Amanda

Amanda started dancing at the age of three and trained in many different styles since. She went to the University of Texas in Austin to earn a Biology degree. While she was there, she joined the rowing team. After college, she taught High School Biology while being the Cheerleading Coach for 6 years after college. She started taking classes from Ty (the CEO of Body Drop) in 2011 and signed up for the first certification class. She loves how dancing is both a work out and a stress relief! “No matter how hard my day was, I always have a smile on my face by the end of class!”

Anne

Anne began dancing at 4 years old in Fort Worth, Texas under the direction of Dian Clough West. She couldn't see it then, but over the next 20 years that studio would become a second home. It was a place that, no matter where she went in her life, she could always come back to and feel challenged, inspired, and welcomed. While her foundational training is primarily in jazz and ballet, she soon discovered a love for modern and contemporary movement and the way it allows the dancer to express a vast array of stories and emotions.  During high school, Anne also studied in New York with New York City Dance Alliance and The Ailey School.

After high school, Anne moved to Austin to pursue her Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting. Upon graduating, she dove head first back into her dance training, taking as many classes as she could to develop her technique. She began to fall in love with dance all over again. She also began choreographing on her own and discovered that she is equally as passionate about creating movement as she is learning movement.

Forever a student, Anne believes you should never stop taking class as there are always new ways to learn and be inspired in this art form. Anne is so grateful to have dance in her life and to be able to share it at Dance Austin Studio. She aims to create the same welcoming, challenging, and encouraging environment in her class that she has been lucky to experience over the years.

Aura

Pole has empowered Aura’s life with creativity, strength, fluidity, and artistry pole requires. One of the most fulfilling parts of teaching pole is tapping into those qualities in others that are equally drawn to this craft. She has been teaching pole for 6 years and through her journey as an instructor she has advanced her knowledge on the proper physical training of pole.

Living a full life of dance Aura has been trained in varied styles of dance and aerials including Latin Dance, Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip-Hop,

Heels, Pole, Trapeze, Silks, and Lyra. Every style she has trained has influenced her movement by incorporating the fundamentals of technique as well as allowing her creativity and individuality to not be compromised.

She has been showcased in the pole community for 9 years winning competitions, awards, earning a spot on the TV Series From Dusk Till Dawn as the featured pole dancer, being a voice for the pole community in the documentary Going Vertical on Amazon, and performing with various production companies through her pole career.

Bian

Bian started dancing 18 years ago when her parents enrolled her in a Hip-Hop and Jazz dance program in her elementary school. Since she started dancing, she has trained in Jazz, Hip-Hop, Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, and Musical Theatre. In her high school years, she co-founded her high school's after school dance team. She was also awarded the UDA's All American Dancer award in 2012. In college, Bian danced and choreographed in Foothill College's dance company in California. When she transferred to CSU Long Beach, she trained in the school's dance minor program. Throughout her college years, she taught at My Gym Children's Fitness Center where she taught fitness and gymnastics to younger children. Before moving to Austin, she was a substitute teacher at Melodic Remedy Dance Studio in California.

Bian is extremely excited to be joining Dance Austin Studio as a new teacher! She has a passion for teaching dance and loves working with students, especially children!

Brooke

Brooke Mountain is an Austin local that has been classically training since the age of two. Her full-out energy fills a space and her smile is contagious putting any dancer to ease. Her mission is to inspire all her students to dance confidently and full-out with proper technique and a dancer's education. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance at Chapman University in Orange County, California, and double majored with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. She moved back to Austin to invest in the community that nurtured her.

Brooke is trained in jazz, hip hop, contemporary, ballet, tap, salsa, musical theater, and pointe and is continuously expanding her skill set to be the best teacher she can be. She has graced stages including but not limited to The Ellen Degeneres Show, World of Dance, House of Torment, and the Moody Theater. Brooke is thrilled to dance with you! Whether you have never taken a dance class before or are a seasoned dancer that wants to be pushed, you will grow by taking Brooke Mountain's class.

Dimitrius

"I've always wanted to perform." Dimitrius knew from an early age that he belonged on stage. He began to take a more serious approach once he got to high school, taking vocal and dance lessons at 16. He is trained in Ballet, Jazz, & Hip Hop dancing and classically trained in voice. He coached a competitive dance team in Rio Rancho, NM called the Desert Dancers who won multiple first and second place awards. When he moved to Austin, TX in 2009, he decided to pursue his dreams of being a recording artist, which meant making dance training one of his priorities. He first came to Dance Austin Studio after watching the very first Dance To Breathe performance benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

After that performance, he dove head first into the community, taking Jazz Funk and Hip Hop classes anywhere he could, setting the foundation for his goals. Dimitrius is very vocal about his upbringing, having moved out of his home and being on his own from a very young age. It's because of this that he wants to inspire others through teaching. "In my head, I've already made it as an artist, because I'm happy. I want others to find the light in themselves that I found in me."

Dimitrius has been privileged to work with many great choreographers and perform on many stages since moving to Austin. His favorite work is to do music videos. Most recently he worked on a project for Montreal artist Mobel for "We Throw No Party" and the Bomb Squad's concept video "Enter The Building."

Ivana

Ivana Castaneda was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. Currently, she is a fourth-year student pursuing a B.F.A in Dance and a Business minor at The University of Texas at Austin.

She moved to Dallas, Texas 8 years ago where she graduated from Booker T. Washington High school for the Performing and Visual Arts. She has studied the disciplines of salsa, flamenco, modern, ballet, African dance, jazz, hip hop, Ballroom, and others. She trained and competed professionally in salsa, dancing as a soloist and in a group with Calirumba Salsa Dance Academy.

She taught salsa, bachata at Calirumba for three years. She was an instructor at Flamingo Rhythmic Gymnastics Club for two years. And currently, she is an instructor and a choreographer at Connections Dance company where she teaches ballet, hip hop, acro, Latin Fusion and jazz.

Jared

Jared Hale began dancing at the age of 15 after being inspired by groups like JabbaWockeeZ and Kaba Modern on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, and their unique styles centered around popping, isolations, tutting, and their emphasis on musicality

Jared started working on molding his own unique form of freestyle-based Hip Hop while taking classes in Austin, TX. After years of cultivating, technique, Jared made the transition from student to teacher. Jared has trained under world-renowned choreographers that create for superstars like Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, and Bruno Mars.

Josh

Josh is a Georgia native who has been dancing since he was 8 years old. Josh had his first professional dance job dancing with the Atlanta Hawks Junior Dance Team as back for Mariah Carey at the NBA All Star Game Halftime Show. He also has had the privilege of dancing with Justin Timberlake, LL Cool J, B2K, and Usher.

Josh attended the Cobb County Center for Excellence in Performing Arts at Pebblebrook High School as a dance major. During his time at Pebblebrook he was a member of the elite musical touring ComPAny and also a part of “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, “Damn Yankees”, and “High School Musical”. He also began is choreography career there doing numerous college audition solos and pageants and was honored for his work at the National High School Dance Festival in Philadelphia in 2008.

Josh attended the University of Florida as a part of the Bachelors of Fine Arts program in dance where he had the honor of performing the works of Jose Limon, Shapiro and Smith, David Dorfman, Michael Foley, Ohad Naharin and the Bat Sheva Dance Company, Ann Liv Young, and many more.

Josh has also spent time working for the Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston, ME as counselor for the Young Dancer’s Workshop. Josh also lived abroad in Israel in 2010 where he performed his work in Tel- Aviv and Jerusalem. Josh has also written and directed his own show that has performed at the American College Dance Festival and the Florida Player’s New Works Festival.

Josh has won various choreography awards has had the honor of coach/ choreographing for Miss Cobb County, Miss Cherokee County, Miss Rome, Miss Lake City (FL), and Miss Tampa! Josh is currently a judge for Believe National Talent Competition and brand new to the Austin area.

Kim

Kim hails from New Jersey but came to Austin as soon as she could! She has studied at Broadway Dance Center for the last eight years training in jazz, hip hop, and jazz funk. She has been dancing for over ten years and has been a part of a number of dance troupes such as The Project, Diversity, and more. Kim has performed with talent such as RJD2, Vallejo, and local acts Kelly Kline and Christian Dior St. James. She was also a performer on Premios Texas Awards show in 2009 and in the video "Sexy Girls Love the Bass" for artist Kevin Jack. She is also a kindergarten and first grade teacher who shows her poi skills to her kids and has a dance party every morning in class!

Korie

Korie Thompson is a Dallas, TX native who calls Austin her home. She studied dance at her mother’s Dance Studio, Carter Dance Academy in Dallas, TX and began assistant teaching classes such as Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and kick & drill at the age of 15. She attended Kilgore College on a dance scholarship and was a member of the 64th line of the Kilgore College Rangerettes. She later made the Elite Swingster Team within the Rangerettes her freshman year. Korie minored in Dance at Kilgore College, and went on to continue her education at Texas State University.

Korie is a current member of the “Bomb Squad” professional dance company. Some of her live notable performances include Disney Haunted Mansion, The Austin LGBT Pride Festival, Dance to Breathe Choreographers Ball (2014-2017), and SXSW Festival.

Her film/TV performances include: commercial for DSW, Inc., MTV Live Music Awards, ABC’s TV show, “American Crime”, and Movie, “Pictures at an Exhibition”

Korie is a faculty member at Dance Austin Studio, a member of the Texas Dance Education Association (TDEA) and Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (TAPHERD)

Three things that fuel her motivation and passion for dance:

Relationships, learning, and "the process." She believes every step along the path, every stage of life, every small action forward should be savored and celebrated.

Kristen

Born and raised in San Antonio, Kristen began dancing at the age of three. She has trained in ballet, jazz, hip hop, folklorico, flamenco, jazz funk, modern and drill team styles.

Kristen began dancing professionally in the fourth grade when she was selected as a member of the San Antonio Spurs Jr.Jammers dance team. In high school Kristen was a member of her dance team and served as officer for two years, captain her last. She then went on to Texas State University where she was a four year member of the Texas State Strutters. While on Strutters, Kristen was selected to be in the jazz elite and Pom squad specialty groups. With Strutters she performed in Chicago, Washington D.C, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and on the Liberty of the Seas cruise ship! While at Texas State she peruses a dual degree in Dance and Mass Communication. After graduation, Kristen joined the ShowMakers of America staff and has been teaching camps and working competitions throughout the state! She also choreographs contest routines for middle and high school teams all over.

Lauren

Lauren Brooks is a born and raised Austinite who found a passion for dance seven years ago, after attending her first dance fitness class with Monica Landois. Lauren currently teaches Cardio Dance formats that have a fun, high-intensity playlist. Her classes are toning for the body and bring the cardio impact! Lauren enjoys Electronic Dance, Dancehall, and Hip Hop music - her class typically brings an island heat feel! When she is not dancing, she enjoys working as a recruiter full-time, listening to her favorite DJ Diplo, and doing glamour makeup application.

Matt

Matthew Kennedy began classical training in ballet at the age of 14 but swiftly grew attached to Hip Hop by the end of high school. He’s inspired by the work of many renowned hip hop styles throughout generations, including locking, dancehall, jazz funk, house dance, and many others. His essential goal as a teacher and choreographer is to bring together moves and routines in all these different styles and add a groove that will unlock the dancers ability to move to the music truthfully.

He’s trained at Ballet Austin and ZACH Pre-Professional Company and has worked as a performer and dancer at Zilker Hillside Theater, Summer Stock Austin, and ZACH Theatre where he got to perform alongside LA, Broadway, and Tony nominated performers.

Ray

Ray Moore is from the DMV area where he started dancing at 18 years old. He started out self taught in his room before dancing with various studios. He used to watch different choreographers like Parris Goebel, Kyle Hanagami, Bobby Newberry and many more for inspiration. He loved their ability to perform, put on a show and how different each one moved their bodies.

Since then he has been a part of five companies, Culture Shock DC, L.E.D and EPEK, just to name a few. Ray has trained under many professional dancers such as Laura Edwards, Fresh Redding, Gary Beauford and many more. He relocated to Austin in 2019, hoping to bring his fluid and sensual style, movement, and knowledge to the Austin community. Even though he’s laid back, he wants everyone to push their absolute hardest, achieve their dance goals, and most importantly have fun! He loves to laugh and always has a smile on his face.

In the near future, he would love to perform on tour and collaborate in various music videos with different artists and musicians. His passion is simply to entertain! Calling himself a "jack of all trades," he loves to dance but also wants to get into acting, modeling, and many other things in this industry! He loves to continue growing as a dancer and human being, too. He knows he has so much to learn and is willing to work hard to get to where he needs to be.

If Ray's not in the studio then you can find him by the pool with a mimosa! When in doubt twerk it out and have fun!

Julian

Julian Crenshaw also known as The Reverb, has been dancing for over 22 years and teaching for over 9 years. He studied dance and instruction in Anchorage, Alaska and has been traveling around the country teaching workshops, performing and battling at World of Dance events, and learning from famous dancers from all around the world. He has won first place in the Supply the Skills freestyle battles in Anchorage, Alaska and 2 Platinum awards at the Dance like No One's Watching competition. He uses his gift not only to teach movement but to also minister the gospel through dance with instruction on how to use dance as an outlet for any type of emotion and to express by freestyling movements learned.

He made his way to Austin Texas in 2017 to teach, perform and battle. He also met his wife, who is also a dancer, in Austin. Together they have both encouraged each other in dancing and broke down barriers holding them back.

In September of 2018 they started teaching at IDEA Public Schools where they implemented a scholarship program that gave students the opportunity to push beyond their limits in dance and life. To him, dance brings people together even in a divided world.

Sam

Sam is a young student, performer and K.Pop fanatic from Austin, TX. She has been dancing and training with Dance Austin Studio for years. Although she has taken every class, some of her favorite classes include Lyrical, Street Jazz, and Hip Hop. She has been studying and learning about K.Pop music and entertainment for 2.5 years and notes it to "be one of the best decisions she has ever made." She has experience in musical theatre for 5 years and has worked with Kid's Acting Studio as a co-choreographer on shows that include 'The Little Mermaid' and 'Mary Poppins'.

When she is not taking a class at Dance Austin, she is taking college courses full time at ACC to work towards a career in music and entertainment. She is looking forward to bringing this unique and upbeat dance style to Dance Austin!

Shane

Shane began his training in classical ballet at a local studio in Arkansas. While in association with the studio, he became a member of Regional Dance America. Through RDA he was granted scholarships to train with Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Ballet West, and American Ballet Theatre. After graduating high school, he went on to dance with Midland Festival Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Boulder Ballet, and Ballet Austin. With a newfound love of instructing and choreographing, he is excited to explore all of the limitless options Austin has to offer.

Talisa

Meet our Hip Hop (Beg/Int) and Hip Hop & Flow (Int) instructor, Talisa Davis!

Talisa is a professional dancer, instructor and choreographer from NY and teaches several classes at our studio! She is guided by love, compassion and drive and can be found eating delicious ATX vegan food, pursuing photography and dancing, of course!

She began training in several styles at a young age and graduated with a B.A. in Dance. By 20, she was a rehearsal director and selected choreographer for regional dance conferences. She has since been blessed with opportunities as a dancer and choreographer including commercials (DSW, Sparksight, and SUAVS shoes), music videos for artists seen on The X Factor, Austin's LGBT Pride Festivals and parades, Dance to Breathe, a Disney Event, South by Southwest, SXSW Film Festival, MTV Live and Old Navy, dancer for DJ Honeycomb, Gap Inc. and more!

Talisa teaches with the goal of creating a safe space for self-expression in order to grow as dancers. You are free to be and there's no one like YOU...so let's dance!

Taylor

Taylor started dancing at the age of 13. She trained in Denver, Colorado in many different styles including ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, musical theatre, and hip hop. She became a professional NBA dancer for the Denver Nuggets in 2009 and went on to dance for other professional companies around Denver. Her resume also includes backup dancing for local artists in music videos and on tour. In 2011 she danced in the movie; A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas. Shortly after, Taylor moved to California where she performed on professional contemporary and hip hop companies. Since moving to Austin, Taylor has had the honor of becoming a member of the Bomb Squad Dance Company and is thrilled to be teaching at Dance Austin Studios. Besides dance, Taylor is also a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist and a mother to three wonderful children.

Tenika

Tenika has been dancing and performing for 26 years and teaching for 14 years. She was born and raised in Buffalo, New York where she grew up training in all different styles of dancing. Tenika has a computer science degree with a minor in Music and, of course, Dance. She has choreographed dances that received top scores in competitions such as Starpower, Hall of Fame, StarQuest, etc. Tenika has had training from well-known choreographers such as LaurieAnn Gibson, Shane Sparks, Darrren Henson, and Dave Scott. She is also certified as a Zumba instructor (her second love). Her love for dance shows through her smile and her movement. "Dance isn’t a hobby, it’s a way of life."

Vanessa

Vanessa is a Texas native. She graduated from Texas Tech University with a BFA in Acting and Directing and a Minor in Dance. Upon graduation, she headed to Los Angeles, CA where she became involved in the theatre and film community performing under accomplished directors including Deke Anderson, Armin Shimerman, and Layon Gray.

While living in LA, Vanessa was introduced to the beautiful art of belly dance. Studies in the art led to performing with Anisa’s Orientale Belledy Dance Troupe as well as Co Nouveau under the direction of Melanie Lane. She later spread her wings as a solo artist with performances in both LA and Austin.

Vanessa is a Certified Yoga Instructor (RYT-200) and combines her studies in the healing arts, meditation, dance, and yoga in creating a personalized approach to energize, empower, and uplift. Her classes incorporate a strong foundation of technique as well as encourage a sense of play and exploration of each individual’s unique expression through movement.