THE WORLDANZ DCF TEAM

Gina Garcia
Artistic Director and Instructor

Born and raised in Guatemala, Gina Garcia traveled to the United States at the age of sixteen to pursue her interest in art and dance. She studied at Boston University, ultimately transferring to and receiving her degree in Fine Arts at the University of California—Santa Cruz.  In addition to painting and dancing, Gina spent her time studying psychology, cultural anthropology, and traveling.  

Gina developed Worldanz DCF in 2008 as a way in which to combine her love of dance, her unyielding interest in global cultures, and her restless desire to exercise both aggressively and unapologetically. Having spent twenty-five years studying every dance form that came her way, Gina wanted to find a way to share the unique and intricate gifts that each form provides.

Similarly, as a fitness enthusiast, Gina has remained extremely interested in helping people tap into the joy of high-intensity training. Aside from the obvious physical benefits of feeling strong, healthy, and embodied, Gina wants people to experience the mental and spiritual rewards that come with maximum athletic exertion within the ecstatic study of dance.

Carrie Flowers
​Instructor

Carrie studied various styles of dance and the discipline of choreographic analysis while at Santa Rosa Junior College. It was during those same years, that Carrie began yoga and pilates classes, cultivating a deeper awareness of body mechanics and alignment. Her repertoire of dance styles broadened during her studies in cultural anthropology. Carrie believes that one way to learn about another culture is through the music and forms of movement, and acknowledging the historical significance that dance provides. She has learned that dance is an expression of one’s ancestry and a means of social connection.
 
Carrie first met Gina Garcia at UC Santa Cruz in 2011. From day one, Carrie was enamored with the electricity Gina brought into class and found herself seeking more of what Gina offered. Carrie participated in the first Worldanz DCF teacher training. Despite Carrie’s high energy and silly nature, she strives to provide a safe space for others to both, express their own interpretation of movement, as well as offer direction of proper alignment.  ​

Rena Dubin 
​Instructor

Rena spent her Texan childhood at the ballet studio, which culminated in her starring role of Hansel in the ballet "Hansel and Gretel." As school and social demands increased, she stopped dancing (pointe shoes are not comfortable), which left a void that remained unfulfilled until she discovered Iyengar Yoga as a freshman at UCSC. Rena studied intensively for years with Senior Instructor Kofi Busia, traveled to meet Mr. Iyengar in person, and taught many classes a week, in addition to her dedicated personal practice.

​After her children were born, Rena had less time -- and quiet -- for practicing yoga. Luckily, she stumbled upon Gina Garcia's Worldanz DCF classes! The joyful exuberance of Gina's classes was just what Rena needed. Her early love of dance was reawakened as she relished in the playfulness and passion for movement. Rena completed the Worldanz DCF teacher training class with her daughter, Aliya, in 2014. 

Johanna Taylor
Instructor

Johanna started attending Worldanz DCF classes in 2010 during her second year at UCSC. After graduating in 2012, she became the first official certified instructor, and soon took it on the road, teaching in Spain for 6 months. 

When she returned to Santa Cruz, she started her classes at Santa Cruz Power Fitness, and continued her exploration of dance and fitness. Her passion for dance grew, and she soon started training in other dance styles such as Afro-Haitian, Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Beats, Aerial Dance, and eventually, Dancehall. 

Johanna now lives in San Diego where she teaches Worldanz DCF  at UCSD, creates online dance and fitness content for both kids and adults on various platforms, and dances professionally with Khaarana Dance Company, which specializes in world dance styles. Her classes are high energy, and full of fun, with an Afro-Caribbean flair. 

Audrey Stanley
​Instructor

Audrey moved to Santa Cruz about 7 years ago and discovered Worldanz DCF. She fell in love with Worldanz DCF which led to her passion and love for dance and fitness 

When she first started out she never imagined she could become an instructor. Audrey looked up to Gina who is the creator of Worldanz DCF and wanted to be as much like her as possible. It was about two years ago that Audrey started her journey towards becoming an instructor. She would never have started that journey if it weren't for Gina believing in her and urging her to do so.

She is so happy and proud to be a Worldanz DCF instructor! Her goal is to spread the excitement and joy to everyone who takes her class. ​

Shane Sanchez
Instructor

Shane Sanchez attended the University of Montana, where he received his undergraduate degree in Literature.  It was at the University of Montana where Shane first began his study of dance, training in Modern and Jazz Dance while teaching Freshman Seminar.  Shane continued his dance training in Jazz and Ballet while a graduate student at UC-Santa Cruz, where he received his master’s degree in Literature.  

Shane has been training in Worldanz DCF since February of 2008, and remains actively grateful to Worldanz DCF for the community of elegant dancers it reliably crafts here in Santa Cruz. Shane is now teaching Worldanz DCF in heaven. 

Amanda Meyers
​Instructor

Amanda is a lifelong lover of dance. She began teaching cardio dance in 2005 and has studied several forms of dance at Cabrillo College such as Latin, Baile Folklorico, and Hip Hop. She followed the advice of a friend and gave Worldanz DCF a try in 2015 and the rest is history.

Amanda truly found her, “dance family” in Worldanz DCF and became an instructor in 2016. She has expanded her dance repertoire since then by taking workshops and continuously learning about different dance forms.

Dance continues to connect Amanda with the most incredible, crazy, wild, fun and creative people. It’s a way of life, good for the mind, body and soul. Come and dance with her soon.

Joan Fenwick
​Instructor

Joan discovered Worldanz DCF in 2011 and was totally blown away from the first class. Since then, a whole new world of teachers and styles has opened up to her, and she has been taking as many technique classes and dance intensives as she possibly can, as this is a lifelong learning process.

She has enjoyed teaching and subbing, as well as continuing to be a supportive part of the larger dance community. One major incentive in getting certified was to be able to lead her nieces and nephews, from which she continues to derive great satisfaction.​

Melissa Wedlock
​​Instructor

Melissa Wedlock grew up in Santa Cruz, California. She studied to become a Registered Nurse and has her dream job working with mothers and babies in Labor and Delivery. She loves small town living and now lives in the small coastal town Davenport with her husband and son.

Melissa is an avid athlete. She has been competing in running races for 20 years and also enjoys surfing, mountain biking and snowboarding.

Melissa discovered Worldanz DCF in 2008 and it is the only sport that will keep her indoors. She loves the physical, mental and social aspects of Worldanz DCF. It has inspired her to learn more about dance. In 2015, she danced and performed with the Bollywood team Gurus of Dance.

Virgínia Beatriz de Melo Zanini
​​Instructor

From Southwest Brasil, where she grew up and lives currently, Virgínia was always really into sports, dance, art and culture.  She has dedicated most of her life to Ballet, Tap Dance, dancing and teaching. She also has great experience with Belly Dancing, Performing, Yoga and Martial Arts. She became the Kung fu Brasilian Champion in 2008 and was classified for the World Championship.

 When she went for an experience abroad to California, she found Worldanz DCF and fell in love with the philosophy.

She found a way to express herself not just into dance, but into the world. She is a person who wants to explore the infinity of motion, feelings and joy. Virgínia felt she needed to bring home that new way of expression in which it is possible to travel around the world through dance in one hour. After spending two years in California and learning intensively the techniques to become a Worldanz DCF instructor, Virgínia is now back in Uberlândia, her hometown, where the new style will be first introduced in Brasil. Now with a new baby, classes in Brasil are currently on hold. 

Kelli Maeda
​Instructor

Kelli Maeda grew up in The Deep South with quintessential dance training in ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop.  She was also an enthusiastic and competitive collegiate cheerleader. After moving to Santa Cruz, California, her love of dance and fitness was renewed when she found Worldanz DCF!  After years of training with Gina Garcia and a wide range of dance and fitness experts from around the globe, Kelli is teaching Worldanz DCF to adults and children around Santa Cruz County. 

​As the mother of now three talented dancers, she is even more inspired to share dance with her community as a way to connect with people on a spiritual level.  She hopes that through Worldanz DCF you will find physical fitness, as well as new styles of dance that you can get passionate about.

Brittany Duicu
​Instructor

Brittany grew up in the LA area dreaming of being a mermaid. She was obsessed with the ocean and music. Though she did have the opportunity to study dance at an early age, her love of movement came from watching her grandmother dance and shimmy all around the house.

When she got to college, she danced as much as possible, eventually joining a professional troupe that performed regularly in elementary schools. While earning her degree in Marine Biology from UCSC, she continued her dance studies such as modern dance, ballet, jazz, yoga, and salsa.

In addition to dance and marine biology, Brittany has a rich background in marketing and event planning. She is an avid scuba diver, traveler, pilates, and deep curiosity about world cultures. Brittany has been a Worldanz DCF Instructor since 2017. She is drawn to the joyous community that Worldanz DCF brings together and the diverse dance forms and musical styles it encompasses. She loves how energized she feels in class and how much confidence it has brought to her life and hopes other dancers feel the same after dancing with her in a class.

Bailey Scott
​​Instructor

Bailey is first generation American, born to South African parents. She lived in Hong Kong for 6 years until her family moved to the Bay Area. Bailey grew up dancing 14 years of technical Jazz and Modern dance, and continued dancing while studying Accounting and Economics at UCSC. It was there where she discovered the universe of Worldanz DCF with Gina, which uniquely fused Bailey’s passion for dance with international travel into the most vivacious dance fitness experience. She resettled in Silicon Valley, where she strives to share the energy and elation of Worldanz DCF with her community.

Lisa Emmett
Instructor

Sparky has been dancing with Gina since 2013! She felt a comfort in the high-energy and inclusiveness that is Worldanz and was hooked! She is a true lover of Worldanz and embodies that “spark” of instant joy that Worldanz provides. She is thrilled to teach Worldanz and bring the true joy of movement to dancers of all skill levels. Her favorite thing about Worldanz is that it brings you happiness the minute you start, which is so unlike any other workout regimen. She is excited to continue to grow the Worldanz community.

Kristen Ferlito
​Instructor

​Kristen has had a lifetime of physical expression and exploration, with a passion for fitness and dedication to movement. Growing up in San Diego, she trained and competed in dance, gymnastics, swimming, synchronized swimming, diving and tennis. While earning her degree in psychology at UCSC she completed an independent study in dance furthering her education in jazz, modern dance, yoga, Pilates and ballet.

After graduating Kristen went on to pursue a career as a Tennis Professional instructing and coaching players of all ages and abilities, including wheelchair tennis players, one of whom became the number one player in the USA and two time Paralympic athlete.

She discovered Worldanz in 2015 and fell in love with the level of fitness and joy she feels through the expression of movement in so many cultures and the feeling of global connection it offers. What she appreciates most about teaching is guiding students through fitness and movement to feel that joy within themselves.

Kristen now lives in Aptos, California with her husband and two sons. Most days you can find her surfing, cycling, dancing, playing tennis, hiking and enjoying her friends and family.

Aliya Mayana Glatt 
Instructor

Born and raised in Santa Cruz, CA, Aliya began Worldanz at age 8 with her mom, Rena. Since her first class, Aliya has loved the fierce energy of Worldanz and the way it combines the joy of dance with the intensity of conditioning. 

Aliya has been dancing her whole life, with 8 years of ballet training that included dancing en pointe and countless performances of “The Nutcracker.” At age 14, Aliya left the ballet-only world and joined at the Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center in Santa Cruz, where she discovered her love of modern dance. She was part of the Teen Company for three years and trained under the direct mentorship of Molly Katzman, along with Garth Fagan Dance’s Micha Scott, Sharon Skepple Mayfield, and Principal Dancer P.J. Norwood Pennewell. She participated in their modern dance intensive every summer and grew to become a company leader, choreographer, and soloist. As part of the TWDCC Teen Company, she was introduced to Santa Cruz Movement, and has been training with them ever since.

At 17, Aliya graduated from the Tannery’s Teen Company and from Cabrillo College with her AA degree. Aliya then transferred to UCLA, where she majored in Anthropology and minored in French. She graduated in June 2023 with Summa Cum Laude Honors and will be continuing at UCLA in their 1-year Masters of Social Science Program.

​Throughout her dancing journey, Aliya never stopped coming to Worldanz! She received her certification through the Worldanz teacher training program. She now teaches Worldanz classes at the UCLA Recreation Center, where she brings her positive energy to create a fun, inclusive, and active space for students of all levels. Aligning with Worldanz values, Aliya always tells her students to not be serious, modify what you need, and don’t forget to have fun!

Sarah Wise
​Instructor

Dancing is Sarah’s lifeline. She grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains and loved dancing from an early age. She remembers flying around the kitchen in waltzes with her mom and the first shiny spandex bodysuit she got for her birthday for her jazz class. Never classically trained, but always hungry for more and new ways to move her body, she has continued to come back to dance to connect with her joy, playfulness and love of music throughout her life.

Worldanz brought together all her favorite styles of dance and more, as well as a community of relentless lovers of dance, fitness and silliness. The energy of Worldanz takes the seriousness out of learning new choreography and breathes a bit of irreverence into the challenge, all while instilling a deep appreciation for culture.

Sarah is the mother of 2 awesome kids and works part time as a massage therapist and a health coach. She became a Worldanz instructor in 2019 with Gina’s kind and persistent urging.

Dax Mills
​Instructor

Dax Mills has been dancing since she was 5 when her mom put her in ballet classes because “she was clumsy.”  As a teenager she was crowned Miss Majorette of America.  Later Dax went on to earn an MFA in Dance from CU Boulder and has performed her blend of dance/theatre in places like NYC, Edinburgh, Milan, Montreal, Seattle, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Santa Cruz.  Now Dax’s performance needs are fulfilled through comedy, and her dancing fix gets handled by Worldanz. 

Dax has been teaching Worldanz since 2020, and also Pilates for over 30 years.  She has three wonderful teenage children and a fantastic partner and dog.  Dax feels that the worst thing about Worldanz is that it is not available everywhere for everyone--it’s just not fair!