November Schedule: Meet the Instructors & Find Your Class

At AVA Dance Company, all of our weekly drop-in classes are taught by current and former professional NBA & NFL dancers or dance educators! To read the bio from each instructor, scroll to the bottom of the page.

In November, we are so excited to welcome a new instructor to the drop-in schedule: Sydni, a 2x NFL dancer! She will be teaching Stands (HBCU Dance), which is similar to Majorette.

We're also excited to host 2 Pro Style Masterclasses in November:

• Anthony Nicolo, former Boston Celtics Dancer & Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleader, is teaching on November 2

• Rachel Fernandes, former SF 49ers' Gold Rush dancer & NY Jets Flight Crew member, returns on November 22

To help you figure out what classes may be best for you, check out these suggestions tailored to your goals—whether you're looking for a beginner-friendly space, a class where you can bust out technique, or a high-energy sweat. Looking for something not included on the list? Send us an email asking for suggestions!

Beginner Friendly Classes (101)	Hip Hop 101 with Jaydee, Heels 101 with Marquise, Pom 101 with Leah
Ready to Move on from 101 to our Standard, Intermediate Classes	Hip Hop with Ashleigh, Contemporary with Audrey, Heels with Julia
Classes that Often Incorporate Technical Skills	Pom with Monica, Jazz with Jackie, Jazz with Jordan
Considering Auditioning for a Pro Team? Check These Out!	Pro Style Masterclasses with Anthony & Rachel, Pom with Jules, Hip Hop with Nadeen

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Click through to learn more about this month's instructors:

November 2, Pro Style Masterclass with Anthony

Anthony Nicolo is a professional dancer, choreographer, and instructor based in Los Angeles. He began his dance journey in 2004 with Lil Phunk, the Boston Celtics’ junior dance team. A competitive hip-hop dancer growing up, he later became Captain of the University of Tampa Dance Team before returning to the Boston Celtics as a professional dancer in 2023, bringing his journey full circle.

His performance credits include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders (NFL), Disney Cruise Line, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, and international productions.

Anthony currently teaches hip-hop, jazz funk, and pro-style choreography throughout Los Angeles and beyond, bringing high energy, confidence, and a passion for performance to every class.

November 3, Musical Theater with Ben

Ben is a proud actor and choreographer who most recently held the role of Assistant Dance Captain / Swing in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Broadway national tour. Prior to that, he was in the national tour of Wicked, on Broadway in Frozen, and both the New York and Broadway touring companies of Jersey Boys (Frankie Valli alternate, Joe Pesci, Assistant Dance Captain). He has worked regionally across the country at theaters such as the Signature Theater, Roundhouse Theater, ACT of CT and Hartford Stage. He also can be seen in the season 3 finale of the hit tv show Pose on FX. Choreography credits include Shrek the Musical at the Heneger Theater in Florida, Jersey Boys at Sierra REP, and Spring Awakening at Clear Space Theatre Company. He holds a BFA in musical theatre from the University of Michigan and has taught theatre dance classes all over the country, Canada, and even Shanghai, China.

November 3, Street Jazz with Marcel

B. Marcel Smith’s interest in the arts began after performing in Missoula Children’s Theatre’s production of Jack and the Beanstalk in Bern, Switzerland. After moving back to the U.S., Marcel was cast as a Principal Dancer in Debbie Allen’s Alex in Wonderland at the Kennedy Center. After graduating from Penn State University with a B.A, in Theatre, he continued to pursue musical theatre being involved in a revival of Rent the Musical in the tri-state area. In 2018, Marcel made history as the 1st male dancer and captain of the 1st coed NBA dance team, the Washington Wizards Dancers; spending 5 seasons with them. Marcel has been an educator for over a decade and currently serves as a Performing Arts teacher and A/V Technician at Georgetown Day School in Washington D.C

November 4, Hip Hop with Nadeen

Nadeen Rollins is the Director of the Washington Spirit’s Entertainment Team, The Spirit Crew! She graduated from The University of Virginia in 2021 where she was a member of The Virginia Dance Team for four years and a captain for one. She is also a former 4X NBA Dancer and an assistant coach for NBA senior dance team, The Wizdom!

November 4, Heels 101 with Marquise

With 15 years of dance experience and 11 years of transformative teaching experience, Marquise brings unparalleled expertise to every studio and stage. A proud graduate of Kennesaw State University's prestigious dance program-Georgia's largest and most acclaimed collegiate dance institution, Marquise holds a Minor in Dance with specialized training in dance pedagogy.

Versatility defines Marquise's approach, with comprehensive training spanning classical and contemporary ballet, heels, jazz, modern, contemporary, lyrical, hip-hop, Afro dance, and Gaga technique, and more. Having collaborated with world-renowned choreographers, Marquise brings global perspectives and innovative methods to each class.

For the past seven years, Marquise has become a leader of the DMV dance community, nurturing technical excellence while empowering dancers to discover their authentic artistic voices. Beyond teaching steps, Marquise creates 1 of 1 experiences that build confidence, discipline, and creative expression-guiding each student toward their fullest potential.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

November 8, Contemporary with Audrey

Audrey spent 1 season as a Wizards Dancer (2023-2024) and started off her dance journey in DC by taking AVA classes!  She has trained at the professional level in countless dance styles from Dallas to Duke University to DC, but she specializes in hard-hitting contemporary, dynamic jazz, and empowering heels choreography. Audrey teaches a high-energy class that is designed to empower every kind of dancer to take on new choreography with confidence and push the boundaries of their movement quality and style.

November 8, Hip Hop with Marielle

Born and raised in New York City, Marielle developed her love for dance in her early childhood years studying a variety of dance styles. She studied at UNCG where she earned a BA in Dance Education (K-12) and was a member of the Spartan G’s Dance Team for five years, serving as a captain for three years. Dance has taken Marielle to different places such as Atlanta, Las Vegas, Italy, and China. She coached the Washington Mystics’s dance team, Mystics Mayhem, for two seasons and danced for the Washington Wizards for four seasons.

November 9, Hip Hop Pom Fusion with Louis

Louis began studying dance at the age of eight at the Dance Theatre of New Jersey. He graduated with a degree in Nuclear Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he was a member of the dance team for three years and captain for two. Louis has worked with over 1,000 high school and college dancers across the country with the National Dance Alliance as a coach, choreographer, and mentor. He has judged regional and national competitions, received national awards for choreography, and taught virtual dance classes full-time during the COVID pandemic. Louis is a 2X member of the NFL’s Washington Commanders’ Command Force entertainment team and was named Rookie of the Year for the 2025-2026 season! Louis is excited to bring over 15 years of dance experience in pom, hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, ballet, and acro to the AVA Dance Community. Time to go full out fever!

November 9, Contemporary with Sydney

Sydney is an accomplished competitive dance choreographer and former Director of Apex Friendship Dance Program in Raleigh, NC. She holds a degree in Dance Education from Meredith College, where she was a member of two pre-professional dance companies, and served as co-manager for the Jazz and Tap company.

November 10, Musical Theater with Jeremy

Jeremy A. McShan is the creator/choreographer of J.A.M. the Revue, DC’s popular Top 40’s Music Concert and Dance Show. He also serves on the faculty at BalletNova Center for Dance as well at The Madeira School. He has a wide range of dance training and specializes in Jazz, Theatre and Hip Hop. He has choreographed for several theatres, amusement parks, professional sports dance teams, to name a few.

November 10 & 23, Pom & Contemporary with Megan

Megan is a 4x NBA Wizards Dancer and 1x Wiz Kids and Mystics Mayhem assistant coach. During her final season with the Wizards Dancer, she held the title of Captain! In Seattle, she was an NFL dancer for the Seattle Seahawks and a 4-year member / 3-year captain of the University of Washington Dance Team. She spent three years as a USA dance instructor, traveling and teaching dance teams up and down the West Coast.

November 11, Hip Hop 101 with Jaydee

Jaydee is a dancer and choreographer from the DMV. He is a former NBA Dancer for the Washington Wizards and has performed as a member of multiple local dance groups. He has choreographed HipHop, Jazz, Modern, and ballet for collegiate dance companies, dance teams, and  pre-professional dance companies. His style is energetic, full out, and FUN! Jaydee is excited to partner with AVA to create a fun experience for our dance community.

November 11, Jazz with Jackie

Jackie spent 4 seasons as a professional NFL Cheerleader for the Washington Commanders, with her final season holding the title as co-captain. Prior to going pro, Jackie attended Virginia Commonwealth University where she was a member of the Gold Rush Dance Team for four years and named Captain her senior year. Jackie has over 20+ years dance experience in various genres including jazz, hip-hop, ballet, contemporary, and pom. Fun Fact: at the end of her Rookie Season with the Washington Commanders, Jackie was named Rookie of the Year by her teammates! She brings a lot of power behind her dancing, so get ready to pump up the energy and have some fun!

November 15, Hip Hop with Taylor

Taylor Forbes has over twenty years of dance experience in the DMV area and currently teaches and dances professionally. Since the age of three Taylor has trained in the style of hip-hop, jazz, pom, modern, contemporary, majorette, heels and ballet. In addition to having both high school and collegiate level dance experience, Taylor also had the opportunity of dancing and cheering for The First Ladies of Football, and the Washington Wizards Dancers.

November 15, Contemporary with Cierra

Cierra has been dancing for over 20 years and is trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, pom, and modern. Throughout her collegiate career, Cierra was a member of the Rutgers University Dance Team and competed on the jazz and pom teams at UDA College Nationals. In 2014, Cierra won the title of Miss New Jersey, in which she shared her dance talent with audiences all over the East Coast and was awarded the preliminary talent award three out of the four years she competed for the title. This led her to fulfill her dream of performing on the Miss America stage. She danced professionally in the NBA for the Washington Wizards for two seasons.  When she isn't dancing, Cierra leads storytelling workshops through Unlock Your Story and has completed her dissertation for her Ph.D. in education. You can visit her website at cierrakalerjones.com.

November 16, Stands (HBCU Dance) with Sydni

Sydni Fonlon is a 2x NFL dancer with the Washington Commanders’ Command Force Dance Team. Before joining the NFL, she danced with Essence of Troy, the official dance line of Virginia State University’s Trojan Explosion Marching Band, where she served as Co-Captain from 2022–2024 and Head Captain during her senior year. During her time at VSU, she performed alongside the nationally recognized Trojan Explosion at major events, including Honda Battle of the Bands and ESPN’s HBCU Band of the Year National Championship.

November 16 & 24, Pom 101 & Twerksgiving with Leah

Leah has been dancing and sharing her passion for dance with others for over 30 years. Leah was born and raised in Long Island, NY where her dance career started. In college she led her college dance company and choreographed routines that won leading scores in competitions. After college, Leah danced professionally for the Washington Wizards for three seasons, serving as co-captain of the team during her third season.  During her time dancing professionally for the NBA, she won Rookie of the Year, was chosen to represent her team in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the NBA 3x Events; Atlanta, Georgia for the annual All P-R-O Dance Convention; as well as New York City for the 2015 NBA All Star Events. Leah has always loved sharing her passion of dance with her community and is grateful to continue to provide so many dance opportunities to our dancers here in the DMV through AVA Dance Company.

November 16, Stands (HBCU Dance) with Sydni

Sydni Fonlon is a 2x NFL dancer with the Washington Commanders’ Command Force Dance Team. Before joining the NFL, she danced with Essence of Troy, the official dance line of Virginia State University’s Trojan Explosion Marching Band, where she served as Co-Captain from 2022–2024 and Head Captain during her senior year. During her time at VSU, she performed alongside the nationally recognized Trojan Explosion at major events, including Honda Battle of the Bands and ESPN’s HBCU Band of the Year National Championship.

November 17, Jazz with Jordan

Jordan Frauenheim is a Virginia native, she grew up dancing competitively with a local studio. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Dance and Choreography. While at VCU, she was also on her college dance team the VCU Gold Rush dancers. Where she held leadership roles including being a captain her senior year. After graduating in May of 2018, Jordan began her life-long dream of becoming a professional dancer. That dream came true in 2019 when she became a member of the then Washington Redskins’ First Ladies! Since then, Jordan spent 5 seasons dancing for the now Washington Commanders and was named a captain for both the 2022 and 2023 seasons!

November 17, Hip Hop with Toya

Toya is a 2X member of the NFL’s Command Force Dance Team & also danced two seasons with the Washington Wizards. She was selected to represent the organization at the All-Pro convention in Atlanta, Pro-Action Convention in Las Vegas, and Dance Tour in China. Before performing with the NBA, Toya was previously a part of Trinity Washington University Collegiate Cheer Team, DMV Lady Warriors (ABA league) and Washington Valorettes (AFL league).  She specializes in hip hop performance and teaches Adv. Pro Hip Hop classes. Outside of dance, Toya is a mom and works full time in Human Resources.

November 18, Pom with Jules

Julianna Rink is a classically trained dancer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She grew up training at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Lincoln Park Performing Arts High School, and graduated from Point Park University with a concentration in Jazz. She also trained at the Joffrey Ballet Chicago, Ballet Met, and Houston Met summer intensives, and has performed in works by Kate Skarpetowski, Mark Burrell, and Rocker Verastique, and many more. Julianna has also worked with Evolve Entertainment performing at places such as Heinz Field and Blake Shelton’s VIP concert event. She is now dancing professionally in the NFL as a 7th season vet and Captain of the Washington Commanders’ Command Force.

November 18, Heels with Joey

Joey is a professional dancer from Bristow, Virginia and a 3X NFL dancer for the Washington Commanders’ Command Force! He graduated from James Madison University in 2017, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in dance. After graduation, Joey landed his first professional job, completing seven contracts as a dancer with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Joey’s diverse background in dance has allowed him to gain knowledge and experiences that he is excited to share!

November 22, Pro Style Masterclass with Rachel Fernandes

Rachel is a former NFL cheerleader for the New York Jets Flight Crew and San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush, with 3 years in the NFL and one Super Bowl appearance. She has danced since the age of 3, originally training in Broadway style jazz and eventually falling in love with pro team style. She attended Bucknell University where she was an Arts Merit Scholar for Dance and Dance Minor. She was a four year member and two year captain & choreographer on the Bucknell Bison Girls Dance Team, presenting her choreography on the basketball court and stages across campus. After college, she danced and choreographed for Danceworks NYC, a NYC company. Since retiring from NFL cheerleading, Rachel channels her passion into helping dancers find their spark and make their dream team in both group classes and private training.

November 23, Hip Hop with Ashleigh

As a former 5-time NBA dancer for the Washington Wizards and SoulCycle instructor, Ashleigh loves the way dance blends together athleticism, rhythm and the joy of motion! Her goal is to  challenge you to unlock a deeper version of yourself, while spreading positive energies and having fun in the process. Ashleigh’s music tends to lean towards high-energy, so you know every class will be a party!

When you take class with Ashleigh, expect nothing less than an energetic, hard-hitting combination that will move you past your comfort zone and leave you feeling victorious! Her class is MUCH more than eight counts and choreography, to her, it is about spirituality! She will push you to find strength in vulnerability, encourage you to tap into a deeper threshold of power and help you pull the fighter out from within. Ashleigh's love for dance started over 20 years ago and she hopes that her love radiates through her choreography and teaching style. Come join us in her upcoming class, as we celebrate our love for dance and the fabulous souls of the AVA community!

November 24, Heels with Julia

Julia is a 4x NBA Wizards Dancer with, including 2 seasons as fitness lead for the team. Off the court, she’s choreographed winning routines for high school pom squads and competitive dance teams, bringing her bold style to dancers of all levels. Her classes are a powerful blend of strength, sass, and sexy confidence, with a heavy dose of fun. Julia is all about creating a space where everyone feels welcome, empowered, and free to move unapologetically. Her classes are high energy, feel good, and FULL OUT. Expect to sweat, slay, and leave smiling.

November 29, Street Jazz with Danielle

Danielle Tuomey holds a BFA in dance from Mercyhurst University. She is a 2X Wizards Dancer for the Washington Wizards NBA team. Other professional experiences include Toby’s Dinner Theatre; A Chorus Line, The MET; Head Over Heels, Other Voices Theatre; The Wizard of Oz, and performing in and choreographing various flash mobs for Carbone Entertainment, Inc. Additionally, she was a 2x captain of the Mercyhurst University Dance Team and is trained in jazz, ballet, pointe, lyrical, tap, modern, hip hop, & more!

November 30, Pom with Monica

Monica is a Boston native who grew up training & competitively dancing in jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballet, and contemporary. She was Co-Captain & Co-choreographer of the Bison Girls Dance Team at Bucknell University for two years. Currently, Monica is a fourth year NFL Dancer for the Washington Commanders’ Command Force. Full time, she works as a senior financial analyst in the Aerospace and Defense industry. She is thrilled about getting back into choreographing & teaching and excited about meeting & dancing with dancers in the DMV.

November 30, Street Jazz with Ayanna

Keyante is a former 4x NBA Dancer for the Washington Wizards, Wiz Kids & Mystics Mayhem Coach, Teacher & Choreographer. He also spent 1 season with the Portland Trail Blazers Dancers. He has choreographed a dance scene for the television show “Chad” on the TBS Network, a dance scene for the television show “Shrill” on the Hulu network and helped coordinate a rage scene for the movie “Metal Lords” on the Netflix network. He is the former Director, Founder and President of the Dance Theatre Company Black Cultured Performing Arts, which ran from 2017-2021 in both Columbus, OH & Portland, OR. He has been actively acting and dancing, as well as choreographing, writing and directing productions for the past 13 years.