About Us

Founded in 2003 by Monica Kridler, Momentum began in a single Columbus elementary school with the goal of expanding access to dance and the arts.

Today, we serve more than 1,600 children annually in more than 25 elementary schools and youth-serving organizations. Since Momentum’s founding, over 12,000 children in more than 350 individual classrooms have experienced the joy of dance, music, and performance through our programs.

Founded on the belief in the power of the arts to enhance lives, Momentum primarily serves under-resourced neighborhoods in central Ohio where children often have limited access to the arts. There is no cost to families to participate in Momentum.

Awards and Recognition

2019 Columbus Makes Art Award from the Greater Columbus Arts Council for Momentum’s spring production of “The Harlem Renaissance - Teach Them to Dream”

2019 Friend of Public Education Award from the Ohio School Boards Association

2018 Arts Educator of the Year awarded to Momentum’s Founder, Monica Kridler by the Greater Columbus Arts Council

Our Staff

Monica Kridler

Founder

The granddaughter of the first ballet instructor in Akron, Ohio, and the daughter of an avid ballet devotee, Akron native Monica Kridler was moved to dance at an early age. Monica studied classical ballet with Nan Klinger in Cuyahoga Falls and Heinz Poll at the Ohio Ballet and received a scholarship for summer study at the School of American Ballet. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in art history from Wheaton College, Massachusetts, followed by work at Blossom Music Center near her hometown of Akron. Monica has held numerous volunteer leadership positions and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ohio Arts Council. More than fourteen years ago, Monica was inspired to start Momentum, an in-school program that uses movement, live music, and performance to teach children the necessary life skills of self-discipline, teamwork, and striving for excellence. In its inaugural year, Momentum formed a partnership with BalletMet, and the program launched with a month-long residency for 50 children at one school. The program grew rapidly, and today Momentum is a free-standing organization affiliated with the Association of National Dance Institutes. Since its founding, Momentum has reached over 7,000 central Ohio boys and girls, and hundreds of educators in dozens of schools.

monica@momentum-excellence.org

Janine Ghelarducci

Artistic Director

Janine Ghelarducci began her artistic career when she studied under Jean Gedeon and Mansur Kamaletdinov on a scholarship in the pre-professional program at Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was a featured dancer and earned rave reviews for her choreography at West Virginia University, and she danced and toured with Mountain Jazz Dance Theatre in the early 1990s. In 1992, Janine took her love of dance into the classroom and hasn’t looked back. After moving to Columbus she began teaching for BalletMet in 2003. She has taught all ages in ballet, tap, and jazz, and is ABT® Certified in Pre-Primary through Level 3. Janine expanded her teaching by joining the education department at BalletMet where she trained in dance education with Ambre Emory-Maier, Martha Eddy, and Pamela Sofras. By enhancing her own education through dance, she furthers her students’ ability to succeed. She has taught in the early childhood programs and “Moving into Literacy” at BalletMet.

In 2006, Janine became an instructor for Momentum, in 2015 she became the Managing Artistic Director, and in 2018 she became Artistic Director. During her time at Momentum, she has trained at National Dance Institute programs in New York City and New Mexico, bringing back a wealth of tools and knowledge into central Ohio classrooms. Specifically, she attended the Teaching Excellence Teacher Training Workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and focused on “Teaching Excellence through Dance Education Curriculum in Public Schools” in 2008, and again in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2014. She completed the Teaching Artist Training at the National Dance Institute in New York City where she worked with master teachers including famed choreographer Jacques d’Amboise in 2016. Over the past 13 years with Momentum she has been honored to be a part of the teaching method that inspires children to reach for the stars. Janine enjoys spending her free time with her two sons Jack and Ben, and supporting local music and performing arts.

janine@momentum-excellence.org

Luke Holmes

Music Director

Luke started with Momentum in 2011, the year he earned his Bachelor of Music in jazz composition from The Ohio State University. He became Momentum’s music director in 2015 and attended National Dance Institute’s Teaching Excellence Workshop in New Mexico in 2016. Outside of Momentum, Luke has served as accompanist and arranger for the Ohio Dominican University Chorus, played for Princess Cruises, and performed at the Jarasum International Jazz Festival in South Korea. He plays regularly with jazz, rock/pop, and original music groups. Luke went to Alaska over a dozen times one summer playing for Princess Cruises.

luke@momentum-excellence.org

Katie Ellison

Operations Manager, Lead Instructor

Katie Ellison earned her degree in dance education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she attended as a North Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholarship recipient. Katie enjoys cooking and biking with her family. She is grateful for the opportunity to share the joy of dance and performance with Momentum students.

katie@momentum-excellence.org

Sarah Bullen

Programs Coordinator, Lead Instructor

Sarah Bullen earned a BFA in Dance Performance from Kent State University in 2017. During her tenure at Kent State, she became a founding member of the international East Meets West collaboration, an educational dance program that partners students from SSRU in Thailand with KSU students to learn and perform together. Sarah has taught ballet in various dance studios and is currently an instructor at Marjorie Jones School of Dance. Sarah joined the Momentum team in 2018 and continues to enjoy inspiring Columbus youth through movement and music.

sarah@momentum-excellence.org

Chloe Napoletano

Advanced Teams Coordinator, Lead Instructor

Chloe Napoletano is a Columbus, Ohio based dancer, teacher, choreographer, art administrator, and community dance practitioner. Chloe received her BFA in dance from The Ohio State University.

Chloe specializes in teaching older adult populations. She co-directs Columbus Dance for Parkinson’s, a community dance program that provides bi-weekly movement classes specifically designed for individuals with Parkinson’s. She is a lead teacher for In Motion: Movement Classes for Adults Over 50. Chloe also teaches contemporary dance in several assisted and independent living communities in and around Columbus, OH.

She teaches weekly classes at BalletMet and Flux + Flow Movement Center. She also teaches contemporary dance at Columbus State Community College. Chloe is also a staff member in the Learning Department at The Columbus Museum of Art providing educational experiences for CMA visitors.

Chloe has been collaborating and performing with SeaBus Dance Company since 2017. She has performed with SeaBus at many venues including the Columbus Arts Festival and the Columbus Museum of Art. Chloe also co-choreographs, co-produces, and performs in original dance pieces with her artistic partner Hana Newfeld. Their work has been performed at The Wexner Center for the Arts and the OhioDance Festival Concert in Columbus, OH.

chloe@momentum-excellence.org

Heidi Kok

Artistic Associate, Master Instructor

Heidi has over 35 years of dance experience in ballet, modern, jazz, and tap. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in theater and dance from Otterbein University and performs professionally as a dancer, singer, and actor in musical theater. She is also an accomplished director and choreographer for local theaters and organizations, such as the Butterfly Guild of Nationwide Children's Hospital. Prior to working with Momentum, she was the Dance Program Manager for EXOS at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California. Heidi is passionate about wellness and earned her Vinyasa Yoga Instructor Certification from Joschi Yoga Institute in NYC, as well as a Children's and Teen Yoga with a Trauma-Informed Focus Instructor Certification from Yoga Ed. After a busy day of enriching the lives of children through the power of the arts, Heidi enjoys spending quality time with her two adorable dachshunds, Charlie and Penny.

heidi@momentum-excellence.org

Julian Dittmer

Music Associate

Bio Coming Soon!

julian@momentum-excellence.org

Susan Powers

Early Learners Master Instructor

Susan Powers has taught ballet and movement for children in Columbus for more than 30 years. She has choreographed work for children's groups at BalletMet and the Columbus Children's Theater. Her dance education training covers a variety of ballet techniques including RAD, Vaganova, and ABT. A firm understanding of educational development has helped Susan cater her classroom plans to early childhood dance studies. In addition to teaching ballet, she has also taught high school art for more than 40 years. Susan earned a BS in education from Butler University and a MA degree in Art Education from The Ohio State University.

susan@momentum-excellence.org

Tony Bonardi

Accompanist

Tony Bonardi has been wowing audiences with his creative keyboard skills for over 20 years. As a teenager he “cut his teeth” performing in northern Ohio clubs under the tutelage of St. Louis Bluesman and Tina Turner alum, Sonny Robertson. Now residing in Columbus, Tony keeps a busy schedule playing with a variety of acts throughout the Midwest. Just as adept playing salsa and top 40 as he is in a jazz environment, Tony truly brings his diverse, energetic influence to all appearances. He holds a Master of Music Education degree from Capital University and has been with Momentum since 2015.

tony@momentum-excellence.org

Megan Davis Bushway

Social Media and Marketing Coordinator, Master Instructor

Driven by her love of movement, Megan Davis Bushway serves many communities in Columbus through dance, somatic, and Pilates practices. Megan happily joined the Momentum team in 2016 and currently teaches at BalletMet and Ohio Wesleyan University. She regularly offers Pilates Mat and Reformer classes at the Jewish Community Center and Core Poetry. Megan dances with SeaBus, an improvisation based dance company. Her choreography has been presented at The Ohio State University and The Wexner Center for the Arts as part of the CDA Works series. In addition to her work as an educator and performer, Megan also specializes in dance film and documentation. She has been commissioned by local artists to document work and is the videographer for OhioDance. Megan received an MFA in dance from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts in art therapy and dance from Springfield College. She lives in Clintonville with her husband and their dog, Mookie.

meganb@momentum-excellence.org

Phil Dupont

Accompanist, Volunteer Coordinator

Phil Brown Dupont has studied classical and improvisatory piano with teachers at Bowling Green State University, Amherst College, and Smith College. He has lived in Columbus since 2013, and been working with Momentum since 2015. He can be heard playing for many other dance and theater institutions around Columbus, including BalletMet, Columbus Children’s Theatre, and the OSU Department of Dance.

phil@momentum-excellence.org

Doug Hare

Accompanist

Doug Hare graduated from Capital University Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Music in composition and music media. He has entertained audiences as a pianist and vocalist for over 20 years. Additionally, Doug serves as the music director and organist at Christ Church Anglican and an accompanist at BalletMet. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis.

doug@momentum-excellence.org

Ruth Keysor

Lead Instructor

Ruth Keysor earned a BFA in Dance from The Ohio State University in 2016. Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, she began her professional career teaching at local non-profits and private studios. Ruth is an avid adventurer. She enjoys exploring the great outdoors and skydiving!

ruth@momentum-excellence.org

Ben Maloney

Accompanist

Bio Coming Soon!

ben@momentum-excellence.org

Laura Patterson

Lead Instructor

Laura Patterson earned a BFA in Dance and a minor in Integrative Approaches to Health and Wellness from The Ohio State University. In addition to working as an instructor in a number of dance studios in Salt Lake City, UT, and Columbus, OH, Laura's teaching experience includes working with dancers over 50 as part of the Perennial Movement Group and partnering with ARC Industries to serve adult dancers with special needs. Laura is also a pastry chef. She once had a job baking pastries, breads, and other desserts starting at 3:00AM!

laura@momentum-excellence.org

Paul Strawser

Accompanist

Bio Coming Soon!

paul@momentum-excellence.org

David Swank

Accompanist

David Swank earned a Bachelors of Music in Jazz Studies from The Ohio State University. He has worked as a professional musician with both local and national acts for 15 years. He is an accomplished composer, arranger, producer, and performer. David enjoys music history and has collected over 5000 records!

david@momentum-excellence.org

Lisa Horton

Trainee

lisa@momentum-excellence.org

Nairobi Qualls

Trainee

nairobi@momentum-excellence.org

Sherri Higgins

Trainee

sherri@momentum-excellence.org

Taylor Babb

Trainee

taylor@momentum-excellence.org

Jenny Richardson

Program Development

Jenny Richardson is a native of Indianapolis where she began dancing at the age of six. She received her BFA in musical theater from the University of Cincinnati College – Conservatory of Music (CCM) before moving to New York City. She performed as the female swing in the Broadway National Tour of Jolson – The Musical. Subsequent to touring Jenny began working in marketing and advertising for Broadway productions including Thoroughly Modern Millie, Rent, Mamma Mia!, and Avenue Q. She is thrilled to be returning to her dance roots and honored to be touching the lives of so many Momentum students.

jenny@momentum-excellence.org

Board of Directors

Hartley Suter, Board Chair

Associate Vice President, Fahlgren Mortine