Instructors

Interplay

Brazilian Zouk

  • Matt McClure is a dancer, teaching artist, improviser, and clown who loves to laugh. Lindy hop swept him away into movement, play, and teaching. This journey has taken him around the world from Korea for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship and to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa for an MA in Dance. Along with social partner dance, Matt practices contact improvisation and facilitates a multimodal improvisation form called InterPlay locally in Western New York State and elsewhere in the US. Matt is always wondering, “How can we transform our world through play?”

Krump

  • Pedro Castro and Ana Reis are renowned Brazilian Zouk World champions, Jack and Jill All-Stars, and certified judges with the Brazilian Zouk Dance Council (BZDC).

    Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Pedro has been training in Contemporary Dance and Classical Ballet since the age of 16, while Ana has been immersed in dance from the age of 5, with a background in Contemporary Dance, Jazz, and Classical Ballet. This diverse training has deeply influenced their mastery of Brazilian Zouk, adding a rich level of artistry, expression, and precision to their performances and teaching. With extensive experience teaching at 'Alex de Carvalho's Dance School in Brazil, they have refined an engaging and accessible teaching style for students of all levels.

    Now based in the USA, Pedro and Ana are known for their dynamic performances and impressive achievements, including multiple podium finishes in Brazilian Zouk dance competitions. They have earned a reputation for delivering world-class instruction while promoting Brazilian Zouk culture globally. They are highly sought after for their classes and have taught at premier Zouk festivals in Canada, the USA, Brazil, and Europe.

Burlesque

  • Elton Ward is an International Krump Champion, an ambassador & curator for the Rochester dance community, he is also a leader in the Rochester Krump Movement. The founder of TRUKrump Collective which is a community camp based movement in Rochester for dancers to train and develop their craft. Dancing for 12+ years in various styles, including Tutting, Waving and FlexN and on that journey, he has had the honor of participating in NYS Dance Challenge, World Of Dance, Battle Fest, StepUp Dance Competition, Rochester’ Annual Fringe Festival Show “Late and Live” to name a few. With these experiences, Elton is on a mission to spread awareness through krump and is excited to continue to grow as an artist. 

    IG: @Wlcm2daVil 

    Facebook: Elton Ward

  • Leah has been studying and performing a variety of movement and dance since a very age young age. Starting out with tap, jazz, ballet, and modern dance, she also studied martial arts and eventually found her way to musical theater and acting. Graduating from Nazareth College’s Theatre Arts program, she focused on acting, costuming,  and how movement and physicality pertained to performance. In the 2010’s, she delved into Belly Dance, at the Goddess Hour Dance studio, and then found her way to the art form of Burlesque. She has been strutting her stuff and stripping her way thru CNY for the past decade and can’t wait to share her love of burlesque with anyone and everyone she meets.

    Leah is troupe director and main choreographer for Pretty Kitties Burlesque. She is currently an instructor of fusion belly dance and burlesque, her weekly classes are at Kinections Studio on University ave, and are attended by all kinds of adventurous, fearless folx. You can drop in on classes Tuesday evenings 5:30-6:30 and Thursdays 6-7 & 7-8pm. You can contact Pretty Kitties Burlesque or Bombshell Belly Dance on facebook and instagram for more details.

Blues/Lindy/WCS

Bellydance

  • Aaron started dancing in 2006 via online Hip-Hop battles. This led to a general love and curiosity for all kinds of dance. He explored several styles of movement such as Krump, Tricking, and Capoeira before discovering Lindy Hop, Blues, and Fusion dancing in 2009 via his college’s swing dance club. After moving to New Jersey in 2014, Aaron added West Coast Swing to that list, taking the weekly classes available at that time. He now teaches, competes, and performs in all three-aforementioned styles. He has placed in several open and advanced draw competitions such as International Lindy Hop Championships (Lindy), Blues Muse (Blues), and Boston Tea Party (WCS/Lindy).

    Aaron performs with New York City’s Harvest Moon Hoppers, a swing dance performance group led by Robert White, who strives to honor Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers and The Mama Luo Parks Dancers. Additionally, he has a few dance projects with friends, such as GroundWerk (NYC, NJ, Lancaster) and Hodges Hoppers (Philadelphia). Currently, he resides in New Jersey and runs a local Lindy Hop organization (Lehigh Valley Lindy) located near Allentown, Pennsylvania. Dancing has been a big part of his life for a long time, and helping others push themselves further as they find their unique strengths is the thing he loves the most about it. 

  • Samantha started dancing in 2016 at TCNJ and Jazz Attack in Philadelphia. Beginning with Lindy Hop she has since amassed Blues, Bachata, West Coast Swing and Fusion into her Pokemon deck. Since then, Samantha has placed in competitions around the mid-Atlantic and teaches in New Jersey, New York, Boston and Pennsylvania. She is a part of the Lindy Hop performance groups: The Harvest Moon Hoppers, Groundwerk and The Hodge Podge. Dancing changed her life, and she does her best to bring forward the values jazz has taught her: community, respect, education, presence, improvisation and creative freedom. Working as a high school art teacher in real life, Samantha loves talking pedagogical smack, creating and growing with all those around her.

  • Throughout her creative adventures, and regardless of the paths she traversed, it was inevitable that Bonnie’s journey would lead to Fusion dance. Bonnie (she/they) is an artist in many forms, and she delights in exploring what happens when multiple ideas are fused. She has been dancing since she was young, including solo forms such as Ballet, Hip Hop, Waving, Jazz and Blues, as well as partnered forms such as Rockabilly and Lindy Hop. When her path led to Bellydance, she recognized immediately a dance that spoke to something innate in the way her body is curious to move. She finds the opposing forces, layering, and textures found in Bellydance can be combined in seemingly infinite ways, which is in alignment with her life-long quest to find out what can be created when we experiment and play.

    Bonnie has come to deeply appreciate the ways in which solo movement is an integral part of creative expression, which in turn allows for deeper understanding and connection with others. In her teaching, Bonnie endeavours to be a guide as we discover what happens when we go down unexpected paths, or explore the familiar in new ways.

Fusion Concepts

  • Eugene “Tin Man” Cleveland (Rochester, NY) brings 25 years of dance experience and a creative footprint that spans multiple disciplines. He is the founder of Tin Feet Tall Wear, Tin Feet Tall Productions, and the dance collective Kizz Intel. While his foundation is rooted in hip hop and breakdancing, his work today is defined by more than technical range — it reflects a deep commitment to culture, artistry, and community.

    For the past decade, Tin Man has dedicated himself to Urban Kiz, developing a style shaped by precision, musicality, and intentional connection. His teaching and performances have taken him across North America, including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Mexico, New York, Indianapolis, Boston, and Texas. Known for his Urban and Lyrical Kiz approach, he offers a teaching experience that emphasizes technique, subtlety, and the kind of detail that elevates both the dance and the dancer.

  • Brianna “Breezy” Cooper (Rochester, NY) began her dance journey at the age of three and carried that passion through college, where she served as captain of the Daemen University dance team. Her foundation is rooted in ballet, supported by extensive training in jazz, tap, modern, lyrical, contemporary, pointe, and hip hop — a range that gives her movement both precision and depth.

    She entered the Urban Kiz world in November 2022, studying primarily under Eugene “Tin Man” Cleveland. After becoming his partner in March 2023, Bri has continued to refine her craft with intention, developing a style that blends technique with authentic expression. She is equally committed to helping other women discover their own voice and confidence through Urban Kiz. Beyond the kizomba family, Bri finds joy in the broader SBK community and is an enthusiastic lover of Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, and Rueda.

  • Gracie is the Logistics Coordinator of Greenville Fusion. She dances a wide variety of styles, with her current focus being West Coast Swing, Tango, and Fusion. Gracie believes her background in teaching non-traditional learners helps her bring patience, creativity, and compassion to her instruction. Specializing in dance mechanics for bigger bodies, Gracie believes that teaching accessibility benefits everyone! Gracie found social dancing in 2016 and revels in anything that presents an opportunity for the perfect body roll. She believes passionately that the foundation of good social dancing is connection, clear communication, and embracing a sense of playfulness.

Urban Kiz