Classic Tap Dance Studio Staff
Liz Goff, Owner | Jazz, Musical Theater, Tap
Liz Goff has been dancing and singing since the age of 4. She studied ballet, jazz and hip hop from various studios in Salem and Portland as a young girl, while all along learning tap from her uncle Dan Wold and mother Jane Raddatz. Growing up in a musical environment created a love for the arts in Liz that has been a constant throughout her life. Performing in musicals such as “Godspell” and “Little Shop of Horrors” in high school only added to Liz's love of music and dance. When Classic Tap opened in 1999, along with taking lessons herself, she began teaching jazz to a one-student class and never looked back!
Over the years Liz has visited several other studios in the U.S. and taken many Master Classes from phenomenal teachers including Triche Sylvester, Germaine Salsberg, Anthony Lo Cascio, Nancy Traina and Brenda Buffalino. She has been lucky enough to learn a variety of styles throughout the years and truly pulls technique from every class she's ever taken or observed. Liz's passion for dance is apparent and she loves to share that passion with each and every student she has come across in the last 23 years....children and adults alike!
In October of 2014, the family business was passed down to Liz, and she became the new owner of Classic Tap Dance Studio. Liz hopes to continue and expand upon the legacy left by her mother and uncle. She believes that having a knowledgeable and talented staff of instructors is important, but not the main ingredient in running a successful dance studio. The key is for those instructors to not only be great dancers and have vast technical knowledge, but to also possess an abundance of love and passion for teaching others! Liz and all the teachers at Classic Tap truly care for their students and consider every member to be part of the Classic Tap Family!
When she's not at the studio heckling the students, parents and staff, Liz enjoys spending time with her wonderful husband, two fantastic sons and a spectacular group of amazing friends and family!
Jane Raddatz | Tap
Jane Raddatz began dancing and performing before she was four years old with her first teacher, Lew Harder, having learned her first steps from watching her older brother, Danny Wold, take class. Starting at age five, Jane became a student of Lew Ballatore in Tacoma, Washington, where she studied tap, tumbling, ballet, and ballroom. Mr. Ballatore was a noted gymnast, tumbler, tap and ballroom dancer, and choreographer, connected with dance and entertainment greats such as Louis DePron, Fred Astaire, Dick van Dyke, Bob Hope, and more. After dancing and performing with her brother Danny all around the Tacoma area through high school, Jane went on to assist Mr. Ballatore teach ballroom for several years.
Jane and her family moved to the Willamette Valley in the late 1980s, where she began teaching after-school tap classes and private lessons. In 1999, Jane and her brother Danny opened Classic Tap Dance Studio. The studio has remained a true family business for the past 17 years, having been passed down to Jane's daughter, Liz Goff, in 2014.
In addition to her dance experience with Mr. Ballatore, over the years Jane has had the opportunity to take class with Debbie Allen, Jason Samuels Smith, Arthur Duncan, Chloe Arnold, Robert Reed, Brenda Buffalino, original Tap Dog Anthony Locasio, Diane Walker, and others.
One of Jane's biggest thrills is seeing someone start dancing at a young age and watching them progress and grow as dancers, having the privilege to pass forward her own passion of dance. She credits Lew Ballatore as her greatest influence and owes everything to him - she would not be the dancer and teacher she is today, nor would Classic Tap exist without Mr. Ballatore.
April Robinson | Tap
April Robinson trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary, however tap is her specialty. She has studied with renowned instructors including Derick Grant, Mark Goodman, and Chloe Arnold, to name a few. April made Miss America history when, as Miss Oregon, she performed the competition’s first and only a capella tap dance during the talent segment.
April has been teaching tap in the northwest for more than 20 years as a company owner, studio program director, and master class instructor. Her students have earned numerous awards for their technical skills, performance quality, and choreography; many of these dancers have gone on to perform professionally around the world, teach tap dancing, and appear on television.
A professional educator with a master’s degree in Education, April believes learning to tap dance teaches students not only how to execute and master technical elements but also how to train one’s brain to learn anything. She prides herself on developing learners who relish a challenge--resilient, methodical future leaders with exceptional concentration abilities. April is currently in her final year of law school and will specialize in mergers and acquisitions after graduation.
Sydney Bradshaw | Ballet, Contemporary
Sydney Bradshaw began dancing at the age of 5 in Anaheim, California, where she studied and performed in Tap, Jazz and Ballet for several years. She joined Anaheim Ballet to continue her training at the age of 11 and quickly discovered that Ballet was the style she was most passionate about. She dedicated several hours per week working on her technique, and had the pleasure of taking classes with Sarma Lapenieks Rosenberg, Lawrence Rosenberg, Alexander Greschenko, Aria Alekzander, Dale Merrill, Darci Kistler and many other Ballet masters. She attended Summer Intensives every year where she spent 10+ hours a day at the studio per day and got to dance and perform with people from all around the world.
Sydney moved from California to Oregon at the age of 18 where she continued dancing at Chemeketa CC, and occasionally traveling to Portland for Ballet classes. She has always wanted the opportunity to share her passion for dance through teaching and is so grateful for having the opportunity to do so at Classic Tap. She believes dancing is for everyone and it’s never too late to start, no matter what style you want to learn.
When Sydney is not at the studio you can find her tending to her houseplants or managing at Cafe Yumm! in South Salem.
Aimee Ritchey | Tap, Ballet
Aimee Ritchey started dancing at Classic Tap at the age of three. She has attended many dance conventions, like JUMP and Velocity, and has danced at National Tap Dance Day. During these events, she's had the pleasure to take classes from dance pros such as Savion Glover, Mike Minery, Al Blackstone, Mark Goodman, Melissa Sandvig, Maude Arnold, and Erin Lee. At Classic Tap, Aimee has taken tap classes from some of the most amazing teachers, like Jane Raddatz, Danny Wold, Liz Goff, Kala Curtis, Jim Bennet, and Bentley Michaels. She's also taken classes in Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary.
For Aimee, dance as a whole is life changing. Her whole world is centered around dance, and it has given way to so many opportunities, helped her through the years, and has allowed her to grow into who she is today.
When Aimee is not giving her blood, sweat and tears to dance, you can probably assume she'll be working towards her degrees at Linfield University.
Chloe Salter | Ballet, Hip Hop
From 2 ½ yrs old through today, Chloe has had an immense passion for dance. She has participated in dance conventions including Velocity and Jump. She participated in the IAF Experience with Chehon Wespi-Tschoppin the summer of 2019 to get a touch of what the professional dance industry has to offer. She has also participated in National Tap Dance Day performances within Portland. In 2020, she branched out to compete in the Jump Dance competition after learning a solo tap routine.
She has taken classes from Colby Shinn, Kat Burns, Michael Keefe, Wade Robson and many others who have inspired her to keep looking forward to life including dance. The opportunity to be part of so many styles has helped strengthen her desire to include dance in her future.
After assistant teaching classes for 3 years, she was honored to start teaching her own classes for the 2020-2021 season.
She believes whole heartedly in using dance as a tool to bring calm to the storm of life. She loves teaching and sharing her passion for dance with her village.
Kailyn Rodli | Tap
Kailyn has been a part of Classic Tap dance studio for 11 years. She has taken many styles of dance but is currently focused on tap, jazz, and musical theatre. She started as an assistant to Jane Raddatz in the Fall of 2020 and began teaching on her own in 2021.
When she isn't at the studio, Kailyn is probably directing and choreographing musical shows with her sisters. She has been in many theatrical productions including The Addams Family, High School Musical, and an upcoming production of Mamma Mia at West Salem High school.
Kailyn believes that dance can serve as a fun hobby, or a form of healing art. Her goal in her classes for this year is to have lots of fun, while also challenging her students.
Emily Crocker | Tap, Modern, junior Ballet
Emily Crocker holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance from the University of Oregon. In her time at the UO, Emily studied many styles of dance including Tap, Jazz, Ballet, and she specialized in Modern and African dance. She danced with the repertory company Dance Africa for 12 years and served as its Rehearsal Director.
Emily began her teaching career in color guard–the dancers who perform with a marching band– and has taught at many Salem- and Eugene-area high schools. She was the University of Oregon Marching Band Colorguard Instructor for six years, where her choreography was regularly viewed by thousands of spectators and was proud to see her students perform in the 2010 Rose Bowl and 2011 BCS National Championship Game.
Emily ran the dance program at Linfield College for 10 years. In her time at Linfield she taught Modern, Ballet, Tap, African, Jazz, and a dance composition class called Dance Ensemble. As the Director of the Linfield Dance Ensemble, Emily produced an annual dance concert, operated sound and lighting systems, and mentored student choreographers.
Emily branched out from teaching dance to become a certified Montessori teacher. In her time as a Montessori teacher she worked with kids from age two-and-a-half to 11, was a Lead Guide for Upper Elementary–grades 4 and 5–for two years. Her proudest achievements in that time were creating a strong social-emotional learning curriculum, spearheading the annual science fair, and taking her students to outdoor school.
When she’s not dancing or teaching, Emily loves to run with her dog, work in her garden, and spend time with her family.