DANCE INSTRUCTOR

Meet Malika Ghilyard, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She started her training at L&L Dance Productions and Meredith Elementary School. Malika would go on to attend The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, where she became dance captain under the direction of LaDeva Davis. During high school, Malika joined the feeder company of Eleone Dance Theatre, Eleone Connections under the direction of Charon am app. Upon high school, Malika took those leadership qualities with her to Howard University, where she was listed as Captain for the Bisonettes Dance Team.

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

Julie, now retired, trained at the Washington School of Ballet and as a professional, had the opportunity to dance all over the world, performing classical roles such as Carmen, Sugar Plum, and Balanchine’s Serenade, as well as in contemporary pieces with choreographers such as Amy Marshall, Stuart Loungeaway, and Seyong Kim. After her dance career, she began teaching fitness in New York City, where she became a Master Trainer and Associate Manager for the company Physique 57. She lived in Thailand for a year, helping start a franchise of the company in Bangkok. Upon her return to New York City, she finished her degree in nutrition and is now a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist credentialed by the State of New York. 

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

Armani Singh is a Philadelphia-based dance artist, artistic director, creative arts therapist, and

scholar who centers movement as a healing modality rooted in Africanist aesthetics. A graduate

of Spelman College and Pratt Institute, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in Dance at Temple University,

where her research explores embodied healing, cultural memory, and the transformative power of

Africanist movement practices. As an artistic director, Armani uses storytelling and lived

experience to craft choreographic work that bridges dance therapy and performance. Her practice

uplifts community care and celebrates the body as a site of resilience, restoration, and liberatory

healing.

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

Sarah Leakey is an accomplished dancer and choreographer with a rich background in theatrical productions. Holding an AA in Dance/Choreography from Montgomery County Community College, Sarah has showcased her talents across numerous stages. Her recent work includes choreographing "A Midsummer Night’s  Dream” and “Oliver!”.

With extensive training in Modern (10 years), Ballet (25 years), Jazz (10 years), and Tap (10 years) from renowned instructors such as Bonnie Callahan, Josephine Hughes, Janna Kirova, and Boris Chepelev, Sarah brings a diverse skill set to her performances. She's frequently served as a Dance Captain for shows like "Elf" (Willow Manor Players '23), "Joseph and The…" (Temple Siani Players '23), and "Guys and Dolls" (T&C '22). Beyond the stage, Sarah is the V.P. of Everybody's Theater Company (ETC) in Upper Dublin, where she also heads social media. Her special skills include partner dancing (Ballet/Swing/Waltz), roller/ice skating, and stage fighting.

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

Jaylah Diamond Fitzgerald, born and raised in Philadelphia began her love for dance at the age of 3. Throughout her years, she studied ballet, jazz, modern,hip hop, tap and flamenco. Her passion for dance quickly turned to the camera as she started to book music videos with various local artist such as Lean Bean’s “Still in the Mix”, 3XL’s “Get Pretty” and many more. From then on she auditioned frequently and landed a spot as a Sixers Pre Pro dancer and later was accepted into the Creative & Performing Arts High School of Philadelphia (CAPA). This opened the door for new opportunities and soon, while doing her own makeup for shows, complements turned into appointments. Jaylah’s love for the arts will be forever in her heart through movement to making women feel beautiful.

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

She is a professional dancer, choreographer, and educator with over 20 years of comprehensive dance training and performance experience. Her extensive background spans diverse styles, classical and contemporary techniques, and artistic leadership roles. She completed 12 years of foundational training at Progressive Center for Dance, now known as Ms. Carol’s Center for Dance. Proving her talent early on, she was selected for Grace Dance Theatre’s Training Company at age 12 and advanced to Grace Dance Theatre 2 at age 15. These immersive experiences instilled a strong foundation in technique, performance, discipline, and artistic versatility.

She continued her rigorous training at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), earning a spot in the school's dance company during her sophomore year. While pursuing her higher education at Lincoln University, she joined the university’s Majorette Dance Team in 2014 and was appointed Team Captain in 2016. In this leadership role, she excelled as a mentor, director, and choreographer for her fellow dancers. She later transitioned into the professional circuit, performing and developing artistically with the Chocolate Ballerina Company from 2018 through 2020. Throughout her career, she has been featured in numerous regional parades, high-profile community performances, and theatrical productions.

As an versatile choreographer and instructor, she specializes in a wide range of genres including majorette, ballet, contemporary, and hip-hop. Her educational philosophy goes far beyond teaching choreography, focusing heavily on building confidence, discipline, creativity, and self-expression. In the studio, she establishes a structured, supportive, and motivating environment. Her ultimate goal is to help every student discover their individual strengths, challenge their limits, and grow both technically and artistically.

PAGEANTRY COACH

Jaelyn Monroe is a recent graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with her

bachelors in political science and Masters of Business Administration. Jaelyn will be attending

the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in Fall of 2025 to study corporate law. Jaelyn started

an organic and protective hair care company in 2020 called the Miss Monroe Collection and was

one of the 2021 Winners of the Inc. U Pitch Competition of $10,000, and was the first black

woman to be on the pitch competition and the first black woman to win. Jaelyn plans to relaunch

the company in 2025 with several distribution channels. Jaelyn also owns a non-profit

organization– The Miss Monro Foundation. She was Victoria's Secrets Pink with Purpose Project

Grant Winner of $25,000 to help support her non-profits mission. Jaelyn also participates in

pageantry, serving as Miss Black Pennsylvania in 2022, Miss MidState 2023 in Miss America's

pageant system and currently Miss Black Mid-Atlantic USA 2024 where she will compete in the

national Miss Black USA competition in August. Jaelyn long term hopes to open her law firm

dedicated to reducing mass incarceration and working with minority-owned businesses to help

bridge the racial wealth gap, and then run for office.

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

Meet Angel Burton, She fell in love with dance between the ages of 6 and 7 watching the praise dancers at her church. Love at first sight you can definitely say. In her childhood she started praise dancing at Agape Baptist Church and Christ Baptist Church Inc. She joined a recreational Hip Hop group called Exclusive Image located in North Philadelphia. She attended Kensington CAPA where she trained in Ballet, Modern, Bachata, Hip Hop & so much more. Due to financial circumstances Angel could never really commit to a dance school but that didn’t stop her, she joined every free dance class/group she could find, studied and practiced every genre of dance she was ever introduced to which molded her into a very well rounded dancer. When the opportunity did come for Angel to start taking professional classes she started at Brenda Lee’s Dance Studio training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, and African. She then attended Kreative Legends training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Majorette, Horton, and more. During her time attending Kreative Legends she was awarded Kreative Legend’s First Legend Of The Year Award in 2019. She recently graduated from Kreative Legends in May 2021 and since then she became a member of Outbreak Dance Company. Angel’s main goal for her students is to not only teach them new tricks, turns, and catchy combos to pull out during the dance battles at the birthday parties but to also help them find, keep, and progress their passions for dance. Every single one of Angel’s students leaves her class disciplined, determined, and dedicated to take on any new class or school they may decide to go to.