SEE OUR LATEST STUDIO SCHEDULE OR STOP BY THE STUDIO FOR MORE INFORMATION
Tracey Anderson served as the dance team director of the nationally recognized Leander High School Blue Belles for 25 years!! During that quarter of a century, her team won many accolades including state and national championships. More importantly were the amazing performances she experienced with her team. Performing on Broadway at Lincoln Center, dancing at halftime of the Lakers, Spurs, Mavs, Thunder, and Longhorn basketball games, being showcased at bowl games, and parades are just some of the highlights that come to mind. Traveling to Hawaii, the Bahamas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego, New York City, and Orlando were also high points of her career. Her specialty is leadership training where she instills confidence and skills that will help each of her students to be successful in our ever-changing world.
She has inspired hundreds of dancers to always give 110% and to become intrinsically motivated young adults ready to go out and take on any challenge that may come their way. Having 3 daughters active in the professional dance world gives Tracey an “edge” as to what a dancer needs to succeed. She is a firm believer that dance teams and studio training can work hand in hand.
Tracey has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and is certified to teach math, English, health, physical education, and dance.
She has since retired from public school teaching and is ready to take on her new adventure..MÜV Dance & Fitness and is excited to have her family on board to Müv Mountains!
David Anderson has been a professional educator for 30 years. He teaches leadership, is a motivational speaker, and facilitates the challenge course and team building activities. He has his masters degree in physical education administration from Texas State University and received his bachelor’s degree from McNeese State University where he played quarterback. David is also a professional golf teacher.
David works with people through experiential activities to enhance teamwork, risk-taking, and self-esteem. He has spent many years encouraging them to reach for their full potential and to step out of their comfort zone, with the understanding that is ok to fail when striving to better one’s self. He also serves as a professional announcer in many venues—University of Texas Men’s Basketball, Texas Relays, NCAA Basketball and Track Championships, Texas High School State Basketball Championships for Girls and Boys, Texas State Track Meet, High School and Semi-Pro Football, Dance Competitions, Band Competitions, as well as many other events. David’s favorite quote, which defines his philosophy, is “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” He credits much of what he has learned through his students’ lives and their ability to overcome challenges which inspires him to continue to improve in all he does.
Evan began her dance training at the young age of three. Her natural talent was developed extensively through Dancers Workshop, where she danced for ten years. During her Junior and Senior years of high school, she was Captain of the award-winning Leander Blue Belles Dance Team. Evan choreographed and performed many solos achieving state and national titles. At age 18, she was invited to be a Jazz instructor at the United Spirit Association.
After graduating, Evan moved to Los Angeles and was one of nineteen dancers who completed the EDGE Performing Arts Center’s yearlong scholarship program. Upon completion of her training, she was signed with Bloc Talent Agency and was chosen for many professional opportunities, such as performing as a backup dancer in the Leona Lewis music video “Forgive Me”, a backup dancer for Katy Perry’s live appearance at Spike TV’s “Guy’s Choice Awards”, and as a performer at Christian Audigier’s 50th Birthday Party. Her commercial appearances include a promotional for FX’s “Nip/Tuck”, “Shiseido”, and “CheBanca”.
Evan then moved to Dallas, TX, and completed two years as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and appeared on the Country Music Television show, “Making the Team”. Evan was also one of twelve team members chosen to perform with the Show Group, where she experienced two USO tours in South Korea. Through several appearances and Dallas Cowboys football games, she had the opportunity to work with many artists, such as Keith Urban, Jessie James, Usher, and Drake. While in Dallas, Evan assisted in the grand opening of Studio A Dance in Southlake, TX, where she co-directed the award-winning competitive company for four years.
Evan’s most recent achievements include earning her BFA in Dance from Texas State University and her Yoga Sculpt teaching certification from CorePower Yoga. She choreographs for dance teams and individuals across the state of Texas and workshops with the Texas Dance Educators Association. Evan is a co-founder of Müv Dance & Fitness and continues to share her passion for the arts.
McKenzie-Rae Anderson has 16 years of studio training (Dancers Workshop-Austin) as well as 4 years of dance team training. She served as a 2 year captain of the award-winning Leander High School Blue Belles where she won many accolades for her solos and choreography for both her team and surrounding schools. She was recognized for her contemporary piece in “The Weaving” which was performed at Lincoln Center in New York City.
At 18 she set off for Los Angeles where she was selected for the prestigious Edge Scholarship program. After training with some of the best teachers in the business, she signed with BLOC talent agency. McKenzie can be seen on the TV shows Glee, X Factor, Bunheads, and Friday Night Lights. She has also done commercial work for Amazon, Prius and Toms and recently worked with choreographer-Mandy Moore on an upcoming dance movie with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. McKenzie has also traveled abroad, performing with German pop star, Helene Fischer. She currently assists and is being mentored by Helene Phillips and Lisa Eaton, who are among some of LA’s well-known teachers and choreographers. She has taught across the state of Texas ,both in studios and for dance teams. Kenzie considers herself a chameleon as she is proficient in all genres of dance including ballet, jazz, pointe, contemporary, jazz-funk, hip-hop, and tap. She brings a contagious enthusiasm to all of her classes as she shares her passion for the arts!
Gaebri Anderson Kelley was born and raised as an Austin, TX gal and has been studio trained since she was 5 years old. In addition to her studio training, Gaebri had the privilege and honor of serving as a 2-year captain of the Leander High School Blue Belles Dance Team, where she won many accolades for both her solos and choreography for her team and local schools. At 18, Gaebri headed off to Los Angeles after being selected as 1 of 10 girls to join the prestigious EDGE Scholarship program. Upon completion, Gaebri signed with BLOC talent agency and is actively pursuing a dance career. Some of her jobs include GAP commercial, XFINITY 1989 commercial, Ashton Kutcher Truth or drop, Mattel Industrial, MAC cosmetics industrial, Sunny D commercial, and many more! She achieved one of her childhood dreams and cheered for the NFL as a LA Charger Girl. Over the last 7 years, she has found a deep love for fitness. She is a certified personal trainer, as well as a sign with Naturally Fit agency. This past year she moved to New York City after receiving the Richard Ellner scholarship for the Professional Semester at the Broadway Dance Center. She believes that incredible things come when you step out of your comfort zone! Her goal as a teacher is to bring an innovative and fresh angle to all of her classes and choreography as she inspires dancers to reach their full potential and to Never Give Up!
Originally from Palm Harbor, Florida, Caitlin moved to Los Angeles after being accepted to the EDGE Performing Arts Center Professional Program as a scholarship student. She trained there extensively for a year while getting to work with world renowned teachers and choreographers such as Bill Prudich, JT Horenstein, Mandy Moore, Jennifer Hamilton, Terri Best, Scott Hislop, Justin Giles, Nick Lanzisera, Helene Phillips and many others.
Upon graduating the program, Caitlin was fortunate enough to sign with MSA, a talent agency in Hollywood. She has performed live with Chino y Nacho, L2 and the Darling Stilettos as well as for Mac Cosmetics industrials. Caitlin has danced in the feature film Ted 2 and for tv series/promos such as Bones, Super Fun Night with Rebel Wilson, Paris by Night, Radius Fitness for NBCSN and Diane Gilman Jeans for HSN. Her commercial credits include Skechers, Reebok, Axe Body Spray, Benefit Cosmetics, Just Dance & Just Dance 2014, BCBG and Coca Cola.
Caitlin has worked with some of the most prestigious studios throughout Central Florida and she is so excited to be joining the Müv family. Her classes combine old school techniques with contemporary styles. She teaches numerous styles including jazz, contemporary, lyrical and heels and has also been a judge for Sheer Talent. Caitlin strives to help aspiring professional dancers as well as instill strong core values and work ethic in all of her students.
Briana has been dancing since she was three and teaching dance/choreographing since she was eleven years old. She began competitive dancing in Elementary School and went on to dance as an officer with the Junior High Drill Team Victoria Strutters, taking top honors in the team, solo and ensemble competitions. Briana moved on to be co-captain of the JV Victoriadore Reserves, was first varsity officer her sophomore and junior years, and finished her high school career as the top officer, Major, of the internationally renowned Victoriadores. Each year she earned numerous Regional, State, National, and International Championships in solo, duet, ensemble, officer, and team divisions from Crowd Pleasers Dance, MA Dance, American Dance, and Drill Team, Showtime International, Contest of Champions, Champions Contest, and Hall of Fame Dance Challenge. Briana was also awarded multiple National and International Miss High Kick Titles from American Dance and Drill Team.
Hannah Taub is a recent graduate from Texas Tech University. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with a Minor in Dance. At Texas Tech, she was a part of the award-winning Texas Tech Pom Squad for three years. While on the team, she received four National titles from the NDA Nationals Competition in Daytona, Florida. Hannah has been awarded many opportunities such as traveling to Shanghai, China to perform in the Chinese Tourism Festival, cheer and perform at the Final Four and National Championship game for Texas Tech Basketball in 2019, cheer with Tech Pom on Good Morning America, and perform in Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament in 2018.
Hannah Taub has been dancing for the past 20 years. She has learned her training from local Austin studios such as Alisa’s Dance Academy, The Dance Studio, Shining Stars, Star Dancers, MA Dance Project, and Müv Dance & Fitness. She has trained in styles such as Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Tap, Lyrical, Kick, Pom, Acro, and many more. Hannah has always been a driven dancer and knew at a young age that dance was what she wanted to do for her lifelong career.
She was introduced to the world of competitive dance at a young age and received many titles, scholarships, and awards. At age 14, Hannah received a scholarship to The Collective Intensive in Los Angeles, California where she trained with many professional dancers/teachers such as Travis Wall, Abbey Lee, Stacey Tookey, etc. She was showcased in a contemporary piece choreographed by Peter Chu in The Collective Promotion video and was also selected by Bloc Talent Agency as a standout. She received other scholarships and awards throughout High School from conventions such as Nuvo Dance Convention, Jump Dance Convention, Artist Simply Human, Tremaine Dance Convention, and Velocity Dance Convention and was awarded Crowd Pleasers National Teen Dancer her sophomore year of high school.
Hannah also has great love and passion for the Drill Team. She joined The Rouse Royals Dance Team her sophomore year of High School. She was ranked 2nd lieutenant her Junior year and 1st Lieutenant her Senior year. Throughout her time on Royals, she choreographed many routines and was awarded a scholarship for college from the team her senior year.
Hannah is so excited to be back from college and continue pursuing her dream of teaching and choreographing. She has choreographed for teams such as The Rouse Royals, Veterans Memorial High School, Gateway Stars, and Dripping Springs Hi-Steppers, etc and this is currently her fifth-year choreographing for The Müvment. Many of her pieces have won National Titles and awards for her choreography.
Hannah is so thankful to have been a part of the Muvment Dance Company her senior year and to now continue on with the Müv Family and Faculty as the Assistant Director for The Müvment.
Shannon’s life-long love of the arts began at the young age of 7 as a competitive roller skater in Austin, TX. As her roller skating career progressed, Shannon was invited to compete at the Regional and National levels around the United States. After about 5 years of roller skating, she transitioned into the dance world where she danced for her local middle school and, eventually, high school drill teams.
During her tenure as a Leander High School Blue Belle, she was given the opportunity to serve as Company Leader and 1st Lieutenant. The wealth of experience Blue Belles offered gave Shannon the ability to expand her team-building and leadership skills while broadening her dance knowledge.
Shortly after graduating from high school in 2001, Shannon was invited to be on staff with Half-Time Entertainment (HTE). HTE allowed Shannon to continue her passion for dance and reach out to up and coming dancers at various Line and Officer camps across Texas.
With this momentum, Shannon auditioned and was accepted onto the 62nd Line of the World Famous Kilgore College Rangerettes. During her freshmen year, she was selected as one of 10 elite dancers, known as the ‘Swingsters’, who was called on for additional performances. As her sophomore year unfolded, she was honored to serve her fellow Rangerettes as Left End Lieutenant. Throughout her, two years as a Rangerette, performances at Governor Rick Perry’s Inaugural Parade in 2002 and the Indie 500 in 2003 were among her favorites!
Shannon completed her Associate of Arts degree at Kilgore College in 2003 and transferred to Texas State University where she studied Biology and Business. Although her focus was on academics, she continued to pursue dance opportunities in the Central Texas area. She has happily appointed guest roles in the Texas State University Choreographer’s Showcase in 2005 and 2006. She also began assisting the Diamond Stars Dance Team in Round Rock, TX.
Grace Saia has been dancing her whole life, training at different studios such as Dance Institute, Dancer’s Workshop, and Müv Dance and Fitness. She started her training as a competitive ballroom and Latin dancer for five years under the instruction of Sabrina Truscott, Denis Generalov, and Curtis Prevost. Once joining a drill team in middle school and high school, her love for dance changed more towards jazz, contemporary, modern, hip hop and high kick styles. She began training at Dancer’s Workshop where she was able to learn from special guest choreographers such as Sabrina Phillip and Abby Lett, Micheal Burfield, and many more. She was a member of the Vandegrift Legacies Dance Team all throughout high school which led to her start in choreography after being asked to teach for the Acrotex Legacies Dance Team in Cedar Park as well as setting a piece for her high school team her senior year. With her high school dance team, she had the opportunity to train and perform all over, including a special performance at the Pearl Harbor memorial in Hawaii during her junior year. Her senior year she joined the Müv Crü Hip Hop Company, which she continues to serve as an assistant on post-graduation, where she was able to train under dancers such as Alexander Chung, Max Pham, Ashleigh Frost, Trevor Parmentier and many more. Her goal is to always inspire young dancers to work hard and never lose their passion for dance!
Trevor Parmentier is a southern California native. While living in California, Trevor worked with several dance organizations and companies individually, including Culture Shock Dance Company, Velocity Dance Troupe, and Surreal Crew, blessing him with the opportunity to teach and perform up and down the California coast. Now living in Austin Texas, Trevor shares his passion for life and dance by teaching all around the United States. He is currently on staff with Dupree Dance and Dance Revolution touring the country. He has danced and choreographed for local Hip Hop & RNB artists and with crews around Texas, including ILLovation crew who placed 1st overall at the World of Dance competition in 2010. He has taught in over 20 states around America and continues to expand.
Recently, Trevor starred as lead actor and dancer in Fryar’s new music video “CoolLike Me”. Whether it is teaching at conventions, or teaching a small class for kids after school, Trevor always has the same goal in mind, and that is to spread a positive light and influence in the dance industry where it is typically hard to find. His goal is to not only teach students how to move but to love dance and to let it be a part of who they are.
Inga is originally from Ukraine and trained at the State Classical Ballet School of Belorussia. She has performed nationally and internationally in over 50 principal and soloist roles in various ballets choreographed by Balanchine, Lambro, Petipa, Fokine, Gorski, Vaganova, and Mills. Inga has twice been named best female dancer by the Austin’s Critics Award panel while she danced with Ballet Austin. She is known for her exceptional teaching skills and helping students reach their full potential as both a dancer and a performer.
I was introduced to the wonderful world of dance at the age of three in the Shirley McPhail School of Dance and haven’t looked back. My love of dance continued through Tinka’s Moving Company, Joyce Willett’s Body Talk Dance Company, and the Westwood High School Sun Dancers performance and drill team. Along the way, I have won numerous awards for solo, ensemble, and group performances that reflect the training I have been fortunate to receive. I have also had the chance to study under some of the top dance in dance including Laurie Johnson, Susan Hadley, and Dr. Linda Quinn. In addition to having taught tap and choreography in the Fine Arts Academy at Westwood High School, I am currently involved in different studios in the Austin area as head tap instructor and choreographer.
At this time I am finishing my Associates of Arts in Dance at ACC, where I am a member of the student dance company, and will matriculate to Concordia University to finish my BA in Biology and BFA in Dance. It is with great passion that I pass along my love of dance to others who pursue the dream.
Cheryl Copeland graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Having studied and performed extensively in Florida, New York, Texas, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, her training and technical expertise are reflected in her classes and choreography. She has worked under such notable choreographers as Mia Michaels, Milton Myers, Lisa Hopkins, and Kim Bears-Bailey. Finding her true passion behind the scenes, Cheryl gave up a career in performing for a much more fulfilling career in choreography and education. She has served as resident choreographer for Teen Dance Company of the Bay Area, and as artistic director of pre-professional companies; Breakthru Dance, DAC PAC, and Humnz Dance Ensemble, as well as her professional company BHumn Dance Company. She owned BHumn DanceSpace, the leading training facility for modern dance in Austin, TX for four years and then retired as owner and headed to NYC to serve as the Director of Education at Peridance Capezio Center, where is she is still head of their audition tour and communications. She finds herself creatively pushed in dance administration as much as she does in choreography. As an educator, Cheryl’s students have received countless awards and scholarships, and gone on to dance with artists such as Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, and can be seen in numerous national commercials. Many of her students find themselves pursuing dance degrees at various colleges all over the United States including Juilliard, SUNY Purchase, NYU, and Boston Conservatory amongst others. As a choreographer, she has won several awards including a Choreography Under the Stars finalist cash award, a Young Choreographer’s award from NYCDA, and has just completed a full-length work on the Fordham Ailey BFA students. These choreographic praises keep Cheryl in demand amongst studios all over the country. Previously, Cheryl has been an instructor at Millennium Dance Complex, Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio, Edge PAC, Ballet Austin, Peridance Capezio Center, and Broadway Dance Center. Cheryl is looking forward to all of the new opportunities and adventures coming her way and trusts that because of her diverse background, hands-on approach, and her ever-changing creative mind, she will continue creating innovative work and cultivating beautiful talent for years to come!
Hannah Bettes began her training at The Central Florida Ballet School in 2007. In 2010 she joined The Patel Conservatory as a new artist. In 2012 she joined the Royal Ballet school. Shortly after her arrival she was chosen to as Nadia Nernia Scholar. During her time at RBS she danced with The Royal Ballet, performed at Buckingham Palace, and was able to work with world-renowned choreographers. She then went on to join Boston Ballet in 2014 and was promoted to Second Soloist in 2017.
Hannah has won multiple awards in many different international competitions. In 2011 she won the Gold Medal in the Junior Division at Youth American Grand Prix and received a Sliver Medal in the Pre-Professional Division in the World Ballet Competition. In 2012 she was invited to compete at the Prix De Lausanne and was awarded the 2nd prize and selected won the “Audience Choice Award”. In 2012 she won the Gold Medal in the Senior Division at the YAGP and received a Bronze Medal at The Beijing International Dance Invitational.
Hannah has been featured in Dance Spirit and Pointe Magazine
Kelsey, born and raised in Chicago, began her formal training at Visceral Dance Center under the direction of Nick Pupillo. She went on to receive her BFA in dance from the University of Arizona. Kelsey apprenticed for River North Dance Chicago and received additional training from Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Keigwin + Company, the Movement Invention Project and Joffrey Ballet intensive programs.
Kelsey has danced for Walt Disney World, Odyssey Dance Theatre and Justin Giles’ SoulEscape. She most recently traveled with the National Broadway tour of Dirty Dancing as an ensemble dancer and the Penny understudy.
Kelsey is signed with the Movement Talent Agency in LA and the Neal Hamil Agency as well as Naturally Fit Agency in TX. Her most recent commercial credits include American Horror Story, Audi, Jimmy Johns, HP, and TravelTX.
Elena Giannuzzi is an Austin, Texas native. Dancing since the age of two, she trained in several forms of dance such as Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, and Contemporary. Her passion to study dance took her to Sam Houston State University, where she graduated with a B.F.A. in Dance. She had the opportunity to work closely with artists such as Manuel Vigonoulle, Bliss Kohlmyer, and Joshua L. Peugh. Since training at SHSU, Elena was connected to study abroad with The Dance Italia Program out of Lucca, Italy. There, Elena took daily classes in Counter Technique with Elita Cannata and Gaga classes and Repertory with Chisato Ohno (Batsheva Dance Company). Additionally, Elena has worked under Elijah Alhaji Gibson who is a long-standing company member with The Gus Giordano Company, where Elena had the opportunity to train as a scholarship student with their College Program in Chicago, IL.
Most recently she has performed in The Dance Gallery Festival in NYC, Social Movement Contemporary Dance world premiere of “The Human Condition”, and Austin Dance Fest in Austin, TX. In 2018 Elena joined The Axis Connect, (Barton Movement) Program out of Los Angeles and New York City, where she studied under the guidance of many artists such as Jermaine Spivey (Kidd Pivot), Jacob Jonas (The Jacob Jonas Company), and Alexander Ekman. In addition, Elena also became a founding company member of the Social Movement Contemporary Dance in 2018 under the direction of Elijah Alhaji Gibson. Based out of Houston she trained, toured, and performed with a company all over Texas.
Along with her dedication to performing, Elena is also a passionate teacher. Her choreography has been featured in the Annual Dance to Breath Benefit Concert, raising money for Cystic Fibrosis in Austin, TX. Elena’s focus + interest lies in the dance community and how to cultivate a place to come together and grow as artists.
Madeline (Maddie) Salter has been dancing for 16 years and she is always continuing her knowledge and training in the dance world. She started dancing at the age of six at “ Top Hat Dance Center” in Dallas, TX, where she studied dance for four years until her family moved to Austin. Upon settling in the Round Rock area, she joined “The Dance Galley “ and “The Dance Spot“ where she trained with their competitive dance companies. Her high school days were spent as a Tiger Dancer for Stoney Point High School Drill Team where she was a member for three years, serving in a leadership role as an officer on the drill team. Upon graduation, Maddie moved to Oklahoma City where she began her journey at Oklahoma City University where she was a dance performance major. Maddie was on the OCU Pep DANCERS, where she performed at half time for her school‘s basketball team. Maddie was a member of the American Spirit Dance Company for four seasons.
During her summer breaks, Maddie attended summer intensives in New York where she trained with the world-famous Rockettes and learned many of their techniques and routines.
Last summer, Maddie was invited to be part of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders training camp, where she trained for seven weeks learning the style of America’s Sweethearts.
She joins the Muv staff with great excitement and focus, to help young dancers learn to love the art form of dance.
Abbey is a new faculty member at Muv but has been in the Muv family for 6 years. Abbey was a Muv company member for 5 years and interned under the Muv faculty for the summer following her senior year. She was a member of the Rouse Royals while in high school. She was 2nd Lieutenant in her junior year and Captain her senior year. Abbey has plans on furthering her dance career by moving to LA with hopes of dancing professionally.
Bayleigh Alexander is currently a student at Texas State University where she received a full scholarship to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance and Choreography. Bayleigh has been a part of the Müv family since the studio first opened for the past six years and has loved every second of it. She started as a charter member of the Müvment in the 7th grade and then went on to be a part of Küpe and Müv Crü as well.
Bayleigh has been dancing for the past 14 years. She has been a company member at local studios such as Tinka’s Dance Studio and Cedar Park Dance Company, as well as Müv Dance & Fitness and is trained in styles such as Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap, Clogging, Lyrical, Kick, Pom, and Acro. Bayleigh has always had the biggest passion for dance ever since she was a little girl and can’t wait for it to be a part of her career and life long journey!
Bayleigh was introduced to competitive dance at the age of six where she quickly began earning many scholarships, awards, and titles. She was a scholarship recipient winner from competitions and conventions such as VIP, Revolution, Starbound, Tremaine, Starpower, Co.Dance, Talent on Parade, Velocity, Ash, Encore, LA dance magic, NYCDA, AMDA, Leander Winter Dance Classic, Vista Ridge Dance Classic, Westwood Dance Classic, Transcend, Crowd Pleasers, Hall of Fame, Theater Arts Preparatory School, and many more. Bayleigh has had the opportunity to be a part of many performance experiences with organizations such as Austin Youth Dance Festival, Dance to Breathe, Austin Spurs Pregame and Halftime, San Antonio Spurs, and Matters of the Heart. She has also spent many years and numerous hours assisting with teams like Kilgore College Rangerettes, Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD, and Gateway College Preparatory School. She also has had the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles and New York to further her dance training! Bayleigh had a great passion for the drill team during her time in high school. She joined the Round Rock Dragonettes her sophomore year and went on to be a dance officer both her junior and senior years as well as a member of Legacy, a select group, all three years. Throughout her time as a Dragonette, she choreographed many routines for football games, pep rally’s, drill team competitions, and spring shows. Bayleigh is so thankful to have been a part of the Müv family since day one and is excited to continue on as a Müv Faculty Member. She can’t wait to pursue her dream of teaching and choreography alongside the best faculty!
Logan was born and raised in Austin, tx! She has been studio trained since she was 2 years old. During her elementary years, she trained at star dancer studio. In her middle and high school years, she trained at müv dance and fitness and was on müvment and müv cru. She has earned scholarships from various dance conventions. In 2014 she made the top 15 finalists for ALDC (Abby Lee Dance Company). Logan has won multiply awards at multiple dance competitions!
Haley Sung is originally from South Korea, where she received Korean folk dance and ballet training at the age of eight. She earned her B.F.A. in Dance from University of the Arts with a “Promising Artist” Scholarship in May 2017 and further studied dance at The Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp in Belgium. She has performed globally in Korea, France, Italy, and Luxembourg and has performed within the U.S. at venues such as The Metropolitan Museum, The Joyce Theatre, and Jacob’s Pillow. She has taught at prestigious establishments such as Juilliard School, San Jose State University, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, University of Minnesota, and more. Most recently, Haley has worked as a creative associate with GALLIM on the NYC Ballet’s Fall 2020 Season. She currently works as a dancer, collaborator, and mentor with GALLIM and MG + Artists based in New York. She is excited to share her knowledge and experience from the concert dance industry with the students at MUV!
David started dancing in the Austin, Texas region until he relocated to South Carolina where he attended Southern Strutt. David graduated high school at 15 so he could train and be in numerous ballet, jazz, and contemporary companies. He uses his knowledge from both the classical and commercial dance industries to inspire, create, and progress his students facilities. David has been working in the industry since a very young age and has worked alongside celebrities Jerry Lewis, Richard Dreyfus, Sandra Bullock, Mitzi Gaynor, and countless others. David has also been in companies such as Backhausdance, Boogiezone’s Entity Contemporary Dance Company, TOKYO’sthecompany, and POV Dance Company traveling and performing all over the nation. In the commercial world he has worked in productions by Disney, Twenty One Pilots, NBC’s Friday Night Lights, Miss Congeniality, Stiletto Entertainment, Movetheworld Charity, and Pentatonix. He is a graduate from Chapman University and holds a BFA in Dance. David currently teaches and choreographs nationally and all over southern California and has worked for studios such as Just Plain Dancin’, Boogiezone’s Utopia, TOKYO’stheacademy, Pacific Coast Academy of Dance, and Dolce Dance. He will be on a European tour with Bad Boys of Dance in this coming year.
Michelle Barfield has been dancing since the age of two, consistently training in various styles. Growing up, she trained under Quinton Weathers with Rise Dance Company in Round Rock, Texas. She had the opportunity to learn from choreographers all around the world, bringing fresh perspectives and styles into her learning process. After graduating high school, Michelle moved out to Los Angeles to pursue her career as a dancer and choreographer. While in LA, she danced under and worked with leading and emerging choreographers such as Jason Gorman, Mitchel Federan, Baden Silva, and got the opportunity to perform in Andrew Winghart’s concept video “Cry Me a River”. In addition to that, she was accepted into the Gypsy Project lead by Erica Sobol, where she got to delve into the world of concert dance, choreography, and even a bit of philosophy. Now, she’s back in Austin not only to share her love and knowledge that she’s gained from exploring the dance industry, but is hoping to continually learn from her students. Michelle believes highly in the concept that dance offers endless growth and exploration, which draws inspiration into her work and life.
Ava J Bernstine, affectionately called Ava Flav, native to Los Angeles, is one of the Industry’s sought-after dancers. She is a well-versed dancer whose dance style is influenced by, but not limited to her hip-hop, jazz, ballet and contemporary training which is also prevalent in her diverse choreography.
Ava has toured the world with artists such as Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, and Britney Spears. Some of her other credits include Usher, Chris Brown, Nikki Minaj, Beyoncé and the feature film “ LaLa Land.” She has many several appearances on the Academy Awards and numerous other awards show such as American Music Awards, BET Awards the Grammys.
Around 2010, Ava took her passion for dance and became an activist for dancers joining like-minded individuals of the Dancers Alliance committee. In 2012, she sat on the panel representing DA when they won the decades-long campaign for an industry-changing union music video contract through SAG-AFTRA. She is committed to the continual growth and change of the dance industry and the education of dancers.
Ava has also worked alongside Debbie Allen since 2001, assisting her in multiple projects and teaching at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. She is a young, energetic, and passionate dancer who, although teaches, is humbled and considers herself to still be a student of the art.
She enjoys teaching and believes that it is important for a dancer to know your history, and because dance is ever evolving, know where it’s going. Her style is fun, hard-hitting and funky and often has influences from her jazz training. Although feminine, she can get down just as hard as the guys. Ava’s favorite quote: “Why Walk, When You Can Dance?”
Lauren grew up dancing in the Houston area under Kingwood Jazz and Company, and International Ballet of Houston. She was a finalist on Season 9 of “So You Think You Can Dance”, making it all the way to Top 30 girls of Vegas week. She then went on to perform as a principal dancer, touring over 20 countries with Rasta Thomas’s Rock the Ballet and “Bad Boys of Dance”. Lauren next performed with Stacey Tookey’s Still Motion Dance Company, as well as assisting her on convention, and for So You Think You Can Dance. Getting the opportunity to do aerial work, Lauren joined Norwegian Cruise Lines as a principal dancer and became an aerial captain for 2 European contracts. She then went on to London, and starred in a national ad for Wowcher, and danced for numerous English choreographers in London, New York City, and Los Angeles. Upon returning back to the United States, she joined NUVO Dance Convention as a judge, teacher, and assistant. Lauren most recently resides in Tampa, Florida where she is Ballet Director at Centerstage Dance Academy.
Kassidy Bright started dancing at the very early age of 8 years old. Known for her musicality and performance during freestyle battles, Kassidy has worked with artists such as Alyxx Dione, Pdiddy, and more, and even performed in Kazakhstan for Cirque du Soleil. Kass’ love for dance (and people) is very apparent in her teaching, finding a true gift in teaching kids with special needs.
Candace Brown is a dancer/choreographer/instructor with a huge passion for the art of dance. She has taught in Los Angeles for 5+ years as faculty at Debbie Reynolds Studio, Millennium Dance Complex, and Edge PAC. She has also traveled teaching around the world in various countries like Japan, Spain, Australia, Russia, Brazil, France,Greece, Poland, Ireland, Amsterdam and more, plus states across the US. She has choreographed for artists like Nicole Scherzinger, under the direction of Jaquel Knight, plus danced/assisted major choreographers on various television shows like “X-Factor” and “Dancing With The Stars”. Some artists Candace has danced for include Janelle Monae, Beyonce, and Janet Jackson. Currently residing in New York City, she is now faculty at Peridance Capezio Center, EXPG, and the world renowned Broadway Dance Center. She hopes to continually be inspired and inspire others by doing what she loves, both at home, and traveling abroad. Learn more about Candace and all upcoming projects at CandaceReneeBrown.com
Michael is originally from Lubbock, TX where he studied at Ballet Lubbock under the direction of Yvonne Racz-Key. He also trained at the Lone Star Ballet with Edward R. Truitt. Michael attended summer programs on full scholarship at the Kansas City Ballet, The Jofferey Ballet School, Carolina Ballet and the Pacific Northwest Ballet. After graduating high school Michael went to the Pacific Northwest Ballet on full scholarship as a Professional Division Student. While there he worked closely with Peter Boal, Nicholas Ade, Marjorie Thompson, Timothy Lynch, Marisa Albee and many others. Michael had the chance to perform in productions such as Bruce Wells’ Hansel & Gretel and George Balanchine’s Chaconne and in new works created by Barry Kerollis, Seth Orza, Jonathan Porretta and his personal favorite Kiyon Gaines’ 10: “Un” A-Frayed Edges. Michael then joined Ballet Austin’s Second Company for the 2010/11 season. He enjoyed performing Thang Dao’s Quiet Imprint in Houston, TX and Jennifer Hart’s Strange Shadows in Saint Sauveur, Canada at the Festival Des Arts De Saint Sauveur in the summer of 2011. Michael was then promoted into the main company at Ballet Austin where he spent three seasons working closely with Stephen Mills and Michelle Martin. He immensely enjoyed working on Light/The Holocaust and Humanity Project by Stephen Mills which he performed in Miami and across Israel in Akko, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Michael was also selected to perform a section of the project at the Kennedy Center, in Washington D.C., during the Ballet Across America festival. He also had the wonderful opportunity to perform some amazing new works by Gregory Dolbashian, Bradley Shelver and James Gregg. Michael also got to work with the world-renowned Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa and tour her piece Requiem for A Rose to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Michael then made the exciting move to Sarasota Florida to join the Sarasota Ballet as a Coryphee member under the direction of Iain Webb and his wife Margaret Barbieri. He’s had a wonderful time with the company these past three years and has enjoyed the amazingly diverse repertoire. Some of his highlights have been performing Dicken in Will Tuckett’s The Secret Garden, George Balanchince’s Jewels and Stars & Stripes, Rudolf Nureyev’s Raymond Act III, Christopher Bruce’s Sargent Early’s Dream, Sir Fredrick Ashton’s Le Fill Mal Garde, Jazz Calendar Monotones I, and Sinfonietta, Paul Taylor’s Company B, Christopher Wheeldon’s The American, Sir Peter Wright’s Summertide, Kenneth MacMillan’s Concerto, Dominic Walsh’s Wolfgang for Webb, and Anthony Tudor’s Continuo, to name a few. Michael has also had the opportunity to tour with the company to New York City twice and the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. He’s looking forward to many more exciting years to come with the Sarasota Ballet.
From Justin to Janet, Usher to Madonna…she’s worked side by side with them all. At 17, fresh out of high school, Lisette Bustamante began her career touring as a dancer with the hottest names in the business.
Working with the likes of Missy Elliot, Gwen Stefani, and Justin Timberlake she became one of the most recognizable dancers on the scene. Lisette has appeared in countless music videos and films and has been featured in commercials for GAP, PEPSI, PRINGLES, SPRITE, AND APPLE just to name a few.
Gaining so much experience at a very young age, Lisette naturally transitioned into the world of choreography and artistic direction and began lending her creative talents to artists Pink, Prince, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, and Britney Spears alongside her longtime friend and choreography partner Chonique Sneed. Together they launched Creating Opps to create a space where dancers could gain real-life knowledge outside of the dance studio.
Lisette has worn many professional hats including dancer, choreographer, tour director, music video director, and was recently a TV co-host for AMC’s “Showville”. Currently, you can catch Lisette touring as one of the most sought after dance educators and mentors and is a faculty member of Artists Simply Human and Monsters of Hip Hop dance conventions.
Her philosophy is, “There is no dream too big for you not to follow. Reach for the stars!”
Alexander Chung was raised in Edmonton, Canada by a family that fostered a deep love of dance and creative expression. He has choreographed and danced for esteemed performers such as Sean Kingston, Becky G, Jesse McCartney, B2K and John Dough; corporate brands Danceon, Bose and Honda; and touring productions America’s Best Dance Crew, Hip-Hop Saved My Life, and Unity in Diversity. As an owner and lead choreographer/instructor for the popular Kore Dance Studios in Edmonton, Alexander has refined both his unique choreographic voice and instruction techniques that speak compellingly to expert level and beginning level students alike. Under Alexander’s guidance, Kore Dance Studio’s dancers and crews have assembled an impressive array of competition titles in Canada and internationally. NXG Company, founded and choreographed by Alexander, boasts top finishes in international competitions including: 1st Place Champions at World of Dance Los Angeles (2015); 1st Place Champions at Canadian Hip Hop Championships in Montreal (2014); 1st Place Champions at World of Dance Hawaii (2013); Undefeated Champions at Represent Dance Competition (2013, 2014, 2015); and a Top 10 finish at the Hip Hop International World Championships in Las Vegas (2014). Alexander’s work with individual dancers includes his mentoring and choreography for YouTube hip-hop sensation Taylor Hatala from the time that she was 9 years old; with Taylor going on to perform on national television and tour with Janet Jackson at the age of 12. In recent years, Alexander has travelled the world working as a choreographer, dance instructor and competition judge at prestigious conventions and workshops. He has taught master classes in England, Israel, Mexico, Germany, China, Switzerland, France, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, the Netherlands, and across North America. His unique choreography has also been on display at The Carnival: Choreographers Ball in Hollywood. Having recently relocated to Los Angeles, Alexander is now a featured instructor at the Millennium Dance Complex in North Hollywood, from where he will continue to raise the bar for hip-hop performers and performances
After competing on So You Think You Can Dance, Boston native, Channing Cooke, journeyed across the country to Los Angles to further pursue her dance career. Her first big break in Los Angeles came when Adam Shankman and Travis Wall were casting for the 42nd annual Academy Awards featuring Neil Patrick Harris. She has then gone on to work with music sensations such as Florence and the Machine at The MTV Video Music Awards, Rihanna on American Idol, Jessie J on The XFactor USA, and Jennifer Lopez in a special performance on So You Think You Can Dance on FOX TV. She has performed on the Ellen Degeneres Show, Dancing With The Stars, Shake It Up, and also recently on Austin & Ally. Channing is now a member of the Los Angeles based dance company Shaping Sound which just finished their first National US Tour.
Eva spent the early part of her life focused on dance, completing her ballet exams under the Royal Academy of Dance, London. In 1999, she was one of four students in Australia to be awarded the Solo Seal Ballet Award. Upon graduating from the New Zealand School of Dance fulltime ballet program, she turned her focus to teaching dance in her hometown of Newcastle, Australia.
While completing her bachelor degree in Visual Arts Secondary Teaching, she was able to complete her Certificate of Dance Teaching Studies with the Royal Academy of Dance, London and become an affiliated member of the Australian Teachers of Dancing syllabus. Gaining these certifications has allowed Eva to enter students for competitions and both Ballet and Jazz examinations. As a dance teacher for the past ten years, Eva has been responsible for teaching, developing and entering students for examinations, competitions, and performances in a range of dance areas including Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Modern, and National Character.
In May of 2013, Eva graduated with her Masters in Arts Management from the University at Buffalo, enhancing her professional experiences in the arts and cultural fields with practical knowledge of community outreach, development, contracts, marketing, and finance. New to the Austin area, Eva is excited to take on the opportunity to utilize her passion for, and experience in the dance industry.
Samantha grew up in the Austin, TX area where she trained at multiple studios including Star Dancers, Austin School of Classical Ballet, Dancers Workshop, and the Dance Spot. Outside of studio training, Samantha was a member of her high school dance team where she had the opportunity to spend her summers studying dance in LA and perform at the Lincoln Center in NY. She served as an officer her junior and senior year where she was able to teach and choreograph throughout the area. Samantha then went on to pursue an engineering degree at Texas A&M University and was a member of the Aggie Dance Team all four years and elected Co-captain and Captain her junior and senior year. During her time at A&M she performed at many A&M athletic events, attended Pro-Action dance camps in Las Vegas and traveled to SEC and NCAA basketball tournaments.
Born and raised in the US Virgin Islands, Calvit Hodge continues to channel his Caribbean roots through groove-infused choreography, while maintaining his inner Florida style with high energy and entertainment value. As a choreographer, Calvit has worked with major artists such as Rihanna, J Balvin, The Band Perry, Hailee Steinfeld, and more. Over the past several years, Calvit has been working closely with Camila Cabello choreographing all major music videos, commercials, and live / award show performances.
You may also recognize Calvit as the man behind Major Lazer’s multitude of dance and music videos.
Harry Feril was a principal dancer of the Bruce Wood Dance Project and is now the Director of Dance at Studio A Dance in Southlake, Tx. A graduate of both Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and Southern Methodist University. Mr. Feril has performed works created by renowned choreographers/companies such Robert Battle, Jessica Lang, Ruth Andrien, Kate Skarpetowska, Alison Chase, Grover Dale, Kanji Segawa, Troy Powell, Adam Houghland, Dwight Rhoden, and most memorably Bruce Wood. Theater/ Commercial credits include West Side Story (Lyric Stage) the role of Diesel, Choreographer/Dancer/Dance Captain for Mary Kay Cosmetics National Conventions and Sally Beauty Supply along with TV commercials for Chili’s and Chuck-E-Cheese.
Megan Floreani has lived and worked in Austin, TX for almost 8 years. She has taught ballet and choreographed at several local dance studios and she has also danced with Third Coast Contemporary; participating and performing in some of their past shows.
Megan is best known for bringing her passion for ballet to the studio as well as excitement and joy to her students. The importance of technique and injury prevention are two huge factors in her teaching method. She was trained in the Vaganova technique as well as the Balanchine Method. She has performed with the Miami City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Hubbard Street Dance of Chicago. Over her entire dance career, she has always been a teacher as well as a student. Megan loves teaching her own children about movement and she loves to instill the lesson to expect the greatest from yourself.
Ashleigh frost is a very accomplished professional dancer. She was born in London, England and currently now living in Los Angeles!
She kicked off her career in London working with Brian Friedman on Xfactor and a year in the famous West End show, Thriller! Ashleigh then moved out to LA to further her career and has danced for numerous top artist including, Ariana Grande, Jessie J, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Justin Beiber, Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, JLO, Trey Songz, Calving Harris, LaToya Jackson, Little Mix and many more!
Other credits include America’s Got Talent, NIKE industrial show, School of Rock, The Xfactor, L’oreal commercial, Arbonne commercial, MTV Movie Awards show, Kids Choice Awards!
Recently Ashleigh has dived into yoga and found such an improvement in the health of her body so much so that she has become a certified Yoga teacher to teach and help other dancers!! You can find her teaching yoga at the Millenium dance complex and Movement Lifestyle in LA!
Over the years Ashleigh has gained a lot of knowledge in this industry and is excited to share it with others!
Daniel Glaze is a humorous, experienced and enthusiastic Hip-Hop choreographer who lives in Houston, Texas. His dance career started at the age of six when he would mimic every move Michael Jackson made on VHS tape his parents bought him. Daniel has taught throughout the entire state of Texas and has trained under countless world-renowned choreographers and was humbled to be on the 2014 World of Dance Houston champions, Wyld Styl. Known for his creativity as a choreographer, he always ensures a unique learning experience full of humor, Hip-Hop knowledge, and fun.
Nicole Harlan, a native of Northern California, received her advanced training and scholarships from the San Francisco Ballet School and Boston Ballet. She received the Natalie Lauterstein Miller award for excellence while at San Francisco ballet school. She was also a recipient of the Danskin scholarship for the School of American Ballet. Nicole has performed with the San Francisco Ballet where she danced repertoire including Swan Lake, La Fille Ma Garde, Stars and Stripes, Four Temperaments, and Sons of Horus. She then performed with Ballet Metropolitan and Cincinnati Ballet, where she danced featured roles in ballets such as the Nutcracker, Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella, John Cranko’s Taming of the Shrew, and Andre Prokovsky’s Love Songs. With the Los Angeles Classical Ballet, Nicole performed as Helena in a Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Ford Amphitheater and as the Dewdrop Fairy in the Nutcracker at the Shrine Auditorium. Under the direction of Placido Domingo, she played the role of Clo Clo in the Los Angeles Opera’s production of The Merry Widow and Orfeo’s Guide in Orfeo ed Euridice. She was faculty on LADF. She teaches internationally and currently teaches at the EDGE Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. Her students have gone on to train, or be accepted, at San Francisco Ballet, ABT, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, Juliard, Suny Purchase, to name a few. She is also the proud mother of three wonderful children.
Scott Alan Hislop started dancing at the age of 11 and booked his first job at 15. Now decades later, his career is thriving and his love for the craft has only strengthened. Having made Los Angeles for over 20 years, the film and television business has kept him very busy indeed. He has worked on 27 feature films, from Ted 2, Gangster Squad, The Muppets, Rock of Ages, The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, Spiderman III, Charlie’s Angels, and Titanic to many, many more. Look for him in the upcoming, highly anticipated musical LaLa Land starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. National commercials include: Ford, Sony, Prius, Cadillac, Tropicana Orange Juice, Samsung, Hyundai, Chipotle, and Wendys. He has graced the television screen from the Primetime Emmy Awards to Dancing with the Stars to the MTV Movie Awards and worked on hit television series such as Glee, Bones, How I Met Your Mother, Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs, and My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. His choreography has been seen on The Middle and No Ordinary Family, both for ABC. Look for his debut into the world of feature film choreography with this years release of Another Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits starring Sofia Carson. Scott tries wholeheartedly to marry the importance of technical training and pure from-the-heart movement in an accessible and on threatening way. His unique method of reaching students is posed through questions and motives that force you to not only use your technical raining but your own life experience as well. Scott tries to convey the importance of keeping the body in shape through vigorous training and making authentic choices that color your movement and sets you apart.
Jared Jenkins, originally from Philadelphia, PA, graduated from Georgetown University in 2006 with a degree in Finance. After graduating, he decided to explore dance and take his first dance class. Since then, he has had the opportunity to train with the top choreographers in the industry. Now, Jared teaches at Broadway Dance Center in New York City, and Movement Lifestyle and Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angles. His current credits include Jennifer Lopez, Natalie La Rose, iHeartMemphis, Icona Pop, Jazmine, Sullivan, Nigel Lythgoe’s Every Single Step, Cirque Du Soleil, BET’s Black Girls Rock, Soul Train Awards, Wendy Williams, Good Morning America, Verizon, Touchstone Picture’s Step-up 2: The Streets, New York City’s Fashion Week, Monsters of Hip Hop, and World of Dance.
Miss Johnson began her dance training at age 2 at Natalie Skelton School of Dance. From there she trained with Dallas Metropolitan Ballet School under the direction of Ann Etgen and Bill Atkinson, appearing in multiple productions, including “The Night Before Christmas” ballet. She has also trained and competed with Forcher’s Dance Studio and Dana’s Studio of Dance. Alexandra began assisting dance instruction at the age of 12 and at the age of 16 she began teaching her own classes. Every Summer, she attended multiple tap festivals (Sole to Sole, Third Coast Rhythm Project and LA Tap Fest) to study under Jason Samuels Smith, Chloe Arnold, Ayodeli Casel, Harold Cromer, Fayard Nicolas, Dianne Walker, Derrick Grant and Dick Van Dyke among many others.
Upon high school graduation, Alexandra continued her dance training in New York City. Specializing in Tap, Alexandra was mentored by Derrick Grant. She also studied under Joe Lanteri, Michelle Assaf and Dwight Rhoden. For Ballet, she studied with Kathryn Sullivan and legend, the late David Howard. Returning to Texas, Alexandra taught for various studios in the DFW metroplex. In Fall of 2009, Miss Johnson opened her own studio that she co-owned for 7 years, Studio A Dance in Southlake, Texas. In the seven years at Studio A, Alexandra directed and organized her award winning dance company. The company had many achievements under her direction, two time national champions, overall technical studio awards, multiple highest scoring groups of the weekend at competition and many more accolades. Alexandra trained students every year for the Youth American Grand Prix, the prestigious ballet and contemporary competition for young dancers, from 2010 to 2016. She has produced gold medalists, bronze medalist and dancers invited to the New York City International Finals.
Every year Alexandra had students in the Top 12 for Classical and Contemporary divisions. In 2010 Alexandra’s choreography debuted on Broadway at the Lincoln Center for the dance narrative production of “The Weaving”. The show was performed three additional times in the North Texas Area. In 2014, Alexandra was selected by Ricky Palomino to choreograph for his original show “Daylight Come”. The show premiered in Los Angeles in May of 2014 and was featured on Lifetime TV’s show “Raising Asia”. Alexandra has also co produced and choreographed International Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker”. When the studio closed in 2016, Alexandra has been free lancing choreography and teaching. Her students continue to grow and thrive. Alexandra loves to share her passion for dance and technical excellence with all ages and levels. She believes dance is for everyone and with a lot of hard work the opportunities are endless!
Originally from San Francisco, CA, Melody started dancing at the age of 5. She began training mainly in tap, and soon after ballet, lyrical, and jazz became part of her weekly schedule.
Melody was a founding member of The Dance Company of San Francisco under the direction of her mentor, Chris Jacobsen. She also attended the School of the Arts High School, directed by Elvia Marta, training in classical and contemporary ballet, Afro-Haitian, and modern jazz blues.
Melody moved to Los Angeles in the Fall of 2003 to explore new opportunities. In 2005, she was a finalist on the very first season of FOX’s hit television show, “So You Think You Can Dance”, where she was the runner-up and top female dancer. This experience opened up many doors for her, leading her to travel to the Philippines, Ireland, Canada, Turks and Caicos of the Caribbean Islands, and Singapore as a teacher and guest performer.
Her credits include Sonya Tayeh Dance Company, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Greatest Showman Live Commercial, Glee, the MTV European Music Awards, Wetten Das, Radio Disney Music Awards with Julia Michaels, Bunheads, America’s Got Talent, and was an All-Star on the eighth season of “So You Think You Can Dance”. She performed with Miley Cyrus’ “Gypsy Heart Tour” in South America, Philippines, and Australia. Throughout her career, she has modeled for Capezio, Nappytabs, Discount Dance Supply, and Dance Spirit, and her photo was chosen as the cover of Inside Dance Magazine’s July 2016 issue. She is a brand ambassador for Fabletics Activewear and Apolla Performance.
Melody continues to travel and spread her knowledge, passion, and love of dance as part of Art of Movement Dance Convention, SHOCK The Intensive, Star Systems, The Movement, Humans on Tour, was a guest faculty member on Jump, and occasionally teaches at EDGE Performing Arts Center in Hollywood.
Kevin Maher, a Los Angeles local, studied in Architecture and Design before transitioning into dance at the age of 20. Training at Broadway Dance Center led him to a professional dance career. After touring the world with Mariah Carey, Missy Elliot, Eve and J-LO he transitioned into Choreography and Creative Direction. Some highlights include World Tours and TV appearances for New Kids on The Block, Justin Bieber, J-LO, Ricky Martin, Nicki Minaj, Becky G, Nick Jonas, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Pitbull and Britney Spears. You can catch Kevin on tour with Monsters of HipHop!
Lauren started her dance training at Dancers Workshop in Austin, TX, and was apart of the pre-professional Austin Dance Works Company for several years. Immediately following her senior year, she was selected as one of twenty dancers for the Edge Performing Arts Center scholarship program in Los Angeles, California. She trained and studied all styles of dance and was fortunate enough to work with some of California’s most prestigious choreographers.
Upon completion of the program, Lauren was signed with McDonald Selznick Associates, also known as MSA. Her works include: Nickelodeon’s hit show “Victorious” as Jade’s photo/body double (Season 1 & 2), Disney’s Camp Rock 2 national promotional commercial, “Fame” promotional, featured film “Dance Freak”, “TV moves 2! Live”, and many other stage/live performances throughout the Los Angeles area. Lauren can also be seen featured in issues of Dance Spirit Magazine, Marcea, Meekelle, A Wish Come True and Leo’s Dancewear.
Lauren is currently a staff member at Dancers Workshop and a company member of Third Coast Contemporary in Austin, TX. She has been busy traveling throughout the Central Texas area teaching at workshops and setting team/solo choreography. In December of 2014, she will be graduating with her Registered Nursing Degree. Lauren feels so blessed to wake up every day and share her love of dance with young aspiring dancers.
Originally from Seattle, Washington, KC moved to LA after receiving a scholarship from EDGE Performing Arts Center in Hollywood. His commercial dance career has spanned the last 14 years and is one of Hollywood’s most sought after up and coming Choreographers. Most recently, KC made his television Choreography debut on season 16 of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE where his piece got a standing ovation. Dancing With The Stars has been a big adventure for him and he can be seen in the last 6 seasons loving Ballroom. He worked on Ryan Murphys The Prom, Penny Dreadful City of Angels, and acting in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He was the associate choreographer on Shania Twains NOW world tour under Mandy Moore and A Christmas Story Live! KC has danced on Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Drunk History, Future Man, and danced in the record-breaking, FOX live event, GREASE LIVE! Feature films include Valley Girl, DC’s Birds of Prey – Harley Quinn, LA LA LAND, TED 2, Disney’s TEEN BEACH 2, TEEN BEACH MOVIE, where he plays the NERD, and HBO’s Behind the Candelabra. Recent commercials include SKECHERS, TOYOTA COROLLA, VIRGIN AMERICA safety video, and MICROSOFT. He has worked exclusively with TAYLOR SWIFT, Ariana Grande, Kylie Minogue, Jane Lynch, Emma Stone, Betty White, Boyz II Men, Julianne Hough, and Vanessa Hudgens. KC has danced in five seasons of the FOX hit show GLEE, where he was a Dancer/Warbler as well as the GLEE LIVE! 3-D CONCERT MOVIE and the GLEE LIVE! TOUR. KC can be seen in the box office hit No Strings Attached and the remake of the movie FAME, choreographed by Marguerite Derricks. Other credits include Easy A and dancing for Rihanna at the VMAs.
Preston Mui is a native of San Francisco. He moved to Los Angeles and began working as a professional dancer. He has graced the stage and TV screen with the world’s most famous artists such as Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, The Pussycat Dolls, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Mraz, Janet Jackson, and Christina Aguilera. His credits range from countless, live stage shows and music videos, to national commercials for McDonald’s, Budweiser, and Target, network TV shows including Crazy Ex Girlfriend, the Voice, American Idol, and the MTV VMAs. Preston, also, competed on the MTV competition reality show, America’s Best Dance Crew Season 7, with FANNY PAK. He has choreographed shows all over the world for Barnum & Baileys Ringling Bros, Nike, Reebok, Oakley, and Cirque Du Soleil. His TV choreography includes Big Little Lies on HBO and the Masked Singer on FOX. He is currently living in New York in the Broadway cast of Hamilton.
Max Pham Nguyen is a self-taught funk style dancer/choreographer from Boise, Idaho. Max has recently finished touring as a dancer for Ariana Grande on her debut “The Honeymoon Tour”. He has also worked with the likes of Cody Simpson, Olly Murs, Jesse McCartney, Mat Kearny, etc. With appearances on Dancing With The Stars, The Grammys, NBA All-Star Game 2015, The Today Show and many more. Max has a strong passion for sharing and loves to teach and spread knowledge to all students willing to learn and grow.
Nolan Padilla is one of the top dancers and instructors in the Industry. Sharing the stage and screen with some of today’s top artists; Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, and Neyo, he has also appeared in films such as Cirque Du Soliel’s “Worlds Away” and multiple movies in the “Step Up” Franchise.
For the past decade, Nolan has been on Faculty at one of the top dance studios in Hollywood, Ca. The Edge Performing Arts Center and continues to have one of the most popular Hip-Hop classes at The Edge. He has worked with the Los Angeles Dance Force Convention and currently works with Dance Excellence. He has traveled the world teaching master classes and workshops to massive groups and also offers private instruction as well.
Unbelievably charismatic, Nolan exudes an air of simplicity in an extremely complicated industry. His teaching style is all-inclusive; high energy, fundamental basics, challenging choreography and musicality, as well as having a passionate, witty, and fun approach to sharing industry knowledge for the aspiring professional dancer.
Ambrose Respicio III, originally from Guam, is an internationally known choreographer, dancer, stylist, and mentor. His style of teaching and fresh take on choreography has made him one to watch and work with. In addition to having his work featured worldwide, he is also a trusted confidant to many choreographers and up and coming prodigies throughout the entertainment industry. He serves as a private coach, stylist, and mentor to Camren Bicondova from Fox’s hit show Gotham. Ambrose has also worked privately with numerous celebrities and entertainers like Robert Herjavec, Erika Jayne, Taylor Hasselhoff, Lindsey Stirling, and Rob Dyrdek to name a few. As a performer, Ambrose has graced the stage alongside many greats such as Betty White, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Carly Rae Jepsen, Nia Sioux, Naya Rivera, Florence Henderson, Allie Willis, Michael Chiklis, and Tom Hanks. Ambrose has been on hit TV shows like Glee and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. You can see Ambrose starring as the role of Mr. Las Vegas in a national commercial for the City of Las Vegas and soon in a commercial for Heineken choreographed by Michael Rooney. Most Recently, Ambrose danced alongside Lady Gaga in her Tribute to David Bowie at the 58th Grammy Awards and most recently in the Pepsi Superbowl LI Halftime Show.
Ambrose was a 10-year member of Unity Dance Ensemble under the direction of the EMMY Award Winning, Tessandra Chavez. Starting as a dancer, Ambrose soon started contributing choreography to the company and eventually started assisting Tessandra on numerous projects including “Best Thing I Never Had” starring Cryus and Tiffany on So You Think You Can Dance: Season 9, he was also a part of her skeleton crew for the SYTYCD Season 5 Tour Opening number, and traveled overseas to choreograph for China’s Version of Dancing with the Stars (“Strictly Come Dancing season 3”). Ambrose also worked alongside Chavez choreographing the opening number for the 2017 MTV Movie and TV Awards as well as an upcoming project for Disney. Ambrose has had his hand in countless other projects including Unity Dance Ensemble and the Edge Performing Arts Scholarship Show. In 2012, Ambrose choreographed Reebok’s Executive Fashion Show and received the first standing ovation in the 30-year history of Reebok’s fashion shows. Ambrose worked as the Assistant Supervising Choreographer for Season 2 of YouTube’s Dance Showdown and then returned to season 3 as the Supervising Choreographer. Ambrose is a trusted confidant to 2 time Dancing with the Stars Champion, Kym Johnson, whom he has worked side by side with on many projects including the Dancing with the Stars Cruise, RuPaul’s Drag Race and he even choreographed Kym and Robert Herjavec’s first dance. Ambrose has taught at many first class studios and academies throughout the US including EDGE Performing Arts Center, Broadway Dance Center, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, The Bod by Kym Herjavec, Millenium Dance Complex and is currently on staff at the Relativity School
Convetion/Master Instructor Experience
NDA CURRICULUM CHOREOGRAPHY (DALLAS, TX)
NDA DANCE CONVENTION (US NATIONAL)
UNLEASHED DANCE CONVENTION (US NATIONAL)
DEBBIE REYNOLD’S DANCE ACADEMY
EDGE PAC (LA, CA)
IDA HOLLYWOOD (LA, CA)
POWER PERALTA DANCE STUDIOS (SANTIAGO, CHILE)
BOOGIEZONE UTOPIA (LA, CA)
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY (ALLENDALE, MI)
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY (EAST LANSING, MI)
CORNERSTONE UNIVERSITY (GR, MI)
MILLENIUM DANCE COMPLEX (CHI, IL)
Los Angeles native Baden Silva started dancing at the age of 14 at his high school’s dance program at Calabasas High School. After graduating high school and dancing at Moorpark College for a year, he auditioned and was accepted into the Edge Performing Art’s Center’s scholarship program. Under the direction of Bill Prudich and Randy Allaire, he trained with the best in the industry. After completing the program, he signed with Bloc Talent Agency and has gone on to dance for Disney, Vietnamese pop artist Tuan Anh, Niki & Gabi, DNCE, Gwen Stefani, and Katy Perry. In addition to his commercial credits, he has danced for Royal Flux Dance Company, Hysterica Dance Company, and has traveled the world with the show “Pearl” under the direction of choreographer Daniel Ezralow. After his dancing career, Baden hopes to choreograph himself and have his own contemporary company.
James Alonzo White is a North Carolina native, who received his M.A. of Dance Education at New York University. James has had the opportunity to train in New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta in Modern, Contemporary, Street Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Commercial Dance. He has trained with choreographers such as Luam, Neil Schwartz, Zach Lattimore, and Candace Brown. James’ professional credits include Travis Scott, Cardi B, Rotimi, and Urban Outfitters. He currently is a teacher in New York City at Broadway Dance Center and Peridance Capezio Center.
As a Dallas, Texas native, Rose trained in all styles of dance at Dancin’ Feet Performing Company. For the next 15 years, she performed in many events as well as indulging herself in the convention and competition world. She gained a BA in Interior Design from the University of Oklahoma in 2008, while training under SYTYCD’s season 1 Destini Roger’s performing company, Dare To Be Soul. After graduating, Rose resided in Los Angeles for over 5 years, was represented by one of LA’s top agencies, Go2Talent, and continued to train and work with top choreographers such as Justin Giles, Mark Meismer, Nick Lanzisera, Erica Sobol, Doug Caldwell, Liz Imperio and more. In 2010, she performed as a company member in Erica Sobol’s company, collidEdance. She traveled and assisted Tina D’Amato Sidoni, one of her beloved mentors, across the country for over 4 years. Rose’s proudest moment and life long dream were joining Justin Giles’ contemporary company, SoulEscape, in 2011. On now her 8th year as a company member, she continues to grow as a performer, storyteller, and most importantly an educator to our next generation. She stays true to who she is and encourages her students to find their own voice and artistry as well. Rose currently resides in Dallas, TX as the Assistant Director for SoulEscape as well as a choreographer and educator at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center for 5 seasons.