408-257-3211

About the Faculty

KA       Kendra Anderson

Kendra has instructed students ages 5 through 18 in Tap, Jazz, Tumbling, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Modern and Cultural Dance.  Currently, Kendra is the Director of Dance and Choreography at the Woodside Priory School in Portola Valley, where she has choreographed productions of A Christmas Carol, Bye Bye Birdie, A Mid Summer Night's Dream and numerous Dance Showcases. In addition to attaining a Bachelor's degree from Fordham University in New York and a Master's degree from University of Arts in Philadelphia, Kendra has trained with dance masters from Los Angeles to New York, including Savion Glover, Chloe Arnold, Jason Samuels Smith and Milton Myers.  Kendra has performed at the Miss California pageant, the opening of Toontown at Disneyland and numerous professional sporting events in the Bay Area.  She competed for the title of Miss California in 2000. Dance Academy USA is happy to offer Kendra's New York style to our Tap, Jazz and Hip Hop students.  Kendra strives for a fun, challenging, hip environment while expecting hard work from all of her students. 

JA        Joyce Aranda

With a teaching career that spans over 40 years, Joyce is one of the most respected Ballet instructors in Silicon Valley.  She trained at the Stone-Cameron School of Ballet in Chicago and went on to study with and teach for the legendary Gus Giordano.  After more than a decade of teaching in Illinois, Joyce moved to the Bay Area where she has taught for 30 years--including 20 years at Dance Academy USA! Joyce has also had an impressive professional career.  In Chicago, Joyce danced in the Stone-Camryn Ballet Company.  Once in the Bay Area, she performed with the Palo Alto Theater Company and the Picalilly Players, an improvisational comedy group.  She has choreographed for Chiller (now on youtube), Mitty High School and Yerba Buena High School. Joyce sees each child as an individual and teaches each one to reach his or her potential.  For decades, her students have credited Joyce with providing them with a strong technical foundation, a love of classical Ballet and the discipline necessary to succeed in the dance studio and beyond.

JB        Jessica Benesch

Jessica began her dance training and teaching in Southern California, where she participated in numerous competitions and led her students to pursue professions in dance, modeling, and acting.  After moving to the Bay Area, she continued teaching Tap, Jazz, Musical Theater and advanced competition teams.  Jessica currently teaches Production Company teams at DAU and feels strongly that as dance instructors, we need to consider our students’ learning styles, strengths, and challenges as we implement our curricula so that we can help our students get the most from the class.

DB       Denise Boucher

As a former Assistant/Artistic director for 15 years, Denise brings along over 20 years of dance teaching experience. Denise began her training at the age of 3 in many different subjects: Jazz,Tap, Ballet, and Tumbling to name a few. As a high school student she was a member of the award-winning high school dance team the  "Fremont Featherettes." She began student teaching and continued on for four years  to  coach  for  the Monta Vista High School Dance Team, including the year they took first place at the USA Cal State and Nationals championships. Denise  is currently a mother of three wonderful children, with whom she has found time to become involved in their many events as well. She has been a board member for the Sunnyvale Southern Little League, as well as volunteered at many Sunnyvale Pop Warner Events. She was  Named "Volunteer of the Year" at Cherry Chase Elementary. She has choreographed for many local Elementary and Jr High events and talent shows.  She has Performed at Disneyland and Many 49er half-time events. Denise also maintains a part-time Job as a Service Manager at Macy's. This year she has had the opportunity to work for "Starting Arts,"  a non-profit organization that provides Dance into many Elementary  and High schools. Denise attends many Conventions with her students in order to stay abreast in the dance world. Her passion and commitment to her students are the most rewarding  for her when she is able to watch them grow and blossom into artistic, talented dancers and express their love for what she loves to do.  Have fun, and "Dance From your Heart!"

JC       Jamie Carter

Jamie has been training at Dance Academy USA for 14 years and is currently taking 8 hours of dance each week.  She has taught the little ones at DAU for one year.  Jamie has been on DAU’s competition team for 10 years and has won many awards at Regional and National Competitions throughout the years.  She attends St. Francis High School where she is on the Varsity Field Hockey team, participates in Student Government, and is a “High-Honor Roll” student every year.  Jamie enjoys sharing her passion for dance with her young students.

JCh      Jan Chang

Jan Chang is a member of the Chinese Dancers Association. She started dance at age 6 in the Nanjing Xiao Honghua Troupe, a well-known children's art school in China. Afterwards she became a professional dancer and worked in many literature and art organizations in Nanjing and Beijing. She was trained in Classical Dance, Folk Dance and Ballet. She has extensive experience in teaching Chinese dance in China, Canada and the USA. 

TH        Tiffany Hartsfield

Tiffany Hartsfield has been dancing since the age of three with experience in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Character and Tap. It wasn’t until after attending the North Carolina School of the Arts under the tutelage of Melissa Hayden and Nina Danilova, she decided at 12 years old she would focus her energy on Ballet. Tiffany went on to study with the likes of Andrei Bossov, Alla Osipenka, Irina Lebedeva, Tatianna Leggat, Edward Villella and numerous others.  She was also accepted and attended The Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Tiffany danced as a professional all over the world for almost five years; during that time she was a highly sought after master teacher for dance studios all over the United States.  After taking a two-year break from dance, Tiffany has recently moved to the Bay Area and is excited to start teaching again and sharing her passion for dance with our DAU dancers!

GC        Grant Chenok

Grant has appeared on NBC's Days of Our Lives and Scrubs, the Disney Channel's Drake and Josh, as well as the History Channel's Come Home Alive. Grant's commercial/ industrial includes: Burger King, Nike, Paramount, Bugaboo Strollers and Pepsi Twist. He has also performed in music videos with upcoming r&b artist Jahzmyne, pop sensation Mandi Leigh, and U.K. breakout artist Jem. Grant has also worked on the Paul McCartney Tour, with the Vietnamese production Kim Loi Cali, and has opened for pop superstars Nina Skye, Tone Loc and Ashlee Simpson. Some of his live stage credits include the Mission America World Tour, featuring Latin icon Dante Gebel, the Miss California Pageant and the role of Billy in the West Coast Premiere of Footloose. He has also made television appearances on the Fox Network, Comedy Central and the WB. Grant can be seen dancing behind the Pussycat Dolls & Busta Rhymes in the "Dontcha" music video and Brittany Murphy & Paul Oakenfold in their music video entitled "Faster Kill Pussycat." Grant also holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts degree from Oklahoma City University.

KJ        Kandyce Jones

Kandyce first started dancing at the age of three in both ballet and tap and has continued her dance training in Jazz, Hip Hop, and Musical Theatre.  She also started singing and has continued on a professional level with the recent release of her first album on iTunes titled “Ain’t Enough.”  She has always loved singing and dancing and has enjoyed being a member of the DAU team.  Over the past few years Kandyce has performed at many professional events, from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, displaying her dancing and singing talent.  She also recently received her bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from San Jose State University. 

YJ        Yvette Jones

Yvette has been dancing for over 20 years with experience in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, creative movement, Hip Hop, and Musical Theatre.  She continues to improve her dance skills with performance productions, master classes, and dance workshops.  Yvette is not only a dancer, but a singer at heart with professional vocal training under her belt that she brings to DAU.  Also singing since an early age, she has recorded her own album and toured Southern California and parts of the East Coast.  Yvette and her husband enjoy spending time with their son, Cameron.

LKS        Laura King-Spinning

After high school Laura moved to Los Angeles where she began training with, and then assisting, the dance industry’s most prestigious teachers and choreographers.  During her eight years in L.A. she worked in numerous commercials, videos, sitcoms, movies made for television as well as feature films with well known artists and industry leaders such as Aaron Spelling, Paula Abdul, Technotronics, Faye Dunaway, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze and Robbin Gibbons.  Laura danced in industrial shows for Reebok, CBS, ABC, Nike, Nordstrom, Suzuki, Crystal Lite, and Capezio on stages in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Japan, and Canada.  At the age of 25 Laura moved to Utah and opened her own dance studio. Her studio credits include numerous National Overall Titles and Outstanding Choreography Awards in a variety of dance styles. Her students assist on many national dance conventions and have gone on to pursue very successful dance careers.  She lives in Sacramento, CA and makes the commute to DAU every Tuesday to train our competition team.  Dancers always fall in love with Laura and her unique way of teaching technique and precision.     

 MK        Maurissa Koide

Maurissa is a Columbia University graduate with a Masters in Public Health that inspires her to use dance in promoting a healthy lifestyle.  She has been trained in all areas of dance, with an emphasis in Ballet, since the age of three.  Dance has afforded her many opportunities, including a scholarship at Steps on Broadway in NYC, an appearance on the cover of In Motion Magazine, a layout in Dance Spirit Magazine, and the title of Miss Dance of California.  She has been fortunate to represent the area that helped her to realize her ambitions and achieve her goals when she became: Santa Clara County’s Young Woman of the Year in 1996, Miss San Jose 2003, and Miss Santa Clara 2004 (Miss America Scholarship Organization).  Maurissa has also been a middle school teacher for several years.   Her accomplishments in dance and her enthusiastic teaching approach make her a favorite among her students.

BL        Barbara Lichtenstein

Barbara has more than 25 years experience teaching dance, including owning/directing her own studio in Arizona for 7 years.  She has taught all ages and levels in Tap, Jazz and Ballet.  Barbara grew up in Los Altos and studied dance locally, as well as taking Master Classes from world-renowned dancers such as Savion Glover.  Barbara's patience, positivity and high expectations have helped her students achieve success as professional dancers and dance teachers...including Jane Carter! Barbara danced professionally for 18 years.  She was a featured dancer in many musical theatre productions (including West Side Story, 42nd Street, Damn Yankees and Stompin' At The Savoy); industrials (including AT&T, Converse and Jose Cuervo);  and cabaret shows.  With a Master's in Education from Santa Clara University,  Barbara is currently a first grade teacher at Gardner Bullis School in Los Altos. This year, Barbara is teaching Creative Dance and Tap.  Her motto is "to make class so much fun that they don't realize how hard they're working!"  She wants each student to work for her personal best, discover a love of dance and feel pride in what her body can do.  The benefits of the self-confidence and discipline that Barbara instills in her students extend far beyond the walls of the dance studio.

TL        Teck Liew

Teck is now nine years deep specializing in breakdancing with experience in Popping, Locking, Housing, Rockdance, Tricking, Aikido, and Tumbling. He grew up in West San Jose, representing A1 Crew, as well as Hybrid Crew, and has competed and performed all over the state and in overseas countries such as Malaysia. His inspirations come from all types of dance styles and his respect goes to all dancers, because the life of a dancer is a never-ending journey. Uplifting dance to new levels is part of his focus as a dancer; Teck achieves it by passing on his knowledge of dance to the next generation and organizing events that bring people together.

KL        Kiersten Lipkin

Kiersten is the former owner/director of a dance studio and a National award-winning competition team. Her dance teams have been featured in Dance Spirit Magazine.  Kiersten’s students have gone on to perform with recording artists such as Madonna, Britney Spears, N’Sync, and Pink. Her television credits include Beverly Hills 90210, In Living Color, and a Fox T.V. Special.  Kiersten’s stage credits as the resident choreographer for Star-Brite Theater Group include Annie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bye-Bye Birdie, and The Little Mermaid. Kiersten has done industrials for 24 Hour Fitness, Body Motion, Active Wear, and Redken. She has performed and choreographed for the NBA Golden State Warrior Dance Team, as well as the NFL Pro Bowl. Kiersten is also an in-demand National dance competition judge. 

AM        Andrea Malatesta

Andrea has been a long-time DAU teacher.  She has seventeen years of dance training and has studied with many dance professionals.  In high school she was captain of the highly-regarded Pioneer Dance Team and went on to coach for Brete Harte Middle School and Saratoga High School for 2 years.  Andrea has been a professional dancer with the San Jose Saber Kittens, the Golden State Warrior Dance Team, and the Oakland Raiderettes.

SM        Sheila McIntyre

Sheila McIntyre trained with Ann Marie Garvin and Richard Gibson in San Francisco and was part of the University Dance Company at San Diego State University where she studied and performed Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Tap. She then went on to teach children’s dance at the Jewish Community Center in San Francisco, Elaine’s School of Dance in Santa Cruz and opened her own school of dance called Children’s Creative Dance Company, which she operated throughout San Francisco and Marin Counties. Sheila performed with Dick Foster Productions out of Las Vegas, Nevada and toured throughout the United States and New Zealand and opened the Imagine Show at the Luxor main stage in Las Vegas. She is now a full-time mother and Realtor and is very excited to be working with the little ones again to help build their confidence through body strengthening and spatial awareness while developing basic motor skills and a strong dance foundation.

ACM       Ashley Myers

Ashley Myers has been dancing and teaching for over eighteen years.  Her extensive training in the areas of Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Pointe, Modern, Lyrical, and Hula has led her to become a featured performer as well as an excellent teacher.  Ashley was a key member of and choreographer for her high school dance team, and later performed with the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Dance Team for two years.  She was also a lead dancer in plays such as A Musical Revue, and Seussical the Musical.  Besides her passion for dance, which has been an integral part of her life, Ashley is currently studying Forensic Science and aspires to be employed as a scientist. 

NM        Nikki Myers

Nikki Myers has been a dancer for 21 years.  She has been trained in every style traditionally taught including Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Pointe, Lyrical and Hula.  In addition, she has been teaching and choreographing for 11 years.  Nikki choreographs fashion shows every year for her alma mater, Saint Raymond, and enjoys working with the young dancers.  In high school, she danced and choreographed for her dance teams at Saint Francis and Woodside, where she was the captain.  At Woodside, Nikki was a featured dancer and choreographer for several high school plays.  Nikki performs in industrials throughout the Bay Area, but she always has loved to pass on the skill of dancing to her students.  She instructs a wide range of students, from babies to adults, and can't wait to share her passion for Dance.

CP        Charlene Petersen

Charlene’s dancing career began at the young age of three.  She has had extensive training and teaching experience in the disciplines of Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Cheerleading, and Hip Hop.  She danced competitively for over 12 years for several Bay Area dance studios.  While in high school, Charlene was captain for the Archbishop Mitty Varsity Competitive Dance Team, a USA-United Spirit Association All Star, and named Scholar-Athlete for her dance team.  Charlene received a BS degree in Graphic Communications from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she was a member of the Orchesis Dance Company. She absolutely loves being at DAU!

BP        Brittney Pineda

Brittney Pineda began dance at the ripe age of 2 growing up in her mother’s studio in Houston, TX. taking Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, and Hip Hop. Brittney was an award-winning dancer for her mother’s acclaimed dance team “Rhythm Masters.” She has trained with some of the most famous names in the dance world, Henry LeTang, Jeremy Fullum, Wade Robson, and many more. Brittney is also an accomplished choreographer, winning many high-point awards at various competitions, as well as the choreographer for Television's KPRC “Gimme the Mic.” She was a member and an officer of the National Champions The Jersey Village Goldusters, and upon graduation was asked to tour with Marching Auxillaries to teach drill teams on a National Level. Instead, Brittney attended the American Musical and Dramatic Arts Academy in New York City on scholarship singing, dancing, and acting with some of Broadway's best. She has been a guest judge with Creation's Dance Championships, and has now brought her talents and knowledge to share with the West Coast.

LS        Lila Salhov

With an extensive technical background and a BFA in Dance Performance from the prestigious Boston Conservatory, Lila has had an impressive teaching and professional career.  She has trained in Ballet, Pointe, Partnering, Variations, Modern, Jazz and Tap, as well as studying Pilates, Alexander Technique, Dance History, Music Theory and Ballet and Modern pedagogy.  Over the last 12 years, Lila has instructed students of all ages and levels in Ballet, Modern, Tap and Jazz.  Several of Lila's former students have gone on to professional dance careers, including So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 and off-Broadway productions in New York. As a member of Jessica Danser/Dansfolk, Young and Company, The Windover Dance Company, The Boston Conservatory Dance Theater, Rhythm Wreckers and Dance Express, Lila has performed Modern, Ballet, Tap and Jazz throughout California and the East Coast, including works by revered choreographers Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Sean Curran and Doris Humphrey.  She has also choreographed pieces for 60x60 Dance in New York City, The Boston Conservatory Theater, a self-produced dance concert and a children's dance team.  Lila hopes to share her love and respect for the art of dance with her students by creating a positive environment where students feel confident and open to learning.  In class, her students are encouraged to use their minds as well as their hearts and bodies when they dance. Lila challenges her students to challenge themselves.

NS         Nikoli Scharin

With her fun and energetic style, Nikoli is a much sought-after teacher and choreographer with 20+ years’ experience. In addition to receiving many regional and national choreography awards, she was also an international finalist for the Gold Leo Choreography Award at the Jazz Dance World Congress in 1992 and again in 2000. Nikoli’s proudest achievement as a teacher is the diversity of success her students have attained. Students have gone on to study at prestigious institutions such as NC School of the Arts, SUNY Purchase, and Julliard. Many have gone on to successful careers in many aspects of the Dance industry: convention teachers, award-winning choreographers, and performers. Students’ performing credits include national commercials for GE, K-Mart, and Honda; TV/Film work such as the movie Step Brothers, the new TV hit Glee and the Top 10 of So You Think You Can Dance, Season 2 along with its national tour; industrials and print work for T*Mobile, Dollar Tree, Capezio, and MOVEMENT Magazine; as well as performing in Las Vegas with Cirque du Soleil and performing internationally with the Jose Limon Dance Company. Nikoli holds a BA in Communication/Public Relations and has written several feature stories and guest editorials in addition to the “Dance in Studios” column for DANCE TEACHER Magazine.

JT        Jenni Tibbils

With a California State Teaching Credential in Dance, Jenni has over 10 years experience educating students in private dance studios and public high schools in the disciplines of Jazz, Creative Dance, Acro, Modern, Hip Hop and Cheerleading.  She has received extensive training in Jazz, Modern, Ballet, Lyrical, Ballroom, Yoga and Pilates from Jane Carter at Dance Academy USA, David Popaliski and Fran Atlas Lara at Santa Clara University and at San Jose State University. Professionally, Jenni was a member of the dance teams for the San Jose SaberCats and the Golden State Warriors.  She has also danced in halftime shows for the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford University Athletics, as well as several Modern Dance shows.  Moreover, Jenni is credentialed to teach High School English and the mother of three children.  Jenni's students love the individual attention they receive, as well as her energy and enthusiasm.  Believing that dance is an art form that is accessible to everyone, she helps her students find success at their own level so they can truly enjoy their dance experience.

21269 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 618, Cupertino, CA  95014        408-257-3211