A Chicago native with a rich performance background, Sunny has studied and performed a variety of styles including: jazz, ballet, Horton, West African, hip hop, pole, Egyptian belly dance and more! They enjoyed dancing along to popular music videos growing up, began training and performing at 14, and started teaching at 16. They later joined Joel Hall's pre-professional company, JHD 1511, before attending Hope College and Western Michigan University as a dance major with a performance focus. Sunny then spent several years performing and teaching as a Joel Hall Dancer and as an independent artist. Sunny added a focus on burlesque performance in 2017 and has since been featured in numerous professional productions.

Sunny first came to MayI in 2018 through the Instructor Training program. Although her busy performance schedule tore her away, Sunny returned in 2022 as an administrator and is now thrilled to be reunited with their wonderful MIHTD family! Sunny believes in making dance fun and accessible for every body, and their favorite social dances include: West Coast swing, Brazilian zouk, salsa, Argentine tango and kizomba. When not dancing (or stretching), she enjoys horror shows, whiskey, modeling, running Bostons in bid whist, singing and playing guitar.
 

In addition to being the founder and executive director of MIHTD, Nino has also been a featured faculty member for The World Hustle Championships, Swing Dance America, International Salsa Congresses, Stardust Dance Productions, International Hustle & Salsa Championships, and many other Ballroom, West Coast Swing, and Salsa conventions, cruises, and championships throughout the world.  He has won many top titles in West Coast Swing, Hustle, and Salsa, and remains active on the competitive and professional circuit. Highly regarded as a thorough technician and true expert of dance connection, body mechanics, and musical interpretation, Nino also travels internationally providing teacher training to other dance professionals, aspiring dance teachers, and studio owners. 

Dawn’s students rave about her ability to make anyone comfortable and how she makes even the tricky steps easy and fun. Working at May I Have This Dance since 2001, Dawn wears many hats at the studio including management, design and teaching. Instructing since 2003, she has become one of the top Hustle dancers and teachers in the nation, winning and placing in several major Hustle competitions, including the Open Professional level at Swing Dance America, C.A.S.H. Bash, and Disco America. She continues to compete nationally in the Advanced & Pro level for West Coast Swing. With her impeccable taste and sense of style, on and off the dance floor, we always look to her for design and fashion advice. In addition, she also loves to plan and host the frequent MayI theme parties and is "mom" to our four legged studio mascots!

Bev started her artistic endeavors several decades ago in community theatre with acting, singing, dancing, choreographing and directing. She has been a professional swing dance instructor since 1992 and, as the former Dance Director of Chicago’s Windy City Jitterbug Club, she was the chief architect of their Jitterbug, West Coast Swing, Hustle, Nightclub Two-Step, Cha Cha, Waltz and Country Two-Step curriculum. Bev started competing locally in 1993, capturing the Chicago Jitterbug Champion Title in both 1993 and 1995, and she continues to compete, judge, and teach at national Bop and Swing dance events throughout the Midwest and Southern states (hence her love for Carolina Shag). Winning many regional and national competitive events, she is very proud of her participation in the 2007 National Masters Swing Dance Tour and placement in the Top 10 Dance Couples at the U.S. Open. When Bev isn’t dancing, she enjoys her semi-professional singing and acting activities, and she reluctantly admits her guilty pleasure of watching soap operas…she’s addicted!

Amanda is a Master Instructor with deep knowledge in the finer details of all the social dances, connection, body movement, and styling. She has been part of the May I Have this Dance family since 2006 teaching Salsa, Latin, Ballroom, Argentine Tango, Hustle and Swing. Amanda believes that even the most challenging classes should still be fun, and students always leave her class inspired. Amanda is also a highly regarded choreographer, working with couples and formation teams in directing numerous featured routines for local and regional showcases and events. She is one of the most sought after instructors and coaches in the Midwest. She recently moved to Milwaukee but loves her MayI students and our studio so much that she still commutes weekly to share her teaching and dancing talents with us.  Amanda grew up in a family of sports fanatics, and asks her fellow Chicagoans not to hate her because she loves the Packers and Cardinals.

Stephanie is a Chicago native and graduate of the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Dance. While there, she received training in ballet, modern, tap, jazz, and lyrical. Stephanie has taken numerous master classes with choreographers like Twyla Tharp, David Parsons, Billy Siegenfeld, the Colorado Ballet, and the Joffery Ballet. Since graduation, Stephanie has added hip-hop, Hawaiian, Tahitian, and belly dancing to her curriculum and does freelance choreography in many of these unique styles. In 2007 she began training in ballroom and competed Pro/Am for several years while taking classes at May I. She was so impressive with her skills, ability, and personality that she was invited to join the professional staff in 2012. She is still active as a coach on the Baton and Pom Pon circuit, where she was a competitive twirler for 12 years. Stephanie also dances with a Polynesian dance company performing at venues all over the Mid-West. Stephanie is a huge fan of live music, Chicago sports, and Iowa Hawkeyes football. She can't cook, but give her a bonfire, and she can make a s'more you won't easily forget.

Practically before she could walk, Nicole was getting involved in ballet, tap, acrobatics, and Irish dance. She received a minor degree in dance from Western Illinois University, and has been very active in the local Modern Dance scene, including directing her own company and the Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival. Nicole became an instructor at MayI in 2007 and quickly developed a loyal following of students that are drawn to her personal, comforting, and caring style of teaching and relating to students. She teaches all the social dances, but is most sought after for the classic Ballroom dances and Argentine Tango. Nicole, a cat-lover, finds herself across the aisle on our perennial cats vs dogs debate and she can’t stop looking at all those cute cat pictures on the internet.

Shimpei was born and raised in Japan. He played soccer and trained in martial arts all of his life. An IT consultant in Tokyo,  Shimpei never thought of learning dancing until he went out with his Latin American friends to a salsa bar in Mexico. After moving to Chicago, he started taking various partner dancing classes and found May I Have This Dance in 2012. He took classes as a student and focused more on West Coast Swing, Hustle, Salsa and Zouk. He has been competing and performing West Coast Swing since 2013 and has become a MayI instructor in 2018. Besides dancing, he loves to play soccer, workout, watch UFC,  play Shogi (Japanese Chess) and build software.

Itza was born and raised in Mexico where she began her formal training in dance when she was 12 years old. She received her Bachelors and Professional degree in Stage Dance from the Centro Universitario de danza de la Universidad de Colima. Her undergraduate dance education focused on technique, theory, and movement in ballet, modern, jazz, folkloric, and performance dance. After graduating, Itza worked as a professional dancer performing in nightly shows at five-star resorts in the internationally-popular Mexican vacation regions. Her training and performances included many numbers based on Latin, Ballroom, Jazz, Salsa, Folk, and Disco dance. She moved to Chicago in 2010 and has been part of the MayI family since 2011. Itza says her friends tease her about her adventurous driving skills, which likely began with her buying her first car before even learning to drive.

We're blessed to be working in a fun environment with great people, surrounded by music, dancing, and smiles!  Although we work very hard on a daily basis keeping the studio and all of our events running, we enjoy our time with the students, instructors, and hosts.  
We're here to help you find the perfect class or instructor to help you achieve your dance goals.  Call, e-mail, or come visit us and let's get started!

These experienced May I Have This Dance students have been specially identified to help you feel at home during our classes and parties.  They are the friendliest group of dancers and people you'll ever meet.  On any given night, you may see them assisting in classes, answering questions, and just speading the joy.  You can usually identify them because of the special namebadges they wear.  Due to the pandemic, some of our wonderful hosts are on leave, but will hopefully be joining us in the very near future.

Herb has been dancing all of his life!  He comes from a family of social dancers, his mom being his first instructor. His first formal dance background is in jazz and modern dance. Already a popular country and line dance instructor at local establishments and clubs, Herb came to MayI for more formal training in 2013 with a big interest in west coast swing. As a quick study and talented leader and follower, he found his passion for all social dancing. He joined the MayI Instructor group in 2017 and is a shining example of the love of dance expressed by the sheer joy he shares and his genuine desire to help everyone have a great time. Aside from dancing, Herb is very active in the fashion business. "I still enjoy making wedding dresses by hand."

Earning a Bachelor's degree in Ballet, Elena has also taught Salsa, Zouk, Kizomba, Samba, Bachata, Ballet and Jazz for 19 years in her native Bulgaria and at Congresses throughout Europe before coming to the US in 2017.  She is also a certified group fitness instructor and has choreographed and produced shows.  Very excited to join the MayI team, she is now adding Swing and Ballroom to her repertoire.  Always smiling and happy to be dancing, she speaks Bulgarian, Russian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and English.

Deanna (she/her) fell in love with social dancing in the heart of Texas. She even met her spouse on the dance floor! Deanna learned a variety of country, line dancing, waltz, salsa, bachata, tango and more, all in the wild. Earlier in life she was involved in theatre, competitive and performance dance & cheer teams, studio classes, and a hip hop company or two. To fill a need in the dance-hungry town of Abilene, TX, she began teaching group and private country lessons at the local honkytonk where she first learned. Within a week of moving to Chicago, she latched onto west coast swing and found her home at May I. While she continues to train at our studio, Deanna is also busy with a doctorate at Roosevelt University, working to become a practicing Clinical Psychologist!

Karina grew up in the Chicago suburbs and graduated from Boston College with dual BAs in International Studies and Creative Writing. Movement in all forms is the most important thing in her life-- a former competitive swimmer and swim coach, she holds several certifications in group exercise, personal training, and yoga, but social dancing is still her favorite way to move. She loves to perform, and when her background in musical theatre brought her to ballroom while in college, she fell in love. After moving back to Chicago, she started dancing at May I and is delighted to be teaching in such a welcoming community. When not on the dance floor, Karina is usually reading, planning her next travel opportunity, or trying new restaurants with one of her six sisters. Her go-to karaoke song is Before He Cheats, by Carrie Underwood, or anything Taylor Swift.
 

Jonathan Crane is a classically trained dancer in ballet and contemporary with a Bachelor of Arts in dance from the University of California San Diego. After college, he gained an interest in ballroom, latin, and social dancing. Jonathan started as a scholarship student at May I Have This Dance in 2019, becoming a studio instructor in 2021. In 2022, he moved to New York City to focus on West Coast Swing. Jonathan has also worked as a staff instructor for Quick Quick Slow Travel. He is excited to be returning to May I, and social dancing with this great community that he’s come to know as home. Outside of teaching dance in Chicago, Jonathan travels frequently on weekends to West Coast Swing events across the country.

Andrea's love of dance started as a child when her mother inspired her with music and encouraged her creative movement with ballet and tap lessons. In 2009, she discovered partner dancing and truly fell in love. Social dancing sparked the joy she always felt while dancing: each dance is a unique co-creation with another person... and May I Have this Dance became her home away from home. She loves dancing with people of all levels and is especially welcoming to newer dancers: as a lifelong learner she knows the difficulty and the rewards in picking up something new. She believes anyone can dance; the most important thing is to have fun while doing it. Outside of May I she helps organize social dances and practices, and teaches in the Balboa community. Her heart sings when she can share what she loves and encourage others. Her favorite styles are West Coast Swing and Balboa but she also loves ballroom and latin dances and gets too excited when she hears a Waltz on the radio. When not dancing, she loves spending time at the lake, reading poetry, and biking in the rain.