Toni Ricci - Director/Instructor

- Jazz/ Leaps & Turns/ Lyrical/ Ballroom

Toni has been studying dance for almost 30 years and teaching dance for 20 of them.  She got her start in Maine where after her first recital, she fell in love with the world of dance. She attended an arts enriched high school, which allowed her to make dance the primary focus of her high school education. It was here that she began teaching, choreographing, and directing numerous dance shows and musicals.

Toni also obtained her first dance certification at that time. She then went on to the University of New Hampshire to further enrich her training in dance. Shortly after, she was given the opportunity to tour the United States as a dancer in live musical productions. This included performances on Broadway and at the Kodak Theater. After two years on tour, Toni decided to move to Los Angeles and further her dance career. Once in California, Toni began studying ballet with the Anaheim Ballet and teaching at numerous dance schools in the area. At that time, she completed her education with a B.A. in Dance from the University of California State Fullerton.  She also made numerous television appearances and choreographed many events.

Toni proudly opened the Elite Dance and Performing Arts Centers in 2012 and has spent the past ten years devoted to the growth and success of the business.  She still teaches several classes a week in jazz technique, lyrical, and ballroom.  Being a teacher is still her most important role at the studio.  With an award-winning competition team with over 120 members, she also spends her hours choreographing and overseeing the company.

In 2015 she was awarded Cameo’s Entrepreneur of the year award for California Senate. She has also been awarded three Women in Business awards.   Toni is also a proud member of Dance Masters of America and More Than Just Great Dancing.

Toni has taught and inspired hundreds of students in southern California in the past decade.  The Elite Dance Center is a testimony to her love of dance.  “My job isn’t to just teach dance, it’s to teach students to love to dance.

Keli Adams - Assistant Director/Instructor

- Contemporary/ Improv

Keli's formal training began at the young age of three, studying under the direction of Stanley Holden + Kim Maselli at the Pacific Festival Ballet in Los Angeles. Keli has an eclectic background in classical ballet, jazz, hip hop, modern, contemporary + Improv (GAGA).  She started working professionally at a very young age with some of the top pop and R&B artists as well as numerous prestigious ballet companies. Keli has taken on the role of Assistant Director at The Elite Dance Center, as well as running the competitive dance company.

Keli currently runs the Contemporary Department at EDC with a heavy emphasis on improvisation. Influenced in the GAGA techniques, Keli's improv class offers a creative framework for students to connect their bodies and imaginations, increasing physical awareness in a welcoming atmosphere connecting mind, body + spirit. Keli’s contemporary choreography has won numerous awards in the competition circuit and her contemporary classwork can be seen in #keliadamschoreo on Instagram. With a heavy base of improvisation, students will explore a yoga warm-up, improvisational exercises, and phrases set to music in Keli's contemporary class.

Keli strives for a fast-fulled class that brings mind + body strength together, centralizing energetic moment transcending style + a few essential oils. Check out @keliadams on Instagram for the daily on Keli.

Lauren Pafford - Office Manager 

Lauren Pafford is originally from Arkansas where she began dancing at a young age and attended Arkansas Arts Academy, the premier performing arts school for Arkansas, through Elementary and High School. She always knew dance was where she belonged. She later received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where she was classically trained in Ballet and Modern. Before coming to us she honed her customer service and guest relations skills working at the Disneyland Resort and CLI Studios. It was through these organizations that she decided to pursue working in Dance Administration to help others find the art form she loves so much. In her free time she uses her experience with operations and retention to serve as an advisor for two different organizations; the University of Arkansas Dance Exploratory Committee and the Kappa Delta Sorority Chapter Advisory Board in Little Rock.

Lesli Todd - Ballet Director/Instructor

- Ballet

Lesli began her life-long journey in dance at age two when she began her dance training at The Dance Center owned by her Mother in Mobile, AL. Her technical dance training includes ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, tap, lyrical, and acrobatics.  While training, she discovered her passion for teaching at the age of fourteen.  Even though at that age her focus was to have a professional performance career she continued teaching throughout her professional dance career. 

Lesli was awarded scholarships and had the opportunity to train with world-renowned teachers at The Joffrey Ballet School, The Ailey School, Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, and Broadway Dance Center. After graduating from a communication and arts high school Lesli moved to Chicago, IL. While in Chicago she became a company dancer with Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre and Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. 

After her performance career in Chicago Lesli moved back to her hometown and took over the position of Artistic Director of her family-owned dance studio.  Becoming the director of the studio fueled her passion even more for teaching and choreographing.  During this time she also served on the board and was a resident choreographer for the Alabama Contemporary Dance Theatre and casting director and assistant choreographer under the direction of Ray Collins at Children’s Musical Theatre.  In addition, she performed as a Guest Artist for Mobile Ballet and served as assistant choreographer and rehearsal director for many full-length ballets such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, and many more. 

In 2007 Lesli moved to Charlotte, NC where she continued her dance career as a performer, teacher, and choreographer.  During her time in Charlotte Lesli was a company dancer for The Moving Poets, taught dance and choreographed for the Union County Youth Ballet, served as the director of the Dance Davidson Jazz Company, and served as a teaching artist for the outreach program and guest faculty for the Charlotte Ballet.  Independently her choreography was nationally televised in collaboration with the NBA Charlotte Bobcats and McDonald's corporation. In 2010 Lesli opened her own dance studio Harmony Dance Center where she served as artistic director and cultivated a pre-professional dance company for aspiring youth dancers.  Lesli has been the recipient of several prestigious choreography awards from UNCSA, the Panoply Festival of the Arts, and several national dance competitions. 

Since moving to Los Angeles in 2017, Lesli has continued teaching and choreographing, and sharing her expertise and love for dance with dancers of all levels.  She is sought after for her ability to teach technique and has been a guest teacher at many different studios throughout Southern California and the US. She currently teaches at Elite Dance and Performing Arts Center where she also serves as the Ballet Director and The Artist Collective as Ballet Mistress.  Her choreography was also featured on the Nickelodeon Network for “Kids Pick the President” hosted by KeKe Palmer. 

Throughout her career, Lesli has trained and mentored hundreds of students that desire to have a professional career in dance. Her knowledge, passion, and unique ability to mold a dancer for a career in dance have proven successful throughout the years. Lesli has seen many of her former students follow in her footsteps and go on to have successful dance careers on Broadway, Music, Film/Television, Professional Dance Companies, Teaching, and Choreography.  

Bailey Hansen - Team Coordinator/Instructor

- Jazz/Leaps & Turns/Lyrical/Future Stars

Bailey began her dancing career when she was 6 years old.  She joined the Elite Dance Center eight years ago and was highly involved as a Dance Company member. She traveled and trained with some of the top teachers and choreographers in the business.   Bailey began teaching and assisting at the age of 16 and has loved every second.  She graduated in 2020 and has dedicated herself to teaching and working at Elite as the team coordinator. She is beyond excited to have now switched roles from a student to an instructor and give back to the community that helped shape her as a dancer and instructor.

Kayla Assimacopoulos - Instructor

- Lyrical/Hip-Hop/Preschool

Kayla Lynn Assimacopoulos grew up dancing in Minnesota at Dance Arts Centre on their competition teams and Ballet Minnesota where she was Clara in the Nutcracker and various other roles. She is trained in all styles such as Ballet/Pointe, Lyrical, Contemporary, Jazz, Latin Jazz, Hip Hop, and Beginner Tap. She then went to Los Angeles to pursue her career as an actor and dancer. She graduated from AMDA with a BFA in Dance. Her passion now is to teach dance and inspire the younger generation. She can't wait to get started at EDC with Lyrical, Preschool, and Hip-Hop!

Skylar Altman - Instructor

- Acro

Skyler Altman was born and raised in North Carolina where she began dance at the age of 7. At the age of 18, she moved to Nashville Tennessee to pursue dance, teaching, and choreography. In her time there she worked professionally in Nashville and Atlanta, as well as taught at studios all around Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia. In 2021 she joined the CLI Conservatory under Teddy Forance. After the program, she moved to Los Angeles to continue her career.

Some of Skyler’s credits include Kanye West, Dan & Shay, Hayley Williams, Luke Bryan, Kristin Chenoweth, and more. She has also had the opportunity to dance for the CMT awards, CMA Country Christmas, Netflix Original Senior Year, ESPN+, and multiple national commercials.

Skyler has been teaching for over 7 years now. She loves being able to instill confidence and creativity in every student she has in her classes.

Nikki Blakeslee - Instructor

-Aerial Silks

Nikki has taught all over the United States and Internationally. She freely shares her passion for dance and the aerial arts with the intention to inspire and encourage our inner authentic artists. As an Artistic Director, she inspired and created a state-of-the-art Aerial Dance Program with groundbreaking success. She is currently dancing, teaching, and choreographing in Los Angeles. Nikki has worked professionally with Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Lenny Kravitz, Jane’s Addiction, and Debbie Allen on stage and on television. She has appeared on Dancing with the Stars, the Annual American Music Awards, Billboard Live Music Awards, and Fame the reality series. She is also well versed in Hoop, Hammock, Tissue, Cube, and many innovative aerial apparatus. Currently, Nikki can be seen performing with Terry Beeman’s, Mental Head Circus now playing at Tim Robbin’s theater, The Actors Gang, and Hollywood’s King King Club.

Jacob Bowers - Instructor

-Acro

Jacob grew up in San Jose, California. He found his love for dance when he was young and his natural abilities helped him progress quickly. He joined a local studio and quickly excelled in his craft. Jacob started to train in acrobatics and contortion as well. Acrobatics and dance soon became a huge part of his life, doing it all day every day. He later got a job working as an acrobatic instructor/choreographer at numerous studios in the Bay Area. He recently moved to Los Angeles and has taught at numerous studios and has started to branch out into his dance/acrobatic/choreographer career.  Jacob is so excited to be a member of the EDC family and can’t wait to share his love of acro with the next generation!

Robson Freire - Instructor

- Ballet

Robson is a dancer and actor who first stepped on stage at age 10. After training in his hometown of Manaus, he moved to São Paulo city in 1996 on a full scholarship with the historic Brazilian dance company, Balé Stagium. Freire studied with some of Brazil’s most prestigious professionals (Liliane Benevento, Ricardo Ordoñez, Décio Otero, Ismael Guiser and Yoko Okada), joining ventures in opera, theater and dance, including the 1996 Youth Coke Award Winner, O Pássaro do Limo Verde.

Returning to Manaus in 1998, he joined the first generation of the Corpo de Dança do Amazonas/CDA (resident company of Amazonas Opera House), touring between 1998 and 2004 while receiving training from Ivo Karagueorguiev (National Ballet of Sofia/Bulgary), Ronald E. Brown (Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre/NY) and Ivonice Satie (Grand Théâtre de Genève/Switzerland). He then became the Ballet Master of the Balé Folclórico do Amazonas. He has choreographed for CDA, The Amazonas Opera Festival(The Magic Flute/Mozart and the Brazilian opera, Pedro e Malazarte).

In 2001, Robson founded his own company, Elenco Alternativo de Dança, with the support of Villa-Lobos Cultural Foundation (2001), the Government of Amazon State (2006), FUNARTE (2003) and the Manaus City Hall Counselor of Culture (2007). In 2006, he was invited by Ronald E. Brow to attend the First Dance Seminar of Long Beach State University.

Now based in California, Robson has danced as a guest dancer and soloist in local companies such as Pacific Ballet Dance Theater, Brockus Project Dance Company, Project 21, Lion’s Pounce Dance Theatre, Lake Arrowead Classical Company, Ballet Collective LA, Belly Twins Production, La Danserie , and Le Studio Dance. He has performed roles in several classical ballet productions. Robson has been teaching all over the state of California bringing Ballet for regular students as well as those brand new to the discipline and wishing to learn in a dynamic setting. He is now excited to share his knowledge with the students of The Elite Dance Center!

Angelica Gamboa - Instructor

- Ballroom

Angelica is a Professional Dancer, Choreographer, and Teacher.  Angelica is originally from Costa Rica but now currently based in Los Angeles, CA. Angelica graduated from Castella Conservatory In Costa Rica, specializing in Ballet and Contemporary. Training includes Warehouse Dance Complex, Atelier de Ballet, Edge Performing Arts, Movement Lifestyle, Broadway Dance Center, IAF compound, and Millennium Dance Complex. Styles include Jazz, Jazz Funk, Ballet, Hip Hop, Street Jazz, Contemporary, Latin Ballroom, and Heels.

Professional dance credits include Pro Dancer for 4 seasons on Dancing with the Stars Costa Rica, West Side Story The Musical (Velma), Chicago the Musical (Mona), recently featured in a new music video for Reik Ft  J Balvin (Indeciso), a lead role in a commercial for Movistar TV,  and she is currently on tour with Marco Antonio Solis. Angelica has choreographed for the new movie, Faith Hope and Love, featuring Robert Krantz and Peta Murgatroyd (Dancing with the Stars). Choreography credits include Latin artist Marco Antonio Solis upcoming music video, and TV shows in Costa Rica such as Tu Cara Me Suena and Dancing with the Stars.

Angelica is so excited to be at Elite Dance Center and to work with the next generation of ballroom dancers!

Ronald Hidalgo - Instructor

- Ballroom

Ronald is a Professional Dancer, Choreographer, and Teacher with years of experience in the dance world.  Ronald is originally from Costa Rica but is now based in Los Angeles, CA. Ronald has trained in many genres such as Hip Hop, Contemporary, Jazz, Jazz Funk, Ballet, and Latin Ballroom; in places like Warehouse Dance Complex, Millennium Dance Complex, Movement Lifestyle, Debbie Reynolds Legacy, Broadway Dance Center, Edge Performing Arts, and IAF Compound. They were a Pro Dancer for the first season of Dancing With The Stars Costa Rica.

Professional dance credits include working with artists Maluma / Daddy Yankee / Nathalie La Rose / Yandel / Shaggy / Alex Sensation / Fonseca / Lil Jon / Taylor Dayne / Fia Nyxx, performing at the Latin American Music Awards / Emmys / Pan Armenian Entertainment Awards / Ace Awards/ TV shows for CBS, and Lead Role for Commercial Movistar T.V in Latin America. They have choreographed for brands such as Gucci and for a new film that aired in November 2018 called (Faith, Hope, and Love) featuring Robert Krantz and Peta Murgatroyd (Dancing with the Stars).

Ronald is so excited to be joining the EDC Team!

Angelica Keamy - Instructor

- Hip-Hop

Angelica Keamy began training at the age of 2, now 17 years old. A Los Angeles native, she has trained at the Elite Dance Center’s pre-professional company for 12 years, as well as involvement in their competitive company for 9 years. A part of the Chehon Wespi-Tschopp’s IAmForce Mentorship program, she performed in Tyce Diorio’s Saturday concept video and a Jackie Sleight visual project. Her dance credits also include America’s Got Talent and voicing the lead character of the most popular children’s show in the world, Masha and the Bear. With aspirations to become a professional choreographer, Keamy has begun her choreographic path with Elite Dance Center’s competition team. Specializing in, but not limited to, hip hop and contemporary, she has been honored with many scholarships through prestigious companies in the dance industry such as Break the Floor Productions, Adrenaline Dance Inc, Velocity Dance Convention, and several more.

Samantha Ketcherside - Instructor

-Adult Ballet/Acro/Stretch & Conditioning

Samantha began her teaching career while still in college. After earning her Bachelors of Science in dance at the University of Oregon she created Project Bounce, a youth hip-hop dance company. She has taught at numerous studios in Eugene Oregon including Musical Feet, The Edge academy of Dance and Gymnastics, and Ballet Fantastique. Aside from her college training Samantha has studied and performed with various dance schools including Lane Dance Co., Ballet Fantastique, Dance Northwest, The Foundation, Zapp, Musical Feet, Central Oregon School of Ballet, Eugene School of Ballet, and more. She has trained in both RAD and Vaganova methods for ballet. Since her move to Los Angeles, she has worked in film and music videos and currently dances with Sypher Elite Dance Company. Samantha has taught locally over the past year for Ballet Barre, Best Foot Forward, and Kids Music N Motion. Samantha enjoys her time sharing dance with many young students and looks forward to the years to come sharing her love of dance.

Sergio Lopez - Instructor

- Hip-Hop

Sergio Lopez was born/raised in Chicago, IL, and grew up dancing at Xtreme Dance Force. After graduating from college with his Bachelor's Degree, he became a full-time Dance Director/Teacher for a youth competitive dance company. He completed two years in that position before deciding to pursue a professional dance career in LA. For the last decade, Sergio has been in LA training & pursuing his career as a professional dancer and choreographer. He is a signed talent to The Movement Talent Agency and has auditioned/worked as a professional dancer, actor, stuntman, and model. He has worked on projects for, MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, Red Bull, Nike, Starbucks, Mountain Dew, Audi, Sony, Apple & Disney. Also worked for artists such as Katy Perry, Adam Levine, Steve Aoki, Nicki Minaj, and Earth Wind And Fire. Sergio has also spent the last decade traveling the country, teaching & training the next generation of dancers. He has worked with all levels/ages and continues to use his experiences as a professional dancer to educate the next generation of dancers. His work has also led him into a career as a photographer & he is currently on staff for Hall of Fame as lead photographer.  He is thrilled to be continuing his teaching journey at the EDC.

Leo Manzari - Instructor

- Tap

Originally from Washington D.C., Leo Manzari is a Lucille Lortel award-nominated tap dancer and recording artist. He has headlined in the touring and Off-Broadway productions of Maurice Hines is Tappin’ Thru Life, featured Guest Artist on So You Think You Can Dance, The Mo’nique Show, The Kate TV, PBS News Hour, Jerry Lewis Telethon, and ABC’s The View. Leo has also featured as a solo tap dancer in Hozier’s music video “Almost (Sweet Music)” and performed alongside Grammy Award® winning band “The Free Nationals” in various virtual events. He also headlines alongside Byron Stripling and Grammy®-nominated Jazz vocalist, Carmen Bradford in a show called Uptown Nights, which has collaborated with multiple POPS orchestras across the world including The Winnipeg Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, The Columbus Jazz Orchestra, The San Diego Symphony, and The Philly POPS. Leo is thrilled to share his tap knowledge and expertise here at the EDC!

Brooke Melilo - Instructor

- Tap

Brooke has been dancing for 14 years, since the age of four. She started competing at the age of 5; winning many individual awards, overalls, and titles. Brooke was a part of the very first hip hop number in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. She performed in her first professional show at the age of 16 in LA. She is trained in all styles of dance from ballet, tap, jazz, ballroom, and hip-hop. Brooke is originally from Connecticut but now resides in California where she is pursuing her career in the dance industry. She travels the country all year long, taking classes from the most high-demand choreographers in the business. Brooke has been teaching dance since she was 15 years old. She loves to choreograph and teach all subjects. When she is not teaching, you can find Brooke in class. She believes the classroom is where you grow the most. Every class is a great class!

Nicki Niemet- Instructor

- Hip-Hop

Nicki Niemet started her dance journey in 2004 as part of the break dance community in Chicago, IL.  She then went on to join various Hip-Hop award-winning companies and competed in numerous competitions around the country including, Hip Hop International, World Of Dance, Prelude, Monster of Hip Hop and more. She has trained intensively in several street dance styles including; breakdancing, waacking, vougue, house, street jazz/jazz funk and more.  As she grew older in her dance journey, she found a passion for teaching and giving back to the next generation of dancers.  She has been a director, choreographer and teacher for over a decade and has traveled and trained dancers in numerous states.  Her journey took her to Los Angeles in 2016 where she took her dance training to the next level and has done numerous commercial jobs, music videos and stage performances such as the BET Awards, LG phone commercial, a Bollywood Box Office Movie and more.  She has intensively trained under well-known choreographers such as Anthony Thomas, Gigi Torres, Dolores Ninja, Galen Hooks and Gerran Reese. Her dance career also led her to pursue photography and she is currently on staff for numerous dance competitions and conventions capturing dance around the country.  Nicki’s motto is being a creative isn’t a career choice, but a lifestyle and she truly embraces that and enjoys sharing her gifts and knowledge with any who are willing to learn. She can’t wait to share her knowledge and love of dance with the dancers of EDC!

 

Heidi Prendergast - Instructor

- Ballet

Heidi Prendergast began her performing career at a young age traveling around Asia and Europe. She started her classical training at the age of fourteen studying at Cleo Parker Robinson, Lemon Spongecake and Longmont Dance Theater she continued her education receiving her BFA in dance and choreography from the University of Colorado. During that time she trained and performed with Gabriel Mason, Onye Ozuzu, Michelle Ellsworth, Robin Haig, Rennie Harris, Kevin Wynn, and Susan Marshall. After graduating she moved to New York where she continued to perform, with various dance companies and her own work, at Dance New Amsterdam, Triskillieon Arts, The Kitchen, St. Marks, and other venues. Heidi recently moved to Los Angeles and has been teaching dance throughout southern California and performing with Out of Habit, a multidisciplinary movement company. Heidi is also a certified yoga instructor through YogaWorks.

Miss Princess - Instructor

- Preschool Combo/ Mini Hip-Hop

Princess began her dance training at the age of 2 .  She trained in all styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, pointe, and Modern.  She went on to attend and graduate from the University of the Arts. As a professional dancer, she has worked for various artists/companies such as: Beyoncé, Nike, Target, GA Lottery, Kelly Rowland, and Keith Sweat. Princess has been teaching children or as she likes to call them “her muffins,” for over 15 years all over southern California. In her time teaching, she has been the director of several pre-school programs.  Princess can teach all ages but is specialized in working with pre-school dancers.  Her class is a great blend of structure and technique and imagination and fun!  She is thrilled to be teaching the next generations of dancers here at the Elite Dance Center.

Cammy Suder- Instructor

- Ballet

Cammy began her ballet journey at the age of 3 at America's Ballet School in Tampa, FL. She trained with America's Ballet School from petite ballet to a pre-professional level. A born-and-raised Floridian, she has had the opportunity to train, perform, and dance with several Florida ballet studios, including Tampa City Ballet, Orlando Ballet, and Patel Conservatory.

Cammy has performed in a multitude of classical ballets. An integral part of her dance background includes competition training for Youth America Grand Prix and American Dance Competition & Youth International Ballet Competition. Cammy herself competed at YAGP and ADCIBC, both regionally and internationally, qualifying to compete at the finals in New York City in group ensembles and as a soloist both in classical and contemporary divisions. These experiences have given her a personal and keen understanding of choreography, artistry, and stage presence in the competitive dance world. As a dancer and teacher, she maintains a firm belief in sharing the importance of developing clean and strong ballet technique, especially in competitive dancers.

Cammy graduated college with a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Studies and Forensic Anthropology. Although not directly related to dance, her degree's emphasis on studying the human body has given her a unique understanding of the skeletal system and muscle attachments. She has taken her knowledge of the human body at an anatomical level to improve her teaching, help prevent injuries, and aid each individual dancer in fully understanding their muscles, how they operate, and what exactly needs to be worked on to cultivate technical skills and an understanding and appreciation of their own body.

Since moving to Los Angeles in 2018, Cammy has continued to expand her dance community and share her love of ballet. She is an active member and performer for Ballerinas of Los Angeles and is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique. When she's not dancing, she enjoys petting & meeting dogs, cuddling her own dog, and watching dog videos.   She couldn’t be more excited to help inspire the next generation of ballerinas here at the EDC!

Chance Thuman- Instructor

- Hip-Hop and Breaking

Chance Thuman, originally from Michigan, began dancing at the age of 3 years old. Partaking in a mixture of both street and studio-based training since his youth, he has gathered a strong background in Hip-Hop foundations, as well as,  Breaking, Popping, and Locking. With this knowledge, Chance has taught classes, workshops, and privates all around the Midwest along with Tennessee, Massachusetts, and California. In 2021, he attended the CLI Conservatory run by Teddy Forance, then moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dance career.

Professionally, Chance can be seen as a dancer in the 2022 released Whitney Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, as well as having done various music videos and live performances such as his time dancing for the Detroit Pistons Basketball team.

As a teacher, Chance is a firm believer in combining the right amount of high-energy fun with focused hard work to create a truly enjoyable class experience. Lastly, Chance strives to simply share a genuine love for dance and Hip-Hop culture with students of all levels and ages.

 

Pavel Wine- Instructor

- Acro

Pavel fell in love with ballet upon his first demi plié and began training at the  Academy of Ballet and Arts in Chicago. Later, he received extensive jazz and contemporary training at Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Center and Visceral Dance Center. As a choreographer, Pavel was awarded the Best Choreography Award from the Hall of Fame for several of his works. Later, he began to work with U.S.A. Olympic Rhythmic Gymnastics National team teaching them different styles of dance to advance their choreography and movement skills. Pavel, then, set out on a mission to inspire young dancers to see the brilliance in themselves by approaching discipline through positive reinforcement. Pavel loves to work with all ages and levels, as he believes in sharing his love for dance and rhythmic gymnastics.