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DANCE INSTRUCTORS & STAFF
MISS LEA
Lea is the Owner and Executive Director of Body Language Studio. She has been a dance instructor for over 2 decades and has taught classes in many, many dance styles. She started dancing at age 3, and grew up competing nationally in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop choreography, lyrical, musical theater, and acrobatics. She was a competitive cheerleader at Newport High School, danced for the Seattle SuperSonics Dance Team for 3 seasons, and has a Minor in Dance from the University of Washington. She has been a guest performer in numerous local productions; she was a founding member of Daniel Cruz's hip-hop crew, Cruz Control, and Elmer Pizarro's, Team BoogieZone Breed, and danced Salsa for Corazon Dance Company. She has also been a judge for Team Dance Competition.
She has a BA in Economics and worked in sales, e-commerce, and database marketing for several companies, including Alaska Airlines and Expedia Inc., and was a copywriter for the Downtown Bellevue Network for over half a decade. Her hobbies include fitness, singing, traveling, cooking, meditation, metaphysics, and dancing in her living room with her family! Teaching and mentorship are her passions, and she enjoys helping her students develop body awareness, confidence, charisma, and a growth mindset. After dedicating 20 years to a personal yoga practice, she is now also a certified yoga instructor. She and her husband, Jerome (BLS Co-Director and founder of Body Rock Breaking), keep very busy with their 2 young children who also love dance!
JEROMESKEE
Mr. Jerome, a.k.a. B-boy Jeromeskee, is our Co-Director and founder of Body Rock Breaking, our championship-breaking training program. He started B-boying in 1996 and has been performing and competing ever since. He is a member of several competitive B-boy groups – 2x world champion Massive Monkees, DVS Crew, and what was the Seattle SuperSonics Boom Squad. Massive Monkees is the 1st American crew to win the title of R-16 B-Boy Master World Champions in Korea.
Jeromeskee has participated in, judged, and won numerous B-boy events throughout the world, in the U.K., France, Denmark, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Poland, Ukraine, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Canada, and all over the U.S. He was a featured performer on Dancing With The Stars, the MTV Video Music Awards and Europe Music Awards, competed on MTV’s Americas Best Dance Crew, and was one of the coaches on MTV's "MADE: I Want To Be A B-boy." He is part of the team that choreographed and appeared in the award-winning music video, “Downtown,” for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and choreographed for and performed live with Macklemore, all around the world. He has danced in commercials and on TV, including The Ellen Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and The Today Show.
With over 20 years of teaching experience, Mr. Jerome is passionate about inspiring the next generation, passing along his wisdom, and instilling a growth mindset in all of his students.
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MISS ANDREA
Andrea was born and raised in Washington and has been dancing since she was four years old. Andrea started her ballet training at Tacoma City Ballet from 1999-2001, then transitioned her training to Evergreen City Ballet under the careful training of Wade Walthall and Kevin Kaiser until 2012. Andrea returned to the ballet world in 2019, where she rejoined Evergreen City Ballet on the administrative side as their Volunteer Coordinator, as well as their Secretary on the Board of Directors. After a 12-year hiatus and having a baby, as an aspiring freelance dancer, she gets her primary training from former Pacific Northwest Ballet Soloist, Joshua Grant, at Dance Conservatory Seattle and Evergreen City Ballet.
When Andrea is not in the studio, you can find her cooking with her husband, drinking a delicious latte, or chasing her son around the house!
MISS CHELSEA
Chelsea is our Sr. Studio Manager and an integral part of our teaching staff. She has built her career at BLS over the last decade and wears many hats at the studio! Trained competitively in ballet, jazz, hip-hop choreography, lyrical, contemporary, and tap, she currently teaches tap and acro/tumbling. She also choreographs for our Nutcracker and is an award-winning competition team choreographer. Chelsea received her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Washington State University and is a huge Cougars fan! In her spare time, she enjoys crafting, gardening, sporting events, live theatre, and traveling.
MISS EMMA
Emma Neilson started dancing at age 4, when she first started studying Scottish Highland Dance. She danced competitively throughout the greater Northwest until the age of 8, winning numerous medals and awards and passing several medal tests through the Scottish Dance Teachers’ Alliance (SDTA). She then moved into competitive figure skating for four years, and during this time took her very first ballet class at age 13. She trained professionally at the International Ballet Academy (IBA) in Bellevue, WA under the direction of Vera Altunina and Francois Serre y Berga. Emma performed with the International Ballet Theatre, resident company of IBA, dancing roles in The Nutcracker and Don Quixote. She also spent summers training at Whitman’s Summer Dance Lab, Summer at Cornish at Cornish College for the Arts, and IBA’s Summer Program. She graduated from highschool and Shoreline Community College in 2017 with her AA in Psychology. Emma is currently a Seattle based freelance dance artist, and has performed professionally with Dance Conservatory Seattle, Westlake Dance Center, The Guild Dance Company, Evoke Productions’ Full Tilt as well as guesting with local ballet studios and other independently produced projects.
Emma is also a Certified American Barre Technique Instructor and a Certified Flexistretcher Instructor. She currently teaches at Body Language Studio and International Ballet Academy.
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MISS ERA PT, DPT
Era has been involved in dance for over 30 years with a dance education that includes Joffrey Ballet, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder Ballet, Chattanooga Ballet, and Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts. While pursuing her B.S. in Exercise Science, Era taught and danced professionally with Chattanooga Ballet in Tennessee.
Era moved to Seattle in 2017 after receiving her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Columbia University in NYC. She has taught, danced, choreographed, and provided injury prevention lectures locally at various dance institutions. She loves continuing to teach and choreograph while practicing physical therapy at Kinetic Physical Therapy in West Seattle.
Era is currently a board member and clinic organizer for Seattle Dance and Performing Arts Medicine (SeaPAM). As a physical therapist, she has worked with dancers of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Whim W’Him, Hubbard Street Dance Company, Joffrey Ballet, and Cornish College of the Arts.
Era’s teaching style focuses on imparting anatomical and biomechanical knowledge to the dancers to minimize injury and maximize technique while emphasizing artistry and joy of movement in dance.
MISS ERRIN
Errin is a Pacific Northwest native who started dancing at the age of two. At a young age, Errin competed nationally in hip hop and jazz and is trained in a variety of dance styles such as tap, lyrical, modern, and ballet/pointe. She is a former student of Cornerstone Studio where she performed in The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and recitals. She danced with the Hazen High School Drill team when they won the WIAA drill/dance state competition three years in a row. Then, she went on to complete five seasons as a Seattle Sea Gal/Seahawks Dancer. In between cheering, she received her degree in Strategic Communication, with a highlighted interest in social justice, from Washington State University. Errin is also a high school dance team assistant coach and dance/drill judge for WIAA. Errin is excited to give back to her community while exercising her passion for dance by teaching hip-hop classes here at BLS. She enjoys a fun high-energy class environment. She likes to focus on rhythm, musicality, and synchronization. Outside of dance, Errin loves traveling and being around her family, friends, and pets.
MISS KARINA
Karina danced at Body Language/Cornerstone Studio since the age of 4. She trained in many styles, including jazz, ballet, tap, contemporary, and more. Throughout her time at BLS, she performed in the Nutcracker and at the yearly recitals. Additionally, she competed in regional competitions since the 6th grade. Karina is currently studying at Gonzaga University with a pre-medicine path, a double major in psychology and Spanish, and a double minor in dance and music. She is also on the Gonzaga Dance Team and will be performing throughout the year at different sporting events.
Karina has always loved the organization and clear communication Body Language Studio provided and is excited to now be a part of that, working remotely as our Competition Team Coordinator! As a seasoned tap competitor herself, she's also setting her 1st choreographic piece for one of our BLS Select tap soloists this season.
MISS LYNELLE
Lynelle is a seasoned dance instructor and a student favorite. With more than 20 years of choreography and teaching experience, she has competed and performed regionally and nationally in jazz, hip hop, contemporary, ballroom, and more. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes technique, flexibility, performance, and teamwork. Also a fitness professional, Lynelle makes an effort to introduce her students to Pilates and yoga and instill the importance of creating healthy habits for the mind and body at any age. Lynelle is also a nationally award-winning high school drill team coach, dance/drill judge for WIAA, and traveling choreographer for Tribe 99.
MISS McKENNA
McKenna has been dancing since the age of 5, with the majority of her training coming from Cornerstone/Body Language Studio. She took classes in ballet, tap, jazz, and pointe, was part of the performing group and competition team, and also danced in the annual Nutcracker. McKenna has a lot of experience working with and teaching kids from her time as a Manager and Activities Director for a local Childcare Center. She is currently a student at the University of Washington and plays the trombone in the Husky Marching Band!
MISS SAMANTHA
Samantha Weissbach, NASM-CPT, YES (she/her) is the Ballet Department Program Director at Body Language Studio. A passionate teacher with over 15 years of teaching experience, Samantha's goal in her ballet classes is to facilitate a safe and evidence-based learning environment that focuses on excellence in technique and artistry while helping dancers cultivate self-awareness, curiosity, and bravery.
Over the past 3 decades, Samantha has trained at various establishments and summer intensive programs but received her primary training through BLS (formerly Cornerstone Studio), Ballet Bellevue, and Emerald Ballet Theatre. A lifelong learner, Samantha continues her learning journey with annual continuing education seminars, freelance professional work, and weekly classes & cross-training.
Awards & Certifications
National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer
National Academy of Sports Medicine Youth Exercise Specialist
Danscend Mental Wellness Certified Dance Educator Level 1
PointeSafe Certified Instructor
2022 Dance Educators Association of Washington's Annual Educator of the Year Award
Additionally, Samantha is the Owner and a Senior Pointe Shoe Fitter at Dancewear Center, is a member of pointe shoe fitting resource ThePointeShop+ (home of the Progressive Pointe Method, and is a member of Danscend's Council, an organization that brings mental wellness to the forefront of dance training for dancers, educators, and professionals.
Photo Credit: Muñoz Motions
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MISS SHELEEN
Sheleen fell in love with dance at the age of 4. Since then, she has trained in multiple styles, achieved countless awards, and completed her IDTA dance exams with the highest results. She was selected as one of the top 16 dancers in South Africa to join the Cape Dance Company and toured with them.
Sheleen started dance instructing at 12 years old and has been hired as a choreographer and dancer for many professional shows/features, including music videos, TV features, corporate shows, and a Seahawks halftime show... With a passion for teaching, she strives to cultivate a love of dance and creative expression and instill self-confidence and a growth mindset, empowering her students to become the best versions of themselves.
In addition, Sheleen is the founder/owner of Purple Splash Studios, creating various products and workshops to help kids and adults live their best lives. She is a multi-Amazon and Etsy Best-Selling Author/Illustrator. She is also a creative arts therapist, life/habits coach, and holistic counselor. Before that, she obtained a triple business major and worked for ~10 years in Marketing, Product/Program Management, and Events Coordination.
Sheleen’s other hobbies include spending time with her family (she is a loving mom of 2), doing anything creative, yoga, reading, being in nature (she loves the Northwest), traveling, and more.
GUEST INSTRUCTORS
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MR. GLEN
Glen, aka B-boy Armagedden, was first introduced to breaking in 1995 while living in Japan as a "military brat." Shortly afterward he moved to Seattle, WA, and quickly immersed himself in the local B-boy community. He is a member of world-renowned, 2x world champion B-boy crew Massive Monkees and performed with what was the Seattle SuperSonics Boom Squad and in opening acts for numerous major recording artists. In his early years, his energy went towards perfecting power moves; due to consistently showcasing his energy, precision, and attention to technique, his notable signature move became his head spin.
Much of his adulthood has been spent living and traveling within the US and abroad to numerous countries, most recently back to Japan, and he made it a goal to connect with the local dance communities in each location. He is now based out of Seattle again and is passionate about spreading dance as a way to empower and enrich youth, with goals for working towards future efforts to expand his reach.
MISS RAQUEL
Despite her Venezuelan roots, Raquel fell in love with Polynesian cultures at the age of 12. In 2010, she met Sandi Stevens, owner and founder of Ohana Arts. Meeting Sandi greatly impacted Raquel and Hula became a prominent part of her life. She was trained and hired to be a professional Hula performer in the state of Florida. In the Ohana Arts Studio, Raquel began teaching keiki (children); it was there that she gained a passion for teaching kids the art of Aloha through song, dance, and music. Having the opportunity to perform with some of the best companies and performers in South Florida, she lead out on productions both small and large including a children’s episode on PBS Kids, the city of Hollywood’s annual production “Dragons and Drums,” and the Mango Festival at the Botanical Garden in Miami Gardens. Raquel is now married and the mother of two little girls. She especially enjoys sharing the stage with her husband and looks forward to the time she can share it as a whole family. Raquel has decided that no matter where she lives, she will always carry and share the spirit of Aloha with her community!