2024 MASTER TEACHERS

Expertise. Artistry. Inspiration.

Hama

Jazz Dance

  • Hama, a native of Japan, moved to New York in 1964, where he studied with famed jazz dance instructor, Luigi. Hama’s credits include lead dancer at Radio City Music Hall, as well as various Broadway productions.

    In 1991, Hama opened his dance studio, and has dedicated himself to teaching. He has taught at many universities, and was nominated for the Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award at USC.​

    Many of Hama’s students have gone on to become well known dance teachers.

Jackie Sleight

Commercial Jazz Dance

  • Jackie has become one of America’s most prominent dance educators and has earned the reputation of being a “teacher’s teacher”. She has traveled the world sharing her exciting style of jazz and has celebrated over 35 years as a master teacher. Her career as a choreographer and director has crossed into all venues. Jackie choreographed and directed for some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry including Barry Manilow, Paula Abdul, Melissa Manchester, Englebert Hunperdink, Peaches & Herb, Yvonne Elliman, Expose, Stacey Q, Barbara Eden, Barry Bostwick, to name a few; her television choreography boasts several weekly series and her commercial list includes McDonalds, Burger King, Levi’s, Honda, Ford, Polaroid and more. Jackie also became active in the fitness industry just as aerobics was taking off. She was featured in several magazines including New Body and Fit where critics raved about her revolutionary fitness program, FreeDance. She soon became the staff choreographer for the Crystal Light and Reebok Aerobic Championships. The fitness sensation eventually took Jackie to Miami where she wrote and published an exercise manual and system which was used by health clubs all over the country. She worked to usher in what was to become the industry’s hottest craze, “low-impact” aerobics. Jackie’s ever-evolving career includes dancer, choreographer, director, entrepreneur and business owner, including the national dance convention, L.A. DanceMagic. Still, her first love is teaching and she continues to inspire students all over the world. She is forever grateful to her own teachers for sharing their knowledge and passion.

Alex Magno

Jazz Dance

  • ALEX MAGNO is an Emmy and a WCA (World Choreography Awards) nominated choreographer, best known for his work with:

    • MADONNA (The Girlie Show and Drowned World Tours),

    • BRITNEY SPEARS

    • JENNIFER LOPEZ

    • THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS

    • THE OSCARS, MTV MUSIC AWARDS

    • SYTYCD (FOX TV)

    • DANCING WITH THE STARS (ABC TV)

    • YANNI VOICES (PBS and TELEVISA TV SPECIAL) NEODANCE (A Tango Project, Featuring GRAMMY WINNER NESTOR TORRES)

    • BENISE (EMMY WINNER Nights Of Fire PBS Special), along with two other shows: The Spanish Guitar, and FUEGO The Spirit Of Spain PBS TV Special)

    • ONYX LULLABY (Experimental Dance Film) featuring ANNIE LENNOX & DAVID ALLAN STEWART'S Iconic Music: SWEET DREAMS (Are Made of This)

    • LIDO DE PARIS (Lido La Tourné)

    • BALLET HISPANICO: DEEP SLEEP FOR BEAUTY (A Fashion Dance Show, Presented and Produced by JUSTONEEYE: based on a Fairytale Book created by CHRISTIAN

    • LOUBOUTIN as part of LOUBOUTIN'S collaboration (The Capsule Collection) with Indian Couture Designer SABYASACHI, as well as Alex Magno’s MAAP Show Series (Magno Artists Alliance Project).

    Brazillian born Magno draws from a global variety of disciplines and cultural influences, which are palpable in his dynamic style, innovative vision and in the emotional story telling of his work. With agile skill and grace, Magno is an expert and dexterous director / producer / choreographer, able to cross from film and television genres, to the very different art form of stage and live production. Magno’s expansive skill set also includes music production, music composition, film making and he is especially adept at cultivating artists of all kinds.

Pat Taylor

Jazz Theatre

  • Pat Taylor (Artistic Director/Choreographer for “Jazz Antiqua”) blends her love of jazz and blues music, visual art and spoken word, with a distinctive historical perspective to create Jazz Antiqua’s own brand of “jazz theatre.”

    Her background in Katherine Dunham and Lester Horton techniques., West African, American vernacular and classic jazz dance, along with a love for the collage nature of improvisation, combine to form her signature style and approach to movement.

    Exploring original music compositions along with the works of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, John Coltrane and other greats, Jazz Antiqua delves deep into the heart of jazz and the “movement in the music” –from the lineage, legacy and language to the socio-cultural implications and contexts embedded therein. From jazz clubs to concert halls, performing arts centers to schools, museums to festival in the park, Jazz Antiqua shares the art of jazz with audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

    The Company has been presented at: Playboy Jazz Festivals (Hollywood Bowl), Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (Music Center of Los Angeles), Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California African American Museum, The Jazz Bakery, Irvine Barclay Theatre, Ford Amphitheatre, CIAEI Theater (Brazil), Dance Mission Theatre (San Francisco), Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, UCLA Hammer Museum, Watts Towers Jazz Festival, Southern Theatre (Minneapolis), Laney College (Oakland), Mesa Performing Arts Center (Arizona) and many other distinguished venues.

Janell Burgess

Baltes Jazz Dance

  • Janell’s passion for the arts began at a very young age with her commitment to the study of dance guiding her to professional training with focused studies in the Ballet Pacifica School, DeFore Foundation of the Arts, and Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Giordano Dance Chicago, and Limon School. She is the recipient of the Tremaine Scholarship, Giordano Merit Scholarship, and the American Legion Award for her advocacy and commitment to arts education in the Southern California schools districts. She has been a professional choreographer and performing artist for over 20 years, teaching, choreographing, and performing worldwide. Janell has worked with top artists and companies including the KC & The Sunshine Band, The Jackson Family, Paul Oakenfold, Gene Simmons, Holly Madison, Universal Studios, Ceasar’s Entertainment, Disneyland, Fercos Brothers Circus, Brockus Project Dance, LA Contemporary Dance Company, and Louise Reichlin & Dancers, and has served as resident choreographer for the Sands Hotel in Macau, China. Her film & television credits include: The Travel Channel, The View, PBS, AXS TV, and 4 years on West Africa's longest-running dance reality television show, "Maltina Dance All" which focused on bringing families together thru through dance. She is also an accomplished theatrical actress, puppeteer, and aerial artist, of for which she won was awarded the Paragon International Doubles Championship in 2014 for her performance & choreography.

    As an educator, Janell’s teaching career, spanning over the last 3 decades, has included holding faculty positions at the Debbie Reynolds Dance Center, ABT Gillespie School, StarQuest Dance International, Jimmie DeFore Foundation for the Arts, LA Choreographers & Dancers, Newport Mesa Unified School District, and the Los Angeles Unified School District. She has also served as an Educator for ArtsTeach thru through the Segerstrom Performing Arts Center, and as a guest speaker at Orange Coast College and UCLA. As a certified Zena Rommett Floor Barre Instructor, Certified Yoga Instructor, Certified Food'nSport Fitness Instructor, and Holistic Healthcare Practitioner, Janell brings a strong focus to body alignment, physical health, and mental wellness to the classes she teaches and the dancers she educates. Her choreography has been featured on by the Disney Channel, Atlantic City Hotels, Southern California Dance Invitational, LA Dance Invitational, Orange County Dance Festival, Inland Empire Dance Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival and most recently the Southern California Dance & Choreography Invitational where she won an award for Best Choreography for her work "Treat". Through the pandemic, Ms. Burgess choreographed and produced the short dance film “Chameleon”, which premiered live at Global Pushfest San Francisco in 2020 and continued to tour the film festival circuit winning multiple awards for Best Choreography and Best Original Score. She also produced 3 online and in-person full dance concerts which featured Jazz Spectrum Dance Company and Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre. Ms. Burgess Janell currently serves on the board of Jazz Spectrum Dance Company, holds the position of Artistic Director, and is the Owner of Spectrum Dance Center in Lake Forest, California which houses a professional studies program for college students, youth conservatory, and adult dance program. Janell continues to tour with the legendary KC & The Sunshine Band where she serves as dance captain and maintenance choreographer. Her mission is to help develop artists and projects that will inspire healing, bridge cultures, create unity, and ignite a passion for life!

Joey Doucette

Jazz Dance

  • With over 25 years of experience in most areas of the show business industry, Joey Doucette can offer today a widely ranged artistic and professional experience, including but not limited to dance teaching, choreography for stage and television, direction and show production.

    Currently based in Las Vegas and New York City, Joey Doucette wrote and created a variety of production shows throughout United States, Latin America and Europe. He employed his versatile knowledge of different styles of dance while teaching across North and South America as well as many European countries. Joey performed on stage in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, They’re Playing Our Song, Annie, South Pacific, Anything Goes and more. On television he was a lead dancer on many variety shows in Latin America, and Europe, (Siempre en Domingo, En Vivo, Sabado Gigante and a list of others.)

    Joey Doucette is working now to broaden his palette of artistic influence throughout the European and Asian entertainment community. He has performed at the famous Moulin Rouge in Paris and in Korea, where he choreographed and directed an Original production Enigma. Joey worked with Tony Bennett and Regis Philbin, Olga Breeskin of Mexico and a host of other celebrities. Joey has created corporate events that have performed in New York City, Las Vegas and across the country. Mr. Doucette’s work has also been seen in over 44 different countries.

    Joey has trained with the world-famous Luigi of New York City, where he taught at Luigi’s Jazz Centre. Joey is currently the program creator for the new innovation of Luigi’s Jazz technique, Jazz Dance Legacy. Joey has created the Luigi jazz technique teacher certification program launched in July 2019. Joey also was on full scholarship at Joffrey Ballet in New York City. Mr. Doucette has taught throughout the USA, Mexico, Europe Italy, France, Romania, Latvia, Ukraine, Korea, Portugal, and more. Joey also has been a guest teacher at the University of Mexico, UCSD San Diego and at the Virginia School of the Arts under the direction of Petrus Bosman. Plus, he has taught and choreographed a variety of Jazz Ballets for the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA). Joey just recently taught at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, where he taught jazz to the pre-professional division students.

    Known as a energetic and stylized teacher/choreographer, he has enjoyed teaching all levels from 8 yrs of age to professionals. As a former studio owner as well, in Mexico City, Joey understands the needs of studio owners, teachers in the studio environment. Joey has had extensive experience in all aspects of the dance business, both in onstage and backstage. Joey has always looked for new talent, and has hired dancers straight from the dance schools around the country.

Will Thomas

Jazz Dance

  • Will’s resume includes dancing on stage with Radio City Music Hall’s New York Spectacular, Disney’s Raven, The Jonas Brothers, and the Cheetah Girls. TV: “Nashville” on ABC, “Hit The Floor” on VH1, Subway’s “Frat House Musical web series, “Real Life: The Musical” on the Oxygen Network, “Parenthood” on NBC and as a contestant on “So You Think You Can Dance” on Fox where he was one of the top 4 guys of season 9. Soon after that he toured North America with the SYTYCD season 9 cast.

    Some of Will’s favorite achievements are working with Rihanna on Fox’s “X Factor”, Taylor Swift for the 2014 MTV/VH1 “Video Music Awards” and Ariana Grande for a flash mob at Universal City Walk.

    Currently Will has been teaching for L.A. Dance Magic and has been invited to teach in studios all over North America. Will continues to train in all styles of dance and acting because there is simply no other way of life for him. He lives by the motto “Dance, Laugh, Love and Repeat.”

    NEWS FLASH: Will is also the Co-Founder of the recently formed Los Angeles Jazz Company and just stepped offstage from performing in the Ken Dance at the Oscars!! Whoohoo!!

Sienna Lyons

Jazz Dance

  • Sienna Lyons is a well versed choreographer, educator and dance based out of Los Angeles, CA. She has danced for artists such as JLo, Taylor Swift, Pharrell, and Selena Gomez; choreographed for Gwen Stefanie, The Masked Singer, Kidz Bop, and assisted in choreography for Janet Jackson’s Vegas residency, just to name a few. Sienna is a seasoned professional with twelve years in the industry that brings her experience from the stage and set to the classroom. She has the knowledge to help future dancers and choreographers fulfill their dreams and goals.

    Coming from a technical background, Sienna runs a focused, hard working class consisting of conditioning the body, intricate clean movement, understanding and enhancing musicality, and pure performance elements.

Hannah Hawkins

Jazz Dance

  • Hannah Hawkins is a dancer/choreographer/educator from Sacramento, CA represented by McDonald-Selznick Associates (MSA), and has been working and teaching from her home base of Los Angeles since 2017. Commercially, Hannah’s credits include an American Eagle Outfitters Back To School International Campaign and Fall Collection Campaign, BANKS “Gimme” and Tessa Violet’s “I Like (The Idea of) You” music videos, along with many short films for choreographers such as Megan Lawson, Matt Cady, Will Johnston, and Marissa Osato. Hannah’s TV and Film credits include The Morning Show with Steve Carrel and Jennifer Anniston, Renfield with Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult, Are You There God? Its Me Margaret with Rachel McAdams, and The Masked Singer on FOX, under award winning choreographers including Kathryn Burns and Mandy Moore.

    In tandem with her onscreen work Hannah has performed live with Billie Eilish at Coachella, danced in Netflix’s Stranger Things Live Immersive Show, and toured the US in a burlesque production of Bob Fosse’s iconic creations. Hannah also enjoys being immersed in the concert dance world. She has trained with Entity Contemporary Dance, Peridance Contemporary Company, Hubbard Street, Dana Foglia and many notable others. She is a former member of the professional dance companies, “CORE Contemporary Dance”, Cat Cogliandro’s “CATASTROPHE!” and the all female contemporary company “Mash Up”.

    Within Reach Dance Intensive is a program Hannah created in 2021. Through her passion for the education and training of young dancers she decided to curate an environment for class and conversation with industry professionals. She believes that young dancers deserve to feel informed and excited about what the dance world has to offer.

José Costas

Ballet / Jazz / Latin

  • José Costas teaches ballet, jazz and Latin dance at Orange Coast College. He began his dance training in his native Puerto Rico, under the direction of Julie Mayoral and Lolita San Miguel. He earned his BS and M. Ed. degrees from Catholic University of Puerto Rico, and his MFA from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University.

    José was a principal dancer with Ballet Hispanico of New York for nine years. During his tenure with Ballet Hispanico, Mr. Costas created lead roles in many ballets and performed throughout the United States, Europe and South America. He has worked extensively as a choreographer, creating productions throughout the country. In 1995, he received a Modern Dance Award given by Puerto Rican Institute of New York.​

    José has taught for educational programs including Ballet Hispanico, City Center and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and master classes in ballet, modern, jazz and ethnic dance styles for universities, dance schools and public schools in the United States and Puerto Rico. He taught at California State University, Dominguez Hills for four years before becoming a full-time faculty member in the Orange Coast College Dance Department in 1999. For several years he was the artistic director of Fiesta Latina, an OCC student dance outreach program focusing on the Latino dance/music traditions. He received an award from OCC in 2008 for his efforts to improve community outreach.

    In 2008 while on a one-year leave of absence from Orange Coast College, Mr. Costas served as the Director of the prestigious Ballet Hispanico School of Dance in New York City. During his tenure as school director Mr. Costas re-designed the school curriculum, created a new outreach performance program and was the choreographer in residence and Artistic Director for the new School Ensemble, Ballet Hispanico II.

Jessica Lea Patty

Broadway Jazz Dance

  • Jessica is a 7 time Broadway veteran, director & choreographer. She was last seen on Broadway in the Tony Award winning production of Bandstand where she played Jo & understudied & performed the lead role of Julia Trojan. She was also in the Broadway revival of EVITA starring Ricky Martin where she understudied & performed the title role of Eva Peron, as well as staring as the Cassie alternate in the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line. Other Broadway credits include The Boy From Oz starring Hugh Jackman & the original Broadway companies of The People In The Picture, 9 to 5 the musical & The Addams Family. Jessica has numerous regional & NYC stage credits including City Center Encores! & the NY Philharmonic as well as touring nationally w/ Cats & Fosse. Jessica has also made numerous television appearances including five Tony Awards telecasts, Dancing w/ The Stars, The Kennedy Center Honors, The View & Good Morning America.

    ​Jessica has had the privilege of working alongside Tony Award winning director/choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton, Bandstand) as both a performer & an associate choreographer. Since appearing in Bandstand on Broadway she has transitioned to directing & choreographing.

    Most recently she co-directed, choreographed & starred in Performing w/ the Pros for the California Schools for the Arts. She directed & choreographed The Addams Family (Broadway.com Regional Award winner for Best musical, direction & choreography) & Hairspray at Florida State University. As well as Sweet Charity at Orange County School of the Arts (Macy Award winner for Best Choreography & Spirit of the Macys). Jessica also choreographed the high school premiere of Jasper in Deadland at OCSA. During the pandemic, she pivoted to the creating virtual theatre! She choreographed a virtual production of The Little Mermaid & directed & choreographed a virtual production of Beauty & the Beast Jr.

    Jessica has taught workshops & masterclasses all over the country, most notably for The Broadway Artists Alliance, Broadway Workshop, University of California Irvine, Florida State & The Performing Arts Project, among many others. She holds a BFA in Music Theatre from Florida State University & hails from Jupiter, Florida. Jessica lived in NYC for 14 years before she & her husband made the cross-country move to sunny LA! With the endless love & support of her family, friends & her rock, Greg, Jessica has followed her life passion to open hearts & minds through storytelling. Most recently she is a new mommy to son Lucas.

Jeff Hendrix

Jazz Dance

  • Jeff Hendrix is the producer for Jazz Dance Conference West/Legends and Legacy and the Director of Jazz Dance Alliance. Jeff has an M.F.A. in Dance from U.C. Irvine with a focus on choreography and videography.

    His mentors include Luigi, Rhett Dennis, Stanley Hall and Dennon Rawles. Performance credits include “A Chorus Line”, “Anything Goes”, “Guys and Dolls” and “Oklahoma”. International choreography and teaching includes Luigi’s (NYC), Nat Horn (NYC), New Jersey Ballet , Ballet Russe de Montreal, Columbo (Zurich), Schutz Ballet (Vienna), Okomoto Ballet) (Japan), Maui Academy of Performing Arts, Svetlova Dance Center (Vermont), Bermuda Academy of Ballet and Austin Ballet Theatre.

    Jeff currently teaches dance at California State Dominguez Hills, as well as several community colleges in L.A. and Orange Counties. He frequently choreographs and performs regularly in jazz, tap, salsa and swing pieces.