Tye Chua Dance is made up of our trio of Artistic Directors, Aimee Tye, Gene Chua, and Angi Polderman.

Aimee Tye

FOUNDing artistic director
 

Ms. Tye began her training with the Bullard School in Kalamazoo. After just one year as an apprentice with the Kalamazoo Ballet she graduated to company member, and soon thereafter attained the position of soloist. Her training continued with Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet School for two years, in addition to studies with Paul Sanasardo and Joel Hall.

With Kalamazoo Ballet, Ms. Tye danced the roles of Odette/Odile in Swan lake and Cinderella in Cinderella. The role of the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland was set on her by the Bullard/Tye team. Ms. Tye graduated from Western Michigan University with an emphasis on sculpture. She danced with Detroit Metropolitan Ballet Theatre and has performed in Chicago with Winifred Hawn Dancers, Second City Ballet, Salt Creek Ballet and Joel Hall Dancers.

Before coming home to found Tye Chua Dance, Ms. Tye served as Associate Director and faculty member of Hyde Park School of Dance in Chicago for nineteen years.

Eugene Chua

founding artistic director
 

Mr. Chua began his early training at the age of nineteen with David Shields, former soloist with Sadler Wells Royal Ballet. After several years of intensive training, Gene auditioned for and was accepted to Boston Ballet where his performances included: Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Nureyev's Don Quixote. He joined Omaha Ballet as Principal and danced as Franz in Coppelia, the Cavalier in Nutcracker and also peformed Bournonville's Konservatoriet, Kermesse en Bruges, Napoli, Ramonda Pas de Dix, and Paquita. Contemporary works include Balanchine's Allegro Brilliante, the thief in Lew Christensen's Con Amore, Puck in Bruce Wells' Midsummer Night's Dream, Loyce Houlton in Carmina Burana, Ze'eva Cohen's Out of Wilderness and Sal Aiello's Clowns.

Mr. Chua has a BS and MS in Plasma Physics from MIT and an MBA from Washington University. He has wide experience in the business world. This includes consulting with Ernst & Young and Deloitte & Touche. He was also Director of Program Management at US Cellular. His team managed a complex multi-year, multi-million dollar plan culminating in the launch of US Cellular's easyedge suite of wireless data services. These services continue to comprise an ever-increasing percentage of the company's revenues and earnings.

Mr. Chua has taught master classes, coached principal dancers and conducted workshops throughout the US and abroad.

Angi Polderman

artistic director
 

Ms. Polderman began her serious dance training with the Bullard School under Therese Bullard.  As she progressed, she was promoted through the Kalamazoo Ballet Company and achieved the position of principal.  She continued her training at the University of Michigan with Judy Rice, Peter Sparling, Gay Delanghe and Twyla Tharp among others.  While living in Maine, she studied with the Portland Ballet and upon moving to Miami, regularly attended classes given by Edward Villella at Miami City Ballet.

While at Kalamazoo Ballet, Ms. Polderman performed the rolls of Lucy in Dracula, Alice in Alice in Wonderland, as well as several rolls in the Nutcracker.  At the University of Michigan, she performed under the tutelage of Mary Cochran of the Paul Taylor Company.  Ms. Polderman danced professionally in Miami both with Miami City Ballet and independently.  Upon returning to the Kalamazoo area, she was pleased to once again perform with the Kalamazoo Ballet.

Ms. Polderman has taught for the Bullard School, Kalamazoo Ballet and for Carrabassett Valley Academy, where she worked with young professional athletes on fine muscle development. 

DAVID CURWEN

GUEST FACULTY

Jordan Dimmitt

Instructor

Jordan is thrilled to be teaching a class for Tye Chua! Jordan is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University, where she graduated with a BA in theatre arts, and a minor in dance. She grew up studying tap, ballet, and jazz, and began pursuing musical theater at age twelve. Some of her favorite dance credits include West Side Story (ensemble) with Kentucky Shakespeare Company, Lil' Abner (ensemble/Phoghorn) with Kincaid Regional Theater, and 9 to 5 (Margaret) with Clarksville Little Theater.

In her free time, she likes to hike, and watch the food network. She can't wait to meet everyone, and get to movin and groovin!

Georgia Pauley

instructor

Georgia Pauley’s dance training began even before she could walk at the Hyde Park School of Dance in Chicago, Illinois, where she studied ballet, modern, African, and jazz dance for 16 years. From the ages of 13 to 18, Georgia was a pre-professional company member at the Hyde Park School of Dance, where she performed numerous lead roles. She has also performed with multiple reputable dance companies in Chicago, including the South Chicago Dance Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Summer Intensive, and the Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre Summer Intensive. In addition to her dance career, Georgia has been assisting and instructing youth dance and musical theatre programs around Chicago for five years.

After graduating high school, Georgia took two gap years to work and travel before starting her college education.  She started off her gap year by traveling to Lima, Peru, where she worked as the head choreographer for the Hiram Bingham school’s  2018 musical theatre production of Aladdin. In January 2019, Georgia continued her travels with the Education First Gap Semester program where she studied Spanish in Barcelona, Spain and volunteered in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, Thailand. Georgia then returned to Lima as stage manager, choreographer, and associate director for Spotlight Peru, a youth musical theatre program located in Lima, where she worked on the productions Wicked, Waitress, Mean Girls, and Beetlejuice. While in Peru, she continued her ballet dance training at Ballet Joven de Lima, and developed a new love for classical flamenco dance, training with Margarita Villalobos. 

Laila May

Instructor

Laila May began her dance training at age three at Hyde Park School of dance in Chicago. There she studied, ballet, modern, African, and jazz and was a member of the pre professional company from 2014-2020.

Laila also participated in the Hyde Park School of Dance teacher trainee program under Aimee Tye where she learned how to instruct dance classes for young children. Last year she joined the faculty and taught ballet for ages 3-5. She was also a guest choreographer for the Hyde Park School of Dance Summer Intensive in 2022.

Laila has performed and studied with companies such as Hubbard Street Dance, South Chicago Dance Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem Summer Intensive, New York Dance Project, and most recently, Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre. Laila is an aspiring choreographer who has set multiple pieces and is always looking to create more. She will be attending Western Michigan University to study dance and creative writing this fall.

Paula Tomczak

INSTRUCTOR

Ms. Tomczak began dancing at age three and spent the next four decades studying a variety of movement styles including ballet, modern, jazz, gymnastics, bellydance, salsa, bachata, west coast swing, zouk, yoga, and Pilates. Her dance instruction experience includes teaching, choreographing and performing salsa, bachata and bellydance fusion for dance companies along the West Coast and internationally. Other teaching experience includes teaching massage therapy and yoga, and four years as nursing faculty.

Ms. Tomczak has a BA in Human Development, with minors in Cognitive Science and Dance from UCSD; a Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Management from the George Washington University; a Holistic Health Certificate and 15 years of experience as a licensed massage therapist specializing in massage for athletes and dancers; a yoga teacher training certificate; Nurse Educator, Clinical Nurse Educator, and Operating Room Nurse certifications; and is currently completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at the George Washington University.

As a dance instructor, Ms. Tomczak integrates her extensive knowledge of anatomy, physiology, classical and latin dance, massage, yoga, and pedagogy. 

Ava Polderman

instructor

Ms. Polderman began her ballet training under Therese Bullard and has continued under the tutelage of Aimee Tye, Eugene Chua and Angi Polderman as a member of the Tye Chua Dance Company.

She has performed in Carnival of the Animals, Wild Things and The Nutcracker in various roles including Sugar Plum Fairy. In addition she has performed in numerous Choreography Showcases where she has also staged her own pieces.

Ms. Polderman enjoys teaching Adult Ballet and choreographing for Tye Chua Dancers!

She is currently studying Biological Anthropology at the University of Michigan.

Athena Pauley

instructor

Athena Pauley grew up dancing at the Hyde Park School of Dance in Chicago, where she quickly learned about her passion for the arts and performing. She started dancing when she was only 18 months old with HPSD’s First Steps program and, after recently moving to Kalamazoo at 17, dance continues to be a big part of her life. From her debut as a baby mouse in HPSD’s production of The Nutcracker at age 3 to performing the role of Clara at 13, Athena has found a passion for being on stage and sharing her love of dance with others. In Kalamazoo, where both her mom and aunt grew up dancing with Kalamazoo Ballet, Athena is excited to further her dance training as well as pass on what she has learned to future generations at Tye Chua Dance.

Seyong Kim

GUEST ARTIST

Seyong Kim, Assistant Professor of Dance at Western Michigan University, holds an MA in Dance Education from New York University and an MA and BA in Dance from Sung-Kyun-Kwan University in South Korea as well as a CMA (Certified Movement Analyst) from Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in New York City and a RSME (Registered Somatic Movement Educator) at ISMETA (International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association).

Seyong is a member of ROKMC (Republic of Korea Marine Corps) and AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists). Also, Seyong is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 of the American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum. He has taught for Rutgers University, Kent State University, Randolph College, Texas A&M International University, Peridance Center, Middlesex County College, Libera University in Italy, American College Dance Association (ACDA), Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, National High School Dance Festival, Alabama Dance Festival, Brighton Dance Festival, Michigan Youth Arts Festival, Kit Modus, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Hamilton Ballet Theater, and Charlottesville Ballet Company.

As a professional dancer, Seyong Kim was awarded First Prizes in both the Korean Dance Association Competition and Sung-Kyun-Kwan Dance Competition, and he has performed in diverse professional venues across Asia, Europe, and the United States. He has danced with Metropolitan Opera Ballet at Lincoln Center, Albania Opera Ballet Theatre, Korean National Ballet Theater, Terra Firma Dance Theatre, Staten Island Ballet, Baltimore Ballet, Traverse City Dance Project, Neglia Ballet, Roxey Contemporary Ballet, TAKE Dance, and Oakland Ballet Company. In addition, his choreographic works have been internationally performed at Landes Theater Coburg in Germany, Dance in ITALY Festival, Dzul International Dance Festival in Mexico, JueDai Taipei International Dance Festival in Taiwan, Lebanon International Contemporary Dance Festival, Seoul International Dance Festival in TANK, Korea-Japan Dance Festival, Goyang International Dance Festival, Daegu International Dance Festival, Dumbo Dance Festival, Battery Dance Festival, Koresh Artist Showcase, Lindenwood University, Cleveland Dance Festival, RAD (Midwest Regional Alternative Dance) Festival, Mid-Atlantic Choreographers Showcase, Chicago International Dance Forum, Detroit Dance City Festival, Michigan Dance Festival, Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, Central Virginia Ballet, KYL/D Inhale on Camera, Booking Dance Festival at Jazz in Lincoln Center, and Nimbus OFFLINE+ at the BAM Fisher.