Dance Studio | Tampa and Brandon

Our Faculty

Our specially trained teachers will nurture your child's confidence and encourage their progress. Skilled, highly credentialed, and genuinely kind, they're experienced educators and specialists in their dance genre. They are the foundation of our reputation for high-quality dance training.

Ms. Teresa Oscher Ms. Teresa is the Owner/Director of the Brandon and Bay-Area School of Dance Arts. Teresa is a graduate of the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance Performance. Shortly after graduation, Teresa served as an Adjunct Professor of Dance at USF. She is a former Miss Tampa and the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award from the College of the Arts. Ms. Teresa has been a judge for several national dance competitions and pageants.	Ms. Tiffany Oscher-Burnette Ms. Tiffany is the Co-Owner of the Brandon and Bay-Area School of Dance Arts. She joined our faculty in 2008 and is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Advertising and a minor in Dance and Business. Tiffany was named "Top Choreographer" for Star Dance Alliance in 2019 and was named one of the top five teachers in 2021. Tiffany was also awarded "Best Choreographer" in the 2018 Best of the Bay.	Ms. Nicole Boggs Ms. Nicole Boggs is the Business Manager of the Brandon and Bay-Area School of Dance Arts. After dancing at BSDA for 16 years, she went on to graduate from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Nicole spent three years working at a large law firm in Alabama, but is delighted to return back to her home at BSDA to manage the family business.
Ms. Mandy Arroyo Ms. Mandy began her career in the Tampa Bay Area and is a graduate of Blake High School. After graduation she attended USF where she obtained a degree in Secondary Education. She has won countless awards for choreography and has been recognized for her innovative works. Her dances continue to win awards and are selected for numerous awards at both the regional and national levels. Ms. Mandy is also an instructor at the magnet school for the arts in Hillsborough County.	Ms. Mandy Beamer Ms. Mandy has 24 years of teaching experience. She studied under such greats as Henry LeTang, Savion Glover, Jamie Salmon, and Gayle Tutterow. She has studied dance at USF and has received numerous awards of distinction for performance and choreography during her dance career.	Ms. Christy Scimeca Whitehead Ms. Christy Scimeca grew up dancing in Chicago and trained at many local studios and competed with Excel Dance Productions for 8 years. Ms. Christy went to the University of Iowa where she received a Bachelors of Arts in Dance, Bachelors of Science in Athletic Training where she taught and choreographed at the Nolte Academy of Dance for 8 years and was the Head Dance Team Coach of the Nationally ranked Iowa City West Dance team. Ms. Christy is a former NFL Cheerleader.
Ms. Eden Ellis Eden Ellis is a BSDA alumni who started her dance career at the age of 4. During her 14 years of dance, Eden was a member of our competition team Encore! where she was the winner of many titles, overall awards, and many scholarships. Eden was a member of the Tampa Modern Dance Company for the past year. Eden spent two summers in NYC at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Eden is currently attending HCC where she is majoring in Communications.	Ms. Esther Suarez-Moreno Ms. Esther is a former soloist with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet Puertorriqueno, and Maryland Ballet.Esther has taught all levels at fine schools in the U.S. like Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, Ballet Puertorriqueno Academy, Classical Ballet Center (Tampa), Ballet Hispanico (NYC), University of South Florida (adjunct), as well as her own studio, Esther Suarez-Moreno and Victor Moreno Academy of Dance (Tampa) which she operated for 15 years.	Ms. Jessica Seavor After 12 years performing and teaching in New York City, Jessica is thrilled to be back home in Tampa and grateful to be a part of the BSDA family. Favorite credits: On Your Feet!, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Guys and Dolls, Chicago, 9 to 5: The Musical, Hello Dolly!, Broadway Bares, America’s Got Talent and more. Jessica has had the honor to be the associate to Broadway star Julio Agustin. Jessica was a faculty member for Broadway Dance Center, teaching Musical Theater and Jazz.
Ms. Tara Lacatena Ms. Tara has been part of the BSDA family for over 14 years. She has over 27 years teaching experience as both an instructor and choreographer. She has studied under Ann Reinking, Charles Kelly, Madame Elvira Frank, Giselle Renee Ginefra, and many others. Her choreography has consistenly won top awards in both regional and nation competitions.	Ms. Marina Perez Ms. Marina has been a dancer for 18 years and a competitive dancer for 11. She was accepted into the Joffrey Ballet School and Alvin Ailey Modern programs and has received many awards and scholarships in dance. BSDA is excited to welcome Ms. Marina to our faculty.	Ms. Morgan Wohkittel Morgan grew up dancing in Binghamton, NY and is professionally trained in Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Ballet, Pom, and Acrobatics. Morgan was trained at The Next Jennaration Dance Company where she also began her teaching and coaching career. After moving to Tampa in 2016, she began dancing professionally and working towards a degree in Public Relations and Applied Dance.
Ms. Emily Kammer Emily grew up as a competitive dancer in the Midwest and went on to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She has worked as a professional dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor, both nationally and internationally for fifteen years. Emily is trained in Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical, Jazz, and Ballet. In addition, she is a certified stretch therapist specializing in proper techniques for recovery and injury prevention.	Ms. Alexis Wendland Ms. Alexis is a BSDA Alumni. During her 15 years at the studio she was on the competition team. She is affiliated with ABT Levels 4a and 3a. During her high school career she has performed at YAGP, The National High School Dance Festival and many events with Blake High School for the Performing Arts.	Ms. Jazzy Gribnitz Ms. Jasmine is a BSDA Alumni. She started her dance career at the age of 3. Jasmine has attended various conventions and competitions where she was the winner of many titles, overalls and scholarships. She has taken multiple classes with Rudy Abreu and was an assistant at WILD dance convention.
Ms. Victoria Rice Ms. Victoria is a BSDA Alumni. She started her dance career at the age of 6. Victoria has attended various conventions and competitions where she has received multiple awards and scholarships. She has taken classes with the Rockettes and has also attended workshop classes at the Broadway Dance Center.	Ms. Lexy Alvarez Ms. Lexy is a BSDA Alumni and started dancing at the age of 3. She competed for 12 years where she excelled in Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Ballet, and Hip Hop. During her time on the team she received many awards and overalls. Lexy has also attended and continues to attend conventions where she has received numerous awards and scholarships. She has taken multiple master classes from choreographers around the world and is currently assisting the Industry Dance Convention.	Ms. Jordan Raybon Jordan has been dancing for over 25 years. She received her classical training at Americas Ballet School. She has also trained extensively in Jazz and Contemporary dance, winning countless regional and national competitions. She began performing professionally with Florida Dance Theatre in 2013 where she has been chosen to perform many lead roles. Jordan has also been teaching and choreographing for the past 10 years winning many choreography awards and overalls for her works.
Ms. Jenny Paleveda Pena Ms. Jenny has been a part of the BSDA Family most of her life. She trained at BSDA from the age of 3 in all forms of dance and has been a faculty member since 2003. Ms. Jenny is a graduate of USF with a degree in Health Science with a minor in Dance. She is a former cheerleading coach and has earned numerous awards as a choreographer for BSDA performance teams.	Ms. Tammy White Ms. Tammy began studying dance at age 3 with Jackie Loto and began teaching young children at the age of 18. Tammy is a graduate of the University of South Florida with a BS in Computer Engineering. She has performed at Walt Disney World as part of the 4th of July Celebrations and has been performed at Super Bowl XXV as a half-time show dancer.	Ms. Monica Francis Ms. Monica is originally from New York but has been a teacher in the Tampa Bay area for over 10 years. She has been recognized for her choreography countless times and has created many award- winning pieces over the years. She worked at Busch Gardens as a dancer for 5 years and was a cheerleader for the Tampa Bay Lightning. She also choreographed her own show that toured the Florida State Fair and Casinos in New York.
Ms. Melissa Faith Dr. Faith (Ms. Melissa) is a clinical child and adolescent psychologist and also has over 20 years of dance teaching experience. She trained with many former ballet greats, including Russell Sultzbach, Catherine Alexandra, Eliza Harwood-Watson, and the staff of Atlanta Ballet. She grew up competing heavily in all styles of dance, however, her passion for ballet and her time spent as an Aspirant for Atlanta Ballet make ballet training her home base.	Ms. Maddie Kurtz Maddie Kurtz is originally from Westport, CT, and received her dance training at the D’valda and Sirico Dance and Music Centre. She holds a B.A. in Dance and Religious Studies from Colby College and an M.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography from SUNY Brockport. Maddie was on faculty at Ballet Arts Conservatory of Tallahassee and in the School of Dance at FSU, and she is currently an Adjunct Professor at UT. Maddie is thrilled to join the BSDA family!	Ms. Kendell Generelli Kendell Generelli is a Tampa native. Her dance training includes ballet, jazz, and modern. She was apart of the Brandon Ballet dance company directed by Alice Holden Bock for many years. Kendell holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida where she performed on the dance team at football and basketball games. She also was a former captain for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders. Kendell loves being apart of the BSDA family.
Ms. Mandi Barron Mandi trained in the Pittsburgh area for 14 years, and has taught dance and gymnastics since 2006. She is YPAD certified, DEA member, and certified to teach by test in tap, ballet, jazz, modern and acrobatics through DMA. She is a graduate of DMA’s Teacher Training School. Mandi also works as an Interior Architect for Gensler in Tampa.	Ms. Alana White Ms. Alana has been dancing since the age of 3, and throughout her dancing years she has been a part of performance and competitive teams around the Tampa Bay Area. Alana graduated from UF receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Minor in dance. During her time there she was President of Danza Dance Company. Alana has just completed her Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy from the USF’s College of Medicine and Alana is glad to be back with her dance family.	Mr. Sean Agustin Mr. Sean was born and raised in Collegeville, PA, where he attended a small dance studio growing up, where he performed in a variety of dance styles. He has attended various conventions and competitions, where he has received multiple awards and scholarships. Currently, Sean is a teacher, choreographer, and an active member (first and only Male) of the University of South Florida SunDolls Dance Team.
Mr. Jarvis Mardis Mr. Jarvis is a graduate of Howard W. Blake High School For the Performing and Visual Arts and trained at Florida State University. His dance career includes working for Busch Gardens, Universal Studios, Royal Caribbean Cruise line International, choreographing and teaching for award winning dance studios, Nexstar National Talent Competition, and guest teaching for magnet schools around Hillsborough County.	Mr. Jessie Castillo Mr. Jessie is originally from South Florida and trained as a competitive cheerleader and dancer. He attended Florida Atlantic University, where he was a Division 1A athlete on both cheer and dance teams for four years. Relocating to the Tampa area, to accept a position as a NFL Cheerleader and train the next generation of dancers. He has over 10 years of experience working with athletes across the country. Styles and levels ranging across cheerleading, dance and gymnastics.	Ms. Erin Yonke Ms. Erin has 30 years of combined experience between Partner Acrobatics, Gymnastics and Cheer. In 2017 she co-founded The Movement Sanctuary where she trained with some of the top professionals in the industry. Erin holds two National Championship titles. She began teaching at dance studios in 2020, taking her tumbling background into the world of dance.
Ms. Karena and Mr. Danilo Karena and Danilo Forte are the co-owners of the Real Ballroom in South Tampa. They are a husband and wife team with over 40 years combined dancing and teaching experience. (14 of those years in Tampa.) They know both the competitive achievement and the social enjoyment of ballroom and latin dancing. Karena fell in love with ballroom dancing in high school as part of a foreign exchange program. Danilo took his first ballroom lesson at the age of 8 and has been dancing ever since.	Ms. Montana Hennessy Montanna is from Iowa and has been a gymnast for 13 years of her life! My best asset in class is being able to demonstrate along with tumbling and pushing the kids to the best of their ability!	Ms. Shannon Penu Ms. Shannon has a passion for dance that she loves to share with those around her. She studied dance from a very young age and danced in high school and was captain for two years. After graduating she went on to dance at Busch Gardens and loved every minute. Ms. Shannon is also certification to teach ballroom through Fred Astaire. Ms. Shannon loves sharing her knowledge with young students and loves watching them grow!

Our Faculty

Ms. Teresa Oscher

Ms. Tiffany Oscher-Burnette

Ms. Nicole Boggs

Ms. Mandy Arroyo

Ms. Mandy Beamer

Ms. Mandy has 24 years of teaching experience. She studied under such greats as Henry LeTang, Savion Glover, Jamie Salmon, and Gayle Tutterow. She has studied dance at USF and has received numerous awards of distinction for performance and choreography during her dance career.

Ms. Christy Scimeca Whitehead

Ms. Eden Ellis

Ms. Esther Suarez-Moreno

Ms. Jessica Seavor

Ms. Tara Lacatena

Ms. Marina Perez

Ms. Marina has been a dancer for 18 years and a competitive dancer for 11. She was accepted into the Joffrey Ballet School and Alvin Ailey Modern programs and has received many awards and scholarships in dance. BSDA is excited to welcome Ms. Marina to our faculty.

Ms. Morgan Wohkittel

Ms. Emily Kammer

Ms. Alexis Wendland

Ms. Jazzy Gribnitz

Ms. Jasmine is a BSDA Alumni. She started her dance career at the age of 3. Jasmine has attended various conventions and competitions where she was the winner of many titles, overalls and scholarships. She has taken multiple classes with Rudy Abreu and was an assistant at WILD dance convention.

Ms. Victoria Rice

Ms. Lexy Alvarez

Ms. Jordan Raybon

Ms. Jenny Paleveda Pena

Ms. Tammy White

Ms. Monica Francis

Ms. Melissa Faith

Ms. Maddie Kurtz

Ms. Kendell Generelli

Ms. Mandi Barron

Ms. Alana White

Mr. Sean Agustin

Mr. Jarvis Mardis

Mr. Jessie Castillo

Ms. Erin Yonke

Ms. Karena and Mr. Danilo

Ms. Montana Hennessy

Montanna is from Iowa and has been a gymnast for 13 years of her life! My best asset in class is being able to demonstrate along with tumbling and pushing the kids to the best of their ability!

Ms. Shannon Penu