Jill Lynch - Recently returned to the Sarasota area, after living in New York City for eight years. Jill graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, where she studied musical theater, dance, and acting from some of the top directors and choreographers in the country. She worked on broadway productions such as "Night Must Fall" starring Matthew Broderick and had parts in several movies including "People I Know" starring Al Pacino and Kim Basinger.
While living in New York City, Jill also managed a 16 million dollar a year restaurant located in the heart of Times Square. She learned how to manage a staff of over 300 people, deal in public relations, as well as budgeting. Her management skills have helped her thrive in local businesses, as well as at her current position at Coldwell Banker on Siesta Key. Jill was also named Top in Client Satisfaction by Sarasota Magazine. She is a top producer in her office and won the Sterling International award last year.
Jill is a graduate of the pre-professional program, as well as the KIDDANCE Teachers Training Program, including 120 hours of lectures, exams, skills test, and a 40- hour internship. She started dancing at the age of eleven. She trained in Ballet, Jazz, Pointe, Modern,Acrobatics, Lyrical and Hip Hop. She was a featured soloist with the West Coast Dance Project working with esteemed choreographers such as: Jerri Houlihan, David Storey, Eddie Toussiant and Mia Michaels.
Sofi Biviano - trained and competed with various studios around the Orlando, Florida area before moving to Tampa and training extensively in jazz, lyrical and hip hop with Eric Thomas. She has held the position of Company manager and Principle dancer for Eric’s company, Collective Soul Urban Dance Project, since its inception in 2003. Sofi has performed with various Tampa Bay vocal artists on Fox Sports Network, Sunshine Network and Radio Disney. She is now a dancer at Busch Gardens while working towards her minor in dance education at the University of South Florida. Recently, Sofi received the unique opportunity of interning at the prestigious Broadway Dance Center of New York City. She hopes to share the knowledge she has learned and expand on the technical foundation and artistic expression of each of her students. 
Miss Amy - Amy earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Western Michigan University and has been teaching at the college and studio levels for over 25 years. She is a former Adjunct Professor at Grand Valley State University where she taught jazz, tap, modern, choreography, Rhythm and Dance, The Repertory Company and coached the co-ed cheerleading squad. She is also a former instructor at WMU Department of Dance where she taught musical theatre majors. Amy was a guest lecturer at the Michigan Association of Athletics, Physical Education, Health, Recreation and Dance conventions and conducted many lecture/demonstrations for schools throughout the Grand Rapids area.Amy is the former owner and Artistic Director of Dance Dimensions in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Over the course of 14 years, she was awarded numerous dance and choreography honors at both the regional and national levels. Several of her protégés have been awarded dance scholarships and have progressed to dance professionally in companies, videos, industrial shows, dance teams, cruise lines and amusement parks.
Amy’s performance experience includes tours in Europe, on various cruise lines, Disney World and was a dancer and choreographer for Contemporary Christian singer and #1 hit artist Tammy Trent. She was a head instructor for Universal Cheerleaders Association, where she instructed summer camps, judged numerous State, Regional and National competitions and choreographed for many high school and college dance and cheer teams. While earning her BFA, Amy was also a member of the Repertory Dance Company, University Dancers, W. M. U. Bronco Dance Team and was granted an undergraduate teaching assistantship.
Amy travels throughout the United States and Canada as a National Competition Adjudicator, Master Class Instructor and Guest Choreographer for Dance XPlosion, Footloose International Dance Competition, Kids Artistic Revue, Rainbow Connection, Premier 2000, Hall of Fame and Dance on the Beach Conventions.
Stacy Charette - Stacy Charette has been studying dance for nineteen years in all subjects and techniques but specializes in Acro, Modern Lyrical and Jazz. She began taking dance and gymnastics at Mckeon's School of Dance and Gymnastics in Massachusetts, where she lived for 28 years. She traveled to regional and inter-national level dance competitions and was a USAG gymnast. Stacy and her dance studio represented the United States at the 10th World Gymnastrada in Germany, and she has been titled a "Dance Olympus VIP" and an "I Love Dance Boston Sweetheart".
Stacy attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA with a Promising Artist Scholarship and then transferred to Rhode Island College where she earned her BFA in Dance. She has worked with many professional choreographers such as Deb Meuiner, Adrianne Hawkins, Sean Curren, Pat Thomas and many more.
Stacy has been teaching dance and choreographing at many dance studios in New England for ten years where she had received choreography and high point awards with her students at "Star Power", "Hall of Fame" and "Star System" dance competitions. She is also a judge and master class teacher at regional and national level dance competitions. Stacy danced in a professional Modern company called Fusionworks. Fusionworks performed all over including Providence's Bright Night and many arts festivals in the United States. She also teaches educational programs in school systems including Rhode Island School of Design.
Donna Bennett - choreographer, performer, and teacher was lead dancer and assistant to Tony winner and tap master Henry LeTang in NYC. She has also performed and choreographed a far east tour with George Faison of “The Wiz” with a highly successful show called Broadway Babies. She has performed with Gregory Hines and has choreographed may shows including Broadway and Off-Broadway, world tours, commercials and videos. Miss Bennett is a master teacher who has taught cast members of Jelly’s Last Jam and other Broadway shows. She has taught Suzanne Douglas from the movie "Tap" and taught members of the group Tap Dogs. Her students have gone on to such broadway shows as Les Miz and Carousel.
A former ballet dancer in Hartford Connecticut and student of the Hartford Conservatory of Music and Dance, Miss Bennett has choreographed over 150 musicals, has Off-Broadway credits and has worked extensively in NYC and throughout the country.Miss Bennett has 38 years of professional teaching experience and continues to teach all ages and levels of jazz, tap, theatre dance, hip-hop, ballet, pointe and choreography to both amateurs and professionals.
As as adjunct faculty member at Booker High, Miss Bennett also teaches master classes at various studios in Florida.
Celia Mae Tortelli - Celia has been dancing since she was four years old. She received the majority of her training at the Northern Westchester Center for the Arts in Mount Kisco, New York. Taking classes in ballet, tap, jazz and hiphop, Celia realized hiphop was her true passion. Throughout Middle School and High School she was involved in several musicals as a performer, dance captain and choreographer. While in New York, she took classes at Broadway Dance in NYC and attended the Tremaine Dance Convention four times. At her High School in Cross River, New York, Celia was co-founder and choreographer of the John Jay High School Dance Squad.
After graduating from High School, Celia and her parents moved to Sarasota, Florida. At Florida State University, Celia was a member of the Phlava hiphop Dance Company for four years that performed throughout campus, Tallahassee and Florida. She held the position of Executive Director for two years and Co-Artistic Director her senior year. She graduated in 2006 with a double major in Multinational Business Operations and Marketing, with a minor in Italian.
Celia is employed by the Hertz Corporation and is the Location Manager of the Hertz Local Edition in Bradenton. She taught hiphop at the Dance Palace in Sarasota where she was the co-founder and Artistic Director of HIPnotic Dance Company. In the past, Celia has spent summer and winter vacations in Italy. The last few years Celia competed in talent competitions in Italy and held hiphop classes at two local exercise gyms there. Now back in Sarasota, Celia is excited to be teaching hiphop at the Stage Door Studios and is looking forward to starting another hiphop dance company soon.
Ed Escobar - For the last six years Ed Escobar has devoted his timeas a preschool teacher, teachers assistant, and a camp
counselor at an overnight camp. With the experience from
these jobs he's able to communicate and create an atmosphere
that is enjoyable and exciting for children to reach their full potential.
He has studied with Brian Friedman, Marty Kudelka, Gil Duldulao,
and other top choreographers.His credits include the television show
"Hype and Glory" and he has extensive theater and conference
performance experience.He also traveled with a group called B.E.A.T.
to several youth conventions to raise awareness for human injustices
around the world.His classes have been described as fun, challenging,
and "sick". He continues to push the bar for hip-hop artistically, in Sarasota.
Jared E. Walker - holds a BFA in Music and Theatre from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA. A native of the Treasure Coast, he is happy to now call Sarasota home. A "theatre Jack" he is producer, director, choreographer, actor, teacher and costume designer. Since moviing here, he has worked with almost every theatre on the Sun Coast, both onstage and behind the scenes. Sarasota Magazine and The Handy Awards nominated "Annie Get Your Gun" for Best Musical, which he directed, and "Follies" for Best Costumes. Jared is co-owner of Jarrick Productions, and teaches private piano for beginners.
Eric Berkel - got his start dancing on the stages of Sarasota, and returns home after 10 years with the world famous Siegfried & Roy in Las Vegas. He has also performed as a "Kid of the Kingdom" for Walt Disney World in both Florida and Tokyo, Japan. He has performed with the likes of Sally Mayes, Cathy Rigby, Judy Kaye and Leroy Reames and was a featured dancer with The New Works Project Dance Company. In his short time back, he has choreographed for the Players of Sarasota, the Manatee and VLT, and can be seen regularly onstage at the Golden Apple. Eric is co-owner of Jarrick Productions, Unlimited and is also a massage therapist.
Alyssa Goudy - graduated with honors from Anderson University with a degree in Theatre Studies, where she helped to create the school's first improv troupe, Randomonium". She recently assisted in the Sarasota Senior Theatre's production of "The Best of Times", and has directed many shows including "Return of the Christmas Kid", "The Actor's Nightmare", and "Much Ado About Nothing". Alyssa moved to Sarasota in 2000, and has been working steadily as an actress, director, and improv teacher. She is currently the stage manager at The Golden Apple Dinner Theatre