Deana is from Orlando, Florida. She had the honor of being a New York City Radio City Music Hall Rockette for several seasons. Among her other accomplishments are: the TV show Glee, Smash, Bad Romance music video with Lady Gaga, PSA with Beyonce, performed with Jennifer Lopez at the American Music Video Awards, America’s Got Talent, and can be seen dancing with Lady Gaga in the MTV Video Awards. She has worked with prestigious artists and choreographers including assisting the Emmy award winning SYTYCD choreographer, Tessandra Chavez. She has also performed in the Equity production of Beauty and the Beast at Disney World as well as a high-kick dancer in Universal Studios.

Melissa Delatorre started her dance journey at 5 years old right here at Encore Dance Theatre! Growing up, she won awards with her competitive team and performed at local and state events at places like Disney World and Universal Studios. While at the University of Florida she fell in love with teaching and choreographing, and continues to develop her dance education through opportunities such as Dance Teacher Summit in NYC and Ballet Austin in Texas. Being able to watch dancers grow and have fun is what she loves most. Melissa is proud to have been teaching in South Florida since 2011 and looks forward to sharing her passion with all of the students this season!

Bio coming soon!

Luz Monica is a graduate in Performing Arts, with a specialty in Ballet, graduated with a Gold Degree from the Higher Institute of Art of Havana, postgraduate in Historical Dances and Dances of Character, of Elementary and Middle level in the Superior Institute of Art of Havana. With vast experience in teaching, teaching courses in Classical Technique, Character Dances, Point Techniques and Repertoire at various levels. With pedagogical, didactic, methodological and administrative tools to guarantee the integral development of schools and dance academies; special interest in teaching, vocational guidance and planning and organization of the artistic curriculum. Co-creator and administrator of the La Luz de la Danza Foundation. With skills for work under pressure, achievement orientation and high-performance capacity in tasks of responsibility and exigency. We are thrilled to have Luz Monica on faculty.

Deanna Greist grew up in South Florida and began her training at Jill Mallory Studio of Dance at the age of three. In high school, she trained at Donna Lee Studio of Dance and became an inaugural member of Expressions Dance Company where she was afforded the opportunity to work with nationally renowned choreographers, such as Rennie and Rhee Gold, Scott Fowler, and Debbie Dee. At the age of 18, Deanna became a member of The Young Americans where she benefitted from multiple national touring opportunities including working with and performing for the likes of Barbra Streisand, George Burns, and Shirley MacLaine to name a few.

Deanna has been a dance educator/choreographer in South Florida for more than 30 years and has spent three of those years on faculty at Encore Dance Theatre. She is a certified Acrobatics Arts Instructor, as well as a certified Acro Dance Teacher Association Adjudicator. Deanna is also a certified judge for the Miss America Organization and enjoys judging local competitions. She is excited to be back for another successful year at Encore Dance Theatre!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon

Nicole Lanzi has been dancing since the age of four, with training in multiple genres of dance including ballet, character, tap, and jazz. At the age of 10 she began her focus on classical ballet, receiving training from prestigious teachers such as Magda Aunon and Vladimir Issaev. During her years of Vaganova training under Vladimir Issaev’s pre-professional division, Nicole excelled in Vaganova Ballet Examinations in levels Intermediate I, Intermediate II, Pre-Advanced, and Advanced. In 2018, she joined Fort Lauderdale Youth Ballet to continue her training under artistic director German Dager.

Over the years, Nicole has performed in a variety of ballets, including Coppélia, Don Quixote, Firebird, La Bayadère, Le Corsaire, and The Nutcracker, as well as having the privilege to perform in productions alongside Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida’s Professional Company. In 2015, she was invited and attended the international Danseakademi City Ballet Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark with Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida.

Nicole is currently attending Nova Southeastern University with a major in Exercise and Sports Science and the hopes of becoming a physical therapist specializing in sports and dance medicine. As a ballet teacher, Nicole aims to incorporate her learning of kinesiology and biomechanics into her classes so her students can enhance the use of their body to their greatest potential while preventing any sorts of injuries. She is excited to join the EDT family this year!

Bio coming soon!

Ysabella Lupercio grew up in Jacksonville, Florida training in a multitude of dance styles since she was 3. She is currently a third year student at Nova Southeastern University, majoring in dance and business management with a minor in technical theatre. She is so excited to be joining the EDT family!

Natasha grew up in Coral Springs, Florida. She started dancing at 4 years old and was a student at encore dance theater for 12 years. She was a part of the company team, training and competing in all dance styles. She has also had the opportunity to perform at the Miami Heat and Dolphins Halftime, Royal Caribbean Show, and Dance the Magic Disney Parade all with Encore. Natasha is currently a student at Nova Southeastern University, majoring in Entrepreneurship and minoring in dance. She has performed at NSU each semester in a variety of events. At 19 years old, she became a professional dancer for the NHL Florida Panthers. She continues to attend multiple dance workshops to better herself and proceed with her dance career in pro sports. Natasha is a proud alumni and is so excited to share her love for dance with her EDT family!

Bio coming soon!

Tori began dancing at Encore when she was three years old. She was on the competition team where she trained in ballet, tap, jazz, acro and lyrical. Tori recently graduated with her bachelors degree in business management. We are delighted that Tori has come back home to EDT!

Bio coming soon!

Marlee has been a veteran of Encore Dance Theatre for 27 years. She has a Bachelors Degree in Exceptional Student Education with a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. Marlee has a special talent to work with all levels. In her dance career she has performed with Ballet Met, The Power Rangers, and the Orange Bowl parade to name a few.

Alana holds an M.A. in American Dance Studies from Florida State University. Growing up as an award winning competitive dancer in South Florida, she specializes in tap. Alana helped found and run FSU’s first tap dance team, Seminole Tap Troupe, competed with student-run competitive dance team Seminole Dance Force, and served as hospitality coordinator for Dance Marathon. Alana has experience with hosting cultural stages at art festivals, producing and voicing NBC Comcast commercials, hosting live radio, and teaching dance workshops. She holds a seat on Coral Springs Public Art Committee and currently serves as the 85th Anniversary Miss Broward County, with her community service initiative of TAP: Turn up Artistic Participation. She works full time operating special events at the Museum of Discovery Science in downtown Fort Lauderdale, having worked with brands such as LEGO, Publix, and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. In March 2023, she led plans and operations for the 8,000 attendee Visit Lauderdale Science Festival. She’s excited to join the EDT Family and share her love for tap!

Regarded in Cuba as the greatest and most popular ballerina of her generation, Rosario Suarez was universally known for the profound artistry, versatility, and innovation with which she performed ballet repertoire. Among her many achievements, Rosario won the gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria in 1970. Over a remarkable twenty- seven year career with the National Ballet of Cuba, she performed principal roles in over 50 countries, to worldwide critical acclaim. In 1991, the Cuban Ministry of Culture recognized and celebrated her artistic achievements.

Born in Havana, Rosario began her ballet training at the Province Ballet School, then continuing her studies at the National School of the Arts, with teachers Joaquin Banegas, Fernando Alonso and Alicia Alonso. When Rosario was only fifteen years old, Fernando Alonso, the director of the National Ballet of Cuba, invited Rosario to join the Company, thus launching her nearly three-decade professional career, which included a fifteen-year tenure as Principal dancer. Rosario was also a principal dancer of Ballet Theater of Havana, under the direction of Caridad Martinez.

Rosario’s performances in Coppelia, Swan Lake and Giselle have brought her the highest acclaim. However, her roles in works by Cuban choreographers, such as Tarde en la Siesta and Rara Avis, were performances that have also been said to have set the standard for future generations of dancers.

Rosario’s interpretation of The Sylphide and The Scotsman at the International Cervantine Festival in Guanajuato and Giselle, at a historic performance at the Teatro Albeniz in Madrid, brought roaring audiences to their feet. At that time, Rosario established herself as an artist in Spain, participating in a number of festivals and teaching throughout the city. In 2000, at the debut of Anna Pavlova: Diálogos del Alma, within the setting of the Dance Festival of Madrid, she performed the famous Death of the Swan by Fokine. While in Spain, she worked at the Conservatory Real in Madrid alongside Virgina Valero, as well as with Victor Ullate, Goyo Montero, Juan Carlos Santa Maria, Raul Cardenes and Ramon Oller, and many others.

Rosario’s career brought her to Miami, where she was on faculty at New World School of the Arts, under the direction of Daniel Lewis. She then established her own company, Ballet Rosario Suarez, and an affiliated dance academy dedicated to the preservation of the Cuban Style of Ballet. In 2002, she created her first choreographic work, Cecilia Valdes with great success. Her final performance took place in Miami in 2010, as the star of the ballet theater production “La Ultima Funcion,” based on a poem by Abilio Estevez and directed by Lilian Vega. In 2012, Rosario was named one of the top 100 Latinos in Miami with the greatest cultural impact.

Rosario's career also took the form of film appearances, as she was featured in a documentary directed by Marisol Trujillo, Mujer Ante el Espejo, inspired by the experience of maternity of ballerinas; a short for the School of Cinematography, Two Gladys For You, directed by Aaron Yelin; a documentary about Pablo Neruda, and Stolen Verses, by Orlando Rojas. She appeared extensively, via modern interviews and archival performance footage, in a documentary of her own life, directed by Orlando Rojas, Queen of Thursdays, which won the award of Best Documentary at the Miami Film Festival.

Rosario is recognized as a versatile interpreter who builds her characters around expressive musicality. Her constant search for freedom throughout the course of her career has inspired her work, and she is an artist and performer who has reached critical acclaim, winning over the hearts of audiences all over the world. In 2008, Rosario joined the Miami Conservatory/Thomas Armour Youth Ballet, where she trained future generations in her role as Ballet Mistress. She continues to travel and tour as a teacher and coach for students internationally. Behind Rosario’s fame, experience, and technique is an unbridled passion to affect change in her students and help them unearth their full artistic potential. She is excited to work with the students at Encore and be a part of the faculty this season!

Sabrina has been a student at Encore Dance Theatre since the age of 8 years old. Since then she has taken every genre of dance Encore has to offer. Sabrina’s love of dance was apparent and she was quickly invited onto our competition team. She is a current member of our elite competition team and has won many accolades. Sabrina has trained under many master teachers. She has been through our teacher training program, teaching alongside Ms. Marlee Ramirez for the past 4 years and is now a teacher for Encore. She is loving, caring, smart and kind. Sabrina loves teaching and working with children of all ages but especially loves the little ones. In her free time she is also an ice skating instructor. We are so proud of Sabrina and the work she has put into becoming an amazing instructor. She is so excited to teach and bring her love of dance to her EDT students.

Bio coming soon!