Apphia Noel

- At the age of 12 Apphia Noel accepted the prestigious Ford Foundation Merit Scholarship and and attended the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of the New York City Ballet. There she was able to train in classical ballet under the direct instruction of world renowned dance masters Suki Shorer, Susan Pilarre, and Antonia Tumkovsky. All were students of the founder of the New York City Ballet, George Balanchine. At the age of 15, Apphia then accepted a full scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet School, and danced with the San Francisco Ballet for 4 years. Apphia Noel has performed with the Bolshoi Ballet from Russia, worked with Alonzo King’s of Lines Contemporary Ballet, and famed choreographer Mark Morris. Apphia is the recipient of several Showstoppers Platinum Choreography Awards, and was a choreographer for Norwegian Cruise lines for three years.

Apphia’s love for teaching and her students prompted her to create the DVD series Mommy and Me Workout, MommyandMeWorkout.com, sold at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. Mommy and Me Workout focuses on helping mom’s and kids use dance principles to stay in shape together. The program is licensed out to dance and music schools all over the world including Germany, France, Australia, and New Zealand. Mommy and Me Workout is proudly offered at the Pasadena Academy of Music and Dance where Apphia resides as the Artistic Director.

Jesse Noel

- started learning Motion Picture Special Effects at the age of 14 under the guidance of his Academy Award Winning father Mark Noel. Jesse found that he also had a great passion and started his first special effects job helping his father sink the "Titanic" in James Cameron's "Titanic". Jesse father, his brother Casey, and he,  have now worked together for years with the family business NAC, Noel Action Contraption, NACeffects.com Jesse has worked special effects in many blockbusters such as Cowboys and Aliens, National Treasure 2, Spiderman 1, Spiderman 2, Iron Man 2, Transformers 1, Transformers 2, The Island, The Incredible Hulk, Pirates of the Caribbean: at World's End, Priest, GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra,  among others. Jesse is a member of The Alliance of Special Effects and Pyrotechnic Operators, IATSE Local 44, Special Effects Cardholder, SAG, State and Federal Pyrotechnic License, and The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Special Visual Effects Peer Group. Jesse has appeared in multiple reality shows including Spike Tv's "Rides", and was interviewed along with  Jerry Bruckheimer in National Treasure 2 Book of Secrets The Making of NT2: Underground Action. Currently Jesse landed his on Disney show as a Special Effects Coordinator on "Kickin It" which is now in it's second season. Jesse is proud to be an Instructor and Recital Technical Operations Manager at AMD.

Melissa Burchell

- Growing up with a love of the arts and dancing most of her life Melissa has strived to combine that with the emphasis on business management her BSBA gave her. While dancing and touring with Sidewalk Production's modern company she quickly learned that she loved the business aspect of dance and helped market the company and book their future touring dates. She further developed the balance of business and art as she successfully managed and grew the high end private photography studio, Melody Bennett Photography, and then the independent film company DACIANO FILMS. She is now the Operations Manager with AMD bringing in years of experience and finesse for organizing artistic companies, along with the understanding of what parents are looking for as she herself is a mom.

Victoria Brown

- graduated from San Jose State University with a B.A. in Dance and a minor in Business. She studied at world-renowned Jacobs Pillow Intensive and interned at Broadway Dance Center. She was featured as a dancer in the Jacobs Pillow’s Inside Out as well as a soloist in Dances for Isadora at the University Dance Theater. Victoria is the new Co-founder and Artistic Director for MashUp Contemporary Dance Company, based in Los Angeles. She has most recently been featured as a dancer in Anaheim Arsenal A-List Dance Team and Esther Entertainment’s The Movement. Her choreography has been featured in various productions including By:Co-astal, a multi-media collaborative dance show which toured to New York in 2009; Moving Through Keys, a video pilot featuring her jazz and hip-hop choreography; DanceClass101.com’s instructional dance website; Dancescape 2008, a dance benefit to raise funds for arts programs for public high schools. She was awarded the 2003 Showmanship Award and the 2005 Carol Ann Haws Award of Excellence in Performance. She has training in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Hip-Hop, and Composition.She performed with the Dol Rae Music Tour, Spectrum Jazz Team, and American College Dance Festival and has taught at Jensen School of Performing Arts, South Bay Dance Center, and International Dance Center.

Stephanie Howell

- graduated from Desales University with a B.A. in Dance and has studied with some of the country's leading dance instructors at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway in New York. She has seven years of teaching experience at Kicks Academy of Dance in Pennyslvania working with students of all ages. She has also taught at Dance Dynamics, YMCA/YWCA, and choreographed for Layman Playman Community Theater. She has received choreography awards from Dance Explosion Competition, NYC Dance Alliance Competition, and Hollywood Vibe Competition. She is recognized throughout the East Coast for her excellent choreography. Stephanie has training in Ballet, Lyrical, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, and Modern.

Genna Forkey

- comes to us from the Los Angeles performing arts district and studied dance at the University of Southern California. She has trained at Edge Performing Arts Center, Carolyn Foy/Sacramento Ballet Company, and Jacque Dake/Jacque's Dance Expressions. She has performed for film, television, and theatre and taught at USC's Summer Seminar, Jacque's Dance Expressions, and in Beverly Hills. In addition to her dance training, Genna holds a B.A. in Business with a Minor in Dance and Cinema-Television.

Jamie Benson

- studied dance at Westside Academy of Dance, Edge Performing Arts Center, Spectrum Dance Theater, and Cornish College of Fine Art. He has extensive training in modern, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop as well as experience in theatre, voice, television, film, runway, and print. Jamie is studies dance with Stefan Wenta and appeared in Sony Pictures' film, Rent, and has been a featured dancer in several music videos including Dance 360, Taking Back Sunday, and Making the Video. He has recently been featured in the L.A. Times, L.A. Weekly, and Dance Magazine with the Rudy Perez Performance Ensemble.

Donato McDermott

- graduated from the Musicians Institute of Los Angeles where he studied guitar, specializing in technique, sight reading, and theory. He has studied and performed classical guitar and piano in Riverside under Dr. Peter Curtis. Donato teaches at the Riverside Valley Music Academy as the Head Guitar Instructor as well as at Coast Music Conservatory. He worked as a music theory and piano tutor at Riverside Community College teaching music concepts of harmony and voice leading. His areas of expertise include guitar, music theory, voice, and piano.

Tahkus Ekedal

-made her recording debut at age three singing on the album "Peace Is The World Smiling" for the children's music company Music For Little People. She continued recording for the company into her teen years, appearing on records with such artists as Lady Smith Black Mambazo, and blues legend Jimmy Witherspoon. After graduating from a performing arts high school in Ojai, CA, Tahkus attended the LA Music Academy in Pasadena, CA. Once there she focused heavily on vocal training with the Vocal Department Head Kevyn Lettau, and studied performance and stage presence with Dorian Holley (vocal coach for American Idol, and former back-up singer and vocal coach for Michael Jackson). After graduating from the Academy in 2004, Tahkus continued to study vocal technique with Lettau, and joined Lettau's unique vocal-teacher training program. Tahkus composes music and performs live in the LA area with various projects, and works as a studio vocalist. She has worked with or shared the stage with musicians such as Mike Shapiro (Sergio Mendes, Herb Alpert), Philip Bynoe (Steve Vai), Gary Ferguson (Cher, Olivia Newton-John), Crosby Loggins, John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), and perhaps most notably, opened a show for David Crosby and Graham Nash at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Tahkus incorporates the most current research in vocal anatomy and production into her teaching, and is passionate about the potential in each individual voice. Her goal is that all her students to attain a healthy vocal freedom through training and practice. Tahkus also teaches beginning piano lessons at the Academy.