Hi! I’m Joey Fontana—a Chicago-based dance educator, choreographer, and performing artist originally from Sterling Heights, Michigan. My journey in the arts actually started by accident at age nine, when I spotted a flyer for Seussical: The Musical at my local community theatre. One frog costume later, I was hooked—and what began on that small stage grew into a lifelong love for dance, musical theatre, and storytelling.

     Growing up, I trained extensively in jazz, lyrical, tap, musical theatre, and partnering, all while performing in multiple musicals every year. By my senior year of high school, I was president of our drama club, directing shows and teaching at the very studio where I first learned to dance. That passion carried me to Oakland University, where I earned my B.F.A. in Musical Theatre, graduating magna cum laude with Departmental Honors. While there, I also gained valuable experience assistant directing and choreographing MainStage productions, which helped shape my voice as both an educator and creative leader.

     After graduation, I signed with the Daniel Hoff Talent Agency during my senior showcase and moved to New York City. I was lucky enough to perform professionally in regional theatre, at theme parks, and on the national tour of Monty Python’s Spamalot!. After the pandemic, I found myself drawn back to the teaching and choreography world, working with competitive studios across the Midwest and East Coast. One of the highlights of that chapter was serving as Assistant Company Director for 94 dancers at Fusion Dance Centre in Roselle Park, NJ.

     In 2024, I relocated to Chicago, where I now work full-time as a dance instructor, choreographer, and competition coach throughout the suburbs. I’m also an adjudicator, emcee, and convention faculty member for several national competitions, including Impact Adjudicators, Turn It Up, StarQuest, Elite Dance Challenge, and CRU Dance—the latter of which I’ve proudly been part of for the past five seasons. Looking forward to connecting with you!