St. Louis native Geoff Alexander received his BA in dance performance from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. While in school he began his professional career dancing with the aTrek Dance Collective, now Leverage Dance Theatre, in St. Louis. Soon after graduating Geoff auditioned to become a founding dancer for The Big Muddy Dance Company, a classical based contemporary repertory company currently directed by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre alum Kirven Douthit-Boyd. Throughout his professional career Geoff has had the pleasure of working with renowned choreographers, performing in collaboration with the St. Louis Symphony, Opera Theatre of St Louis, and the St. Louis Jazz orchestra. With over 13 years of teaching experience Geoff has been sought out to teach contemporary and jazz techniques for various companies, universities, studios, and theatre organizations such as the St. Louis Muny.

Charles and Petra Bantum relocated from the SoCal area to Bakersfield 4 years ago. They were part of the Lindy Hop social dance community in LA – Petra has been a swing dancer since 2000 and Charles has been swing dancing since 2008.

You will find them on the dance floor at most of The Sodacrackers shows in Kern County. They also like to venture to the Bear Valley Springs Swing Dance Friday nights when they can!

Although swing dancing is not a big scene in Bakersfield… yet… they want to do their part to introduce Kern County to it.  

They recently started free beginner swing dance lessons in their home for their neighborhood community.

They do beginning swing, Lindy Hop and balboa. They competed in local contests and swing camps. Charles has taught at BVS swing club.

Meghan Boggess is a highly talented and passionate dance instructor who received her training at the Larkin Dance Studio in Minnesota. As a professional dance artist, she traveled the nation with West Coast Dance Explosion and the Jump dance conventions assisting top choreographers in the industry. Meghan also was a dancer in RhetOracle Dance Company during college at Cal State Long Beach where she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance/Kinesiology She now owns and choreographs at Dance Philosophy in Tehachapi CA.

Stephanie Figueroa is originally from Oahu, Hawaii. Her family founded their halau (hula group) Aloha Entertainment in 2018 and she has been performing with them ever since. Stephanie teaches the keiki (kids) hula class where they dance both hula and Tahitian style dancing. It’s important to her to spread the Spirit of Aloha throughout the Kern County community.

Suze DeArmond teaches a variety of dance classes such as Ballet, Zumba Fitness, Barre Fitness, Yoga, Bodybalance by Les Mills, and Swing Dancing. She was primarily trained in Classical Ballet, then expanded to learn dance genres from around the world including Ballroom, street dances, hip hop, jazz, contemporary, and more. Suze enjoys fusing together several styles of dance and fitness to make an interesting and challenging experience that she enjoys sharing with the local community.

This former Miss Bakersfield has always been passionate about health and fitness. With over 20 years of experience in the cheer and dance industry, Arlene spends her summers as Head Instructor for JAMZ Cheer and Dance Team where she has the opportunity to teach cheer and dance throughout the state of California. She is a certified VersaClimber and Lagree Instructor at Climb and LVL Fitness. In her professional role, Arlene serves as the Marketing and Promotions Coordinator at Kern County Public Health, channeling her energy into promoting well-being within the Kern County community.

Marnie Forzetting started dancing at the age of 10 with Cindy Howell Trueblood where she performed in many Nutcrackers. After high school, she continued training and performing in San Luis Obispo with Lori Lee Silvaggio at Academy of Dance and performed with her jazz company and Civic Ballet. Since moving back to Bakersfield, Marnie has been teaching at Civic Dance Center. She also directs, choreographs, and performs at Stars Theatre Restaurant.

Luther “G.I.” Gray/DAT KREW was born and raised in Bakersfield, Ca. He is the founder of the non profit organization DAT Krew Academy, a performing arts program for underprivileged and inner-city youth, and the co-founder of Project DCLXI, a street dance team whose mission is to provide a safe haven for freestyle dancers and youth. A former West High School Viking, he has served our country as a United States Marine while attending CSU Monterey Bay in 2005 – 2008. 

Luther is a member of popular dance team Demolition Crew located in Los Angeles and he teaches Krump, Dancehall and Hip-Hop dance. Luther actively works with ShePower Leadership Academy, NAACP, Bakersfield, Boys & Girls Club, Bakersfield City School District, Wendale Davis Foundation, Cultural Elegance Studios, African American Network of Kern County, Stay Focused Ministries and MLK CommUNITY Initiative. Luther’s mission is to encourage and inspire the youth of today through art, dance and expression.

Brushay “Coach Shay” Taylor/DAT KREW has over 20 years of dance training, studying such forms as Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Contemporary. Her dance journey began with the Martin Luther King Jr. Dancers, and continued as a student in the performing arts program at East Bakersfield High School. As a professional dancer, she has performed across California with the Black Student Union (B.S.U) Stomp Team. Brushay studies at California State University, Bakersfield Majoring in Computer Science and she has been active with Kern Dance Alliance programs since 2018. Brushay is currently a dance instructor with DAT Krew and she enjoys encouraging and uplifting today’s youth through art and expression.

Born and raised in Bakersfield, Josh Harless has always had a heart for helping people. He has been a counselor for drug addiction and a mentor at the Mission of Kern County. It is when Josh found his love for dance that he found his true calling of how to help people. Josh believes that anyone can dance. The only limitations are the limits we place on ourselves. Dance is a great way to get out of your comfort zone and push you to be that better version of yourself.

Josh is GSDTA (Golden State Dance Teachers Association) certified in numerous dance styles. This certification required several hundred hours of training, written tests, and physical demonstration of the dances. Josh is trained to teach in a variety of partner dances, however, his true love is with West Coast Swing. Josh competes, teaches, and judges West Coast Swing at many national dance conventions. Josh is currently the Ballroom Dance Instructor for the Bakersfield Smooth Dancers.

Hustle Diva at your service!  Hustle is Rachel Harless’s favorite dance, but she does like to dance it all.  Rachel has been dancing for over 20 years and her first dance love was Lindy Hop.  While in college, she joined all of the social dance clubs at Cal Poly and learned everything from swing to ballroom to salsa.  She has choreographed countless routines and musical shows and she invites you to check out her National Dance Day class “Dancing Through the Decades” where you will MOVE through history!

For some time, Veronica Hildago felt lost and I went back to her roots. She found her passion and an outlet in dancing and the more she learned about the benefits of dancing the more she wanted to share with others. She loves dancing, art, and the community. 

Joel Hoffman has taught line dancing in Bakersfield and Taft for over 20 years. As the director of Bakersfield Line Dancers, he teaches classes at Temblor Brewing Company, Bakersfield Racquet Club, and The Grange Dance Hall.

Callie Jenkins is the owner and co-founder of Poise Pilates+Barre LLC, a Body Arts & Science International (BASI) certified Pilates instructor, and a Pilates Sports Center (PSC) Master Teacher Trainer, as well as a Burn at the Barre and TRX certified instructor.  Coming from a competitive cheerleading background of over 12 years and ending her career at a collegiate level, she began taking Pilates in 2005 and fell in love with the practice. Callie is passionate about teaching and helping others, allowing them to see that movement can change their life.  In 2012, the opportunity to fulfill her Pilate’s dream of opening a studio in her hometown came true! Callie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from California State University, Long Beach and she and her husband George welcomed their first born, Carly in October of 2016 and son George IV in November of 2018.

Andru “DanceFever3D” Jones, with backgrounds in all styles of dance with specialties in street styles like hip hop, popping and animation, has traveled all over the world making his mark as the “dancing bodybuilder” with a highly effective and motivating style. He has danced for artists/celebrities such as Chris Brown, Omarion, Vin Diesel and The Les Twins, and he has been in movies and shows such as So You Think You Can Dance and The X factor.

He began serving the community of Bakersfield in 2004 1st, where he created weekly Krump battles at multiple parks in Bakersfield that offered a safe and competitive space for teens and young adults. Since 2014 he has toured globally (EUROPE , ASIA,RUSSIA , China etc ) and domestically dancing in all 50 states. He has offered over 200 masterclasses and workshops with The Dance Fever Experience where he has been featured in conventions, on television shows, as well as in studios, gyms, and expos. 

His pumped classes implement unique cutting edge fitness variations and style, all the while burning the maximum amount of calories with all styles.

Romy Jones has trained at Dancers Turnout Academy where she danced competitively for 12 years. She is a student at Bakersfield College where she will soon transfer to a 4 year university to receive her B.A. in Liberal Studies with a multiple subject degree and teaching credential in Special Education. Currently, Romy works as a paraprofessional at an elementary school in Bakersfield. This year, Romy will assume the program coordinator position for the KDA ADAPTidance: DANCE + DISABILITY program under the guidance of KDA Board Member and ADAPTIdance director, Myka Steele. Romy is very excited to lend her time to KDA to ensure every child has a chance to dance.

Victoria Marchetti is a dancer, choreographer, and aspiring filmmaker. She has trained at Civic Dance Center for the past 11 years, performing in the annual Bakersfield Nutcracker and teaching ballet and advanced tap. Victoria was Principal Dancer with Bakersfield City Ballet, and she has participated in summer dance intensive programs with the Alvin Ailey School, Ballet West, and Joffrey Tap throughout the United States. Victoria has also been involved in the arts throughout Kern County as the 2021 Kern Dance Alliance Intern and a 2022 Junior Board Member. Victoria graduated in the Spring of 2023 from Liberty High School and Bakersfield College with her AA degree in History.  She is planning to pursue a career in practical filmmaking while studying film and public affairs at UCLA and hopes to continue dancing while at college and within the Los Angeles community.

Kristen McLaughlin trained at the EDGE as a scholarship recipient, has been a paid commercial dancer, and performed professionally for the Mark Goodman Tap Company. As an accomplished choreographer, Kristen has created work for Stars Theatre, LMU, the 100 Monkeys, Katie Herzig, The Kissing Club, and The Nutcracker and has competed in the Under the Stars Choreography Festival. As a dance educator, Kristen has completed teaching training with CPYB and Lauridsen Ballet Centre and she has taught at The School of Nashville Ballet, Lauridsen Ballet Centre, Tri-Cities Academy, Fresno City College, and California State University, Bakersfield.  She currently teaches at Dancers Turnout Academy and Class Act Dance and she is the Artistic Director of McLaughlin Dance Collective.

Jodi Mitchell has been involved in local dance and theatre for most of her life. She has a passion for teaching beginner-level classes and loves watching her students ‘get it’. She has taught dance classes on and off for several years and currently teaches tap at Civic Dance Center. She couldn’t do it all without the loving support of her husband and children.

David Moreno has been dancing since 1994 and has worked professionally around the world as a dancer and choreographer. He  has been a dance educator in Bakersfield since 2008.  He has been featured locally in the Nutcracker and won 1st place at the annual “Dancing at the Starz” competition.  He currently works at American Kids Sports Center and teaches at American Dancer’s Workshop.

Desmond Ramey started dancing at the age of four. From there he has grown competitively as a dancer and all star cheerleader. He began choreographing and teaching at the age of 15 to now have many industry awards/nominations along with working with many choreographers and performing with them as well. 

Sharid Rejon-Rodriguez  is a professionally trained dancer and choreographer, and is the director of Spotlight Dance Academy, which won the 2023 Beautiful Bakersfield Award in the Arts & Culture category. 

She is also the co-founder and artistic director of Spotlight Academy of the Arts, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that focuses on providing training and mentoring in all areas of the performing and visual arts for the youth in our community.

Naomi Rivera has been dancing for 18 years. She specializes in Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary and Shway style. She’s appeared on the Nickelodeon show Victorious, the ABC hit-show Modern Family, and commercials for Telemundo and Chukchansi Resort & Casino. She currently teaches at the Lost Hills Wonderful Park and dances professionally for Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Bio coming soon!

Nesi Sheldon was born in Calcutta, India. She has always loved dancing whether it’s contemporary, hip-hop, salsa, swing, zumba or even at a party. Nesi is a 24 Hour Fitness Zumba Zin Certified Instructor teaching in Bakersfield, Newport Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley.  Nesi enjoys providing Zumba instruction for private events and is a past member of a Salsa Dance Team and Lindy Hop Dance Team. Working out and staying fit is part of her lifestyle. She has worked as an RN at Mercy-Memorial hospital for the past 38 years and enjoys helping people.

Anyone that knows me knows I love to dance. I was a cheerleader in high school and on a dance club where I was an officer and very active in the club.  I have always taken dance classes such as lindy hop, swing, salsa, hip hop, tap and even line dance. I have always been an advocate for health, nutrition and exercise and love encouraging, supporting and helping others achieve their health  goals .My other hobbies are playing the piano and pickleball. I also love to travel. I love socializing and meeting new friends.

I have a wonderful husband, 3 awesome sons and 2, soon to be 3 daughter in loves. We are all active and love to travel together. I have a personal relationship with Jesus and am thankful for the great family He has blessed me with.

Mindi Schiefelbein began dancing at the age of three. She studied Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Hip Hop, Modern and Tumbling with the Salt Lake Stars, Corp Esprit, Academy of Dance Champions and Elite Academy in Salt Lake City Utah. She has performed all over the country, including the Holiday Bowl at Chargers Stadium, Utah Jazz games, Disneyworld, Disneyland, Seaworld, Epcot Center, the Stadium of Fire and with Ballet West’s Nutcracker. Mindi was on the Drill Team and Dance Company at Granger High School. Her senior year, she was chosen as the Sterling Scholar in Dance and was featured in the Deseret News as she competed at the regional level. She was the President of her Drill Team her senior year as well as being in charge of the team’s choreography. She was All-State in Drill Team her junior and senior year of high school and was a senior top ten Soloist. She went on to dance on the NCA Championship Brigham Young University Cougarette Dance Team. The team competed at Nationals in Daytona Beach Florida and took home the Championship both years Mindi was on the team. She continued her education at BYU, receiving her Bachelor of Arts, with a major in English and a minor in Dance. Mindi has always had a gift for choreography, beginning with the neighborhood girls growing up. She started her first dance studio in Vancouver Washington in 2001. In 2004 she moved to Tehachapi and immediately started teaching at Tehachapi Dance Theater. In 2008 Mindi and Joy opened J & M Dance Center. Currently Mindi teaches over over 30 hours a week of classes consisting of Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Musical Theater, Acro, Flexiblity and Tap and is the Director of the J & M Dance Company, which currently consists of 25 very talented dancers. She has won numerous Choreography Awards as well as Technical Excellence Awards. The team has a great reputation and is invited to perform at Bakersfield Condor’s games each year as well as the Harlem Globetrotters games. They consistently place in the top ten overall and often earn 1st place overall awards as well as several cash prizes competing all over Southern California. The team won a Regional Championship award at the Starpower Competition earning the highest score of the entire competition and 1st place overall out of over 40 groups at the Showstopper Competition at Disneyland this year. They also won the Star Dance Alliance Regional Championship in 2021. Her dancers have gone on to dance on college dance teams such as Syracuse University and have earned scholarships at conventions such as NYCDA, JUMP, 24/Seven and KAR. Her dancers have even earned Dancer of the Year honors at Rainbow Competition. Mindi is passionate about dance and loves teaching. She strives to build her dancers confidence and always encourages them to be the best they can be. She has a talent for balancing hard work and fun during her classes. Mindi attends educational conventions to stay current and continue to develop her teaching techniques. Her dancers have a special place in her heart and she feels blessed to be a part of each of their lives.

Born and raised in Bakersfield, Brenlea Smith began dancing at age 4. She grew up dancing and competing at Dancers Workshop. Brenlea started teaching at 15 and is currently the manager of the dance program at American Kids Sports Center, American Dancers Workshop. Although she teaches many different styles, the musicality and intricacies of tap will forever make it her favorite style of dance.

Sadie Thomason has been dancing for 15 years and teaching for 3! She fell in love with dance in a small studio in Frazier Park, “In The Wings Studio of Dance” or ITW. As her love and passion for dance grew, so did her ability and strengths. Upon moving to Bakersfield, she found American Dancers Workshop and received the opportunity to continue dancing while  teaching for the studio. Her love for dance only grew stronger the more she worked with kids and she began choreographing her own dances. Her journey as a dancer and a teacher has been phenomenal and only continues to improve. While representing ADW, she is also a member of 2023-2024 Bakersfield City Ballet dance season! As her knowledge and experience expands, sheI strives to be a better dance teacher and person each day!