Leslie Clifford
Leslie has been a dance teacher and choreographer in Southern California for the past thirty years. She is on the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles based professional tap company, Rhapsody In Taps, under the artistic direction of Linda Sohl-Ellison. She has studied tap with such greats as Gregory Hines, Henry LeTang, Fayard Nicholas, Fred Strickler, Foster Johnson, Eddie Brown, Diane Walker, Brenda Bufalino, Sandman Sims, Buster Brown, Steve Zee and Savion Glover. She has been a studio owner for over 20 years with a student body of approximately 600 students. Specializing in advanced and intermediate tap and jazz instruction, her classes include students of all ages. Many of her students are working in the performing arts, including Broadway Musicals, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, The Dance Theater of Harlem, Star Search (Jon Bond), The Glory of Christmas, the Los Angeles Laker Girls, the Los Angeles Spark Kids, the Chiva Girls, music videos and various amusement parks and community theater. Her students have also appeared on television sitcoms and dramas including Two and a Half Men and have done print work and modeling for Target, Quicksilver and many other retail businesses.
Leslie has choreographed numerous civic light opera and community musicals including Damn Yankees, Guys and Dolls and Once Upon A Mattress. She has directed several children’s performing companies including her current 45-member performing group from Center Stage Dance Academy. These groups (past and present) have toured Northern and Southern California, New York and Canada. They have performed at Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Queen Mary, Sea World, Great America, Santa Cruz Boardwalk, as well as local malls, churches and special events.
Fiona Carpenter
Fiona Carpenter has lived in Long Beach her whole life and grew up dancing at Center Stage Dance Academy since the age of 2. She attended Wilson High School where she was student director her senior year. She has been fortunate enough to have trained at the Joffrey Ballet School Summer Intensive where she received instruction from choreographers such as Mia Michales, Mandy Moore, Jonathan Sharp and Ivy Chen. She attended CSULB and was apart of the dance team her freshman year. She graduated Cum Laude with a BA in Political Science and a Minor in Dance. She has been teaching at CSDA for 8 years and has loved all 23 years she’s been dancing here.
Beatrice Cornejo
Miss Beatrice (Bea) started her dance training at age 6 in her hometown Bloomingdale, IL at Center Stage Dance Studio. She went on to become a regional and national award winning competitive dancer, who went on to continue at a pre professional and professional level, with Chicago Professional companies - Inaside Chicago Dance, Visceral, River North Dance Chicago, and Thodos Dance Chicago. She later moved to Los Angeles to continue to fulfill her higher education in Kinesiology from Santa Monica College, while also branching out into dance training in the LA industry. She continues to pursue her dance career in LA and Las Vegas, with work in TV shows, live shows, and festivals such as Power of Attorney, Finding Magic Mike, and J Balvin’s Neon. But most especially, Beatrice enjoys being a dance instructor, to many wonderful dancers that she loves. A favorite piece of advice she shares is, “There is always a spot for every dancer in whichever path they choose in the dance industry, as long as their heart is in it.”
Andrea Evans
Andrea Evans has been teaching Ballet in the Southern California area for over 30 years. Her students have been accepted into summer Ballet intensives such as School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, Boston Ballet and Alonzo King's Lines. Andrea trained with Cecile Hering and Axel Hering and danced many soloist roles with Redlands Festival Ballet where she had the opportunity to work with the late Eric Hyrst on his ballet "Labyrinth.” Andrea went on to study at Pacific Northwest Ballet's summer intensive on scholarship. She then earned a B.A. in English Literature from CSULB as well as a certificate in Paralegal Studies. Andrea is a nurturing instructor who prides herself on using the art of Ballet as a tool to build confidence in young people.
Brandy Factory
Brandy Factory is a Dance Artist, Choreographer, and Teacher. She began her dance training at Compton Dance Theatre Foundation focusing on ballet and the Horton technique. Along with her pre-professional and professional endeavors she received her B.A. in Dance from California State University, Fullerton in 2020 after transferring from Long Beach City College.
At CSUF she trained in: Ballet, Graham, Limon, and Horton. Immediately after graduation she earned her 200 hour certification in Hatha Yoga and joined the Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre in 2021, where she was an apprentice in 2017.
The Southern California born artist has performed at various venues including the country’s oldest international festival, Jacob's Pillow, and has worked with established artists such as Keith Johnson, Bernard Gaddis, Jessica Kondrath, and Doug Varone. She joined the Super Bowl LVI halftime cast in 2022. Brandy currently directs the Saint Anthony High School Dance Team.
Jeff Harvey
Jeff has been dancing since the age of 3 and tumbling since the age of 15. He was a member of Orange Coast College Cheer, PACE Empire International Level 6 Cheer, and a member of the World Champion PACE Elite Open International Dance teams. Jeff is a 30 time National Champion (both competing and coaching), and a 14 time World Champion. He was also part of the 2012 Team USA Jazz team winning gold at the ICU Worlds. Jeff was also a former performer for Disneyland Parades such as Electrical Parade, Block Party Bash, Pixar Play and A Christmas Fantasy. He was a former staff member for United Spirit Association and currently coaches and choreographs for several Orange County High School Cheer and Pom teams as well internationally judges and choreographs in Tokyo, Scotland, Australia, and Mexico. He is now going on his 15th year teaching for U.S. Spiritleaders Cheer and Dance Staff where he is the Head Instructor for the Dance Staff.
Becky Justman
Becky began dancing at the age of six while living in Chicago. After competing on her high school dance team for four years, she moved to Southern California and graduated from Chapman University with BA in Public Relations, a minor in Education, and a minor in Dance. Becky has performed at Disneyland for over a decade, dancing in shows such as Magic Happens, Mickey's Soundsational Parade, A Christmas Fantasy Parade, and Pixar Play Parade. She tours as a backup dancer for the Britney Spears tribute "It's Britney Beep!", performs with several local contemporary and hip hop teams, and is proud to be a published poet.
Damian Kelly
Damian Kelly, a seasoned ballet performer, brings seventeen years of dedicated training and performance experience to Center Stage Dance Academy. Having honed his skills in dance, Damian has showcased his talent with both the Long Beach Ballet company & the Anaheim Ballet company, where his repertoire includes performances in celebrated productions such as Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Martini Ballet, #NoFilter, and Ballet's Greatest Hits, as well as fundraising events like Anaheim Comes Together. His artistry also graced the magical streets of the Disneyland Resort from 2015 to 2020, where he enchanted audiences in the resort's parade offerings: Pixar Play Parade, A Christmas Fantasy, Paint The Night, Soundsational, and Magic Happens. As a guest star with Ballet Etudes since 2021, he has performed in The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland.
Danté Lara
DANTÉ LARA is a California and New York based tap dancer, teacher and choreographer who continues to explode onto the new international tap dancing scene. A graduate of Chapman University with a BA in Theatre Arts, Danté earned his SAG card at age seven, and has been acting professionally ever since. Most recently, Dante was singing and dancing in the movie Spirited (2022) with Ryan Reynolds & Will Ferrell. Some of his Acting/Dancing credits include (World of Dance Top 16), Nintendo, Ford, and Yamaha to name a few.
Dante has a strong passion for teaching Tap dance, and has been doing so, for over a decade. As a world-renowned Dance educator, he has been invited to teach workshops in places like Ireland, Brazil & Italy multiple times & has taught at just about every major Tap dance festival/convention in the country.
As a Tap soloist, Dante has performed at numerous venues like clubs, hotels, theatres, restaurants, ballrooms, weddings & corporate events. And was a successful and well-known street performer in New York City, where he honed his craft collaborating with jazz musicians, and performing for crowds.
His goal as a performer and teacher is to spread the love and joy of this musical art form to everyone, and to give students technique and tap vocabulary that they can take and share in their own improvisations and choreography.
Lea Mano
Lea is a choreographer, teacher, and performer in the Long Beach and OC area. She has a BA in Dance from CSULB and she is currently a student there working towards a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Dance. Lea has taught ages 2-19 over the past 8 years in schools, at summer camps, and with Jewel Box Children's Theater Company here in LB. She choreographed JBCT's production of Hadestown Teen Edition (4/26-5/25 at the Long Beach Playhouse - Studio Theater) and their next production (Spongbob Squarepants The New Musical) opens in August on the LBP Mainstage! Some of her recent performances include: Texas in Cabaret (Westminster Playhouse), Ensemble/Maid in The Little Mermaid (Rose Center Theater), and Susan in Company (Long Beach Playhouse). Miss Lea's favorite dance styles include: ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, and musical theater! She is so excited to be joining the staff at Center Stage Dance Academy and looks forward to working with all the young dancers!
Holly Martinez
Holly danced at CSDA for 14 years. She was a member of Los Alamitos High School Song team and Dance program. As a CSDA performing group member, she danced at Knott’s Berry Farm and did benefits shows with her group. She has taught at CSDA since she was a teenager. She is currently an elementary teacher for the Long Beach Unified School District.
Amanda Meek
Oscar Ortiz
Oscar began dancing at 15 at Lynwood High School, where he quickly rose to become a standout performer on the dance team and served as Cheer Captain. After graduating, he returned to his alma mater as an Assistant Dance Coach, sharing his skills and leadership with the next generation of dancers.
Oscar is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Dance at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). During his time at CSULB, he performed as a member of the university’s prestigious Dance Team for two years, honing his technique and performance skills at a collegiate level.
Currently, he serves as an instructor with United Spirit Association, where he brings his energy, experience, and dedication to teaching dancers across a wide range of styles. With a strong foundation in both performance and instruction, he is committed to inspiring confidence, discipline, and joy in every student he works with.
Kortney Turner
Kortney comes to us from the Washington State University Crimson Girls Dance Team where she was captain for three years. After training in dance since childhood, she achieved her BA in Strategic Communication and is working towards a single subject credential a master’s in education. Kortney is passionate about fostering a positive, supportive, and creative environment for our students. Her goal as an instructor is to inspire and motivate students while helping them develop both technically and creatively. Kortney is a great addition to the studio and will contribute to the continued success of the programs at CSDA.