Grace asaro

MUSICAL THEATER JAZZ

Grace Asaro is a San Diego dancer and choreographer who specializes in classic theatre jazz. She has a bachelor’s degree in theatre performance and is a graduate of the 2024 Professional Training Program with the Verdon Fosse Legacy. Grace believes deeply in the art of storytelling through movement. In her classes, she aims to educate artists on the work of history’s greatest choreographers while also creating movement relevant to the present.

Grace’s musical theatre jazz class focuses on creating strong character choices through movement to iconic Broadway music. Her style focuses on the dynamics of classic jazz technique, such as a contrast of large and subtle movements, to give students space to play within the choreography. The class itself will challenge students’ stamina and strength while emphasising finding the fun in every step and keeping the energy high- a perfect way to start the day!

Danielle Behrens

TAP

Danielle Berhens works as a professional performer, choreographer, and instructor in the arts. She has her Bachelor of the Arts in Musical Theatre from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. She has worked as a swing in the North American tour of The Wizard of Oz, as well as appeared onstage as Aurora, Cinderella, Belle, and more on the Disney Wonder cruise ship. Danielle has had the pleasure of performing at many regional theaters around the country. Some of her favorite credits include: Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street, Kathy Selden in Singin’ in the Rain, and Meg Giry in Phantom of the Opera. She has worked as an instructor and choreographer for Broadway Dance Center, Thommie Retter’s NYC Tap Crew, and College of the Sequoias, to name a few. She currently teaches at Dance and Company and Seaside Arts Center in San Diego and is a member of the DrumatiX tap and percussion company. She loves sharing her passion for the arts and everything she has learned along the way!

Improve your footwork and musicality in this fun and rhythmic tap class! We will explore warm ups, rudiments, choreography and improvisation to everything from pop songs to Broadway classics.

NANCY BOSKIN

BALLROOM

Nancy Boskin-Mullen’s career as a dancer and choreographer spans nearly four decades and three continents. She has taught dance technique classes in Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Modern, Ballroom, Latin Dance, Musical Theater Dance, as well as Choreography, Global Modern Dance, Movement as Cultural Behavior, Dance History and Dance Appreciation. Currently she is on faculty at Mesa, Grossmont and MiraCosta College. She is the director of California Rhythm Project Tap Dance Company and also directs Nations of San Diego International Dance Festival. Nancy holds a BA in World Arts and Cultures and a MA in Dance from UCLA.

JAZMYN BROWN

HIP HOP

Jazmyn Brown is dedicated to fostering opportunities for people to discover their passion for movement. She discovered her love for Hip-Hop in 2004 with the Non-Profit Organization Culture Shock San Diego. In 2009, she began dancing with Culture Shock Dance Troupe under the direction of Sherman Shoate and was a member of the company for eight years. Jazmyn teaches Hip-Hop dance at San Diego Mesa College and Grossmont College. BA in Theatre Arts specializing in Dance, from Colorado Mesa University.

Hip Hop includes Afro-diasporic social dances and the dance form of Breaking. The choreography will include popular moves from past to present, such as the monastery and the woah.  You will be taken through the fundamental grooves of Hip Hop, step by step.  This may include rhythm, counting, body isolations, placement, repetition of movements, applying foundational knowledge into dance combinations & common vocabulary.

MIChelle camaya

Tinikling/Pangalay

Dance has been a fundamental part of Michelle Camaya’s life for over 40 years, with more than three decades dedicated to Samahan Filipino American Performing Arts and Education Center as a student, teacher, and performer. Michelle is also a founding member, dancer, and musician of the Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble (PKE), which focuses on traditional music and dance from the Southern Philippines.

Committed to the preservation and evolution of Philippine folk arts, Michelle continues to expand her cultural knowledge through field research, dialogue with colleagues, collaboration with kindred dance companies, and workshops with master artists and educators. She has had the privilege of teaching students in UC San Diego’s Theatre and Dance Department, sharing the rich cultural diversity of the Philippine islands. Michelle believes cultural arts are living, breathing practices that play a vital role in building positive, connected communities.

Michelle currently teaches dance at her alma mater, the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. She wears many hats as a dancer, educator, choreographer, Inferno Hot Pilates and Bikram yoga instructor. She earned her B.A. in Dance from the University of California, Irvine, where she performed with the late Donald McKayle’s pre-professional Etude Ensemble and the hip hop crew Kaba Modern.

A member of Actors’ Equity Association for over 25 years, Michelle’s performing career highlights include over 2,500 performances in The Lion King on Broadway, the 1st and 2nd National Tours, and the Las Vegas production. Additional professional credits include Fame (1st National Tour), Swing (Broadway National Tour & Japan), Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away (Broadway National Tour & Japan), Evita (San Diego Rep), and Sinatra: Dance With Me (Las Vegas). Her film credits include Enchanted and Memoirs of a Geisha, and she was a dance finalist on Bravo TV’s Step It Up & Dance.

Michelle intentionally weaves her extensive performance experience and cultural knowledge into her teaching, guiding students to honor their innate creativity while fostering respect for diversity through the arts. Deeply grateful to her formative teachers, Michelle’s life’s work is rooted in joy, collaboration, and the hope of serving as a lasting guide and positive influence for future generations of artists.

Michelle will dedicate her lesson to 2 styles of dance having its roots from the Philippines. Tinikling is a dance originating from Leyte, Philippines. This dance depicts the graceful and agile tikling bird dodging the bamboo traps set by farmers. This dance is accompanied by two people tapping a set of bamboo poles. Ms Camaya Julian will also share techniques and stylization of Pangalay, which directly translates to “dance” for the Tausūg people in the southern Philippines. The dance accentuates hand and finger isolations to reflect nature, while slowly dancing to percussive gong music (kulintang).

DYNO

BREAKING

Dyno is a founding member of the San Diego-based Breaking crew CYPHERST8. With nearly 25 years of Breaking experience, he has traveled and competed in many competitions — earning first-place titles in Breaking /Footwork Championships such as Furious Styles Anniversary in 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona, Massive Monkees Day in Seattle 2019, and most recently Floorgangz Footwork 2v2 World Finals in Seoul, South Korea 2025. 

Dyno has been teaching professionally for over 19 years, he is a full-time Breaking educator working with various organizations including UCSD Theatre & Dance, Culture Shock Training Academy, Finest City Breaking, transcenDANCE, etc. 

This will be a Breaking class that will focus on learning some basics and foundation of the dance. We will be building an understanding of “the Breaks” and the grooves that inspire the dance. The class will provide rhythm, balance, and movement exercises that will later become vocabulary that we can create from. We will also learn about the basic history, context and practice of the Art Form.

Giovanna Francisco

Dance Making

Giovanna Francisco (she/her) is a movement artist from Palm Springs, CA. She studied dance (BA) and sociology (BA) at UCSD with a minor in education studies. She is currently an emerging artist in residence at the Arts District Liberty Station and a company dancer for San Diego Dance Theater. Her art is inspired by plants and wildlife, vulnerability, and authentic human expression. In San Diego, she has worked with Malashock Dance, LITVAKdance, and DISCO RIOT. In 2023, Giovanna was an artist in residence in the garden space of Art Produce where she cultivated an evening-length work inspired by the movements of insects.

collective creation is a dance making practice open to all open minded humans with an affinity for play, connection and community. in this workshop style class, we will pull from our everyday experience as human beings to embody movements reminiscent of who we are. we will begin with guided meditation and improvisation to drop into the body, develop movement pieces through facilitated play, and verbally communicate with one another regarding our experiences throughout the practice. 

Together we’ll do the following: 

1. practice embodied presence
2. play with different dance making tools
3. find connection between our internal and external landscapes
4. witness one another
5. create movement that stems from where we are
6. please bring a notebook and something to write with!

Caley Hernandez

BALLET

Born and raised in San Diego, Caley Hernandez began dancing at eight, joining the dance company La Diego II at thirteen. She danced professionally with Polaris Dance Theatre and taught at many studios while living in Oregon.  In 2018, Caley returned as a company dancer, choreographer, and instructor for MP Dance.  Caley has performed all around San Diego with various artists and has presented her own choreography in places such as Washington and Colorado.  Caley continues to seek out choreography and guest teaching opportunities and is the Executive Director at Mounarath Powell Dance.

This open level ballet class will cater to those in class with options throughout the combinations for all skill levels.  Class will follow the traditional structure of ballet (barre, centre, across the floor) and will be both technical and fun!

KARLA PARRA

MEXICAN FOLKLORICO

Karla Parra is currently a graduate student at SDSU pursuing a double master’s degree in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. She is pursuing a career as a Registered Dietitian to be able to educate people on how to maintain and strive for a healthier lifestyle through nutrition and movement, that is why dance has always been an important part of her life. Karla has been involved in different dance communities throughout her life, but a dance genre that has always been close to her heart is Mexican Folklorico, a style she has practiced since she was a child.

Focusing on the region of Baja California Norte, will teach basic steps and movement that comprise the high energy style of Calabaceado. All levels welcomed!

MICAH PARRA

ACRO

Micah Parra is an interdisciplinary movement artist and educator based in San Diego, California, specializing in high level flexibility, acrobatics, contemporary modern dance and circus disciplines. She is a freelance performer/choreographer and an active company member of Malashock Dance (joined 2022). Micah has worked with numerous companies, schools and independent artists throughout the city and spent time dancing in LA, Chicago, New York and Berlin.

In Micah’s all levels acrobatics class, you will explore the fundamentals of rolling, inverting, bridging and weight transfer through strength and coordination based tasks. By the end of this session you will feel more equipped to play safely while approaching new and challenging skills that once felt out of reach.  See you there!

JESSICA RABANZO-FLORES

CONTEMPORARY MODERN

Jessica Rabanzo-Flores is a native San Diegan who grew up training and performing with Eveoke Dance Theatre. She holds BAs in Sociology and Dance from UC Irvine where she had the honor to perform legendary works from the late Donald McKayle with UCI’s Etude Ensemble. She returned to Eveoke after graduation and had the fortune of performing in the Dominican Republic in 2011 on a US Embassy sponsored tour. She was the winner of San Diego Dance Theater’s Young Choreographers Prize in 2013. Jessica joined Malashock Dance in the winter of 2023. She has also performed works by Khamla Somphanh, Cecily Holcombe, Blythe Barton, Erica Buechner, and Patricia Sandback. She has presented work in New York City and has also been commissioned to create work for Malashock Dance. She is currently choreographing for the dancers at Mesa College as an adjunct professor and most recently at the San Diego School of the Creative and Performing Arts. Jessica is a certified trauma-informed personal trainer and founded her own dance-inspired fitness method Untitled Movement in January 2019 in New York City. She currently trains clients (both virtual and in-person) and teaches at San Diego Dance Theater.

Jessica’s class is a culmination of her studies in classical modern and contemporary techniques. Her work as a functional movement trainer is infused in her teaching, prioritizing safety, proper form and alignment. She explores movement that can be physically vigorous, but also supple and fluid. The balance between grounded strength and control with fluidity and flow is a foundation of Jessica’s movement. Musicality, rhythm, and thoughtful sequentiality are explored in her class. Class will begin with a thorough full-body warmup moving in and out of the floor, progress to standing sequences, and will build to an expansive phrase. Jessica creates an inclusive environment where we can harvest individual expression and joyful movement

ELYSSA ROSENBERG

DUNCAN

Elyssa Dru Rosenberg (she/her) holds a master’s degree in Dance and Dance Education from New York University and a B.A. from Tufts University. As a dance educator, she brings her passion for historical context and artistic development to her students in her Isadora Duncan technique, Ballet, and Creative Movement classes. Elyssa is a world-renowned expert in Isadora Duncan and has presented her research, choreography, and historical restorations at conferences held by the National Dance Education Organization and the Society for Dance History Scholars, as well as in numerous venues and museums around the United States. She has taught master classes and workshops about Isadora Duncan at universities including UCSD, Tufts, NYU, and SUNY Purchase. As a performer and choreographer, Elyssa’s work has been presented at various venues in New York City, San Diego, and Boston. In 2021, she founded Seaside Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, as a creative space for children of all ages and means to express themselves and gain confidence through the arts.

Taught by 4th generation Isadora Duncan dancer and scholar Elyssa Dru Rosenberg, this class will introduce dancers to the technique, choreography and life stories that made Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) revolutionary in her time and influential to the dancers who came after. No experience is necessary to participate – the class will be challenging and fun for dancers of all levels.

RACHEL TORRES

MODERN

Rachel Torres graduated from UCSD with a BA in Literature with Honors and a minor in Dance, performing in works by Liam Clancy, Allyson Green, and Yolande Snaith during her time there. In the years since, she has had the pleasure of performing works by several local choreographers including John Malashock, Jean Isaacs, Terry Wilson, Sadie Weinberg, Debi Toth, Lara Segura, Erica Buechner, Erin Tracy, Lavina Rich and Brianna Pilkinton. Rachel has performed as a guest artist with San Diego Dance Theater and LITVAKDance, and was a company dancer with the Malashock Dance Company from 2016-2020. Recently, Rachel was selected as an Emerging Artist in Dance for the Arts District Liberty Station 2025-2026 Residency.

Rachel’s class will begin with a structured full body center warm-up before transitioning into more expansive movement and phrase work across the floor where dancers are encouraged to take up space and find the full expansiveness of their bodies. Class will end with musicality based choreography where there is room to be both precise and to make your own artistic choices in a friendly, non-judgmental environment. Rachel’s goal is to allow for a space that fosters creativity, love and community, and allows each dancer to get what they need.