Jena Minnick (Director/Owner/Teacher) acquired MV Dance & Performing Arts in 2002. In the past 9 years, Ms. Minnick has expanded the school 3 times, increased enrollment by 450%, hired dozens of highly qualified dance educators, and increased the overall training program of her students. Ms. Minnick brings over 30 years of dance training and 18 years of teaching and choreography experience. She has a BS in Marketing and Minor in Psychology from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI ('97). She is a Graduate of Ballet from Casalino School of Ballet and Creative Arts in Salt Lake City, UT ('92). She is the Founding Member and current President of Dance Discovery Foundation in Orange County. She has trained in jazz, lyrical, ballet, classical voice, musical theater, tap, and modern in Salt Lake City, New York City, Providence RI, and Orange County. She has performed with Ballet West, Utah Ballet Company, Saddleback Civic Light Opera, Long Beach Opera Company and more. She has received awards for her choreography at several regional & national competitions and has directed and produced eight shows with over 200 performers in each cast. Ms. Minnick combined her business and dance background and has dedicated her life to bringing the best of dance and arts education to her community.

Amanda Kay White (Dance Team Director and), has studied both acting and various dance forms including Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Modern, Tap, Acrobatics & Pom Dance for the past 25 years. Amanda has been teaching all styles of dance at MVDPAC since 2000. Amanda is also currently on faculty at Chapman University. She received her B.F.A. in Dance Performance and B.A. in Communications from Chapman University, Orange County California in 2003. Amanda has received numerous awards for her competitive routines, both regionally and nationally. Amanda is the Director of Compass Dance and Founding member of Backhaus Dance Company based out of Orange County. During her training, Amanda received over eleven dance scholarships and awards and performed solo work in dozens of productions and competitions. Amanda has worked as both a teacher and choreographer for ten years. We are honored to have such a dedicated and talented person on our faculty. See Amanda's Classes.

Jada D. Smith (hip hop and modern) has been teaching dance for 19 successful years. Jada received her Bachelors Degree in Theatre/ Communications from Hamline University in St Paul, Minnesota. She relocated to LA six years ago to pursue her career as a professional dancer. She has performed on National tours, appeared in numerous Television Shows and has been cast in several music videos. She has worked with artists such as: Missy Elliott, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Ying Yang Twins, R. Kelly, Dru Hill, Da Brat, Pink, Blaque, Juvenile, Tyrese, Ja Rule, and Bobby Brown. Jada's commercial credits include Joe Boxer, Coors Light, Impala, Right Guard and many other national spots. Jada's acting skills have gotten her plenty of roles in stage productions mainly in the Midwest region. In her spare time she has performed on dance teams for the LA Avengers (football team), Anaheim Storm (lacrosse) and the All-Star Girls (rugby). Structure and organization is an intricate part of Jada's life, she is Regina Williams' personal assistant and Corporate Coordinator for The Dancers Workshop. Jada is also the assistant director for The Sitcom Dancers and Stage Coordinator for Monique's Fat Chance television show. See Jada's Classes

Cee Cee Wakefield (Tap, ballet, jazz) comes to MVDance with a lifetime of dance experience and a wealth of knowledge in all forms of dance and studio management. She started dancing at age four in her mother’s studio in Burbank, California. She and her mother, Fredericka Mohr, moved to the Saddleback Valley in 1972, opening Saddleback Dance Center. She was initially a teacher, then assisted as manager, and ultimately studio director until 2006. She is a founding Board member and past President for Golden State Dance Company. Cee Cee has a BA in Fine Arts / Dance from UC Irvine, as well as an Elementary School teaching credential. She is certified to teach the Cecchetti method of ballet through grade five, and has been a member of Dance Masters of America where she tested and qualified to teach tap, ballet, jazz and tumbling. She has trained with masters such as Eugene Loring and Anthony Tudor in ballet, Linda Sohl- Ellison in Tap, and Roland Dupree in Jazz. While directing SDC, the studio gained notoriety for a high level of technique, being the training ground for many dancers who have gone on to professional careers such as Barrette Vance, Michelle Carpenter, and Lauren Ziminsky. Cee Cee currently teaches tap, manages daily operations and serves as Co-Artistic director with the studio owner, Jena. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Saddleback College Angels for the Arts, and is one of the founding board members for Dance Discovery Foundation.

Cassidy Taylor (Jazz, Pre-school and Hip Hop Instructor) has has been dancing for over 20 years, studying Tap, jazz, ballet, Hip Hop, Lyrical and Cheer. In 1997 she was selected to be a member of the UDA All Star team, where she performed through out France. Cassidy is a 2 time Dupree Dance Convention Scholarship winner and was a member of the Fresno City dancers as well as The Dance Company of Portland. Cassidy has over 14 years of teaching experience, having taught at studios in California, Oregon, and Washington She has been coaching award winning competitive dance teams for the past 7 years, receiving special choreography awards for Most Original and Most Entertaining dances. She continues to take classes and attend conventions and looks forward to passing her knowledge and love for dance to her students. See Cassidy's Classes

Theresa Turner (tumbling, pre-school dance, jazz) began gymnastics training at 10 years old. At 12, she began competing and began her coaching career at the age of 15 at the prestigious Cathy Rigby Gymnastics academy. She brought many teams to state titles during her six years there as a team all-around gymnastics coach. At age 22, she began a career in law enforcement, but her love of gymnastics brought her back to teaching again. In the past 20 years she has taught many dancers to tumble and has a driving force in competition teams performing in the jazz and acro category. Winning many platinums and all-around awards including most entertaining and original choreography at Showstoppers, Hall of Fame and Star Power Dance competitions. See Theresa's Classes

Andrea Brache (ballet, pointe, stretch & conditioning) received her early ballet training from Patrick Frantz, formerly of the Paris Opera Ballet, Artistic Director Kim Maselli, Stanley Holden and Charles Maple. Andrea earned a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and a B.A. in Advertising from Chapman University, where she trained with Kristen Olson Potts, Sean Greene and Jennifer Backhaus. She has performed at the notable Orange County Performing Arts Center, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., UC Irvine’s Barclay Theater, and the Joyce SoHo Theater in New York. Andrea received two Lester Horton Awards for “Outstanding Achievement in Performance, Small Ensemble.” She was a founding company member of Orange County’s Backhausdance, and has worked with Jodie Gates and Alonzo King of Lines Ballet in San Francisco. Andrea has been teaching for 11 years and continues to pursue excellence in training and teaching by encouraging her students to challenge themselves in every class. See Andrea's Classes.

Sharon Anne Spalenka (jazz, ballet, lyrical, pre-school dance) has been teaching and choreographing in the Orange County area for the past 20 years. She teaches all disciplines and all ages but her specialty is in Jazz and Tricks and Turns. Sharon holds a B.A. in Dance from Long Beach State and a Minor in Fashion Design and Merchandising. She was the Artistic Director for the Non Profit organization Golden State Dance and Tumbling Troupe where she took 3 teams to Europe to perform. She has choreographed for Fox television and various dance troupes that have performed in Japan, India and around the United States. Her students have gone on to dance for Houston Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, North Carolina Ballet, The Rockette's and Off Broadway shows. Sharon's choreography continues to receive numerous choreography awards at regional and national competitions not to mention placing in the top ten groups, solos or duet and trios. See Sharon's Classes

Elly Moir-Dysinger (Ballet/Stretch & Conditioning)(Ballet) Elly Moir-Dysinger was born and raised in Clydebank, Scotland where she trained in the Royal Academy of Dance and with Scottish Theatre Ballet. Elly has performed all over Europe and was based in London where she performed in the West End in “West Side Story” among other musicals. Elly moved to the States and settled in Las Vegas where she performed in “Siegfried and Roy” before taking on the challenge of Artistic Director of the Academy of Ballet which she directed for 12 years. See Elly's Classes

Mychal Gabb (Hip hop, Tap, and Break Instructor) has been dancing since he could walk, not in the studio, but in his grandma’s kitchen. He taught himself how to break, dance, and pop n’ lock by watching music videos and Michael Jackson. He started his professional dance career when he went to college. He choreographed for his show choir and performed many dances for school functions while in high school. Mychal has trained in Ballet, Jazz, Swing, Salsa and Modern, but his passion lies in Tap and Hip Hop. He is majoring in Dance at Saddleback College and setting goals to create a dance troupe that focuses on his unique style. He intends to travel the world choreographing and performing and when his body is finished, he will continue to work and educate in this business that he loves. See Mychal's Classes

Sara Day received her early training from Axel & Cecilia Herring, Larry & Sarma Rosenburg, Molly Lynch, and Lila Zali. She studied with full scholarship with Maria Tallchief at Chicago Ballet and then later had a full scholarship as a Joffrey Trainee. She has performed with New York City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, San Fransisco Ballet, and Ballet Pacifica, gracing such stages as Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, OCPAC, War Memorial Opera House (SF), and City Center (NY) in a wide variety of contemporary and classical roles. Mrs. Day has a ballet teaching certificate from Dance Masters of America and a Vagonova Methodology Certificate from the Foiskola Institute. As the owner & director of American Ballet & Conditioning she has directed and choreographed Nutcracker, Coppelia, La Bayadere, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, Firebird, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and numerous other works. Her students have received scholarships to San Francisco Ballet School, ABT, Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet, Kirov Academy, Boston Ballet, and Joffrey Trainee. See Sara's Classes

Ashley Plomaritis (Pre-academy, jazz, tumbling, hip hop) has been dancing since she could walk and enrolled in a dance studio at three years of age. Since then, she has trained in jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop, modern, swing, salsa, and African dance. Ashley has performed, assisted, and choreographed in many dance productions throughout California and Kansas. She currently performs with “ArchiTexture,” a modern dance company that uses the environment as their stage. She has received the high honor of going to The American College Dance Festival in Utah in 2009 to perform in front of prestigious judges and faculty. She has her Associate of Arts degree in Dance from Saddleback Community College where she was nominated President of the dance committee, and worked hand in hand with the director, receiving experience in the entire production process. She has been honored with receiving Rookie of the Year and Performer of the Year runner-up. Ashley has also graduated with her Speech and Language Pathology Assistant degree and license from Santa Ana Community College. Ashley is fulfilling her dream of working with children and being a part of their development. She brings to her students her love and passion for dance and her enthusiasm is contagious. See Ashley's Classes

Marji Himes teaches jazz, tap, pre-academy classes, and is the Director of our Musical Theatre program. Marji has been teaching dance and musical theatre in Orange County for over 20 years. She has a MFA in Dance from UC Irvine. She has choreographed and performed for companies such as Disney, Ringling Bros. Barney & Bailey Circus, and other local performance groups. Marji is a faculty member for the performing arts department at Saddleback College, President of Angels in the Arts Foundation and Treasurer for Dance Discovery Foundation. Marji also directs the MVDPAC summer musical theatre programs. See Marji's Classes

Ali Terrones (Pre-academy, jazz, tumbling, hip hop) has been dancing since the age of three. She has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, gymnastics, modern, African, lyrical, hip- hop, and anything else she could get into! She started teaching very early as a result of having two parents who were gymnastics instructors. She has competed as a soloist and also in group jazz and lyrical pieces. She was also a Varsity Dance Team Member and Varsity Cheerleader at Rancho Buena Vista High School. She has choreographed for her team in High School as well as Saddleback College, where she was awarded Rookie Of The Year. She has danced for Unity Dance Ensemble and is currently a member of Architexture, a Modern Dance Company based out of Orange County. Ali is currently a Liberal Studies Major at California State University Fullerton, with an emphasis in Elementary Education and a minor in dance. She hopes to become a kindergarten teacher, but never wants stop teaching or taking dance classes! See Ali's Classes

Mookie Washington one of the most talented B-Boys of Sickstep Crew & Automatic Response formerlly of LA Breakers, he is an individual who loves life and everything that comes with it. With his extensive background in dance and choreography, his work has been showcased all over the dance scene. His credits include KRS ONE, Justin Timberlake (MY LOVE), America’s Got Talent (made the Top 20), Americas Best Dance Crew, Robin In The Hood - a play in Dublin, Ireland, Digital Underground, IPOD commercials, Stuff Magazine, Teen Magazine, The Source Magazine, SP Magazine, Rock The Bells, Make-A-Wish foundation, Hip Hop Harry TV show, Out For Fame, Hip Hop International, Maxt out 2006,07,08, PMX video game expo, and Hip Hop Live in Seattle. Mookie has taught in Ireland, Russia, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, L.A, Boston, Minnesota, Denmark, Canada, & many more places to come. See Mookie's Classes

Camay Hammond (Zumba/adult fitness) studied Zumba in Puyallup, WA and instantly fell in love with it. The Latin beats moved her in ways she didn’t know she could and she discovered the most fun & effective style of fitness. She became passionately addicted to Zumba, as many people do, and now she is so excited to bring Zumba to MVDPAC! Camay cannot stress enough the fact that you don’t have to be a dancer or in top physical shape to have a great time in her class. Zumba isn’t “exercise,” it’s a party & it is as good for the mind as it is for the body. See Camay's Classes

Renee Fox-Moore (Tap/Jazz/Pre-Academy) Renee, a former Radio City Rockette in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular for eight seasons at various venues including: Universal Amphitheatre/Los Angeles, Auditorio Nacional/Mexico City, The Grand Palace/Branson and Cincinnati, Dodge/Phoenix Az, and Milwaukee WI. She has made 2 appearances on the Tonight Show w/Jay Leno. Also appearing on KTLA, KCAL, E!, TeleVisa, The Wave, etc. International and National Tours consist of traveling & performing in the Bahamas, Bermuda, New York, Southern Caribbean, Japan, Las Vegas, Reno, and Southern California. See Renee’s Classes

Kara Gardner has been studying jazz, cheer, hip hop, tricks and turns, tumbling and singing since the age of 7. She has performed regionally and nationally for over 3 years and was apart of an All-Star Nationally ranked dance team. Kara has performed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada for an NDA championship, placed first at Nationals in San Diego, and competed in many other local competitions. After completing the MVDPAC teacher training program, Kara is now an enthusiastic and nurturing pre-academy instructor. In addition to training and teaching in dance, she also is an administrator for dance. You can find Kara operating the front desk of MVDPAC, organizing student schedules, accounts, and other details. Kara is currently working on her nursing and psychology degree at Saddleback College and hopes to continue her career working with families like the ones MVDPAC.

Jennille Isakson (dance instructor) has danced for 25 years and has been teaching for 17 years. Jennille grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah where she trained in ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap and musical theater. For 12 years Jennille toured with singing and dancing groups throughout the United States including; Disneyland, Nashville, Disneyworld, Epcot Center & the SLC 2002 Winter Olympics. Since graduating with a BS degree and minor in dance Jennille has lived, trained, taught and choreographed dance in Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Portland and Orange County, CA. Jennille continues to perform in various dance productions as well as professionally choreograph musicals such as Annie, Grease, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and many others. Jennille is excited to share her passion and joy in teaching dance with the students of MVDPAC. See Jennille’s Classes

Emma Stern (Pre-academy, Tap, Jazz, Tumbling, Modern Instructor) has been training in all styles of dance since 1997 and has been training in dance instruction since 2006. Ms. Emma has been a competitive dancer for the past 8 years and has been nationally recognized for her solo performances in tap and modern. Ms Emma is a current member of Compass Dance, a pre-professional modern dance company. She is also a member of the California Scholarship Federation, volunteering in community service around Southern California. See Emma's Classes

Ellie Haslett (Pre-academy, Tap, Jazz, & Modern Instructor) began her dance training 12 years ago in ballet, tap, and jazz. She expanded her training in tumbling, hip hop and modern 6 years ago under the direction of Jada Smith, Theresa Turner, Tori Roberts, and Amanda White. Ms. Ellie worked as a teacher assistant for the past three years teaching hip hop, ballet, jazz, tap and tumbling. She specializes in working with beginning students under the age of 8. Ms. Ellie has competed regionally and nationally in all the dance disciplines. She has received numerous awards for her tap and modern pieces. Ellie is currently member of Compass Dance, a pre-professional modern dance company. See Ellie's Classes

Amy Tabback has been dancing since she was 8 years old. A lover of jazz dance, she converted to ballet when she moved to Massachusetts to attend Dean College, School of Dance. During her stay there, she quickly became acquainted with the stage, being a featured soloist and choreographer, as well as a company member for the school’s modern company. She received her A.A. in dance from Dean College and moved back to California to pursue a teaching and choreographic career. Teaching came naturally and because of her anatomy and pedagogy classes, she emphasizes form and the application of the correct muscle groups to make dancing less of a guessing game. She has much experience with Tap, Ballet and HipHop, but Jazz and Contemporary dance have etched a permanent place close to her heart. She is currently working on her B.F.A. at Cal State Fullerton and plans to enroll in the teacher’s credential program once she has completed her degree. She wants dance to be the inspiration that drives your day forward. See Amy's Classes

Kimberly Harris has been training in all disciplines of dance such as: Ballet, Tap, Tumbling, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Modern since 1997. Kimberly has been a competitive dancer for six years. She is a founding member of Compass Dance Company, a pre-professional modern dance company, directed by Amanda Kay White. She has been a teacher’s assistant for six years, and involved in the Teacher Training program, under the instruction of Jena Minnick, for three years. Kimberly has been a substitute teacher at MVDPAC and is now a member of the staff, specializing pre-academy dance classes

Darin Jon Dantice has enjoyed working professionally as a dancer and dance teacher for more than twenty years. He is the owner of Bionix Fit llc. Specializing in Pilates and fitness for dancers and performance athletes to help them achieve their high level goals. Darin is an IDEA Fitness member and educated through STOTT Pilates, Marshall Eklund and John Garey training. He is a Defore Scholarship alumnus, and studied privately with the incredible Miss. Paula Morgan. A native to Orange County, Darin has worked locally and traveled around the world for entertainment leaders like Paramount, Walt Disney, Universal and others. As an award winning choreographer, teacher or dancer he has been able to stay relevant in this ever changing entertainment field. His growing career has allowed him to learn the skills it takes to work and perform in the entertainment industry and help train the stars of tomorrow. His students have gone on to be viable artists and teachers in the dance world today and appear on shows like “So You Think You Can Dance” and high profile teams like the Lakers Cheerleaders. Darin is currently touring with Move Dance Competition 2012. His teaching approach infuses his knowledge of the body with the art of dance and the science of Pilates.

Enton Hoxha trained at the National Ballet Academy in Albania and completed his dance education in Moscow, Russia. As a soloist, he danced with the Moscow Classical Ballet and Ballet Stars of St. Petersburg, touring Europe and the United States, before joining the Ajkun Ballet Theatre. As a guest artist, Hoxha has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in New York and, for the past three seasons, Ventura County Ballet. In 2006, he joined State Street Ballet.
Born in Tirane, Albania, Enton started his dance education at the National Ballet Academy in Albania. At age 15 Enton was invited by the Russia Embassy to continue his studies at the Bolshoi Academy School in Moscow, Russia with legendary dancers Mikhail Lavrovsky, Leonid Jdanov, Nikolay Dorohov, Mikhail Mineev and Nikolay Tikhomirov. Mr. Hoxha graduated from the Bolshoi Academy School with a Master's degree and danced as a first soloist with the Moscow Classical Ballet and Russian Chamber Ballet 'Moscow' touring Europe, Asia and the United States. During his tours Mr. Hoxha was invited to be part of the World Premier of Madam Leonely by choreographer Kiril Simonov, and performed in the Gala Concert with Ballet Stars of St.Petersburg with famed dancers Irma Nioradze , Ilya Kuznetsov, Yulia Makhalina, Igor Zelensky, Daria Pavlenko, Yevgeny Ivanchenko, Faruk Razumatov, and Nikolay Ciscaridze in Albert Hall, London.
His vast repertoire includes principal roles in Carmen, Cinderella, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Esmeralda, Giselle, La Baydere, La Fill Mal Gardee, La Vivandiere, Le Corsaire, Napole, The Nutcracker, Paquita, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Waltz of White Orchids by Konstatin Uralsky (choreographer), and Otello's Birthday by Radu Pokletar (choreographer).

Michel Gervais a native of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, started dancing at the age of 11with the Ida Sauvé Dance Studios. He continued his studies with Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal and the National Ballet School of Canada. Mr. Gervais has worked extensively as a performer, assistant and ballet master for choreographers David Allan and Juan Antonio. Mr. Gervais has danced for such companies as; Feld Ballet/NY, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, Theatre Ballet of Canada, National Dance Theatre of Bermuda, Ontario Ballet Theatre, Sacramento Ballet, Ballet Pacifica and California Riverside Ballet. His teaching credentials include: American Ballet Theatre, London Rambert Dance Co., Hong Kong Ballet, Canadian Dance Teachers Association, Ballet Pacifica, University of California’s Irvine and Riverside campuses, York University, and the National Dance Theatre of Bermuda. His choreography has been performed by: University of California, Irvine, American Ballet Theater (summer intensive), Festival Ballet Theatre, California Riverside Ballet and Excalibur.