2024-2025 SFSDC Faculty

Jason Weiss

Jason Weiss has been a performer, teacher, and choreographer for over 43 Years. During his professional dance career, Jason danced in Las Vegas with Bobby Gentry on the Jerry Lewis Telethon, for the Ford Industrial Corporation, and on The Carol Lawrence Show. His TV credits include Hart To Hart, Oh Madeleine, The David Copperfield Special, Super Stars & Classic Cars, The NBC All-Star Hour, Laverne & Shirley, The Nell Carter Special, Mr. Belvedere & The Playboy Video Rock and Roll With The Splitters. Film credits include Cracking Up with Jerry Lewis, Pennies From Heaven with Steve Martin, SOB with Julie Andrews, and Dr. Detroit with Dan Aykroyd. He also performed on four consecutive Academy Award shows. As an outstanding teacher, Jason’s choreography has won distinguished awards such as the Choreographers’ Mid-West State Finals and overall high score championships from Showstoppers, Headliners, Starbound competitions, and many more. After teaching all levels of tap for over 8 years at Orange County High School of Arts, he is now a national judge for Talent On Parade, where he shares his knowledge of the professional dance world with students from all over the United States.

Lisa Weiss

Lisa Weiss has been a performer, teacher, and choreographer for 43 years. She has worked with notable teachers and dancers such as Diane Revie, Joella Lewis, Peggy Carr, Ken Berry, Gene Nelson, and the Nicholas Brothers. In addition to dancing principal roles with the American Festival Ballet for over 7 years, she was the assistant director and choreographer for the Saidi Dance Company & Sunshine Productions. She has choreographed productions benefiting such charities as Kids Against Drugs, The Special Olympics, The American Cancer Society, The Parkinson Foundation, and the USC Norris Cancer Center, among many others. With 10 years of pageant experience, she was the Director of  America’s National Teenage Scholarship Program, Miss Downey, and Miss Bell Gardens pageants for over 8 years. Having been a state judge for Rainbow Competition for over 4 years, she is now a national judge for Talent On Parade, where she adjudicates dancers from all over the country.

Jenny Stevens

Jenny Stevens is an accomplished instructor trained in all dance styles and has taught for over 27 years. Jenny graduated from California State University, Long Beach, with a BFA in Dance, where she was also on the nationally ranked dance team. She danced 3 seasons with the LA Clippers Spirit and was recently back on the court for their 35th Anniversary.  Jenny was lucky enough to perform with both Beyonce and Outkast in the NBA All-Star Game. She has studied dance with notable teachers like Andy Vaca, Leann Alduenda, Michael VanPatten, and Jackie Slight. Her gymnastics training comes from both Ms. Kathy Pickle and Willie Avila. Jenny taught jazz at Chapman University, Cypress College, and Fullerton College for 10 years at CSULB. Her television work includes commercials for Diamond Walnuts, Coca-Cola, and AT & T. Through her dancing and training style, Jenny strives to communicate her love and enthusiasm for dance, to all her students. 

Ryannlee Davis

Ryannlee Davis is an outgoing and energetic dance instructor and choreographer. Having spent all of her life dancing, she studied dance through High School with the APA program at Huntington Beach High School for 4 years & then continued her dance education after graduating with a full scholarship to Defore’s Foundation For The Arts. There, she studied with such fantastic teachers as Christine Baltes, Leann Alduenda, Mike Esperanza, and Tim Stevenson. Having performed in the Pro Bowl with the Back Street Boys, in Las Vegas, and in Hollywood with the Young Dubliners, Ryannlee was chosen to perform in Chicago for the Jazz Dance World Congress for over 4 years. Ryannlee has also been lucky to work with esteemed artists such as Matthew Morrison, Susan Egan & Krysta Rodriguez. Keeping true to the art profession, Ryannlee is a guest choreographer for the Commercial Dance Department & the premier performing group MONTAGE! At the Orange County School of the Arts. Ryannlee is grateful that she can share her passion for dance with her students and let them explore their own unique style of movement. Ms. Ryann looks forward to many more years watching her students grow artistically, mentally & emotionally in the world of Dance.  

Rachael Law

Rachael Law is a Cal State Long Beach graduate who received her BFA and teaching credential in art education. Now in her 25th year as an art and graphics teacher, Rachael also achieved her Masters in Education and Administration from Cal State Dominguez Hills. Having studied dance all of her life, she has taken from such fantastic teachers as Andy Vaca, Leeann Alduenda, Jose Salazar, Michael VanPatten, Tim Stevenson, and her grandmother, Doris Weiss. Rachael continues to round out her teaching career with clinics, seminars, and masterclasses throughout southern California. Her love of jazz, hip hop, and tap is seen through her choreography and the talents of all her students and, of course, her Cheer Clinics throughout California.

Allie Aguilar

Allie Aguilar graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a recreation and business administration major. Having danced all her life at SFSDC, she calls the studio her “home away from home.” As our excellent acro teacher, she shares her 19 years of dance knowledge with her students, whom she loves very much. She teaches acro throughout Southern California and works with the City of Bellflower. After receiving her teaching certificate from Acrobatics Arts, Miss Allie has continued to amaze our students with new techniques and advances in acro training.

Alida Carmona

Alida Carmona has worked in the performing arts for over 29 years. Her career has been fabulous as one of the first Hispanic ballerinas to achieve national notoriety. She began her ballet training in East Los Angeles and then went on to study at ShowCase Studio, under the direction of Doris Weiss, when she was just 12 years old. Her serious ballet training came at the age of 16 under the direction of Anthony Sellers at the Phyllis Cyr Academy of Dance. From there, she continued her training with the renowned Ballet Master Stephan Wenta and joined the San Gabriel Valley Ballet as a principal ballerina. Since finishing her professional ballet career, she has taught ballet, tap, and jazz throughout Orange and Riverside counties for the past 16 years.

Shawn Kurilko

Shawn took his first tap class at the age of 7.  He went on to train in various dance styles and broadened his art education at Orange County School of the Arts.  Upon graduation, he continued his studies at Columbia College in Chicago. Shawn is a current member of Jason Janas' company Co.MMIT, and continues to do commercial work in LA. He has danced in films with Channing Tatum and in Gucci advertisements. He has also taught and performed internationally. Shawn is passionate about tap and can’t wait to share that with you. 

Lupita Manriquez

A fabulous teacher, Lupita brings 18 years of dance education to our students with love and passion. Her training came from SFSDC, where she was a member of our award-winning competition team for over 10 years. She has taught all areas of dance for the past 5 years and continues to expand her teaching knowledge through seminars and professional teacher summits.

Luke Higuera

A wonderful young man with exceptional talent, Luke is a dance major at Cal State Long Beach, where his extensive education in all areas of dance is remarkable. Now in his 2nd year of teaching at SFSD,C he finds himself loving every class he teaches. His training from SFSDC allows him to share his love of dance with all his students. A former member of our SDSDC competition team, his knowledge of what it takes to be successful is mirrored in all of his classes.