The Instructors | Rain Dance Studio

MS. LEA

OWNER/DIRECTOR

Ms. Lea has been dancing for almost 30 years, and teaching/choreographing for over 10. She grew up dancing at multiple studios, her home studio being Stars Studio of Dance in Willow Grove, PA. Her passion to open up a “pay what you can” dance studio came from a combination of the love of the expression of dance, paired with the work that she does on a daily basis. Ms. Lea is a therapist, currently working with children birth to three, in the early intervention program. She received her BA in Child and Adolescent Psychology from Temple University in 2010. Her specialties include, but are not limited to, attention/focus, behavior, pre language skills, and sensory needs. When Ms. Lea is not working or teaching she enjoys working out, being outdoors, spending time with her family, doing things for others, going to the beach, playing with her dogs, and dancing in the RAIN!

MS. ALYSSA

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Ms. Alyssa began her dance training at Children’s Studio for the Performing Arts in Connecticut. There she studied ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop. She later attended The Greater Hartford Academy of the Performing Arts, with a focus in ballet and modern dance, along with much study in dance theory. Alyssa holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Temple University. There she studied ballet, contemporary, modern, and Umfundalai African dance. Alyssa has performed professionally with several companies such as the Nickerson Rossi Dance Company, Brian Sanders’ JUNK, Expansions Contemporary Dance Ensemble, and a contemporary ballet company under Laura Katz. She has toured as a dancer with the I Am King Experience and has performed in shows/festivals such as the Queens Dance Festive, the Inhale Performance Series, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, the Vermont Dance Festival, and the Flair Dance Festival. Alyssa has taught a variety of styles and ages throughout PA, CT, and NY. She is thrilled to continue being a part of the Rain Dance family as both an assistant director and instructor, continuing her love and passion for both dancing and teaching!

MS. JASMINE

Ms. Jasmine is a Dance Anthropologist, Choreographer and Instructor from North Carolina. She studied at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she was inspired by great choreographers and directors such as Dr. Jan Van Dyke, Elizabeth BJ Sullivan and Gerri Houlihan. While in North Carolina Jasmine instructed, mentored and tutored students from ages 18 months to adult. She also had the privilege of working extensively with group home teenagers on finding a motivation for life and an outlet through dance. Jasmine also trained and choreographed for several competition squads and professional dance teams before relocating to Philadelphia. In 2010, Jasmine moved to Philadelphia to continue pursuing her professional performance career. She danced for Infatuation Dance Company and after two years was promoted to Assistant Artistic Director. Under the management of Joox Entertainment, Jasmine has worked with several Grammy award winning producers and directors while training R&B, Pop and Rap artists on their live performances and tours. She also performed as a dancer and assistant rehearsal director for Roger Lee Dance Company from 2015-2019 . She has also taught dance classes at several dance schools and community programs including but not limited to the African American Museum of Philadelphia, Silly’s Day Care Center in Philadelphia and Freestyle Dance Academy in Warrington, PA. Jasmine may also be seen dancing and choreographing for artists such as DJ Diamond Kuts of Power 99, R&B/Pop artist BriaMarie, Dev Stephon and Sphynix Roze. Currently Jasmine is working as an instructor, the Creative Director of DanceFit Exertainment, as well as the Assistant Rehearsal Director for Roger Dance Company.

MS. KAYLA

Ms. Kayla began her dance training at the Philadelphia School of Dance Arts at age 5. There she studied ballet, jazz, modern, tap and hip hop. At the age of 14, she began her studies at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) as a dance major. She then joined CAPA’s dance company becoming the company manager and a student teacher for the dance department. During her time at CAPA, Kayla performed in the Thanksgiving Day Parade and Cherry Blossom parade, was a member of the X-Perience Dance Company’s , X1, and choreographed for CAPA’s Spring Dance Show and Student Choreography Show. During her high school years, Kayla trained with the Philadelphia Ballet’s Choreographic Mentorship Program and was the Choreographic Fellow for the Philadelphia Ballet’s All City Dance Ensemble. Kayla is currently a dance major at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. Since then, she has taught at numerous dance studios, choreographed for Boyer College Dance shows, and choreographed for the Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade. Kayla loves performing and teaching the art of dance. Her ultimate goal as a dance teacher is to instill confidence in all of her students while creating a positive and welcoming environment.

MS. AMAYA

Ms. Amaya has been dancing longer than she can remember. She started off at her mothers dance company called Free To Be Dance Academy LLC from birth until 5, continued training at the school of dance arts until her family opened up Free To Be Performing Arts where she completed her high school dance career. She has performed at private events, Mt. Airy Day, Mt. Airy Village Parade, and school events. Ms. Amaya specializes in Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Jazz, and Acro. Ms. Amaya is currently a 2nd grade teacher, and majoring in Psychology at Eastern University. She has had a passion for dance since she could remember, and likes to say she “eats, breathes, and sleeps” dance.

MS. CAMPBELL

Ms. Campbell began dancing at the age of three, later competing with the Dance Theatre of New Jersey Company for six years, winning numerous scholarships. She has attended intensives at the Joffrey School, Broadway Dance Center, Point Park University, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and eventually discovered a love for choreography. From 2015-2022, she worked on multiple age-ranging productions with theaters in the Northern Jersey area. In 2018, Campbell attended Temple University where she received her BFA in Dance in May of 2022. While at Temple, she maintained positions on the Temple Dance Production Crew and Boyer Alumni Association as the student liaison. Campbell danced with Kun-Yang Lin Dancers as an apprentice from 2022-2023 and was their technical director for the Inhale Performance Series shows from 2022-2024. Campbell is currently training with Amy Novinski of Amy Novinski Ballet as well as continuing to explore new choreography as a post-graduate. Her most recent work was collaborating on Chris Davis’ One Man Nutcracker.

MS. NOVAE

Ms. Novae is a commercial hip-hop choreographer with extreme passion within movements. Novae channels dance to interpret the soul of music. Novae grew up in Sicklerville, New Jersey. She began dance classes of all styles at the age of 8 and found her passion for hip hop at the age of 12. At 17, Novae had aged out of her dance school and didn’t know where to go from there, so she started learning dances off of YouTube. She was inspired by dancers/choreographers such as Janelle Ginestra, Willdabeats Adams, and Trisha Miranda. With the price of dance classes being so high, these videos were her greatest outlet and greatest tools for learning. When Novae turned 18 she moved to Philadelphia to broaden her experience in dance. She was able to connect to the dance community which only increased her passion for dance. She joined dance groups and companies and was able to gain more confidence and even more technique. Novae joined IAMPHRESH dance academy in 2019 under the training of Smart Mark. Through this training program she learned the industry side of dance and different styles and foundation of true hip hop dance and culture. She later became a member of the company. Novae has learned so much through the art of hip hop, such as what she wants to give to people through teaching. She aims to make everyone feel special when they take her classes and wants them to have confidence through the art of dancing. Novae joined the Philly dance battling scene in 2022. She is continuing her passion through teaching and learning and aims to give her students knowledge and confidence in every class.