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Instructors
LEA MOORE, Director, Instructor 
Lea holds a Bachelor of Arts from George Mason University, is Power Pilates mat certified, and has been
teaching since 1986. She is a professional dancer with a strong background in
jazz, lyrical, classical ballet, hip-hop, and tap. In 2006, Lea
was contacted by Cirque du Soleil to provide a contemporary class to their dancers the day of their
show at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville! Her professional performing
career was featured with several top jazz and tap companies throughout the
Washington, DC and Northern Virginia areas. Lea choreographed for and
participated on dance teams in the NBA and the AFL (Arena Football League). As
a choreographer, her work has won recognition in national competitions and
featured in national benefit performances and several industrials throughout
the East Coast. Lea choreographed and co-taught at an early age with lead
instructors for major dance organizations in the United States including Dance
Educators of America, Dance Masters of America, Dance Olympus, and Dance
Caravan.
Lea has performed at many venues throughout her career. The scholarship pageant
she performed with was asked to travel throughout England, Scotland and Wales
by Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher in 1987, for which the group received
special commendation from the Prime Minster herself. She has performed at the
Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC and the National Lighting of the
White House Christmas Tree Celebration with Sherry Lewis and Johnny Mathis. She
was also a featured dancer for the Hispanic Designers Fashion Gala &
Benefit, a high-level fashion show in Washington that included top designers
such as Oscar De La Renta, Carolina Herrera and Fernando Sanchez. Additionally,
she has choreographed and co-produced musical productions in public schools,
and for six years was the choreographer of several productions for the Eastern
Virginia School for the Performing Arts in Williamsburg such as: Alice in
Wonderland, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Brigadoon, Oliver,
and the Wizard of Oz. Lea also has experience in modeling and print work,
Hawaiian dance, and Martial
Arts. Several of her students have become professional dancers with top companies and in NYC. Lea's training in jazz, tap and lyrical developed over the years through various instructors. Her classical ballet training was in Vaganova and Legatt techniques, nurtured by Sandra Balestracci of the Eastern Virginia School for the
Performing Arts (EVSPA).
TABITHA APPLE, Instructor (Hip Hop, Jazz and Tap)
Tabitha holds a B.S. from James Madison University and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Virginia. She was the coach/choreographer for UVA's Virginia Dance Team from 2006-08 and has been teaching dance in the Charlottesville area for over 5 years. Tabitha's teaching spans the genres of hip-hop, tap, ballet and jazz with influences from Broadway to modern dance as well as in pom and group performance. Additionally, she judges and choreographs for high school dance teams along the East Coast. Her own dance instruction began in Stafford, VA where she received classical dance training from former Joffrey dancer Elizabeth Gauss and Barton & Williams Director Jan Williams. Tabitha was a AAA Commonwealth District & Regional Champion Varsity Cheerleader (NSHS), and performer/competitor for the nationally awarded JMU Dance Team, The Dukettes. Tabitha has received additional instruction though the Dance Department at JMU, through NDA, UDA and UCA summer intensive camps and continues her education locally through training in yoga and Pilates, and in dance classes at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway in NYC.
EMILY BUDD, Instructor (Zumba)
Emily holds a BS in Nursing from the University of Virginia and is a pediatric nurse in Charlottesville. She has extensive training in Cecchetti ballet as well as classical piano. Emily’s previous performance experience includes the Rhapsody Ballet Ensemble at UVA, and lead roles in the Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Coppelia with Summerwood Studio of Dance in McLean, VA. Additionally, Emily taught ballet and lyrical for 7 years. After an injury took her away from dance, she became a certified Zumba instructor, and has enjoyed teaching students how to ditch the workout and join the Latin-inspired dance party!
PATRICK (“PC”) FLEMING, Instructor (Ballroom)
PC a graduate student in English literature at UVA, and a certified associate with the ISTD (International Society of Teachers of Dance). PC has been teaching dance since 2003, and enjoys all styles of partner dancing. He and his partner, Lydia Rodriguez, compete in International style Latin and Standard, and regularly take lessons from Lydia Petrigova and Dan Calloway. They perform at various venues in the Charlottesville area, and participated in the 2008 Virginia Film Festival's Adrenaline Film Project "Ballroom Boys."
JESSICA GEISLER, Instructor (Ballet and Pilates)
Jessica
Geisler holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Biochemistry from
Duquesne University. She is Power Pilates mat certified, and has over nine years of experience as a ballet and jazz
instructor from the Pittsburgh, PA area. Jessica has studied and performed
with the prestigious
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre for six
years. She trained privately under the tulage of Marianne and Renee Irwin
and the Center for Theater Arts where she also participated in musicals such
as Grease and Footloose. She studied ballet and hip-hop at Point Park
University. Jessica is currently a graduate student at the University of
Virginia pursuing her PhD in Pharmacology.
JOSUE JOSEPH, Instructor (Latin)
Josue is a classical pianist, music and film producer, and son of well known Mambo Legend "Alfonso El Panameno" - a bassist of the Palladium-era who recorded / performed with Tito Puente, Cachao, Arsenio Rodriguez, Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco. Taught in-part by his father, the musicality and the intricate, instrumental patterns of traditional Latin rhythms, Josue began teaching Latin dance privately focusing on traditional Mambo, "Salsa On 2, Rumbero Cha-Cha-Cha, Bachata, and Cuban Tango. He pulled together some of the most high-profile musicians and dancers from the 1950's and 60's - the era before the umbrella term "salsa" was used to identify all Latin rhythms - and he produced the internationally-attended, highly-endorsed Latin music film entitled "La Epoca - The Palladium Era." The film is endorsed by Mambo Rhythm Pioneer Israel "Cachao" Lopez, Mambo Dance Pioneer "Cuban Pete" and Mambo Influence Barbara Craddock, Palladium Mambo Legends Freddy Rios and Mike Ramos, and the late Mambo Dance Legend Andy Jerrick. Josue is an internationally multi-awarded master-instructor - he travels the globe hired to present master-classes and workshops on Latin music and dance, at the presentations of his film - teaching dancers how to interpret, dance, and to train their ears in recognizing traditional Latin music such as the mambo, son-montuno, guajira, guajira-son and guaguanco rhythms.
KASEY KNOELL, Instructor (Hip Hop)
Kasey is currently a candidate for two Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Virginia. She has been training in dance for 18 years. Her primary training encompasses jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, and hip-hop, all received from Marilu’s Dance Studio in Brigantine, NJ. She began teaching in 2008 and also coached her hometown’s Varsity Cheerleading squad for two years. Kasey has performed for the MAPS foundation in Atlantic City as well as for the Miss Brigantine/Shore Resort Pageant at Trump Marina Hotel & Casino. Kasey has received additional instruction locally through Dance Explosion Studio and is a member and choreographer in UVa’s Dance Club, serving as publicity co-chair from 2009-2010.
TESSA NUNN, Instructor (Jazz, Tap, Conditioning, Modern)
Tessa has been teaching ballet, creative movement, hip-hop, tap, musical theater, yoga and jazz since 2003 in the Charlottesville and Tidewater areas of Virginia . She is also an Aerobics and Fitness Association of America certified group fitness instructor. Tessa’s diverse dance training includes ballet, hip-hop, jazz, tap, modern, contact improvisation, musical theater, historical social dances, belly dance, and character dance. Her primary training comes from the Chamber Ballet Institute for Dance in Williamsburg , where she was an instructor and member of the Robitshek Dance Ensemble’s touring company. Tessa performed in the L’Art de la Danse tour in various cities in Germany , and was a member of the Institute for Dance’s performing kick line for four years. She has also attended conventions and master classes with Frank Hatchett, Gennadi Vostrikov, Sandra Carlino, and Joan Lather. Tessa is currently a student at UVA pursuing a French and Education major with a minor in Dance and is a member of the Rhapsody Ballet Ensemble.
BETTINA STEVENS, Instructor (Contemporary)
Bettina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Musical Theater from Marymount Manhattan College in NYC. Bettina received her training with the Rochester City Ballet under the direction of Timothy Draper. She has extensive training in Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary and Musical Theater, having trained and performed with Bossov Ballet Theater, American Ballet Theater, Vassar College, North Carolina Ballet Theater and Manhattan Performing Arts Collective. Bettina won the 2006 regional Dance Masters of America Competition in Upstate New York, and went on to Las Vegas to compete in the National competition where she finished in the top 10. Most recently, Bettina finished a year-long tour on the West Coast as the Dance Captain with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Bettina is currently pursuing a Doctoral degree in Physical Therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University.