The Movement Behind the Magic

Blake Stanley is an internationally recognized educator, coach, and choreographer. With reach extending to over a dozen countries, Blake has been a true-trailblazer in the community; bringing dancers all over the globe access to educational leaders and even developing his own app for dance education, “DanceX!” Personally, he has a kinetically expressive teaching style that is rooted in classical technique, reducing dancer’s risk of injury, and centered around the relationship between a dancers’ physical and intellectual bodies. Formally, his teaching method can be known as Blake Stanley Techniques.

Jordyn McNichols began dancing at age 2, training with The Eastern Connecticut Ballet and later in the Cecchetti method under Jacqueline Anderson. At 14, she joined the Albano Ballet Company, performing soloist roles for five years and studying Albano’s "Law of Centers and Theory of Rotors." She earned her BFA in Ballet from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, training with renowned instructors in ballet, modern, and jazz. Jordyn is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) and integrates PBT, ballet, and physical therapy principles to help dancers strengthen their technical foundation. With over 14 years of teaching experience, Jordyn specializes in ballet, conditioning, and technique, and is passionate about guiding dancers to the next level.

Courtney Combs is a NYC/Las Vegas-based dancer, educator, and choreographer originally from Collinsville, IL. She trained in the Cecchetti method, studied in Paris, and earned her BFA in Dance from the University of Arizona. Courtney’s performance credits include Phantom of the Opera, Swing!, and international tours, along with work in film, TV, and print. She has taught nationwide, led pre-professional programs, and coached award-winning YAGP dancers. Certified in ABT Curriculum, Cecchetti, PBT, Pilates, and yoga, Courtney is known for classes that blend strong technique with artistry, strength, and expressive movement.

Jordan Tortorella is a NYC-based dancer currently training in Italy at Nuova Officina della Danza under Tom Weinberger. She previously studied at Marymount Manhattan College and completed the Gibney Professional Training Program. Jordan has trained with top companies including Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Complexions, and Hubbard Street, and has performed works by choreographers such as Jermaine Spivey, Azure Barton, and Darrell Moultrie. Originally from South Florida, she received her early training at Dancetown and Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

Stacey Raab is a seasoned dance educator with over 20 years of teaching experience. Originally from Rochester, NY, she trained at the Draper Center for Dance Education and attended intensives with Joffrey Ballet, Walnut Hill, and Limon Dance Company. She holds a B.S. in Dance from SUNY Brockport, graduating summa cum laude. Stacey has performed professionally in NYC, Baltimore, DC, and Virginia. She is a certified Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) instructor and YPAD-trained. Known for her positive and challenging teaching style, Stacey helps dancers strengthen technique, musicality, and body awareness through effective and safe training.

Dani Scaggs is a flexibility coach and dance educator with over 20 years of teaching experience. Based in Michigan and Ohio, she specializes in helping dancers improve mobility, flexibility, and body awareness through safe, personalized training. Dani’s approach blends injury prevention, mental focus, and body-mind connection, and she works with students of all ages in both group and private settings. Currently pursuing her Flexibility Coach Certification through NASM, she stays up to date with the latest techniques. Dani is passionate about helping dancers unlock their potential and build lasting confidence in their movement.

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Londyn Alexander is a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She continued her training at the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, where she performed works by renowned choreographers including William Forsythe, Desmond Richardson, and Lar Lubovitch. In addition to her concert dance work, Alexander has built a diverse career in the commercial industry, working with musical artists such as Brandy, Chance the Rapper, and Todrick Hall. She recently earned her M.A. in Choreography, Fashion, and Cinema Studies from New York University.

Eliza uses neuromuscular training, somatic tools, PBT (Progressing Ballet Technique), and Pilates to help dancers move safely, build resilience, and sustain long-term careers. In the studio, she emphasizes creativity through improvisation, choreography, and collaboration, encouraging students to explore and develop their artistic voices. Her goal is to empower students to be disciplined, curious, authentic, and collaborative—equipping them with the resilience to reach their goals, the awareness to engage with others’ ideas, and the confidence to overcome challenges.

Sean Kelly is a former Principal Dancer and current Guest Ballet Master with Houston Ballet. He has performed leading roles in major classical ballets and choreographed original works for the company. He served as Resident Director for An American in Paris on Broadway, U.S., Asia, Paris, and Australia tours, and has worked on productions like Movin’ Out, Billy Elliot, and Swing. He has staged works internationally, including for Boston Ballet and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Sean teaches at The Metropolitan Opera and Ballet Academy East, and continues to work as a freelance teacher, coach, and choreographer worldwide.

BellaRose is a committed dancer from McClellandtown with a strong classical foundation from the Vaganova Academy of Brownsville under Summer Reed. She has worked with choreographers such as Travis Wall, Nick Meola, Chantel Aguirre, and trains regularly with Blake Stanley and other top instructors. Her recent achievements include top overall awards at Nuvo, Jump, 24Seven, Radix, and The Dance Awards, as well as high placements at ADC-IBC, YAGP, and UBC. She has received scholarships to Ballet Met and Tulsa Ballet.

Julian Sanchez is a dancer and choreographer born and raised in Miami, Florida. He attended New World School of the Arts High School and graduated in 2020. Julian went on to attend The Juilliard School and received his BFA in 2024.He has been invited to present his work at festivals in Berlin and New York, as well as multiple graduation concerts at The Juilliard School. In 2024, he performed alongside SED in R.O.S.E by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar at The Parker Avenue Armory. In 2025 he attended Nuova X in Turin, Italy. He is currently based between New York City and Miami, working as a freelance dancer, choreographer, and educator.

Delaney Mena, B.F.A., CPT, SFC is a professional dancer and certified personal trainer based in NYC. A Long Island native, she earned her BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College with concentrations in Modern and Ballet. She is NASM-certified with a specialization in Stretching and Flexibility. Delaney has trained with renowned artists and companies including Synthesis Dance, Ballet Hispánico, and Alvin Ailey’s Linda Celeste Sims. In 2022, she founded Dance Movement Training to help dancers worldwide enhance their technique through strength and flexibility work. She currently trains dancers across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Australia.

Cory, a Phoenix native, began dancing at age three and trained at Tempe Dance Academy. He earned a BFA from The Juilliard School and went on to dance with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Les Grands Ballets de Montréal, and Cirque du Soleil’s Volta as the lead character Waz. He has performed internationally in works by renowned choreographers like Ohad Naharin, William Forsythe, and Crystal Pite. Cory now teaches and choreographs worldwide with his husband, Troy Herring, and is inspired by the next generation of artists.

Originally from Owasso, Oklahoma, Troy Herring began dancing at age 12 and trained at programs like ABT, Juilliard, and Quartz Mountain. He earned his BFA from The Juilliard School in 2014, performing works by Twyla Tharp, Pina Bausch, and Jose Limon. After graduation, he joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, dancing lead roles and working with renowned choreographers including Ohad Naharin and Jiří Kylián. Troy discovered his passion for teaching and choreography alongside his husband, Cory, and later founded a dance program in Tulsa to support young dancers' professional growth. He now teaches and choreographs nationwide with Cory.

Lauren Ritchie (MEd, BA, ESFCC) is a mental skills educator, dance teacher, and choreographer who connects mental training with dance education. She creates practical programs that build confidence, accountability, and resilience in dancers and educators. Lauren has developed international teacher training, mental performance curricula, and The Dance Podcast. Her research-based work has been featured at major events like the Women in Sport Speaker Series and the Toronto Dance Teacher Expo. With decades of experience, Lauren’s impact is felt across dance communities worldwide.

Jess Spinner is a former professional dancer and certified holistic health, nutrition, and lifestyle coach. She founded The Whole Dancer in 2015 to help dancers prioritize well-being, body confidence, and healthy habits. Jess holds certifications from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Precision Nutrition, with additional training from Duke and Harvard.

Sarah Marie Picard (formerly known as Sarah Brinson) is an American dancer, choreographer, actress, and artistic director whose work bridges performance, education, and creation. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, her career began with FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance and ABC’s Once Upon a Time. She has since performed internationally with leading dance companies, appeared at venues such as The Joyce Theater and Peridance, and worked in projects spanning stage, screen, and film. She is the founder of Acting For Dancers, a signature workshop blending contemporary movement, acting technique, and mindfulness, and the Artistic Director of SMP Dance Company, which develops repertory and collaborative works centered on story and emotional intelligence. Her teaching is rooted in authenticity, presence, and storytelling, inviting dancers to explore not only what movement looks like, but what it feels like. Sarah has taught extensively across the U.S. and internationally, bringing her work to institutions such as Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, Gibney and beyond. She continues to cultivate a global creative community through SMP, with workshops, mentorship, and new performance works in development.

Paloma is an international flexibility coach with extensive experience training dancers and athletes across the globe. She holds a degree in Sports Science, is a certified rhythmic gymnastics coach, and earned an MBA in Sports Management from Universidad Europea and Real Madrid Graduate School. As a former rhythmic gymnast, she draws on over a decade of competitive experience, including Spanish National Competitions and international events in Aesthetic Group Gymnastics, to inform her hands-on coaching approach. Her career has taken her from Spain to California and beyond. Through both in-person and online training, Paloma has shared her expertise worldwide, working with students from the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia. Her unique methodology combines flexibility and strength conditioning to enhance mobility, body control, and technical precision. Paloma has worked with students at every level, from beginners to elite performers. Many of her former students have gone on to become outstanding athletes and dancers, earning places on the U.S. National Team in rhythmic gymnastics and training at world-renowned ballet institutions. Passionate about guiding students toward their highest potential, she inspires them to approach challenges with discipline, positivity, and resilience.

Nicholas Palmquist is an internationally recognized teacher and choreographer based in New York City. Nicholas’s experience with American Dance Machine—alongside Wayne Cilento, Margo Sappington, and Donna McKechnie—immersed him in the archival lineage of Broadway and jazz dance, cultivating a deep respect for process and history. This grounding both contrasts with and informs his work in contemporary commercial spaces and reflects his American Midwest upbringing. His movement and artistry have been featured in Vogue, Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher Magazine, Tanz Magazine, Vogue México, Numéro China, Nordstrom, the CFDA x Vogue Gala, and New York Fashion Week for Jean Paul Gaultier/Kenzo and Hermès, among others. He partnered Diana Vishneva in Edward Clug’s original work Sleeping Beauty Dreams and has taught for her festival Context in both Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Sydney Burtis, originally from Central Florida, is an international performer, choreographer, and educator based in New York City. Recognized as one of “Tap’s Next Generation” by Dance Spirit Magazine in 2017, she has performed in The Billy Elliot National Broadway Tour, So You Think You Can Dance, The YoungArts Gala at the MET, and Little Island, and with companies including Dorrance Dance and Sarah Reich. A 2025 A.C.E. Awards and DEC Choreographers Cup finalist, Sydney founded her tap company Elements of Sound (2022) to tell stories through movement. She teaches nationally and internationally, serving on faculty at Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center, and as a guest teacher for numerous festivals and conventions. Sydney is a YoungArts Silver Award Winner, co-founder of the Orlando Tap Festival, and an alumna of The Jacob’s Pillow Tap Program and Pace University, NYC.

Monique Meunier is a former principal dancer with New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Born in Hollywood, CA, she trained at the School of American Ballet on full scholarship and joined NYCB at age 16. Her repertoire spans works by Balanchine, Robbins, Forsythe, Wheeldon, and Tudor, among others. Monique has danced with Complexions Contemporary Ballet and served as Ballet Master and educator at institutions including The Washington Ballet, Nevada Ballet Theatre, and UCSB, where she is currently Associate Professor of Ballet. A sought-after coach, choreographer, and YAGP adjudicator, she continues to shape the next generation of dancers.

Holly Ryder is a South Florida-based choreographer and instructor known for her unique blend of contemporary movement, improvisation, and yoga-based training. She’s the founder of The Dive, guest faculty at Broadway Dance Center, and has taught across North and Central America. Holly continues to mentor dancers virtually through Blake Stanley’s platform, expanding her impact on the dance community.

Melissa Levine is a certified Pilates instructor with over 27 years of experience, having received her authentic certification through Romana Kryzanowska, a direct protégé of Joseph Pilates. A former competitive figure skater, Melissa combines her background in athletic performance with expertise in fitness management and exercise physiology, earned through her studies at the University of Delaware. She founded Body by Melissa in 1999 to help dancers, figure skaters, gymnasts, and other athletes improve strength, flexibility, and injury prevention through Pilates and core conditioning.