Sharon Ashe has been teaching partner dancing since 1995. Specializing in Swing Dancing, she has taught Lindy Hop all over the world including Herrang Dance Camp in Sweden and Catalina Swing Camp in California. She is known for her fun, laid back teaching style and her emphasis on partnership skills for social dancing.

Nicole Bolden is a certified Zumba and AFAA group exercise instructor and has been teaching Zumba classes for the past year. She began dancing in high school with the cheerleading squad and hasn't stopped since! Nicky is also a middle school math teacher with the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools.

Christine Bowie ("Alana") is a member of Aloha Makana, a Polynesian dance troupe that performs dances from Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, and New Zealand. In addition to Polynesian dance, she has studied ballet, modern, bellydance, and flamenco. She also teaches hula in Wake Forest.

Irena Brezenski is a Brown Belt Nia instructor. She moved to the Triangle from the Netherlands in 1991 and fell in love with Nia, a workout for the body, mind, spirit and emotion. Irena leads Nia retreats to Nicaragua and Greece, where she dances in the rainforest or by the Mediterranean Sea.

Danielle Cohen trained in classical ballet technique at Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt and with the Nashville City Ballet. She has appeared both on stage and screen, and holds a master's degree from UNC. She has been the dance program director at Chapel Hill High School since 2000.

ShaLeigh Comerford holds a Masters degree in Visual and Performing Arts and toured with the Roanoke Ballet Theatre of Virginia. She recently relocated to Durham from New York City, where she danced with Tina Croll and Company, and apprenticed with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane. In 2005, she formed ShaLeigh Dance Works, a dance-theatre company dedicated to creating socially conscious works.

Erica Dixon is a full-time professor in the Dept. of Physical Education and Recreation at NCCU. In addition to her Zumba certifiacation, she is a certified AFAA Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor, and also holds five gold medals as a member of the Skipsations! Jump Rope Team. After addressing her own weight problem, Erica pursued a career in fitness and wellness and devotes herself to helping others lead healthy, active lifestyles.

Michelle "LaRubia" Draughon has trained with Latino professionals from all over the country and has been teaching since 1993; she has appeared in hundreds of events and on local television.

Dr. Jay Dunbar (Ph.D.) has studied Taijiquan and Qigong since 1975, and has taught in the Triangle since 1979. He is director of the Magic Tortoise Taijiquan School, and also offers private sessions in Qigong Therapy.

Andalee is a member of the Khahari Belly Dance Collaborative in Chapel Hill and performs and teaches locally.

Santos Flores studied capoeira Angola for several years in Chicago with Mestre Cobra Mansa and in Miami with Mestre Caboquinho. He has taught capoeira Angola for the past three years.

Alexia Forte began her study of dance at age nine. While a student at Hillside High, she performed with the school"s dance company and, as a college student, with the dance team at Tennessee State University. She has taught children aged two through teens for several years.

Nikita Goel started dancing when she was three and teaching dance when she was 12. She is a former captain of UNC's Bhangra Elite dance team and currently choreographs for children's performances in Morrisville. Bhangra is a part of her Punjabi culture, which she enjoys sharing with others.

Whitney Goodman grew up dancing, and spent ten years performing nationally and abroad with the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble under the direction of Gene Medler. She currently teaches high school in Durham and dances with Footnotes Tap Ensemble. She loves to teach and spread her passion for tap - a beautiful and expressive American art form!

Beth Hoke has studied and taught a variety of partner dances for many years and is never happpier than when she is dancing.

LeBrandi Johnson began dancing at age 5 and continued through high school and college. She performed African and multi-cultural dance with DanceVisions and La Raza de mil Colores at NCSU, and guest performed with the Duke University Dance Ensemble and with Ron K. Brown at the Kennedy Center. LeBrandi teaches hip-hop, AfroFusion and preschool dance.

Camila Karam has extensive experience performing and teaching both North African belly dance and Brazilian dance. She was the founder and Artistic Director of Nyansa North African Dancers and Sarava Dance Companies, and toured Europe, Africa and Japan dancing the samba. Camila was also a member of Batucaje Afro-Brazilian Dance Company, Roots of Brazil, and Pe De Boi Samba Group in New York City.

Margaret Kay ("Aziza Fadwa") has studied for over twenty-five years with many renowned belly dancers and has performed and taught throughout the Southeast.

John Laible first fell in love with dance upon learning the two-step in Texas in 2001.  He went on to become certified in ballroom dance instruction and can teach twenty-six different dances!  John was a pro ballroom competitor and placed second at the Regional Ballroom Competition in 2004 but ended his pro career to focus on teaching, his true passion.

Bob Lehnberg began his study of qigong with Dr. Jay Dunbar in 1986. He has since studied with numerous teachers around the country; he became a Certified Qigong Instructor and began teaching qigong in 2000. Bob is also a Body-Mind Centering practitioner.

Amy Levine has enjoyed dancing since childhood and studied at Washington University in St. Louis and University College in London. She has taught children and adults for 11 years.

Natasha Pancholi-Khatod has studied and taught a wide variety of dance styles, including Bollywood, bhangra, classical Indian, flamenco, salsa and belly dance. She is also an actress and has appeared in films and on television.

Tanja Kwiatkista studied movement therapy in Germany, where she also taught creative movement and multi-arts classes. She is currently a preschool teacher and a flamenco dancer.

Chris Maxwell studied dance and musical theater in college and later at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC. He has considerable performing experience, including a national tour with Radio Disney.

Chris Newsome has been dancing since childhood and has studied various dance styles since the age of 13; he has a particular love for hip-hop.

Danielle Oldziey holds a BA in dance and is an ACE-certified group fitness instructor.

Gulden Ozen has been dancing and teaching Argentine Tango for nearly ten years. She is a 2006 winner of an Indy Arts award.

Lauren Proctor has pursued a love of dance for over twenty years. Recently certified as a Pilates Mat instructor, she has been studying the Pilates method for nearly a decade and feels that its many benefits are ideal for the well-being of both dancers and non-dancers.

Raina Racki earned a BFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin in 1998 and furthered her studies in New York City, San Francisco and Japan. She has taught and performed both ballet and modern dance for over 15 years and has recently relocated to Durham from Hawaii.

Megan Ratcliffe enjoys the lifestyle of old-time music and dance. She began clogging at age four, and now dances and teaches with the Cane Creek Cloggers. Her performing experience includes both flat-tap and jingle-tap teams.

Patti Rieser met Nia at Ninth Street Dance many years ago and is now an enthusiastic Green Belt Nia teacher. A retired nurse practitioner, she is also a long-time student of meditation, martial arts and yoga.

Carol Ryner taught movement arts for seventeen years. She says that dance is her passion and that she teaches with the belief that "if you can walk, you can dance.

Joe Saponaro began dancing while a student at Rutgers University and continued his studies at the Pennsylvania Ballet School. As a professional dancer he studied in New York City with Maggie Black, Larry Rhodes and Luigi, and was a principal dancer with the Princeton Ballet from 1978 until 1983. Since 1984 Joe has performed as guest artist throughout the eastern United States; he was co-director of Dance Theatre South in Pelham, Georgia from 2003 until 2007 and currently teaches ballet in the Triangle.

Jules Szabo is a classical ballet graduate from the NC School of the Arts and actively continues her dance training in jazz, modern, hip-hop, and ballet. She has taught ballet, hip-hop, jazzy fitness and Pilates-based classes, and recently wrote and choreographed a musical theatre piece being filmed for DVD.

Jose Velasquez grew up dancing and has performed hip-hop and break dance on stage, both locally and around the Southeast.

Eric Zeigler has taught martial arts and fitness for over twenty-two years. He has studied Shaolin Kung Fu and Sil Lum King Fu, among other forms. A public school teacher for fifteen years, Eric teaches English Language Arts, coaches cross-country/track and is the AVID Coordinator at Rogers-Herr Middle School.