Annalise Espinosa- Co- Owner
Annalise Espinosa in the proud co-owner of Auburn Dance Academy. She has extensive training in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical,
Modern, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Tap, Tumbling, and Musical Theater. She has co-directed Auburn Dance Academy's
award winning competitive program for the past 11 years. In 2009, local television show "Evening Magazine" named
Auburn Dance Academy the "Best of Western Washington" and aired a feature story about the studio. Also in 2009,
"Dancer Magazine" name Auburn Dance Academy one of the top 50 dance studios in the United States.
Annalise is an experienced competitive teacher who coaches her students to earn overall high scoring routines on the
regional and national circuit. Her choreography has been annually awarded for the last decade. She is very proud
of her three nationally recognized pieces, "Storm", "Blowers Daughter," and "Father God." Annalise
is also a choreographer for the Non- Profit Performance group "Momentum" and the "Victorian Country Christmas". Performance
credits include the Broadway show "Time of the Season," Disney World Orlando Resort, and the Stouffer
Orlando Resort. Currently, one of her former students is on tour with Adam Lambert and recent performed on "America's
Got Talent," and the Fresh Beat Band." Annalise's most recent project was choreographing for a local
production of "Grease" the musical.
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Tiffany Carlson
Tiffany began dancing at age 3
in Enumclaw, Washington. Her background includes ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, modern, hip-hop, and pointe.
She holds a BA in Dance from the University of Washington, and has been teaching and choreographing locally since graduating.
While in college she danced with the Seattle based modern hip-hop company Enertia. Tiffany is very
excited to begin working with the Xtreme competition team this year at ADA, and hopes to continue doing so for many years
to come. Melinda Stackle Melinda began dancing at the age of three in Renton, WA. She has
training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Hula and Ballroom dancing. She has a BA in psychology from Gonzaga
University where she was a member of the cheer squad and dance team. After college
she worked in the fitness industry as a personal trainer and fitness consultant. . She
is a Nationally Certified group fitness instructor and has led classes in aerobics, kickboxing, resistance training, and step.
She has traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe and is happy to be home in Auburn, WA teaching dance again.
 Zsa Zsa Baysa Zsa Zsa started dancing at the young age of 3. She grew up around the dance studio, training in the local ballet
studio and then later training at her father's ballroom studio. During her pre-teen and junior years, she has competed and
garnered multiple awards in ballroom competitions in Hawaii, North Carolina, here in Washington, and even in the Philippines.
After graduating, she moved to Seattle for college, wanted to try a new dance style and took her first ever hip-hop class
from Kari-Lee Florentine. Zsa Zsa later had the opportunity to work with Kari-Lee Florentine's company "In-Effect",
UW's Hip-Hop Dance Team "Swerve", and Cameron Lee's Dance Group "Potion." Last year, she attended the
Monsters of Hip-Hop Convention in Portland, Oregon and received a scholarship for Alvin Ailey. Zsa Zsa has also received technical
training in jazz and contemporary. Aside from dancing, she currently has a BA in Social Work from the University of Washington
under her belt. She hopes to one day pursue something huge in the field of dance. Ashley Printz
Ashley has been dancing for the past 18 years with a focus in Jazz and Hip Hop. She has studied dance
in Washington, Oregon and Texas in styles of Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Ballet, Pom, Kick and everything in between.
In recent years she has performed with Eastside Moving Company, En Lair, and Enertia dance companies. She has had the privilege
to work with amazing choreographers from New York, LA, and the best in the Northwest. Her passion is teaching and choreography
where most of her time is spent. She is a coach of the Kentridge High School Dance Team, where they have received many awards
while she has been involved. Summers are spent teaching in Bellevue for Elite Dance Camps and in Portland for Thunderbird
Dance Camps. Her choreography has been seen on groups such as Eastside Moving Company, Enertia, Kentridge High School Dance
Team, University of Portland's Dance Team, the former NBA Seattle Sonics Dance Team, and the NBA Portland Trailblazers
Dance Team. She also has taught classes to up and coming choreographers about how to develop innovative choreography and to
the Washington State Coaches Association on how to teach and perfect technique.
Heather White
Shawn Jones
Ashley Gerber
Charolette Hemstock
Christy Schmidt
Audrey Clair
Ashley Ghelsen
| | Ashley has been dancing for studios since the age of 5. As a teen she became involved in cheer, where Ashley
first began choreographing routines my senior year. In addition to participating on Spokane Shock Arena football Dance Team
and the Gonzaga University Dance Team, she continually enhanced my dance education through fitness classes and dance
workshops. Throughout Ashley's career, she has had the privilege of dancing for Division I Basketball, AF2
Football, and NBA games. She has also been fortunate enough to serve the local Spokane
community through appearances on local news stations, and at numerous charity events. |
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Sharonda Young
 Sharonda
holds a BFA in Dance and Choreography from Marymount Manhattan College, but lets not forget about that Mathematics minor
too. She has received training in various forms of dance; ballet, pointe, tap and jazz but her true passion
lies with modern techniques; Horton, Cunningham, Limon, and most important to her heart is the Martha Graham technique. During
her 8 years living in NYC Sharonda performed in works choreographed by Jose Limon, Anna Sokolow, Chet Walker, Louis Falco,
and Martha Graham to name a few. She worked with various companies including the Martha Graham Dance Ensemble, the Martha
Graham Dance Company, the Errol Grimes Dance Troupe, and TysanDance. She even spent a couple months cruising the Caribbean
aboard a NCL vessel showing the world that a classically trained dancer can shimmy with the best of 'em. She has currently put
performing on hold to focus on choreographing and teaching. You can find her regularly teaching at Washington Contemporary
Ballet, Metropolitan Ballet of Tacoma, Jo Emery Dance Studio, and Auburn Dance Academy. In addition to dancing Sharonda
spends her time making coffee, shelving books, and volunteering at Foss High School where she is learning that krumping is
a valid and difficult dance form. Veronica Layacan
Meghan Harris
Holly Trujillo
Holly Trujillo, M.Ed, RD, CD Holly has been dancing since she was young
and began assisting and teaching dance classes in her teen years. She is trained in Jazz, Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical and Tap
and has competed in numerous regional and national competitions, including participating in group numbers and as a soloist.
Holly continued to take and teach classes throughout college and into her years at Washington State University where she received
her Bachelor’s of Science in Nutrition. Her background in dance led her to this career field because she had encountered
so many dancers with poor nutrition habits. After graduating from WSU, she then went on to pursue her Master’s in Education
at Western Washington University while working as a registered dietitian. Holly serves as Auburn Dance Academy’s Nutritionist/dietitian
as well as dance instructor. She loves teaching children and fostering positive self-images in all dancers.
Hannah Taylor
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Hannah Taylor received
her formal training from The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts along with her two mentors, Steven Boyd and Michelle
Manzanales. With a strong background in ballet, modern, and jazz dance, her teaching career began at age 15 in Houston, where
she has since established herself as a choreographer and guest teacher for multiple ensembles and schools in the area. While
living in New York City she performed in new modern works such as “All That Glitters”, a show combining the artistry
of dance, fashion, and theater at Lincoln Center, and a choreography project under Jana Hicks at the New York City Civic Centers.
Hannah is now pursuing her career as a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer out of Seattle, Washington. She continues
to teach master classes, choreograph, and judge for national dance competitions, ensembles, and studios across the nation.
Her classes emphasize articulation and awareness of the body so that one can achieve moving through space with length and
fluidity, while remaining organic and true to the physical and emotional self. Because of Hannah’s love for her students,
she actively seeks new opportunities to teach, choreograph, and work with others around the country.
Greg Baja
Born in the Philippines, Greg didn’t explore the realm of dance until settled in Washington state.
He started with break dancing, house, and popping at the age of 15. In high school, he joined his school step/dance team Crimson
Haze and eventually began to choreograph and teach. Studying under Joey Cooper, he danced with the group The Heat, where he
honed his abilities further. He was introduced to the Seattle dance community by auditioning and making the group Team Boogiezone
BREED, two teams based out of Orange County Los Angeles and Seattle. Performing numerous times in the area over a period of
a few years, Boogiezone BREED eventually put on the show “EVE - Dawn of a New Horizon” at UCLA, in which Greg
performed with the group. With various choreographers contributing to the team, he has trained under such names as Daniel
Cruz, Ivan Koumaev, Bryan Tanaka, Elmer Pizarro, Nick and Anna Golla, as well as many industry names such as Marty Kudelka,
Tony Testa, Jillian Meyers, Tabitha and Napolean D’Umo, and others. Along with BREED, he has also trained and danced
with other Seattle groups such as Potion (Director: Cameron Lee), Cruz Control (Director: Daniel Cruz), Twisted Elegance (Director:
Jaret Hughes), Kontagious Movement (Director: Yoshi Wright), and now directs his own group called CHANGE. Greg has attended
many dance conventions and won scholarships at some such as Monsters of Hip Hop. Having choreographed and taught at numerous
dance studios in the Pacific Northwest, he aims to further his teaching abilities and strives for a constant evolution in
his style of hip hop, blending B-boying, popping, and other formal styles of dance.
Xaviera Vandermay
Xaviera Hodge-Vandermay
(Seattle, WA) first found her love of dance at age five. The majority of her dance schooling was completed at Pacific Northwest
Ballet School and Washington Academy of Performing Arts. She also studied on scholarship at Gyrotonic Seattle, Spectrum Dance
Theater, Giordano Dance Center and Joel Hall Dance Center.
Ms. Hodge-Vandermay has been teaching professionally since 2001. She loves instructing all ages in jazz, lyrical,
ballet, ballroom, contemporary, creative movement and hip-hop. Her pursutes also include choreography and she directed her
own pre-professional contemporary company, LOA: Dance Project for the last 5 years. Her choreography has received many awards
and honors including Innovation in Choreography awarded in 2006 by Dance Educators of America.
Xaviera toured and performed professionally in the U.S. and Mexico
with Spectrum Dance Theater (2000-03) under the direction of Donald Byrd and former directors Dale A Merrill and Wade Madsen.
She has also performed in the 2003 Seattle Neil Young Engagement and with premier hip-hop dance company Street Level Dance.
During her four year stint in Chicago she had the pleasure of performing with GI Alliance and independent choreographer Duwane
Pendarvis. She also started her best role, being a mama, in Chicago and looks forward introducing her son to the Pacific Northwest!
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