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MEET THE TEAM
Meet our talented team of instructors at Excite Dance Company. Focused on teaching exceptional technique and creating unforgettable experiences, our team is committed to our dancers’ satisfaction and success. See our instructors’ below and check them all out! All of our instructors are professionally trained teachers with an extensive background in dance, cheer, and/or college degrees in Dance Education.
MRS. JAI
Jai Eastland is the proud of owner and Artistic Director of Excite Dance Company. Jai has been in the dance industry for over 30 years dancing for Disney, performing, entertaining and choreographing for various productions and training dancers into their professional careers. She is thrilled to be offering such a special opportunity to share her passion for the arts and movement with dancers right in the comfort of their schools. So many dancers do not have the opportunity to train at a studio due to time, money, convenience, etc so having the same quality instructors, for a fraction of the cost and brought directly to your students school, is the goal of Excite Dance and we are so thrilled your student is a part of it. Jai, along with her husband Brian, help run all the maintenance behind the scenes so definitely look out for them at performances and say hello. Jai has three sons who are also dancers & theatre majors in college, and they are also a huge part of the success of Excite Dance & Cheer. We are a military family, faith based, and so proud to serve the community in this way. We hope to meet each and every one of you.
MISS KYLLEI
I’m Kyllei Shelton and I’m originally from Boston. I’ve been immersed in cheer and dance for as long as I can remember. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of competing at the highest levels in cheerleading, including the World Championships, NCA, Cheersport, The One, and many more prestigious events. During my time dancing, I danced at Rising Stars Dance Academy. I also competed at many prestigious competitions, placing runner up for Jr. Miss Dance America, and National Grand Champions for many group routines throughout the years. After being in these sports myself, I went on to coach All-Star cheer here in Las Vegas. I am excited to continue coaching and share my experience, energy, and love for the sport with others and continue to inspire the next generation of athletes.
MISS EMMA
My name is Emma! Some fun facts, I have been a cheerleader most of my life. I just graduated high school. my favorite color is yellow, my favorite holiday is halloween and I am an only child. I have been in competitive cheer during high school for spring valley high school from 9-11th grade where we won many competitions! Really excited to work with the students at Excite!
MRS. SAMANTHA
Samantha Hernandez now lives and works in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sam has been teaching dance in Orange County, California for the last twenty seven years. Taught by the likes of Cathleen Forcucci and Karame Adesko, she has studied ballet, jazz, lyrical, cheer, hip hop, and baton twirling. Under her program, House of Dance, she has taught thousands of children. She created, directed, and performed with a burlesque troupe for ten years. She has performed at the Viper Room, the Brown Derby and Key Club. Hernandez has also started an all inclusive fitness club called Babes Fitness Club, which she teaches Barre, Pilates, and flexibility across the Vegas valley. Most recently she has been creating artwork with her husband under their brand, LovervilleUSA.
MISS SABINE
Sabine was born and raised in Las Vegas. She began her journey at the age of two and has been dancing ever since. She started off dancing at a studio called Summerlin Dance Academy and then moved to The Rock Center for Dance. You may know her from NBC World of Dance season two where she and her team “The Rock Company” performed all the way to the semi finals. She has also been in the Cirque du Soleil foundation show “One Night for One Drop” where she played the lead role “Drop”. Recently Sabine has been doing multiple concept videos and performances on some of the biggest stages in Las Vegas for example MGM arena, T-mobile arena and The Smith Center. Some fun facts about Sabine is she loves knit and bake cookies. When she was in school her favorite subject was always History. She can’t wait to meet you all!
MISS KELSIE
Kelsie was born and raised in Kansas and found her passion for dance at the age of 11. She has trained in various styles of dance such as, Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Tap, lyrical, Acro, Musical Theater, and more. Kelsie is trained under Donnette Rothweiler, who studied under Marjorie Kelly with the Royal Academy of Ballet. Growing up competing, Kelsie received many tuition scholarships, special awards, and is even an Alumni of Talent on Parade GoPro, where she got to work with Solid Gold Performer Liezel Marie, Chip Abbott, Bart Doerfler, and many more. As a Sophomore in High School Kelsie received a scholarship to attend TAPS, a Theater Arts Preparatory School in Las Vegas, Nevada. After she graduated high school she moved to Vegas to pursue her career in dance.
MR JOSHUA
Mr. Joshua has been dancing since the age of 2 and started teaching at the age of 14,
winning multiple awards for dance and choreography in both regional and national
competitions. He graduated from the University of Arizona School of Dance in 2022,
where he was able to perform works from world-renowned dance companies including
Keigwin + Companies “Megalopolis,” River North Dance Chicago “Habaneras: Music of
Cuba,” and Paul Taylor Dance Companies “Colven Kingdom.” He also has trained with
Giordano Dance Chicago, Limón Dance Company, and Summer Dance Sessions at their
summer intensives. Most recently working as a cruise ship dancer on Royal Caribbean’s
Navigator of the Seas performing Showgirl: Past, Present, & Future, and Ballroom Fever.
He recently moved to Las Vegas to continue his professional dance career and plans to
continue teaching around the country, spreading joy through dance.
Fun Facts: His favorite dance styles are jazz-funk, contemporary, and hip hop. He has a
minor in Business Administration and his favorite place in the world is Vieques, Puerto
Rico.
MISS ANNIKA
My name is Annika. I have been dancing for 13 years with professional training. When I was
younger I danced with my brother in krump and from there as I got older that exposed me to
hiphop, popping, and locking. From there around age 7 I fell in love with dance and explored
more into different styles, like ballet, contemporary, jazz, modern dance, tap etc. I’ve trained in
all of these styles for years and still do.
Fun Facts
- I love children
- I can rollerblade
- I am very good at painting and drawing
- My initials are ABC :)
MISS MANDI
My name is mandi! I was born and raised in Las Vegas. I've been dancing for 13 years! I learned from a Very young age that dance is one of my greatest passions. I’ve trained in ballet, hiphop, jazz, contemporary and lyrical! I plan on attending college this fall and minoring in dance while majoring in business! Fun fact: I also did singing and acting as a kid! Teaching dance is such a blessing for me, My goal is to create a safe, supportive and inspiring dance environment !
MISS SAVANNAH
My name is Savannah, or some people call me Sparrow. I started dancing when I was little and after taking a small break, I got back into studio dance classes. I used to dance competitively for Bunker Dance Center. I was on both a hip hop team and an ensemble team. On the teams, I trained for at least 11 hours a week taking Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Ballroom, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and other classes to improve my technique. I have performed on the Smith Center stage multiple times, other performance stages, experienced conventions and competition settings, and have been able to really grow as a dancer over the past few years. Taking my break from competition/studio dance has helped me find my passion for dance again and I am very excited to teach young dancers with a positive and welcoming mindset. I want to be able to inspire young dancers and for them to feel safe and confident in themselves. My goal is for my dancers to never feel unwanted or unworthy as I will always be here for them 110% At the end of the day, I want each dancer to go home and find joy in their life and be able to achieve their dreams while becoming a mindful human!
I'm a very creative/artistic person so I spend a lot of time creating things. Some other fun things about me is I used to do competitive archery, snails are my favorite animal, I love taking care of my plants, and I enjoy expressing myself through fashion and my fun hair colors!
MISS SOFI
My name is Sofi! I am a third-year student at UNC-Chapel Hill and am studying Psychology. I have been a dancer for 13 years and recently got into the swing of things. I enjoy drinking coffee, listening to music, and reading books. Some fun facts about me are I speak four languages—Japanese, English, Spanish, and Latin, I cannot swim, and I do not like frogs. Let's DANCE the night away!
MS. KENA
My name is Kena! I am so excited to share my passion of dance with the next generation. I have danced and cheered for my whole youth and into college. I love all styles of dance and enjoy some breakdancing on occasion. After taking a break to start a family I am excited to get back into it. I have identical twin boys who love to have dance parties on the daily. I have three dogs who love to snuggle. My husband and I love all things Spooky and Halloween. I am currently studying early education and special education so I can be a special education teacher. I know basic sign language and currently learning conversational ASL :)
MS. BRE
Breann McCulloch is a seasoned dance professional whose career spans over two decades, weaving together her passion for dance education with entrepreneurial acumen. Breann brings a dynamic approach to dance instruction that combines technical expertise with a nurturing teaching style. Prior to her current role, Breann demonstrated her entrepreneurial spirit as the CEO and Founder of her own solar company, where she led a remarkable business transformation from 2019 to 2024. Under her leadership, the company experienced exponential growth, doubling its workforce from 30 to 60 employees while achieving an impressive increase in sales. Her strategic approach to business operations included developing comprehensive procedures and implementing effective team training programs. Born and bred into entertainment, as a second generation native, Breann , the daughter of an Icecapade, has trained under some of the greatest technical teachers. Primarily, under the training of Inez Mourning at Studio 1, Breann won many titles as a competitive dancer and at 19 signed her first professional contract. She has showcased her talent on the Las Vegas strip and later, for dance education and program development. Throughout her different coaching and teaching job with inner-city programs and schools, she has crafted engaging choreography and fostered a supportive learning environment that brought out the best in her students. Throughout her career, Breann has distinguished herself through her ability to blend artistic expression with practical business acumen. Her expertise extends beyond dance education to encompass crucial business functions including client management and leadership development. Today, she continues to shape the next generation of dancers, bringing her wealth of experience and passion for dance education to students in the Las Vegas area.
MZ RUBY
Raised in Orange County, California, Ruby Messina grew up in the dance scene as “MzRuby”. She has trained in multiple dance disciplines with various dance companies (Graham Company, Pivot Dance, Millennium Dance Complex, PDO Dance, Studio One, etc). Ruby has works as a commercial dancer, choreographer, competitive dance coach and dance athlete. She is known to be a talent with modeling and acting experience in commercial/film. Ruby has a BFA in Dance with CFAs in Film from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; an AA in the Art of Dance from Irvine Valley College; a BA in Dance in Cultural Diversity from California State University, Fullerton with Business Entertainment credit. Graduating from Buena Park High school as an AVID Academic student & Fine Arts
in Dance Company/ Production success student in 2009, Ruby
became a dance awarded professional with completing the
commercial dance program from the American Musical & Dramatic Academy Conservatory in Performing Arts prior to graduating high school. She has completed throughout her dance career, certified/ affiliated with World of Dance Company, was a “Soloist” for Pivot Dance Company for 5 years, has won best choreography in Competitive dance and has a record as a Young Champion of America including Best Choreography/ winning seasons from 2017-2019. She was on season 2 of So You Think You Have Talent, So You Think You Can Dance contestant, Americas Got Talent contestant and is just as passionate about her dance students alike. I find ways to still be apart of my community; the best part about sharing dance with others is teaching. I find my students learning more about themselves and I want to make sure that even my littlest dancer has a place they can get their wiggles out but still incorporate some of their daily educational activities. I also make sure they practice teamwork.” - Ruby Messina
MRS LAUREN
Mrs. Lauren was born and raised in Las Vegas and began dancing at the age of 3! She has studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, and Pointe. She began as a teachers assistant at 13 years old and a full fledged teacher by 16 years old and has been teaching ever since! Lauren would go onto becoming a professional ballet dancer with the Royal Academy Of Dance and Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and earned her Associates through the Royal Academy Of Dance, Silver Swans Teaching Certification, and the Bronze Tap Award through Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. After receiving her certifications, she then went on to performing with the Las Vegas Ballet Company for 3 years while teaching around the Valley. Lauren is passionate about teaching all forms of dance, especially Ballet! She strives to create a fun and exciting environment for children to learn and explore the world of dance!
MISS BRITANI
My name is Britani Barnes 19 from Baltimore Maryland. I am currently in my second year of college at Morris College studying Early Childhood Education. I have bee cheering and dancing since I was 6. I enjoy reading and seeing new and different places. Some fu facts about me are I have done different beauty pageants. I have choreographed different dance for others for their pageants. I have also coached my own dance team for a while called the Enchanted diamonds. I’m very big on charity work. I am proud of who I am and the amount of growing I have coming so with that being said lets dance the night away!
MISS DAWSON
I’m originally from Nampa, Idaho. I have training under some of the best in the business and I proudly train in all styles of dance. Currently I am living in fabulous Las Vegas attending Theatre Arts Preparatory to further my education in the professional world. I have performed trial choreography for Karol G and have appeared in music videos with Nickelodeon directors, in addition to training under mentors that have worked with artists such as: Miley Cyrus, Michael Jackson, Prince and more. I have been in multiple professional ballets including A MidSummer Nights Dream and The Little Mermaid. I am traveling with Heat Dance Convention as a National Assistant, alongside Konnor Kelly and Ralyn Johnson from SYTYCD. I trained for 4 years on a touring Company under the mentorship of Aaron Czuprenski. I am grateful for the assisting program with Rhonda Sevey at Nexus Dance. I have also had the pleasure to assist the world famous Syncopated Ladies! My favorite memory in my career so far is competing on the international competitions World Of Dance! I am a STRONG advocate of safe mental and physical health. I am a proud woman who wants to make a difference in the dance community.
MISS GWEN
Gwen-Renae’ was raised in Kansas City, Missouri and has always had a love for dance ever since the age of 3. She started training at Creative Movements in Shawnee Kansas at the age of 7. She spent 12 years at this dance studio training in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, lyrical, and tumbling. For 6 years Gwen taught a series of classes at her home studio teaching the younger combo classes and beginner hip hop classes as well. Over the years Gwen received many scholarships at different conventions and is an Alumni of the "Go Pro" through Talent On Parade. Gwen received a scholarship to Theater Arts Preparatory School in Las Vegas, Nevada where she is currently studying and training to continue her dance career.
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