Jenna Jones – Owner/Director – Ballet, Jazz, Tap , Contemporary, Pilates
Jenna received her Masters of Fine Arts in Dance with an emphasis in performance and choreography at Mills College, where she was the 2014 recipient of the E. L. Wiegand Foundation Dance Innovator Award for exceptional originality in performance and choreography. With over ten years of teaching experience, she teaches a variety of styles at Just Dance Academy, with previous teaching experience at Mills College, Hamilton Elementary School, and several summer programs throughout Marin County. She has performed works by Sonya Delwaide-Nichols, Yukie Fujimoto, Janice Garrett & Charles Moulton, Wanjiru Kamuyu, Sharonjean Leeds, and Wax Poets, and was a company member of Anna and the Annadroids frrom 2015-2018. She is fully certified in STOTT Pilates on all equipment and teaches at Pilates of Marin. Jenna grew up dancing at Just Dance Academy, under the instruction of Miss Deanna, for ten years.
Alyssa Carnahan- Upper Division Artistic Ballet Director – Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz
Alyssa is a dancer, dance teacher, and choreographer originally from Sonoma County, California. She earned a B.A. from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and an M.F.A. from Mills College in Oakland. Alyssa fell in love with ballet at age four, and trained at Redwood Empire Ballet and Ballet Califia, under David McNaughton and Shelley Scott, both former dancers of San Francisco Ballet and New York City Ballet. She later studied modern dance, jazz, and choreography at SRHS ArtQuest Dance Company, and continued her dance education in college and graduate school. She has performed with Ballet Califia Company, O’brien Center of the Arts, Mills RepCo, Orchesis Dance Company, Walt Disney Parks Entertainment, and Lauren Baines Dance/Theatre. In addition to teaching at Just Dance Academy, Alyssa has taught at the Dance Center of Santa Rosa, Roustabout Theater Company, Cross & Crown School, Mills College, Ballet Califia, Tiburon-Belvedere Rec Center, and Presidio Dance Theatre. She is currently on the faculty at San Domenico School in San Anselmo.
Shellie Jew – Ballet, Pointe
Shellie Jew is a freelance dancer based in San Francisco. She received her early training at Marin Ballet from Cynthia Lucas and Amy London. Upon graduating from UCLA, she attended the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program, under the direction of Karah Abiog, where she performed works by Gregory Dawson, David Harvey, and Maurya Kerr. As a dance artist, she has performed with dawsondancesf, Garrett + Moulton Productions, Oceánica Ballet, and Peninsula Ballet Theatre among others.
Maddie Sager – Ballet, Modern, Contemporary
Maddie Sager began her training at Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre in Missoula Montana at the age of 4. Under the Artistic Director Charlene Campbell Carey, Maddie trained in ballet, contemporary, modern, tap and hip hop at RMBT until graduating high school. Throughout the years she trained during the summers at Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle and internationally in both Portugal and Austria. She also traveled with Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre’s company to perform in countries such as Italy and China. Maddie moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2019 to study at the LINES Ballet BFA Program and as a business minor at Dominican University. She has taught ballet and contemporary at RMBT and has choreographed for the company starting her senior year of high school and has continued when home from college. Recently Maddie has started the process of becoming a certified GYROTONIC ® instructor with Master Trainer Debra Rose and is currently an apprentice. Currently, Maddie dances for choreographer Kathryn Roszak, Artistic Director of Danse Lumière
Michelina Coates – Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical
Born and raised in West Palm Beach, Michelina “Mickey” Coates began training in dance at the age of two, studying ballet, pointe, modern, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, and musical theater. A former student at Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, she has worked with renowned choreographers and artists including Scott Fowler, Meredith Rainey, Freddie Moore, DaMond Garner, Ashley Simpson, and Lloyd Culbreath.She has furthered her training through summer intensives with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Orlando Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet.
Currently, Mickey is pursuing a BFA in Dance with a minor in Education Studies through the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University of California. She is also training in GYROTONIC® under master teachers and has worked with acclaimed artists including Alonzo King, Babatunji Johnson, Marusya Madubuko, David Harvey, Gregory Dawson, Maurya Kerr, and Carmen Rozestraten. With previous teaching experience at studios throughout Florida, Mickey is passionate about sharing her knowledge of dance with the next generation of artists while fostering confidence, creativity, and versatility in young dancers.
Sydney Shelton Ferrario – Tap
During her time in the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA at Dominican University, she has choreographed and presented her latest work “the river flowing” (2024), performed original works from former LINES dancers, Gregory Paul Dawson, Maurya Kerr, and Laura O’Malley, and studied under the company’s renowned faculty who have impacted her and the dance world greatly.
Lily Hurtubise- Guest Teacher – Jazz, Pom, Hip Hop, Lyrical
Lily began competitive dancing in Park City, Utah. She later moved to Orange County, California and joined the San Clemente High School Dance Team, helping them win 4 first-place titles at USA Nationals and dancing as a solo finalist.
After graduating from high school, Lily embarked on a new chapter by joining the UCSB Dance Team. Lily assumed the role of captain during her junior and senior years. Additionally, she took on the responsibility of self-coaching the team. Notably, the team made a return to the UDA nationals after a seven-year hiatus and achieved a 4th place finish in the D1 Pom Division.
During her college years, Lily also worked three summers on USA Dance Staff and as an educator at SB Dance Arts. Currently, Lily has embarked on an exciting path as an NBA Dancer for the Golden State Warriors organization.
Faith Alexis Dalton – Hip Hop
Faith Alexis Dalton is a freelance dancer who is passionate about hip
hop, whacking, jazz funk, contemporary, and modern dance. Faith began
her dance journey in street styles at 10 years old, learning from
neighbors who wanted to share their knowledge and build community.
Fast forward to today Faith teaches street styles, such as Hip-Hop,
around the Bay Area, including but not limited to Alonzo King LINES
Ballet and INQ Dance Company. Faith approaches teaching with a
community oriented lens and the idea that street styles were always
meant to be social. She has a BA in Dance and Choreography from Mills
College and Saint Mary’s College of California and has gotten to study
with esteemed faculty such as Rennie Harris, Larry Love, Robert Moses,
Shaunna Vella, Alli Fritz, Rocko Luciano, and many more. In 2023 Faith
was invited and received grant funding to bring her original work
“Dancers Move Act II” to Arizona. You may have spotted Faith
performing at San Francisco Pride, San Francisco International Hip Hop
Dancefest, in various dance films, and more!
Deanna Masgay – Founder/Administration – Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Lyrical
Ms. Deanna began the Just Dance program in Marin county in 1993. Her training includes intensive training in ballet (R.A.D, I.S.T.D) , tap, jazz and lyrical from the age of 5 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Ms. Deanna became a professional dancer at the age of 18 performing with companies in Canada, the U.S., South America and Japan. Ms. Deanna graduated Cum Laude from Sonoma State University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in teaching. Ms. Deanna strives to achieve a dance program which promotes technically sound dance instruction with an emphasis on allowing students to experience the joy in the process of learning to dance as well as the joy of performance. The Just Dance Academy accommodates the recreational dancer as well as dancers seeking intensive dance training.