Victor Sanchez
DIRECTOR ✦ CONTEMPORARY / JAZZ / ACRO / CHOREO / PRE-BALLET / LYRICAL
Víctor is a versatile dancer and choreographer trained in jazz, ballet, modern, contemporary, African, and Brazilian dance. He earned his BA in Dance from California State University, Fullerton, and has performed with companies such as Vicious Circle, Delineation Dance, Re:borN Dance, and Dagdag Dance. Passionate about creating and sharing movement, Víctor continues to choreograph, perform, and teach across Southern California.
Karla Neff
MANAGER ✦ BALLET
Karla Neff began her dance journey under the nurturing guidance of her mother, the founder of Village Dance Arts, where she trained for 17 years. After establishing herself internationally as a makeup artist, Karla returned to Claremont in 2018 following her mother’s passing. Driven by a deep passion to honor her mother’s legacy, she is dedicated to keeping the studio alive and vibrant. Karla is now focused on helping toddlers and young children embark on their own dancing journeys, instilling the same love for dance that shaped her own life.
McKenna Adams
TAP
McKenna Adams has trained at South Coast Performing Arts since the age of three and brings over a decade of dance experience to her teaching. With a strong focus on tap, along with training in ballet, jazz, musical theater, lyrical, and contemporary, she teaches with an emphasis on musicality, rhythm, and performance quality. McKenna brings hands-on classroom experience and enjoys supporting students as they develop strong technique and confidence. She has earned recognition at regional and national competitions and is passionate about creating a positive, encouraging environment where students can grow and develop a genuine love of dance.
Lily Bretaña
BALLET
Lily was raised in Irvine, California and has been dancing for 16 years. She has training in classical ballet, lyrical, contemporary, and jazz. She attended Orange County School of the Arts, studying commercial dance before coming to Scripps College where she continues to dance in a co-curricular capacity. She believes the best dancing is done in a room full of happy and supported people.
Sarah Hansen
BALLET
Sarah was raised in the Bay Area and has been dancing for 17 years. She was educated at the San Carlos School of Ballet, working briefly with Michael Lowe of Menlowe Ballet. She is currently pursuing a minor in dance at Scripps College focusing primarily on ballet and contemporary dance styles and developing her choreographic interests. Sarah is also a company member, choreographer, facilitator, and educator with the Claremont Colleges Ballet Company. Most recently she performed in the re-setting of Fathom by Los Alamitos Ballet Theatre at Spring Dance by Pomona College. Sarah is passionate about creating and belonging to dance spaces that center love, joy, community, and family.
Anna Odell
HIP HOP
Anna Odell grew up in the Pasadena area and has been dancing hip hop for over ten years. She grew up training in community-based studios where dance was always about joy, expression, and connection. Throughout her training, she has performed in numerous productions and appeared in two small music videos, experiences that deepened her love for movement and storytelling. She believes the best dancing happens when everyone in the room feels safe and encouraged. She brings that same spirit into her teaching, aiming to create a space where dancers feel supported, confident, and free to have fun.
Carolyn Tellez
CONTEMPORARY / JAZZ / HIP-HOP / BALLET / LYRICAL
Carolyn is a versatile dancer, educator, and choreographer with 13 years of training in jazz, ballet, contemporary, and hip hop. She began her formal training at Mt. San Antonio College and furthered her artistic development with Snowtorious under Snowglobe Perspective. With 7 years of teaching experience, Carolyn is passionate about fostering growth in dancers of all levels while continuing to expand her own artistry. She is also the co-director of Summit, a contemporary fusion company for adults, where she creates and presents innovative works that blend diverse movement styles. Carolyn’s dedication to both performance and education reflects her commitment to professionalism, creativity, and the power of dance as a form of expression.
Sophia Toon
BALLET
Sophia grew up studying ballet at the Portland School of Ballet in Maine where she was taught Vaganova technique. After joining her school’s pre-professional program in 2020, she expanded her studies to include lessons in Graham and Cunningham modern techniques as well as traditional Russian character dancing. During her time, she danced in numerous production roles including those of Wili in Giselle, flower and snow corps in The Victorian Nutcracker, and The Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty. While at Portland School of Ballet, she also held the role of a Young Dancer Assistant, teaching beginning ballet classes. She now studies dance at Pomona College.
Natalie Young
BALLET
Natalie grew up dancing at Western Ballet in Mountain View, California. She began teaching ballet in 2019, sharing her love of dance with a range of students from beginning to advanced youth and adults. She has performed in classic ballets like The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, as well as several contemporary ballet works. She is currently pursuing her M.S. in Business Analytics at Cal Poly.