Faculty
Carly LaFlamme
Children's Division
Carly has had a love for dance since she began taking classes at 3 years old. She trained at Florida School for Dance Education and performed with Dance Theater of Florida for many years, and through that developed her passion for teaching the next generation of dancers. Carly holds a degree in Early Childhood Education, and has trained in the Vaganova ballet syllabus program. She has earned her Florida Childcare Professional Credential as well as her Directors Credential. Carly adores working with children and helping them learn, grow and develop a love for dance.
Elizabeth Bortz
Contemporary
Elizabeth was raised on the island of Maui, Hawaii. While she was there, she attended Maui Academy of Performing Arts and studied the Cecchetti Method of Ballet with Virginia Holte. She also did rhythmic gymnastics while living on the island, winning many medals including the State Championship title and second place all around at the Junior Olympic Championships. She was invited to attend the year round program with American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in 2020, and has been invited to summer intensives at American Ballet Theatre in New York, Bolshoi Ballet Academy New York, Joffrey Chicago, Master Ballet Academy and more. Elizabeth attended Youth America Grand Pre Finals and received numerous awards such as 1st in the ensemble category and was invited to World Ballet Competition Finals, and ADC IBC Finals. She received a “Platinum” award at NYCDA and was titled “Miss Starlight” at the Starlight Dance Competition as well. She received the title of Miss Starlight again, winning first for classical, first for contemporary, and won a special award for having received the highest score out of the entire competition. She also won first in contemporary and fourth in the teen women’s division at Dance Open America. Elizabeth danced with Master Ballet Academy and was a soloist with The Phoenix Ballet for 4 years. With The Phoenix Ballet she danced Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle and many other works. Elizabeth received a trainee contract with Ballet Palm Beach last year and has been with them since. She has a passion for teaching and showing the art of dance in the form of Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Character, Flamenco, and Ballroom.
Kenny Easter
Guest Artist
Born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Kenny received his professional training in San Francisco and at the Boston Ballet. He has had a diverse ballet career, having danced for Boston Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. Kenny has performed with the San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Ballet Arizona. In 2003 he joined the American Ballet Theatre, and his repertory with the company includes the Young Soldier in The Green Table, and leading roles in Drink to Me Only Thine Eyes, Sechs Tanze, and Sinfonietta, and Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison. Kenny has served as a guest teacher all over the U.S. and internationally and serves on faculty at the ABT Summer Program. He enjoys working with young dancers and seeks out opportunities to teach and choreograph, nurturing new talent.
Lauren Bell-Borro
Musical Theater
Ms. Bell-Borro has extensive experience in dance and musical theater. She performed with The Wick Theater & Museum Club, Palm Beach Dramaworks and Actors' Playhouse. She has a Master of Science Degree in the Entertainment Business from Full Sail University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theater from Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Maria Hernandez Cordoba
Hip Hop
Maria Hernandez began her dance training in 2010 at the age of sixteen in West Palm Beach, Florida at Sean’s Dance Factory under the direction and training of Sean Green. In 2012 she became a Hip Hop instructor at Spotlight of Wellington, and shortly after became an instructor at Sean’s Dance Factory. Her training and dance experience have led her to come up with her own distinctive style of Hip Hop, believing that dance is an art form of expression and a lifestyle. She has performed on productions at the Broward Performing Arts Center, the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, and was featured her own piece at the choreographer’s showcase in Miami. You might have seen her as a backup dancer for James Cove, and dancing on stage with Sugarhill Gang. She remains a continuous student training with some of the top choreographers in the Hip Hop community such as Dondraico ‘Draico’ Johnson, Ellen Kim, Jillian Meyers, Marty Kudelka, Dexter Carr, Chris Grant, Chuck Maldonado, Aisha Francis, Kevin Maher, Nick DeMoura, and many more. Her training has allowed her not only to perform but also to train and direct her students onto the World of Dance competition, never forgetting the main elements of Hip Hop to be the base of their elaborate pieces of competition and performance. Maria believes that her love for dance can be spread and can help dancers of all ages grow and develop their craft with strong self-confidence, allowing them to build their passion and follow their dreams.
Maureen Gil Garcia
Ballet
Maureen Gil Garcia, began her dance studies in Havana, Cuba, in 1996 at the Elementary Ballet School in Havana where she studied for five years and then went to the National School for three more years to attend the higher level, where she finished her studies and graduated with a gold degree as well as a dancer-teacher. Maureen wasaccepted into the prestigious company of the National Ballet of Cuba, where she remained from 2004 to 2020. During this time Maureen danced countless ballets such as Giselle, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Cinderella, Sylphides, Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, The Magic Flute, among many others. Maureen performed all over the world, Spain, France, Italy, England, China, Australia. Canada, United States, Greece, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Brazil, Mexico etc. During those years Maureen became a soloist and had the opportunity to work with some foreign choreographers such as Anabel López Ochoa, Victor Ullate, Ángel Corella, Pierre Contal, Ben Steveson, among others. In 2021Maureen moved to the United States and began teaching at Pennsylvania Ballet Conservatory where she and where she assisted the director to make several productions.
Maxey Bormuth
Children's Division
Maxey received her BFA in Dance from Florida State University. She graduated from A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts and danced with REACH Dance Theatre Collective. She attended summer training programs with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Thodos Dance Chicago and then continued her training at Florida State University and guest performed with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After college she lived in Chicago, Illinois performing for freelance projects, outreach in the Chicago public schools and professional dance companies: Chicago Verge Dance Company, Esoteric Dance Project, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Piel Morena Contemporary Dance and Tapestry Dance Company. Maxey toured to Queretaro, Mexico with Piel Morena Contemporary Dance to perform at “Encuentro Danza Contempanea”. Maxey then returned home to South Florida and has since performed at “Project Dance” in Orlando, Florida with Tapestry Dance Company. Maxey is also a certified 200 RYT yoga instructor and a member of the Yoga Alliance. She has the privilege and joy of teaching dance and yoga in the local community.
Shizu Yasuda
Contemporary
Ms. Yasuda is a passionate choreographer, dance educator, and dance coach. She moved to Florida in 2022 to join the dance department of Palm Beach Atlantic University as an adjunct professor. Before she moved to FL, she was a long-time member of Ad Deum Dance Company, where she danced as the company’s principal dancer and served as the artistic director of Ad Deum II, a professional/ professional training dance company. In 2011, she served as a coordinator and performer, conducting a fundraising dance concert called “Dancing for Hope” with Houston Ballet, Ad Deum Dance Company, and local artists to raise money for the Japan Tsunami Relief Fund.
As a choreographer, she has enjoyed working with young artists of multiple levels, including professional dancers in the Houston dance community and across the US. Her works were commissioned by institutes and companies such as Belhaven University, Vitacca Ballet Houston, Atlanta Professional Dance Academy, Movements In Time Dance Artistry, and Ad Deum Dance Company. Ms. Yasuda was also selected as a choreographer for Houston Choreographer x 6 in 2019.
After she resigned from the artistic director position of Ad Deum II, she began coaching and choreographing young dancers in contemporary and ballet who compete in the Regionals and Grand Finals of the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), the World Ballet Competition(WBC), the Universal Ballet Competition (UBC), and the semi-final of the Prix de Lausanne. Her students have achieved elite awards in these competitions, including the Outstanding Ensemble Award in the Grand Prix Final of UBC 2022 and the Grand Final and gala at the 1st Asian Youth Grand Prix 2022 in China.
As a dance educator, she has also enjoyed teaching Modern, Contemporary, and Ballet classes at dance institutes such as Vitacca Vocational School for Dance, Mitsi Dancing School, Payne Dance Academy, and Houston Ballet Academy Summer Dance Intensive. She is an American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum certified teacher and a recipient of the ABT Facilitated Teacher Award 2018-2020. She obtained an MFA degree in choreography at Jacksonville University in 2024.
Toni Lipscher
Jazz
Ms Lipscher began her dance education in Homestead, Florida. While a student there she participated in Miss Dance of Florida finishing in the top 10. From there she attended Florida State University where she danced for the Golden Girls and was voted Captain by her peers. In 1988, she was selected by College Dance Championship board to perform in the Opening Number. After college, she danced with the Miami Heat Dancers (captain, 1 year), the Eagles Cheerleaders (chosen to be in the video, NFL’s Hottest Cheerleaders, and the New Jersey Nets. She has also danced with Xanadu Dance Company. Toni has taught Hip Hop and Jazz at Atlantic Arts Academy and is proud to be a current member of REACH Dance Company and thrilled to be a teacher at Dance Theater of Florida.