a biographer in the Marquis Who’s Who in Entertainment. Pam is also on the faculty of North Shore School of Dance.
InstructorElizabeth Francesconi began studying dance at the Salt Creek Ballet Company in Westmont, Illinois, under the direction of Sergey Kozadeyev and Zhanna Dubrovskya. At Salt Creek, she performed in many classical ballets such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Alice in Wonderland, and Paquita. In 2010, she graduated from Butler University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Pedagogy. At Butler, she had a chance to perform in classical works such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Giselle, and Cinderella, along with choreographic works by Marek Cholewa, Cynthia Pratt, and Tong Wang. She also traveled with Butler Ballet to St. Petersburg, Russia, where she performed and studied ballet throughout the city. Elizabeth instructs classes in ballet and jazz dance for Barrington Dance Academy, as well as serving as the Assistant Artistic Director for Barrington Dance Ensemble. Elizabeth enjoys sharing her knowledge and love for dance with others!
Instructor, AdministratorElizabeth Francesconi
Jessica Till has an extensive dance background and was a founding member of the Barrington Dance Ensemble and student of the Barrington Dance Academy. She spent many years training and performing with the company and upon graduation went on to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa with a double major in Dance and Communication Studies. Jessica returned to BDE and took on the position of Executive Director from 2000-2009. After starting her family, Jessica took on the position of BDE Board President from 2012-2022. Jessica has been on the faculty of the Barrington Dance Academy since 2000. She is also a certified personal trainer with certifications in a number of fitness formats and member of the Barrington Park District’s Fitness team. Jessica enjoys raising her family and giving back to the community that she grew up in. In addition to her passion for Dance, Fitness and the Performing Arts, Jessica enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband Kevin and her three daughters, Sienna, Isabel and Gianna.
InstructorJessica Till
Katelyn Hanna a Barrington Dance Academy alumna began her dance journey at the age of 5 and quickly developed a deep love for ballet and performance. During her years at Barrington Dance Academy, she became a dedicated member of Barrington Dance Ensemble, where she performed in numerous productions and cherished roles in beloved classical ballets including The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. Her time performing with the Ensemble helped shape both her artistry and passion for working with young dancers. Katelyn continued her dance career at Harper College, where she performed as a member of the Harper Dance Team while further expanding her experience in dance performance and collaboration. Today, she remains an important part of the Barrington dance community, sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with the next generation of dancers at Barrington Dance Academy. In addition to teaching ballet classes for children, Katelyn serves as a children’s rehearsal coach, Assistant Stage Manager, and Programming Manager for Barrington Dance Ensemble. Through her many roles, she brings creativity, organization, and encouragement to every production and rehearsal, helping young performers grow both on and off the stage.
Instructor, AdministratorKatelyn Hanna
Jacqueline Farina started her classical ballet training in Mexico City, Mexico. She studied the RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) method with Andrea de Andraca, presenting all the exam levels, including Solo Seal. She then pursued her studies in London with Andrew Hardie and Maria Fay. She has performed in Germany and in France. In Mexico, she danced with the Compania Nacional de Danza Clasica de Mexico sponsored at the time by Ballet Nacional de Cuba. In Chicago, she performed with Venetia Stifler and Concert Dance Inc. as well as with Soul & Duende Spanish American Dance Theater. Jacqueline is a Cecchetti DFCCA Diploma Certified Teacher with the Cecchetti Council of America. She teaches Ballet and Character Dance at Northwest Ballet Academy and Joffrey Academy. Since this past fall, she has had the great pleasure of starting to teach at Barrington Dance Academy.
InstructorJacqueline Farina
Jacqueline Moscicke Ms. Moscicke grew up in Sussex, Wisconsin. She started her training at the age of five at To The Pointe Dance Studio. She continued her training at Milwaukee Ballet School on full scholarship under the direction of Bobby Ball and Rolando Yanes. Her most influential teacher there was Jeanett Makaroff. Ms. Moscicke is a graduate of the Milwaukee Ballet II program and was hired into the Milwaukee Ballet Company in 2005. Ms. Moscicke was also in William Shatner’s documentary Gonzo Ballet choreographed by Margo Sappington while at Milwaukee Ballet. In 2009, Ms. Moscicke joined the Joffrey Ballet. While at the Joffrey, Ms. Moscicke danced many roles in ballets including William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated; Gerald Arpino’s Viva Vivaldi; Antony Tudor’s Lilac Garden; Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake; and Yuri Possokhov’s Bells. In 2018, Ms. Moscicke’s last show with the Joffrey Ballet was in Paris, dancing Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces. Ms. Moscicke is currently dancing and teaching master classes across the country as a freelance artist. She has also created her own dancewear line called MSeam Apparel.
InstructorJacqueline Moscicke
Molly Knecht began studying dance at the age of 5 at the Barrington Dance Academy. She continued her dance education by becoming a member of the Barrington Dance Ensemble at age 11 under the direction of Mary Brennan. With BDE, she performed in many classical ballets, including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Coppélia. To continue her training, she studied at a pre-professional level with A&A Ballet of Chicago under the instruction of Anna Reznik and Alexei Kremnev. During her time at A&A Ballet, she performed in The Art Deco Nutcracker. Most recently, Molly graduated from the University of Iowa with Highest Distinction. While at the University of Iowa, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education alongside a Minor in Dance and a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Philanthropy. In her time at the University of Iowa, she studied Dance under Eloy Barragán, George de la Pẽna, and Kristin Marrs. Molly is honored to teach at the Barrington Dance Academy, the place where she first found her love for dance. She also serves as the Director of Development for the Barrington Dance Ensemble.
Instructor, Administrator