Hello Parents and Dancers!
We take our philosophy of 'high quality' seriously and that means great, highly trained teachers. I hand pick them based on their teaching background, dance experience, charisma, and professionalism. New EvOLvE teachers must also complete teacher training before taking on their own classes and all are required to complete yearly Dance To EvOLvE professional development workshops. This continuous training ensures that our teachers are always growing and improving, which is what I believe sets our company apart. Our teachers also follow the copyrighted EvOLvE curriculum which gives enough flexibility for the teacher to adapt to specific class needs while also utilizing their own strengths. The curriculum also ensures that all classes are learning progressive, age appropriate movement and technique. Although all our teachers follow the same class structure and format, they obviously have different personalities and teaching styles that will suit different dancers. Please read the bios below and feel to call us to help you find the right class and teacher for your dancer!
We look forward to dancing with you.
Brittany White, EvOLvE Director
BRITTANY WHITE (aka Miss B) Director/ Teacher/ Program Mentor
Brittany has eighteen years of teaching experience, a diverse dance background, and lived and danced in five countries. Studying with acclaimed dance instructors, she attended Gus Giordano Jazz Chicago and was awarded a dance scholarship from the nationally recognized dance program at the University of Arizona. She directed Ceroc Dance in London, the largest UK parter dance company, and started Dance For Love, an amateur dance group that enabled dancers to share teaching and dance knowledge among one another. Brittany was a Peace Corps volunteer in Benin, Africa and attended graduate school at Hawaii Pacific University to earn a Masters of Business Administration.
Now settled in San Diego, Brittany started Dance To EvOLvE in 2008, including the unique EvOLvE Dance program, a student-directed leadership dance program that develops dancers’ character, life-skills, and creativity through dance. Brittany creates a positive and dynamic class, combined with heartfelt energy, excitement, and a love for teaching. She teaches with a passion, realizing the direct impact dance has made on her character and professional career. Brittany teaches a diverse range of classes including jazz, contemporary, tap, ballet, and hip-hop from tiny tots to adults.
CPR Certified/ TB Cleared
Cleared background check for the City of SD, DMUSD and SDUSD
Completed VAPA standards 101, 102, and 103
Parent's Corner: "Miss B, you are just the best teacher. I feel like I have found Juilliard for my 4-year old. :) I am telling all my friends as EvOLvE is the best program." - Tiny Mover’s Mom at La Jolla Rec Center
BRIDGET SAVANT (aka Miss B)
Programs Development Manager/Teacher/Program Mentor
Bridget has been dancing for 20 years. She started her dance training in Orange County at some of Southern California’s top studios, studying hip hop, jazz, ballet, cheer, and tap, and started competing at the age of 9. Bridget has been teaching for over 7 years.
Bridget graduated from the University of San Diego with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and minors in Psychology and Gender Studies. At USD, she joined the Spirit Team and began choreographing as a freshman and served as Captain her last 2 years. Her choreography helped place the team 3rd in hip hop at the USA National Competition. Bridget was the USD’s Assistant Coach for their spirit team for two years and a director of Mini Shock at Culture Shock Studio before taking on the role of Programs Manager with Dance To EvOLvE. In addition to her hip hop, ballet, and tap classes she is also a Zumba and Zumbatomic certified instructor. Bridget feels blessed to be able to share her talent and passion for dance with her students and believes her high energy creates a fun unique class.
Parent's Corner: "Miss Bridget was right!! I was absolutely amazed by her enthusiasm and ability to get a class of eighth graders movin' and groovin'. I expected to have at least a few kids who weren't interested in participating, but this was not the case in the slightest. Bridget also has an incredible ability to manage a group of middle school students and command their attention in a way that many classroom teachers cannot." - School Teacher SAN DIEGO
KRISTA LEONS Teacher/Program Mentor
Krista is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado's musical theatre program. Her emphasis is in dance and since the age of 17 she has been a dance instructor for various studios and dance companies. Her choreography has been displayed all over Colorado and was a selected choreographer for the New Visions Dance Festival three consecutive years. In 2006 Krista began work with 8th Street Contemporary as a resident choreographer and company member. Her passion is dance education and previous students have gone on to work with Mia Michaels, Disney, the EDGE scholarship program in L.A. and various dance companies throughout the country. Since her recent move to San Diego, Krista has worked with local studios and continues to guest artist in Colorado and Texas. She is very excited to work with EvOLvE and believes in the mission of dance as a tool for kids to develop confidence and leadership.
Parent's Corner: "Miss Krista is an outstanding Hip Hop teacher. My 12-year-old son really enjoyed her class. Her enthusiasm and experience result in an energetic, fun and educational experience. Miss Krista is a valuable asset to the EvOLve Dance program." - Chris’ Mom
JENNIFER LEROUX Teacher
Jenny discovered her passion for the performing arts at a young age. She began choreographing and teaching at the age of 18 and went on to San Diego State University to receive her BA in Theatre with an Emphasis in Performance. During her time at SDSU she was also accepted into the dance department where she studied jazz, ballet and choreography. Jenny also has a performance background with some of her favorites including playing "Liesl" in The Sound of Music, "Lucy" in Jekyll and Hyde, and she was an ensemble member of the San Diego Civic Light Opera's award winning production of Sweeney Todd. Some of her directing/choreography credits include: You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, The Wizard of Oz, Seussical Jr. and Beauty & The Beast. She recently relocated from the bay area where she spent two years teaching classes for children in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop and musical theatre. She also choreographed the bay area premiere of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Annie, which received local acclaim for the production number “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile.”
Jenny has an outgoing, energetic and nurturing personality through which she strives to keep her students smiling and enjoying themselves, while also being sure to make the most out of each learning experience. She encourages creativity through fun imagery and a playful structure, while maintaining a professional quality and helping them discover and develop their talents. She is happy to be back home in Southern California and is thrilled to be a part of Dance To EvOLvE! Whether she is teaching Magical Munchkins or choreographing a full scale musical, she feels blessed to share her love of dance and the performing arts with children of all ages.
Parent's Corner: "Miss Jenny is so kind and patient with my kids. My 4 year old daughter loves to tell her other friends about her favorite teacher, Miss Jenny. And my 2 year old son gets so excited, he screams with delight "Miss Jenny!". They both really look forward to their classes every week. Thank you Miss Jenny!" - Mom of Tiny Mover and Mommy & Me
ANNA WEISS Teacher
Anna has been dancing since she was 3 years old, most of that with Eastwood Dance Center and Performing Arts Center in Syracuse, NY. There, she learned all genres of dance, taught ballet to 3-5 year olds for two years, and was a cast member in the region’s performance of “The Nutcracker Suite” for 2 seasons. Upon leaving Syracuse, she carried her love into college at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland OH, where she was a member and choreographer of the Spartan Dance Team, and served as vice-president and then president. When she continued on to medical school, she acted as lead choreographer for “Doc Opera,” a yearly fund-raiser combining various performing arts to raise money for the free clinic of Cleveland.
Anna is an M.D. and works as a General Surgery Resident at UCSD. Aside from the safety credentials this provides, Anna is also a great role model for children of all ages. Her career has taught her patience, and empathy, and this is built upon an already enthusiastic outgoing personality. Dance has been a part of Anna throughout her entire life, and she is thrilled to begin this new chapter of her life by once again teaching children in the San Diego community.
M.D./ CPR/ Advanced Cardiac Life Support/ Advanced Trauma Life Support Certified
Parent's Corner: "Lily is in Miss Anna's Saturday class and LOVING it We haven't broken the news to Lily that she doesn't have class this week so wish us luck as she is going to be so upset. Anna is a wonderful teacher and we love her. Thank you for such a wonderful experience." - Tiny Movers Mom
ABBY DEARDEN Teacher/Program Mentor
Abby has been dancing for over twenty years. She started studying ballet, tap, and jazz at the age of five and eventually was accepted to the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts here in San Diego. While there, Abby developed her love of dance, music and musical theatre and became aware of her true passion for ballet and modern dance. Abby later became involved with competitive cheer at her local high school and competed all over California. She then went on to receive a dance scholarship at San Diego City College. Abby continues to take classes under such teachers as Terry Wilson, who spent 10 years dancing with Jean Isaacs’ San Diego Dance Theatre Company, and hip hop under Grace Jun, director of BK Soul.
Abby wants to share her passion for teaching dance with students of all ages. She truly believes that dance is the most beautiful form of expression and wants nothing more than to help kids express themselves creatively, while building confidence and strength. Abby feels blessed to work with Dance To EvOLvE and have the ability to spread light and love into many lives through dance.
KRISTIN WHELAN Teacher
Kristin’s energetic and enthusiastic character has been shaped by her years of dance experience. Her absolute passion and love is dancing. For over 15 years she has had extensive experience dancing jazz, hip hop, ballet, lyrical and tap on various dance competition teams and within different dance companies and school programs. She is a recent graduate of San Diego State where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice as well as a Minor in Counseling. At SDSU she was involved in the dance program and continues to dance at multiple studios throughout San Diego.
Kristin started dance training at some of the Bay Area’s top dance studios and started competing at age 10. Throughout high school she spent hours choreographing and teaching dance to teens. She helped run her high school’s dance program, while competing on their high energy jazz dance team as well as other local dance companies’ jazz and hip hop competition teams. Kristin has been teaching and choreographing for over 5 years and is very excited to work with EvOLvE. She believes dance is a creative art that helps shape personality and character by developing strength, confidence and poise through body language and expression.
Parent's Corner: "Miss Kristin is a wonderful teacher who has unbelievable patience and energy! In addition to excellent teaching skills, she has fun with the kids and they all love her. We're so happy to have Miss Kristin introduce Ava to the wonderful world of dance." - Ava’s Mom in Tiny Movers
SARA MITTEER Teacher
Sara has danced with four different studios in Southern California and continues her training in various styles including ballet, tap, hip-hop, jazz, ballroom, contemporary, lyrical, and modern. Sara has worked with young dancers in both pre-professional and recreational studios. She was a dancer in the Scripps Ranch High School advanced dance program and began choreographing for the program as a high school sophomore. Currently, Sara is dancing with the Academy of Performing Arts in La Mesa.
Sara is also a toddler preschool teacher and is close to finishing her education to be an accredited preschool teacher according to NAEYC standards. Sara is a pre-medical student studying to receive a Bachelor of Science in both biology and psychology at San Diego State University and plans to continue dancing throughout her education and medical training. She is thrilled to be a part of the EvOLvE team to share her passion for dance with young dancers. As a dance teacher, Sara strives to instill creativity, confidence, and positivity in a nurturing and friendly environment.
CPR Certified/TB Cleared
Parent's Corner: "Miss Sara is just so sweet. My daughter has tried a lot of classes and this is the one that she looks forward to every week! You all are just so wonderful. The class is perfect with a perfect blend of dance and fun for that age. I have told so many of my friends about EvOLvE and I really appreciate the program. Thank you." - Tiny Movers Mom, Carmel Mountain Rec
CHRISTY SHAW Teacher
Christy has over 20 years dancing experience. Studying with top studios in the Philadelphia region since the age of 3, she is trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern and hip-hop. Christy began competing at the age of 10 and later became part of award winning jazz, tap and hip-hop ensembles that trained with top choreographers from around the country and received various awards for their cutting edge performances. She went on to graduate from Millersville University of Pennsylvania where she received a Bachelors of Arts in Communication and Public Relations. She was an active member of the MU dance team and choreographed award winning performances for her peers three years in a row. Throughout her years of performing, Christy has starred in and choreographed performances for shows such as Fame, Godspell and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Now a California resident for the past 5 years, she continues to dance at various studios across the county. She is thrilled to be a part of such an interactive and creative dance program for children and feels blessed to be able to pass on her passion for dance to others. Christy believes that whether you’re a natural born performer or just looking for a new hobby, dancing has something for everyone. Those who are lucky enough to become part of such a magnificent program like EvOLvE have the opportunity to develop a natural confidence, grace and poise very early on.
Parent's Corner: "Miss Christy is very geniune. It is clear that she loves what she does and loves working with the children. That 'realness' can be hard to find. I am glad that my daughter is taking from someone who truly loves dance and children." - Star Shiner's Dad at Ocean Air Rec
TONYA WOLFE Teacher
Tonya is from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and has been dancing since the age of 2 under the director of Ann Fraser and Palm Beach Dance Academy. She has been dancing for 27 years and and teaching for 15 years. Tonya has taught many genres of dance from tiny tot combo classes to ballet, jazz, tap, tumbling and musical theater. Tonya managed a private gifted school's, Weiss School, dance program in Palm Beach Gardens. Students would learn various styles of dance and choreography and then use that knowledge to participate in competitions. Tonya brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to her classes as dancers always leave class leave with a smile.
Parent's Corner: "Tonya perfectly this age group. Her energy, enthusiasm, and demeanor endear the girls to her. Through her expertise and natural, flowing rhythm of the class sessions, there is little to no downtime, which is key for this age group. The improvement of each child is clear and quite impressive. All of the parents join together to encourage all the kids, mostly due to Tonya's enthusiasm. As a performing arts teacher and practitioner, and as a former preschool teacher, I am extremely impressed with Tonya and her ability to work so successfully with this age group and yield such great achievements. Thank you for providing an affordable, fun, and professional program. We greatly appreciate all that you and your teachers do." - Magical Munckin's Mom
CHRISTINA FULCHER (a.k.a Miss Chrissy) Teacher
Christina began dancing at 3 years old at Southland Ballet Academy in Orange County where she studied the Vaganova method of ballet technique, jazz, tap, hip hop and lyrical. She began competing in national competitions at the age of 9 in solos, duets and groups. In high school, she was recognized as a finalist for Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Awards. Also, she was the president of her high school dance team, Orchesis, where she choreographed multiple dance routines. Christina performed in numerous professional and pre-professional companies such as ABT, Joffrey Ballet, and Festival Ballet Theatre.
Christina is a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara with two Bachelors of Arts in Communication and Dance where she studied ballet and modern dance technique. She choreographed for various musical theatre productions and taught at local middle schools and summer dance workshops. Christina is currently enrolled at San Diego State for a teaching credential. Christina is excited and thrilled to be a part of the Dance to EvOLvE team. Christina has always had passion, drive and enthusiasm for dance. She looks forward to meeting new students and instilling a great love of dance.