Gayle Kassing, PhD, has performed professionally in ballet, modern dance, and musical theater. She has a BFA in ballet and theater, an MA in modern dance, a PhD in dance and related arts from Texas Woman’s University, and an MAT in K-12 education with media. She has taught in universities in Nebraska, Illinois, and Florida as well as in public schools, dance studios, and regional ballet companies. She has authored or coauthored numerous books on dance and ballet methods and instruction.

Kassing, who has been an acquisitions editor at Human Kinetics, has presented at state, national, and international conferences and has worked as a dance consultant providing dance professional development workshops for K-12 and university dance educators. In 2010, she was named the National Dance Association Scholar/Artist, and in 2016 she was designated as the 2016-2017 National Dance Society Scholar.

Danielle Jay Kirschenbaum was a professor of dance education at Northern Illinois University. A student of ballet since the age of three, she has studied with Margaret Craske and Celene Keller at Jacob's Pillow; with David McLain, David Blackburn, and Oleg Sabline at the University of Cincinnati; and with Grace Thomas, a soloist with the Radio City Ballet. Kirschenbaum lives in Sycamore, Illinois. Her favorite leisure-time activities include spending time with her relatives and close friends, reading, and choreographing.