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Chris Houston - Instructor
Christopher Houston has been an integral part of the Encore Dance Center team. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee which is where he originally started dancing. He was a marine for a decade and has taught and conducted Hip Hop for the past 15 years. Chris has performed in Disney and MTV videos and was part of Footloose Okinawa Dance, YFAMD Dance Alumni, Subculture Royalty Dance Alumni, and UDIG Jookin' Academy Dance Alumni. He has studied under multiple choreographers in Los Angeles, CA and Houston, TX. His style of Hip Hop is centered around expression and musical diversity. Chris has won several choreography awards and continues to wow with his creativity and dedication.
Lily O'Hara - Instructor
Lily began her dance training as a young child in her hometown of Falls Church, VA. Coming from a family of dancers, she spent most of her time in the studio from an early age. She continued her dance education at the collegiate level, receiving her B.A. in Dance Performance from Old Dominion University in 2021. Lily has a passion for education and enjoys finding creative ways to share her art with students of all ages. She particularly enjoys creating a safe, nurturing environment that allows dancers to feel confident while exploring challenges.
Jaime Popard - Recreational Studio Director
Jaime Popard was born and raised in Virginia Beach, VA. Her career led her to Charlotte, NC where she owned a dance boutique and was a manager for one of the Top 10 studios in the nation. While back in Virginia, Jaime was the Assistant Director of a company that enriches young children's lives through the art of dance and determination of sports throughout pre-schools. She was also a choreographer for Susan G. Komen for the Cure events and the state representative for North Carolina and Virginia for 'Dance Teachers On-Line'. Aside from being a dance instructor and choreographer, Jaime was a dance competition judge and the owner of Studio Simplified. Jaime is currently on the advisory council for The State Ballet- Richmond Ballet and teaches all genres of dance for Encore. She is recognized for her creativity and dedication.
Diane Holland - Owner and Competition Team Director
Diane Holland is the founder of Encore Dance Center which opened in 1998. She attended Point Park College in Pittsburgh on a dance scholarship. Before relocating to Virginia, she taught dance in Houston under associates with the London Ballet. She's currently a member of Dance Educators of America and Dance Masters of America,. She has danced for the Rodriguez Dance Company in Houston, was a performer at Busch Gardens, and a lead dancer for dinner theater productions. She is a firm believer in the concept that anyone and everyone can benefit from dance, and would like to invite everyone to come explore this excellent creative outlet.
Rachel Vinson - Instructor
Rachel Vinson was born and raised in Virginia Beach, VA. She started gymnastics at the age of five, which eventually progressed into cheerleading at the age of eleven. She continued cheerleading through college at East Carolina University, where she received a B.S. in Exercise Science. She has over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and nutrition coach. Helping people achieve their goals and succeed both in and out of the gym is what she enjoys most about her job. Rachel looks forward to sharing her passion for acro and fitness with her students.
Andie Purdy - Instructor
Andie Purdy was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she primarily trained in ballet, tap, and jazz from the age of 4. She performed for many seasons with the Corpus Christi Ballet, reaching the rank of demi-soloist. Her diverse training background includes the Rockettes Summer Intensive and the annual RDA Southwest convention. Andie also has a passion for community theater and has performed and choreographed several shows including Grease, Chicago, and A Chorus Line. Along the way on her dance journey she stumbled upon Irish dancing, and she now competes as a champion Irish dancer on a national level. Andie is so excited to join the Encore team and share her love of all things dance with her students!
Estelle Servidad - Instructor
Estelle is so excited to return to the Encore Dance Center Family as an Instructor! She spent a majority of her childhood, from first grade to her senior year of highschool, dancing with Encore and four of those years she was with the competition team. After she graduated, she taught ballet, traditional Filipino dance, line-dancing, and open Asian pop styles locally and in the Philippines. She continues to apply her knowledge of ballet, tap, jazz, ballroom, cultural dance, and other genres at Jete Dancewear. She is now a biomedical sciences major at Old Dominion University and minoring in dance. She is excited to share her love of dance with the community and wants to create a safe space for dancers to express themselves.
Instructors
Mhina Ramos - Instructor
Mhina Ramos, a classically trained dancer hailing from Virginia Beach, brings with her a rich tapestry of 25 years of dance experience. Having graced professional stages in Nashville, Tennessee, and Miami, Florida, Mhina's passion for dance shines through her craft. With over a decade as an esteemed instructor and choreographer, she specializes in contemporary, hip hop, and jazz styles. Mhina's choreography is known for its uniqueness, poetic expression, and emotional depth, underscoring her belief in the fusion of technique and artistry. Her commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists reflects her dedication to inspiring and shaping the future of dance.
Savanna Ruis - Assistant Competition Team Director
Savanna Ruis attended ODU where she received her Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a major in Marketing. Savanna enjoys teaching ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical and has received her certification from DMA. Savanna believes that Encore is a great place to teach and dance because they provide dancers with great opportunities but also keep the environment fun and family-friendly. Her favorite thing about teaching dance is seeing the long-term progression of her students. Seeing the difference between what a student could do at the beginning of the year and their beautiful performance at the end of the year at the annual recital is incredibly rewarding.
TJ Porchia - Instructor
Tré "TJ" Porchia grew up here in Virginia Beach. He has been dancing for 10 years, with Hip Hop being the first style he learned. He briefly attended AMDA in New York before transferring to ODU in Norfolk. He is a local actor who has been in many shows as a Dancer, Singer, and Actor. He hopes to spread his love of performance in his teaching to his students
Caitlyn Joyce Leach - Instructor
Caitlyn Joyce Leach is thrilled to be joining the Encore Dance Center Family! Originally from Forest, Virginia, she is excited to get back to dancing and teaching in her home state. Caitlyn graduated from East Carolina University's Honors College with a BFA in Musical Theatre in 2018. After graduating, she performed as an actor, singer, and dancer, all along the East Coast including Lexington Children's Theatre, The Lost Colony, Bright Star Touring Theatre, and Carowinds Theme Park. She turned to teaching in 2020, starting at her hometown dance studio, which led her to become one of the Resident Teaching Artists at Children's Theatre Charlotte. Caitlyn recently finished her Off-Broadway writing and swing debut for her musical titled SCOUTS, a story about stereotypes and friendship, that premiered at The Player's Theatre in NYC this past summer. She is excited to create a welcoming space at Encore that encourages students to challenge themselves, never give up, work with passion, and express themselves.
Encore Dance Center
Nikki Wolfe - Instructor
Nikki was first introduced to Pilates to compliment her dance training. As a dance major at Old Dominion University, she was awarded the Liberace scholarship and performed with the ODU Ballet and the University Dance Theatre. In 2006, Nikki was asked by her Pilates mentor to become a professionally trained Pilates instructor. She completed her 700 hour apprenticeship program with the world-renowned Romana's Pilates organization. Nikki continues her Pilates education by working with master teachers from all over the country. Nikki believes in the power of Pilates and enjoys teaching and encouraging others to discover the same positive results.