'new staff' bios coming soon!

Miss Leslie
OWNER

Miss Leslie recently retired after 50 years of teaching and 43 years as the Owner and Director of CDC.  She will no longer be teaching her weekly classes at the studio in the 22-23 dance year but she will stay on as the owner of CDC until Jan. 1st. 2023. Her daughters Allison and Taylor will take over all studio management in the interim and will officially take over in January 2023. 

Miss Allison​
​Director
Competition Team Director

Miss Allison has been teaching for over 25 years.  She is trained in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical and Tap.  During her Ballet training she also participated in the Royal Academy of Ballet's examination where she graduated from the program.  She also studied at SJSU where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in History.

​Over the years, Miss Allison has created and developed an award-winning competition program for dancers of all ages and levels.  She is the Director of the Competition program and "The Company". Her teams and soloists have won national titles, scholarships, and numerous specialty awards. A number of her students have gone on to be accepted at many prestigious college dance programs such as, Chapman University, Long Beach State University, UC Irvine, Dominican, Gonzaga, Marymount Manhattan College, and Lines Ballet trainee program.

Miss Allison loves to teach at the studio as well as choreograph for Valley Christian High School's Dance Team. She loves to express her creativity through her choreography and is constantly inspired by her students.  Miss Allison is also the co-producer of CDC's annual summer performance.

Miss Taylor
Studio manager
Competition Coach

Miss Taylor has been dancing since early childhood and teaching dance for over 20 years with CDC. She is formally trained in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, and Tap.  She was a member of the award-winning Pioneer Dance Team from 1995-1999, where she was also a Captain. Miss Taylor attended SJSU where she earned her Bachelors Degree in Political Science.

​After college she worked in the non-profit sector for many years in fundraising. In 2013, she decided to join CDC full time as the Studio Manager.  As well as managing the studio, Miss Taylor also developed and oversees the Hip Hop program at CDC. She is also a choreographer and coach for the Hip Hop competition teams and in addition, works with soloists in the styles of Jazz and Hip Hop. 

Miss Taylor loves to see her dancers continue their dance training both at the collegiate level and professionally as Teachers, Choreographers and Dancers. 

Miss cHELSEA
Competition Coach
oFFICE cOORDINATOR

HerMiss Chelsea has been dancing with CDC since she was six years old. She has been a CDC choreographer and teacher for over twelve years.  She is trained in Jazz, Lyrical, Tap, Hip Hop, Salsa and Afro Cuban.  Miss Chelsea competed as a soloist and Team Member of CDC's Competition Team while in High School. While attending Hawaii Pacific University, where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, she was a member of the dance troupe, "Hawaii's Finest,” where she merged all her dance training with the Honolulu Dance Club and the Punahou Dance School. Miss Chelsea created and oversees CDC's Contemporary program. Miss Chelsea is passionate about connecting with her students and exposing them to her unique Contemporary Style. She is also co-producer of CDC's annual summer performance. 

Miss Chelsea's new role is Office Coordinator. She manages customer service for the studio and office coordination. We are so thankful to have Chelsea as part of our CDC family. 

Miss Cassy
Competition Coach
​Office Coordinator​

Miss Cassy has been dancing since the age of three and loves to share her love of tap and ballet with her students. She oversees the Tap program and is also a choreographer for CDC's competition teams and soloists. Miss Cassy is also a costume and prop designer, creating pieces for CDC's competition teams as well as the annual performances. Miss Cassy attended San Jose State University and  majored in Dance with a style focus in Jazz, graduating in 2012. 

Miss Cassy's new role this year is Office Coordinator. She manages our studio database, Studio Director. She also is the creator and manager of our Teaching Assistant Program and our online dance wear store, Nimbly.  We are grateful to have Cassy as part of our dance family.  

---

Miss Melissa
bALLET pROGRAM dIRECTOR 

Miss Melissa has been dancing with CDC since 1985. She has trained extensively in Ballet as well as Jazz, Hip Hop and Lyrical. She completed her Royal Academy of Ballet examinations and completed her Performance Awards through the American Academy of Ballet. Since receiving her Gold Award with Distinction for her work in Level 12 (highest level) she has mentored and trained our advanced dancers. Miss Melissa also trained with the Joffrey Ballet Summer Workshop.  She is an alumnus of Santa Clara University, receiving her Bachelor's Degree in Accounting.

We are proud to have Melissa sharing her love of Ballet with our dancers.  She currently teaches Ballet, Pointe, and co-manages our  Performance Awards program. 

​Miss Maureen
FRONT DESK STAFF

​Miss Maureen began dancing at 5 years old and has loved it ever since.  She trained under Keith Banks at Studio 10 and was the Captain of her Cheer/Song Team at Cupertino High School.  Miss Maureen is CDC's Music Producer, and oversees the audio engineer for CDC's annual performances. 

Miss Maureen has worked at our front desk since 2018 and is always happy to assist our dance families. We are thrilled to have her as part of our studio!

MISS ELIZABETH
iNSTRUCTOR

Elizabeth dance experience spans over 25 years. She began dancing at Studio One for the Performing Arts in North Little Rock, Arkansas, where she later became the Owner and Artistic Director. In 2002, she graduated from San Francisco State University, with a BA in Cinema and a Minor in Dance. Elizabeth spent many years working on TV and film in Los Angeles, CA.

​Most recently, Elizabeth taught for six years at Dance Effects in Campbell, prior to their closing.We are happy to have Elizabeth new to our staff this year, sharing her her time and talent with us all!