PAAM Faculty

Leadership.

Annie Leese Thistle

Studio Owner

Annie established PAAM in the summer of 2009, facilitating its growth with the help of dedicated faculty and staff from humble beginnings in a church hall to a thriving community with state-of-the-art facilities and premier training in the performing arts. She is proud to continue to bring her expertise and passion for theater and dance to the students of Marin and the greater Bay Area. The surrounding community is of great importance to Annie, partnering with local schools and organizations to bring dance, theater and entertainment to children and adults throughout Marin. She has contributed to programs at Edna Maguire, Tam Valley Elementary, Strawberry Point, Old Firehouse Preschool, Marin Day Schools, Marin Primary, St. Patricks, St. Marks, St. Hilary, Mill Valley Library Fund and Marin Charitable Organizations. She is a proud supporter of Kiddo! and Spark, among other school arts providers and nonprofits. Annie donned her first tutu at the age of 3. Her first love was dance, yet she found true passion in musical theater, combining her love of singing and acting with her inherent love of dance. Performing arts has been the ultimate outlet for creative expression, release and exercise throughout her entire life. Annie graduated summa cum laude from Boston College and is a proud graduate of San Domenico Middle School and Saint Ignatius College Preparatory. Annie has trained at the University of Louisville Dance Academy, Louisville Ballet, Marin Dance Theater, Marin Theater Company, Scott Pearson (Voice, NYC), Jeannette Neill Dance Studio and Steps on Broadway. Her professional career includes work with Boston dance companies, regional theater productions (most notably onstage with Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie), and representation with STARS San Francisco. Her teaching career has included faculty positions at Walnut Hill School and Performing Arts Connection as well as a multitude of freelance positions in the dance and drama departments at schools such as Newton North High School and Middlesex Community College. Annie resides in Mill Valley with her three children. She is thankful for her incredibly supportive family and loves bringing her kids to the studio. PAAM is her main passion and home away from home. It is a dream come true to have so many young artists also consider PAAM their second home.

Matthew McCoy

Studio Manager

Matthew McCoy is a passion-driven artist; having produced, directed, designed and managed large scale musicals, black-box plays, solo cabarets, high-end galas and magic-illusion production shows. With over 20+ years in entertainment. McCoy has worked professionally in regional theaters across the country and overseas; San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, Florida, New Hampshire, Ohio, London, and Shanghai, China.

Matthew brings an extensive arts background having received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Coastal Carolina University. Matthew has served in different capacities after relocating to San Francisco in 2012. Casting Director and Associate Artistic Director at Berkeley Playhouse, Performance Manager for the San Francisco Dungeon (themed entertainment), performing arts educator, proven track record of successful live events, managed lucrative fundraising campaigns, as well as directed and choreographed for different theater companies across the greater Bay Area.

Matthew was the Founder and served as Artistic Director for Bay Area Musicals until 2020. Bay Area Musicals was an award-winning musical theater company that served over 30,000 patrons a year since opening in 2015 in San Francisco.

Matthew now returns to PAAM as Studio Manager, MainStage Director & Choreographer and teaches the Advanced Acting for Musical theater classes. His first time at PAAM was in 2013 as a summer camp teacher and guest choreographer. He has directed the MainStage productions of Mary Poppins, Les Miz, Matilda, Mary Poppins, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid.

Matthew is a freelance consultant and director for entertainment productions, shows, themed experiences, immersive attractions, musicals, reviews and things yet to be imagined when not teaching, directing, or managing operations for all things at PAAM. The passion of the arts bleeds into his style of leadership and management, inspiring those around while creating an exciting, inclusive, diverse, safe, and fun environment to work and excel in.

Professional Directing and Choreography credits Include: Cinderella, The Music Man, Little Shop of Horrors, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Bye Bye Birdie, Shrek the Musical, Addams Family the Musical, Mary Poppins, Fiddler on the Roof, Nunsense, Peter Pan (TBA Nomination for Choreography), Ring of Fire, Grease, How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Hair, La Cage Aux Folles, Assassins, Seussical, 42nd Street (SFBATCC Best Choreography Award), The Wedding Singer, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Crazy For You (SFBATCC Best Director and Best Choreography Award), Violet, Hairspray, and Gypsy.

Katlin Vagelatos

Executive Producer

Katlin is a dynamic Bay Area native with a rich legacy in the performing arts, hailing from a family of actors, musicians, and performers. Her artistic journey began at an early age, starting ballet with Miss Tilly at the Rayna Allen School of Dancing in San Francisco and continuing with dance and musical theater at Marilyn Izdebski Productions in San Anselmo. Throughout her youth, she honed her vocal skills under the tutelage of award-winning opera singer Marian Marsh.

Katlin completed her high school education at San Domenico School, after attending Terra Linda High School in her earlier years. She earned her BA in Music from Sonoma State University, where she focused on recording production and vocal performance. During her time at Sonoma State, Katlin was an active performer, participating in the Sonoma State Chamber Choir and the MiraCosta Jazz Ensemble.

After college, Katlin worked in the San Diego radio industry with Finest City Broadcasting and Clear Channel Communications, where she contributed to production and scheduling. Her voice became a familiar presence on stations like Rock 105.3 and 91X. She then transitioned to music booking at The Rosebud Agency in San Francisco, where she represented Grammy-winning artists such as Mavis Staples, JJ Cale, and Trombone Shorty.

In 2012, Katlin returned to her passion for dance and theater, joining PAAM as Executive Producer. She plays a key role in bringing the organization’s creative programs to life on stage. In addition to her work at PAAM, Katlin is an accomplished voice-over artist, lending her voice to a variety of projects, including video games, commercials, corporate videos, agency pitches, and podcasts.

With a diverse background in performance, production, and creative direction, Katlin is committed to continuing her work in the arts and inspiring others to do the same.

Alicia Cardoza

Co-Director, BAYPAC Dance Company

Originally from Danville, California, Alicia began studying dance at the age of four at The Ballet School Performing Arts in Walnut Creek, where she studied classical ballet under the direction of Lareen Fender over the next 14 years. Throughout high school, she was heavily involved in her school’s competitive dance and cheer programs, where she performed in Disneyland, went to dance conventions, competed at the National level, and won the Student Director’s Award for her choreography in her senior year. She went on to Arizona State University, where she studied contemporary ballet and modern dance. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and earned her BFA in Dance Choreography in 2008. At age 19, she began teaching ballet and jazz at a local dance studio, and over the course of the next 9 years she built her career throughout the Phoenix Metro Valley as a highly regarded competitive dance instructor/choreographer, guest artist and AZ Certified Dance Educator. In 2011, she was recruited to be a founding member and principal dancer of Phoenix’s contemporary jazz company, MarioCo Dance, which she performed and choreographed with over the next two years. By the end of her tenure in Arizona she was a master teacher for all ages and levels of ballet, jazz, contemporary and acro, with numerous award-winning pieces from prestigious national dance competitions, and had trained many students who eventually went on to dance in college or have successful professional dance careers themselves. In 2014 she moved back to the Bay Area and immediately began working at the Performing Arts Academy of Marin (PAAM). She has been one of the main dance faculty members since her arrival, teaching ballet, jazz, contemporary/lyrical, and helped build PAAM’s acro program. She has also been a main choreographer and rehearsal director for PAAM’s competitive dance company (now called BAYPAC Dance Company), and eventually being promoted to Co-Director of BAYPAC Dance Company. She continues to choreograph and teach at PAAM full time, as well as be a recurring guest artist/choreographer for Napa High School Spiritleaders. She loves to call PAAM her second home, watching her students grow up and thrive in the arts, and looks forward to many more years to come!

Ashley Haddock

Studio Coordinator & Client Experience Ambassador

Ashley came to California 2 years ago after growing up in Tennessee. She moved out west to be closer to family and she is the newest member of the PAAM administrative staff. Her love for dance, theater, and helping others have followed her all the way out west where she continues to learn and grow in the artistic community. She fell in love with the Bay Area for it’s art, live music, comedy, and wonderful people. When she’s not working you can find her exploring a beach, painting, listening to records or joking with her closest friends.

She has previous experience in dance, theater and improv/comedy and attended a university for Theater and Communications.

She has 13 years in customer service, with a background in retail and office administration.

Being a part of a creative community, such as PAAM, where people are driven, caring and highly skilled at their role is truly inspiring to her.

Ashley is sociable and likes to provide an optimistic atmosphere to the people around her to benefit their experiences.

Her passion for the Arts and success with positive people interactions have landed her the exciting new role of Studio Coordinator & Client Ambassador.

Faculty.

Aushi Oskarsdottir

Originally from Reykjavik, Iceland, and a graduate of UC Berkeley, Aushi Oskarsdottir started her professional dance career at the age of 13 with video, television and commercial work. She attended Alvin Ailey American Dance Center’s Summer Intensive for two years, and also trained at Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, and with Savage Jazz. In addition to being the Assistant Director of Dance Fusion Company in Walnut Creek and founding the Dance Program at SOCAPA (School of Creative and Performing Arts) in New York, Aushi has had the privilege of working all throughout the U.S. and abroad. Some of her recent work includes creating an ensemble piece for Mark Foehringer’s CCDA, teaching master classes in Costa Rica (where she also did her Pilates training), Nicaragua, Mexico and Iceland, and choreographing for the premiere of Pixar's Toy Story 3. As one of the founding faculty members of Jazz Dance Fest in Costa Rica, she has taught alongside and collaborated with some of the dance world's biggest names. Prior to her concentration on dance education, Aushi performed and traveled extensively, working with Santana, Deborah Cox, MC Hammer, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Bebe, Apple, Oracle, E*Trade, Microsoft, and Bill Graham Presents, among others. Additionally, she has worked as a stylist for Nautica Jeans, Cosmopolitan and NY Fashion Week, and as a producer for Q-Tip's interview show Artist to Artist. While teaching remains her passion, Aushi has also delved into dance video and audio production, and she has a collection of her work on SOCAPA’s YouTube channel. This is her fourth year at the Performing Arts Academy of Marin, where she has had the pleasure of choreographing for, and training the BAYPAC dancers.

Liam Robertson

Liam Robertson (he/him) has had a varied career in the theatre as an actor, musician, director, and theatrical designer. He’s a multi-instrumentalist in Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Guitar, and Piano among other instruments and has been practicing martial arts such as Aikido, Karate, and Tai Chi for about a dozen years. In addition to playing and teaching music since he was in high school, he’s spent time performing in the bay area at Berkeley Rep, SF Playhouse, Berkeley Playhouse, Cal Shakes, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and the Curran among others. A former Director of Education at Marin Theatre Company, and a teacher of music and theatre in Marin County since 2008, he has worked with Performing Arts Academy of Marin since 2017 and loves the supportive atmosphere of the faculty and administration at PAAM in bringing quality arts education to all of its students. Some of his greatest joys in teaching are cultivating and affirming the unique expressions of every student, while helping them along their way to grow as better human beings.

Sammy Bruce

Sammy Bruce (she/her), is originally from Portland, Oregon, and currently resides in San Francisco, California. Growing up she was a student at All Star Dance Academy and later MVP Dance Elite in Beaverton, Oregon where she trained in many styles of dance including; contemporary, hip hop, ballet, jazz, & musical theater. She has been dancing since the age of 6 and competitively from elementary school through high school receiving various awards. She has danced with pre-professional teams; DisOrder, a contemporary team under the direction of Jennifer McClary. Kaleido, a jazz/contemporary team under the direction of Lorena Aranda, and RAW a hip hop team under the direction of Alexis Jean Jackson, Charlie Chheath, and Jason Wickett of which she placed 1st at World of Dance Seattle 2016 as a member of this team. In 2018 she danced with Madison Beer for Velocity Dance Convention Nationals. She later attended the University of San Francisco and joined the on campus dance clubs Vitality and Varcity for contemporary and hip hop. She held various executive board positions for these clubs throughout her four years at the university including; Social Media Chair, Junior Varcity Team Director, Vice President, & President. She has choreographed many pieces both in contemporary and hip hop styles. As a recent graduate she has taught classes at Rae Studios in downtown San Francisco. Sammy is very excited to continue her teaching journey here with the PAAM family and share her passion for dance with her students

Leilana Majri

Leilana Majri (ballet) is a dancer and choreographer based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. Leilana graduated summa cum laude with her BFA in Dance from Dominican University of California's program with Alonzo King LINES Ballet. She has extensive training in ballet, modern (Graham, Cunningham, and Horton techniques), contemporary, and jazz. She has trained and performed in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Leilana loves sharing her dance experiences with dancers of all ages, and is excited to be a part of PAAM faculty!

Carmen Cortez

Carmen Cortez is a dancer and choreographer from Livermore California. Growing up, she trained exclusively at Valley Dance Theatre, in ballet and modern dance, from the age of 8 to 18. She also attended many summer intensives including Joffrey Ballet School, The New Ballet School, Contra Costa Ballet, and the University of Utah. After high school, Carmen studied at Saint Mary's College of CA, where she completed a BA in Dance: Performance and Choreography and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2024. There, she trained and performed in styles such as modern, contemporary, lyrical, and jazz. Carmen has performed professionally with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to an original score in 2020, and in 2024 with Nickerson Rossi Dance Company in Palm Springs. She is excited to continue her passion for dance through teaching here at PAAM!

Simone Kramer

Simone Kramer is a dedicated and heart-led dance instructor at PAAM, bringing both technical expertise and emotional intelligence into every class she teaches. With a background in ballroom and latin (and basic ballet, jazz, and hip hop), Simone blends strong foundational training with a playful, encouraging energy that helps each dancer feel empowered and capable.
What sets Simone apart is her ability to tune into each child’s unique personality and learning style. She creates a warm, structured environment where students feel safe to express themselves, take creative risks, and grow not only as dancers—but as confident, joyful individuals. Simone’s attention to detail, calm presence, and genuine love for teaching make her a treasured part of the PAAMily.

Ella Wright

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Ella Wright began her dance training in Sebastopol and then attended the San Francisco Academy of Ballet, where she studied ballet, contemporary, and neoclassical styles. She furthered her training with intensives at the Joffrey Ballet and Ballet West until attending the UC Berkeley, where she studied in Dance & Performance Studies and Education. During her time there, she discovered a new passion for modern, contemporary, and jazz dance. At Berkeley, Ella held many leadership roles in various student dance organizations including Choreographer, Social Media Chair, Production Manager, Executive and Artistic Director. Ella co-founded and directed Tether Dance Company —the university’s first and only student-led Modern dance organization focused on original choreographic work. Since graduating in May 2024, Ella has continued dancing and teaching throughout the Bay Area, performing works in venues such as Portals and SafeHouse Arts, and contributing to the production team at Aurora Theatre. She is also COO of Tether Dance Project, a new nonprofit dance company dedicated to creating platforms for emerging artists with bi-annual performances in San Francisco. Ella is excited to continue sharing her love for dance and education, and is thrilled to be part of the PAAM family!

Moriah McCloskey

Moriah currently lives in Walnut Creek, California which is also where she grew up. Moriah recently graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Marketing and Television, Film, and New Media. She has always had a love for entertainment and even participated in musicals and ballet as a child. She also grew up playing basketball and swimming. In her free time, Moriah enjoys paddleboarding, swimming, and working out. One of Moriah's favorite things to do is watch movies.

Lauren Ortega

Lauren is a Bay Area native who started dancing at 5 years old. She grew up dancing tap and jazz in a studio and performed with her high school dance production team as a teen. After high school she moved to Los Angeles where she studied fashion design and worked on costuming for American Film Institute student projects. Her love for costuming also brought her to create Halloween and Cosplay costumes for clients. She also has 15+ years of customer service and administrative experience and enjoys connecting with people to make sure they have a welcoming and positive experience in any space. Lauren is now living back in the Bay Area and is very excited to be part of the PAAM team! She has always maintained her passion for dance and is looking forward to creating a safe, inclusive, and fun space for students to learn and grow in the arts. Aside from dancing, she enjoys reading, watching movies, cooking and baking, and foraging for local plants.

KT Tesch

Ms. KT began her dance journey with ballet at 7 and went on to expand her performance repertoire over the years to include jazz, modern dance, fire dancing, and musical theatre. After graduating with a BFA in dance from UW-Milwaukee she moved west to the Bay Area in 2006 where she performed with a wide variety of companies and created her own works for modern dance concerts, vaudeville, and fire performances. Later in her career her passion turned to teaching. She specializes in young children and with over 20 years of experience instructs everything from ballet to parkour. She is dedicated to laying foundations for the next generation of dancers and movers to be confident and compassionate on and off stage. Ms. KT originally began teaching with PAAM in 2015 and, after a two year break to care for her parents, she is excited to be back, continuing to hold high standards for building smart minds and strong hearts.

Guest Faculty.

Doug Baum

Doug Baum began his dance training in Maryland at Mid-Atlantic Center for the Performing Arts before graduating from the Baltimore School for the Arts in 2006. In 2010, Doug received his B.F.A. from Fordham University in collaboration with The Ailey School, where he apprenticed with Ailey II. Since graduating, he has performed with Rock the Ballet, Compagnie Flak, Les Ballets Jazz and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Doug has completed three seasons with Zhukov Dance Theater in addition to guesting with Peridance, Ezdanza, Thang Dao, and Company XIV. Most recently Doug finished his last tour with LA Dance Project under the direction of Benjamin Millepied & is now an adjunct instructor at USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Doug has also taught for numerous dance institutions including Chapman University, The Joffrey Ballet School, The Baltimore School for the Arts, Jacob’s Pillow, Mather Dance Company, & Performing Arts Academy of Marin.

Ricky Maalouf

Ricky Maalouf started dancing at a late age while at Arizona State University. While starting out dancing at ASU and with various NBA and WNBA teams in Arizona, he also danced with recording artist Yasmeen, who opened for Omarion. He danced for the professional dance company Automatic Response who were featured on Americas Best Dance Crew, opening for My Chemical Romance and Fergie while they also did shows with the Jabbawockeez. However, he quickly developed a true passion for teaching. His teaching has helped with several of his students having danced with artists such as Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Missy Elliot, Billie Eilish, Tate Mcrae and more. In addition, they have been showcased on shows including So You Think You Can Dance, World Of Dance, Dancing with the Stars, Dancing with the Stars Junior, Ellen, Dance Moms, Disney’s Shake It Up, Americas Got Talent and also on Broadway, the Rockettes and in the Super Bowl. His choreography has been seen on the Cheer live tour as well having worked with NBA and NFL in addition to several fantastic dance companies, conventions, organizations and Universities. Having worked with countless fantastic choreographers, teachers and students, his work has also resulted in winning Best Hip Hop studio on several occasions amongst other national accolades. Currently on faculty with JUMP dance convention, Ricky spends most of his time trying to inspire and educate at studios around the country and believes in a high-energy class in which the students work hard while enjoying the process and looks forward to jumping around in class at every opportunity.

Lisa Donmall-Reeve

Lisa was born in the UK, lived in London, New York and now in Los Angeles. She trained at The London Studio Centre, The Conservatoire de Paris (with Matt Mattox) and Martha Graham, NYC. West End credits: Velma Kelly in Chicago, 1st u/s Ulla in The Producers (original co) Sweet Charity, Crazy For You (u/s Polly) My Fair Lady (original co) Once in a Lifetime (National Theatre). NYC/ International touring and regional; A Chorus Line, The Opera Show, The Rat Pack, 42nd St, Anything Goes, Crazy for You, Cats, Mary Poppins, Sweet Charity, Pride and Prejudice. Numerous choreography and assistant chore/dir credits including Matilda, 42nd Street, Crazy For You, Cats and Peter Pan. Lisa was a faculty member at the Joffrey Ballet School NY/Miami/LA for 8 years, she has also taught jazz dance at UCI, Dmitri Kulev Ballet School in Irvine and has choreographed and taught at The Marlboro School in Los Angeles. In London at Millennium Performing Arts, London Studio Center, Mountview, AMTA (Now ICMT) and The Urdang Academy. Lisa launched LDR Creative LLC in 2016 with the objective to build creative teams that inspire, and to produce product that makes a difference. Her first short film, ‘Early Mourning’, was screened at over 20 film festivals, winning 5 awards including the Audience Award at the Soho International Film Festival 2017 in NYC. The follow-up short film, ‘Free’ is distributed on both Shorts TV and Amazon Prime, and ‘Double Exposure’ has had a very successful run on the film festival circuit. Lisa’s first feature length documentary, Uprooted - The Journey of Jazz Dance; enjoyed a world premiere at the Lincoln Centers Dance on Camera Film Festival in NYC, winning the Best of Fest Feature Award in 2020 and then continued to take the festival circuit by storm winning eighteen further awards including Best Musical Documentary at The Rhode Island International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Documentary during its International Premiere at Raindance Film Festival. Uprooted is currently streaming on HBOMax in the US. LDR Creative has her second feature documentary ‘Susan Feniger. FORKED on the film festival circuit, two short films also enjoying their festival journey and two narrative features in pre-production.
For more information www.ldrcreative.com IMDB

Alex Blitstein

Born a fourth generation San Franciscan, raised in Walnut Creek, Alex Blitstein's dance career began following a decade of competitive gymnastics training. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance and Science from San Diego State University. Just two years after graduating he was invited back to receive the prestigious “SDSU Alumni to Watch Award” for his growing record of professional accomplishments and promise for future contribution in the arts. His passion for dance education paired with a strong technical background has granted him wonderful opportunities to spread his knowledge, love of dance, and choreography around the world.

Alex's credits include: Jennifer Lopez, Glee, American Idol’s Jessica Sanchez, Disney Channel, FOX networks "Mobbed", America's Got Talent and dancing in national commercials and industrials for FIAT, Esteé Lauder, Adidas, Genetech, Flash Mob America, and more. Alex has been a faculty member for some of the largest dance conventions in the world that reach 300,000+ dancers annually (24Seven, Jump, Nuvo, Hollywood Connection and Titans of Dance). He is also currently the Executive Director of Marketing for Showbiz National Dance Competition, which is celebrating its 30th season! As an educator and award-winning choreographer, Alex has traveled the world teaching at universities, competitive studios, and with professional companies. Most recently, Alex was in Europe where he was the assistant choreographer for the new production of Robinson Club's entertainment sector. Prior to that he was contracted by Japan’s top talent agency, Johnny’s and Associates, where he was working with Japan’s most well-known boy bands and solo artists. Alex has also worked at the World Arena Olympic Training Center, teaching off ice movement development and private lessons for members of the US Figure Skating Team.

Giving back plays a huge role in Alex’s life as both an educator and a performer. He is a board member of “The Meraki Project”, a Colorado based dance event that brings together hundreds of dancers to partake in a weekend of dance intensive classes, scholarship auditions and a showcase. All of the proceeds are donated to various charities. One of the highlights of Alex’s career was being invited to perform, guest teach and choreograph the opening number for a TRUTH 365 event in Houston Texas. The Truth 365 is the Emmy Award-Winning grass-roots documentary film and social media campaign that gives a voice to all children fighting all forms of cancer.

Alex feels very strongly about higher education and seeing his students continue their love of dance beyond high school. Whether it be as a dance major/minor, being on a collegiate dance team, pursuing a commercial career or just taking class for fun. He had the privilege and pleasure of teaching at the American College Dance Festival for two years in a row and has been a guest artist and choreographer at Yale University, UCLA, Western Michigan University, Loyola Marymount University, Santa Rosa Junior College, Jacksonville University, University of Illinois, University of Missouri and University of Colorado Boulder. Alex has also instructed classes at the esteemed Broadway Dance Center in NYC, as well as the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles.

Logan Prince

Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Logan has immersed herself inside the dance studio 6-7 days a week since she was 7 years old. Throughout her younger days, Logan competed and performed with multiple conventions and has been assisting lead choreographers from JUMP, Nuvo, Tremaine and NYCDA. She graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Biological Sciences and danced on the ASU Spirit Squad as well as toured with various dance conventions, was named Cheerleader Of The Year with Sports Illustrated in 2010 and 2011, and placed 5th at the UDA/ UCA National Dance Competition for the first time in college history. In 2014, Logan became a New York Radio City Rockette where she performed in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular for five years. Logan has performed for Michael Bublé, Ariana Grande, The Today Show, The Wendy Williams Show, Live with Kelly and Michael, The Chew, Rockefeller Tree Lighting, and “kicked” numerous years in the legendary Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Logan now lives in Carlsbad, California with her husband, and two little daughters Goldie and Poppy. Logan currently continues to share her love for dance and fitness through teaching, choreographing and instructing Barre at Studio Barre in the Southern California area.

Doug Baum

Ricky Maalouf

Lisa Donmall-Reeve

Alex Blitstein

Logan Prince

Francisco Gella

Born and raised in Bacolod City, Philippines before moving to the United States with his
family at age eleven, Francisco Gella’s life and career path has been shaped by his
immigrant experience. His distinguished thirty-year career as a compelling dancer,
award-winning choreographer, and widely recognized dance educator, began when he
took his first formal dance class during his freshman year at the age of nineteen. His
innovative choreography and highly effective teaching methods are sought after by
professional companies, universities, arts high schools, ballet conservatories, and
studios across North America and around the globe.
A 1996 graduate with a BA in dance from the University of Washington, Francisco is a
past company member with the Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO);
Repertory Dance Theater; and Ballet Pacifica. He has been a guest performer with
Spectrum Dance Theater; Chamber Dance Company; Seattle Opera; Pennsylvania
Ballet; California Ballet; Laguna Dance Festival; and National Choreographers Initiative.
In 1998, Francisco performed as a principal soloist at the Closing Ceremonies in the
1998 Nagano Winter Olympics in Japan and was featured in a PBS Dance in America
Special in Daniel Ezralow’s holiday satirical work entitled the X-mas Philes. 
Throughout his twelve-year professional performance career, Francisco was privileged
to dance in the works of world-renowned choreographers including William Forsythe,
Dwight Rhoden, Milton Myers, Talley Beatty, Anthony Tudor, Alwin Nikolais, Gene Hill
Sagan, David Parsons, Ronald K. Brown, Bebe Miller, Jawole Zollar, George Faison,
Murray Louis, Zvi Gotheiner, Lucinda Childs, Shapiro & Smith, Bill Evans, Laura Dean,
Daniel Ezralow, Barak Marshall, Sophie Maslow, Viola Farber, Ford Evans, Susan
McClain, Elisa Monte, Stephen Mills, Sarah Slipper, Ann Marie D’Angelo, Shaun
Hounsell, Choo San Goh, Luca Vegetti, and Christopher D’Amboise.
Francisco’s choreographic commissions include Ballet Idaho, PHILADANCO, Ohio
Contemporary Ballet, Repertory Dance Theatre, Ballet Pacifica, California Ballet, Ballet
West Trainee Company, Pennsylvania Ballet’s Shut-Up and Dance Production,
PHILADANCO’s Danco on Danco program, Laguna Dance Festival, art´Emotion
Choreographic Workshop, Palm Springs International Dance Festival, Palm Desert
Choreography Festival, Tucson Regional Ballet, Harvard Ballet Company, University of
Utah Ballet Ensemble, Brigham Young University Contemporary Ensemble, Utah Valley
University Synergy Dance Company, University of Washington Faculty Concert, Irvine
Valley College, Ballet East, DANCO/II, South Bay Ballet (now Ballet California), Los
Angeles County High School for the Arts, Booker T. Washington High School for the
Performing & Visual Arts, Orange County School for the Arts, Windward School, and
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.
Among the recognition he has received includes numerous choreography awards at the
Youth America Grand Prix International Ballet Competition including Outstanding
Choreographer, and the Outstanding Choreography Award at the National Regional
Dance America Conference in 2007. In 2013, Francisco premiered ‘Concentric
Harmonies’ at Celebrate Dance in Los Angeles, a work that went on to receive the

Grand Prize at the McCallum Theatre Choreography Festival in 2014. In 2014 and 2015,
his work ‘Solstice’, performed by the Phoenix Ballet had its world premier at the 60th
Anniversary Gala of the Beijing Dance Academy and its European premiere at Poland’s
prestigious Lodz International Ballet Festival. In May 2016, his work ‘Souvenirs de
Mouvement’ was selected as a featured performance at the nationally recognized
Booker T. Washington High School of the Performing & Visual Arts’ annual ‘Flying Horse
Gala’. In 2018, Francisco's work 'Timelapse', performed by the Douglas Anderson
School of the Arts, was selected for the gala performance at the National High School
Dance Festival.
Francisco’s commission ‘Between the Lines’, set on PHILADANCO (The Philadelphia
Dance Company) and which premiered at the Philadelphia International Festival of the
Arts and at the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in 2015, was selected by
PHILADANCO’S Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown as the company’s sole performance
at the opening to the Democratic National Convention in 2016. In the spring of 2019,
Francisco was invited to be the resident artist at the Palm Springs International Dance
Festival where his new work ‘Particles’ had its world premiere. In the spring of 2020,
Francisco was invited back to the festival in Palm Springs to premiere another original
work. Prior to its live premiere, Francisco’s ‘Particles’ was produced as a dance on film
and in 2018, was selected for inclusion in the San Francisco Dance Film Festival and the
LA Dance Shorts Film Festival.
In addition to a successful performance and choreographic career, Francisco is a
renowned educator, artistic director, and arts entrepreneur. He is the founding co-artistic
director of Zeitgeist Dance Theatre launched in January of 2020. He is also the founding
artistic director of NUEVO School of Contemporary Dance and COLABO Youth Dance
Collective (2008-2015). As Chief Creative Officer of Francisco Gella Dance Works, he
has created numerous influential educational programs; Ballet+ (beyond technique)
workshops, the Preprofessional Dancer Institute, New Year’s Training Camp, Seattle
Dance Advance, the New Century Dance Project (a festival for choreography and
performance) and the College Dance and Career Prep program. Additionally, Francisco
is the lead ballet and modern faculty member, and adjudicator for the 24 Seven Dance
Convention.
Francisco resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.