Friends celebrate life of Naperville dance teacher

Naperville native Krystan Chmelovski says she'll never forget the guidance she received from Katie Lunn.

"She was the most inspiring person I've ever met," said Chmelovski, a Neuqua Valley High School graduate who now lives in Chicago. "She taught me and everyone she worked with how to be great and how to create change."

Lunn, a 26-year-old dance instructor at Naperville's School of Performing Arts, died last month after her SUV was struck by an Amtrak train in University Park. Investigators later determined the warning lights and gates at the crossing were not working at the time of the crash.

On Saturday, more than 100 students, friends and family members gathered at Oswego East High School to celebrate Lunn's life and talents. The memorial was followed by a picnic and concert in Lunn's honor at Rotary Hill in Naperville.

The memorial service consisted of a series of dance routines, most of them originally choreographed by Lunn. The performers included students from the School of Performing Arts, the tap-dance company M.A.D.D. Rhythms and Hip Hop ConnXion Chicago, a group Lunn used to dance with.

The crowd cheered enthusiastically both during and after each routine.

After the performances, attendees carried balloons outside the high school and formed the curved shape of a smile. With a chant of "We love you, Katie!" the crowd released the balloons.

"We wanted to create a celebration," said Joni Wiltz Berkley, managing director of the School of Performing Arts and one of the organizers of the memorial performance. "Katie touched so many of us with her skills and her personality. This was a way to showcase her incredible talents."

Wiltz Berkley said the weeks immediately following Lunn's death were difficult on the students at the School of Performing Arts. Lately, though, the students have found motivation in their memories of Lunn, she said.

"They're a resilient bunch," she said. "And they're thinking about Katie as they prepare for an upcoming dance concert."

Chmelovski, a former student of Lunn's who now teaches dance at the School for Performing Arts, said she plans to continue her association with the school as long as she can.

"It's a way to hold a piece of Katie with me," she said.

A memorial fund has been set up in Lunn's name to provide arts scholarships and more. For information, visit katielunn.org.