Southport Performing Arts Conservatory

Mr. Altin Naska is an internationally known award winning choreographer, dancer, and master teacher, with over two decades of performing experience in Europe and the United States. He was a soloist with Istanbul State Opera and Ballet and Istanbul City Theater in Turkey, also; soloist with Tirana State Opera and Ballet in his native Albania where he graduated from the Albanian Academy of Ballet and studied choreography at the Tirana Institute of Arts.

Bryan Albert-Guitar, M.M., Northwestern University; B.M., Northeastern Illinois University. Bryan is an active performer in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, and a faculty member of Southport Performing Arts Conservatory, McGaw YMCA, and Sherwood, the Community Music School at Columbia College.

Michelle Burger passion for dance has followed her for a total of 19 years. A 2007 Ball State University graduate, Michelle received her B.A. in Dance Performance, with a minor in Religious Studies. While at Ball State she received the Alumni Award in Dance, and Upper-class Scholarship in Dance, as well as Academic Honors. She has had the opportunity to work with and perform pieces by Gail Benedict, Bill Evans, Doris Ressl, Sarah Semonis, Audra Sokol and Lou Ann Young.

Mirjana Javonavic is native of Serbia and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Roosevelt University in Voice Performance. She is an accomplished mezo soprano and choir conductor and has received numerous awards from a variety of organizations as a vocalist.
Mirjana has played piano since she was a young child and began conducting choir at age of nineteen, performing throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.
Along with her accomplishements as a performer she has enjoed teaching young artists, helping them improve and grow their talent for nearly twenty years,

Jessica's dance background includes over 19 years of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, modern, hip-hop and b-girling (break-dancing). In college, Jessica was a member of the NDA-competitive University of South Dakota dance team, took classes in the University of Minnesota dance program and was on scholarship with the Zenon Company and School in Minneapolis and with Joel Hall Dance Center in Chicago. She has performed for numerous choreographers through her scholarship at Zenon and experience as a professional dancer for various dance teams.

Malin started ballroom and latin dance in 2002 while studying at the University of Michigan, joining both the social dance oriented Michigan Ballroom Dance Club and the competition focused Michigan Ballroom Dance Team. The Team was Collegiate National Champions for most of the years Malin was a member and she has had numerous personal successes as well. Malin trained under world class instructors Stephen and Susan McFerran, as well as Izabela Jaworksa and U.S. Ten-Dance Champions Jason and Lila Turner. She was first invited to teach for the Club within a year after beginning to train.

“The success of a dancer is achieved through aspiration, inspiration, and perspiration. I encourage each student to think critically, be confident, and practice a positive work ethic.”- Teaching philosophy of Blair Burkhalter