Raven Gantt
jazz/lyrical/contemporary/conditioning
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Megan Rae Jenkins
ballet/lyrical/contemporary/modern/pre-school
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zackary falk, teacher emeritus
Zackary Falk began his training at 16 in riverside, ca under the direction of Kristi Fair. He continued his training post graduation at RCC dance department and was an active member and captain of the RCC dance team. As well as serving as a company members in Points of View contemporary dance company directed by Terry Schulte, he has also trained in Jazz, Lyrical, Ballet, and hip hop from master teachers including Marinda Davis, Mark Meismer, Dee Caspary, and Jojo Gomez. Since 2016 Zackary’s focus has been choreography. Starting within the high school and collegiate circuits Zackary’s choreography awards include top honors in overall placements, as well as best choreography at both the regional and national level. Zachary is currently the artistic and competitive director of Inspire Dance complex in corona, Ca.
alyssa tellez
Alyssa's passion for dance began at the age of eight and has since grown into a career dedicated to performance, choreography, and dance education. Alyssa has developed a versatile foundation ranging from Hip-Hop, Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Modern while specializing in Hip-Hop, the style that continues to fuel her creativity and artistic voice.
Throughout her career, Alyssa has trained and performed with respected studios and organizations including GRV and 909 Hip-Hop Dance Troupe. She has also trained under renowned industry professionals such as Dave Scott, Bam Martin, Sorah Yang, Jawn Ha, and Justin Giles, whose mentorship has influenced her unique approach to movement and performance.
As an educator and choreographer, Alyssa is passionate about developing confident, well-rounded dancers. She currently serves on staff with Applause Talent Dance Competition and has choreographed award-winning routines for dance studios, high school dance programs, and quinceañeras throughout California. Her choreography is known for its high energy, strong musicality, and emphasis on performance quality.
Known for her high-energy classes and positive teaching environment, Alyssa is committed to inspiring dancers to challenge themselves, and perform with purpose. Her goal is to create an experience that not only strengthens technical ability but also fosters creativity, discipline, and a lifelong love for dance.
hallie loo
Hallie Loo began dancing at age 11 after training as a competitive acrobatic gymnast. She trained at Just Plain Dancin' and has studied under Terry Shulke, Mandy Rogers, Marinda Davis, and Travis Preston. Hallie has won numerous regional and national titles throughout her time competing and was a member of "Points of View," a modern dance company under the direction of Terry Shulke. Hallie found her love for choreographing and teaching at age 15. Hallie's choreography has received top regional and national awards. Hallie currently teaches and choreographs for multiple studios and high schools around Southern California and was the head coach for the 2022 nationally-ranked Eleanor Roosevelt High School Song team.
chrisilla adrien
Alyssa's passion for dance began at the age of eight and has since grown into a career dedicated to performance, choreography, and dance education. Alyssa has developed a versatile foundation ranging from Hip-Hop, Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Modern while specializing in Hip-Hop, the style that continues to fuel her creativity and artistic voice.
Throughout her career, Alyssa has trained and performed with respected studios and organizations including GRV and 909 Hip-Hop Dance Troupe. She has also trained under renowned industry professionals such as Dave Scott, Bam Martin, Sorah Yang, Jawn Ha, and Justin Giles, whose mentorship has influenced her unique approach to movement and performance.
As an educator and choreographer, Alyssa is passionate about developing confident, well-rounded dancers. She currently serves on staff with Applause Talent Dance Competition and has choreographed award-winning routines for dance studios, high school dance programs, and quinceañeras throughout California. Her choreography is known for its high energy, strong musicality, and emphasis on performance quality.
Known for her high-energy classes and positive teaching environment, Alyssa is committed to inspiring dancers to challenge themselves, and perform with purpose. Her goal is to create an experience that not only strengthens technical ability but also fosters creativity, discipline, and a lifelong love for dance.
darbee deprez
Darbee has been dancing since she was 9 years old with Megan and Raven. Her journey with de•fine/ started when they opened the doors in 2015, and she's had the privilege of calling de•fine/ her second home ever since. She grew up training in jazz, ballet, pointe, modern, PBT, hip hop, contemporary, and lyrical. After graduating high school, she attended RCC, where she earned her associate's degree in Math and Science while taking dance courses that expanded her skills to include tango, salsa, folklórico, bachata, and waltz.
She's now focusing on helping her parents run their small business so they can hopefully retire soon. Darbee has been teaching young students at de•fine/ since October 2022, and while she works there, she rarely thinks of it as a job — being part of a young dancer's journey to grow, both as a dancer and as a person, is what brings her back week after week.
esther tomas
Esther began her ballet training at the age of two with Megan Jenkins, her first instructor. She went on to compete for six years with Just Plain Dancin', building a strong technical foundation across lyrical, jazz, hip hop, ballet, and acro/tumbling.
Her passion for classical ballet led her to train in the Vaganova method at Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy in Irvine, CA, where she competed at YAGP and advanced to finals in New York City, training alongside artistic directors from companies across the country. She continued her focus on ballet, contemporary, and modern technique through graduation.
Alongside her ballet training, Esther danced with her high school dance team, earning UDA All American honors and competing at UDA Nationals in Florida. She currently serves as head coach of the dance team at Notre Dame High School in Riverside, where she continues to mentor young dancers.
Katherine Lavoie
Katherine Lavoie is a driven and passionate professional with many creative outlets. With more than 30 years of dance experience and over a decade of teaching, she has guided students of all ages in tap, ballet, jazz, and contemporary styles. Her background as a writer, poet, and musician inspires her choreography and classroom approach, inviting dancers to explore rhythm, narrative, and emotion as they build strong technique. Katherine's artistry lives at the intersection of movement, music, and language.
She holds a B.A. in English with a concentration in writing from Worcester State University and works professionally as a Technical Writer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. She holds a deep appreciation for the arts and works daily to communicate her passion for life and humanity with the world around her.
Jessica-Kay Panganiban
Jessica-Kay grew up in Orange County, California and started dancing competitively on a national level at West Coast School of the Arts at age nine. She also spent a year with JET Dance Company before winning a National title for her solo during her senior year. After high school, she studied in the Theater and Dance Program at Cal State Fullerton and began teaching at local studios shortly after.
With over 15 years of choreography and teaching experience, Jessica-Kay has won numerous awards for her dancers in the competitive dance space. Her former students have gone on to dance at both the collegiate and pro level, including Ohio State University, BYU, and the LA Rams. She's excited to keep sharing her love of dance and performing arts with her students and helping them reach their goals.
Brooklyn Vara
Brooklyn's passion for dance started at age 3, and she has since developed a versatile style with a strong foundation in both technique and performance. Throughout her journey, she has trained extensively in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, and modern.
Over the years, Brooklyn has had the opportunity to train and work with some of the most respected professionals in the dance industry. Her dedication and passion for dance has earned her numerous competition wins, awards, and scholarships. Her experience extends beyond the studio and competition stage, having performed in music videos and commercials. Brooklyn continues to push herself creatively and professionally.
Currently, Brooklyn is living out a dream as an NBA dancer with the LA Clippers Spirit, performing at a professional level and representing the organization throughout. Dance has been a lifelong passion, and she continues to pursue opportunities that allow her to grow, inspire others, and share her love for dance.
Camille Vargas
Camille has been dancing for over fifteen years. Her journey began at Inland Pacific Ballet, where she fell in love with classical ballet and the discipline that shapes it — dancing first-cast Sugarplum Fairy for several seasons of The Nutcracker, plus featured and leading roles in Cinderella, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Coppélia (excerpt), Swan Lake (excerpt), Sleeping Beauty, and a variety of contemporary ballets. As her training grew, she gained experience with City Ballet of San Diego, Orlando Ballet Dance Theater, and later Pasadena Dance Theatre as an adult, and was accepted into respected programs including the American Ballet Theatre Collegiate Program in New York, Pittsburgh Ballet, Santa Barbara Ballet, and other notable intensives that refined her technique and artistry.
Teaching has become one of her greatest joys. From 2018–2021, she developed the Ballet Program at Spotlight Dance Studio in Ontario, teaching Ballet, Pre-Pointe, and multiple levels of Pointe. She loves working with dancers of all ages — from beginners discovering their first plié to advanced students preparing for pointe work and performance. Dance has shaped her discipline and creativity, and she's passionate about passing that on to every dancer she teaches.
Annika Sanchez
Annika Sanchez, born and raised in Southern California, began her training at age 7 with Inland Pacific Ballet. At age 13 she began attending the California School of the Arts in Duarte (CSArts) for her freshman and sophomore years, where she studied in the Classical and Contemporary Dance Conservatories. She later continued her education through homeschooling while training at SoCal Arts, where she performed in a summer recital and as the Snow Queen and Dew Drop Fairy in a preview of The Nutcracker.
Annika enjoys teaching ballet, jazz, contemporary, creative movement, and pre-pointe to dancers ages 3–18, and currently teaches at The Dance Shop in Ontario as well as Fontana Unified School District. She is also pursuing her Dance AA at Mount San Antonio College. As a teacher, Annika strives to help her students build strong technique and confidence while encouraging them to find joy, creativity, and individuality through dance.
nicole torres (administrative assistant)
started dancing at age 12 and competed for 5 years. She trained under thedirection of Megan Jenkins and Raven Gantt exclusively at define dance space. In addition to her time in the classroom, you'll also see Nicole is our main administrative assistant. She is behind the front desk, 5 days a week. If she doesn't have the answer to your questions, she know exactly who to ask to get you the answer you need. Ella habla español.