2011 Summer Teachers

Morgan Burke just finished rehearsing with Emmy nominated choreographers,  Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo (from  So You Think You Can Dance  and  America's Best Dance Crew ) for a  Cirque du Soleil  produced Microsoft industrial. He also recently danced behind Florence +  The Machine on the  MTV Video Music Awards and also a Macy's Stars of Dance segment, under the direction of the brilliant  Travis Wall. At age 15, he was hand-selected to train at the prestigious  Debbie Allen Dance Academy  in  Los Angeles, where he was one of five to be on the full housing and dance scholarship. He has also trained at the Nashville School of the Arts under Stacie Flood-Popp and at  DC Dance Factory  under Daryl & Stephanie Campbell and Nick Bass.  He also assisted " Single Ladies" music video choreographer Jaquel Knight on a major international project and is currently working with him on a variety of music videos.  Morgan Burke has appeared on " It's Showtime at the Apollo", "America's Most Talented Kids", " Good Morning America ", and " American Juniors ."   He now lives in Los Angeles and continues to pursue his professional dance dreams.

Born and raised in Biloxi, Mississippi Trent Dickens has made his way up in the Hip-Hop industry. He has been living in LA for past 6 years and has worked with artists such as Omarion, Mindless Behavior, Brian Mcnight, BackStreet Boys to name a few. He has trained and danced with the greats such as Marty Kudelka, Dave Scott, Kenny Wormald, Nick Bass, Misha Garbiel, and Roro.  Trent is excited about his upcoming tour that he is going on with Joe Jonas in his first ever solo debut and will also be on tour with Chris Brown in August.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Merissa Gassel grew up assisting, touring and training under world-renowned choreographer, Dee Caspary since the young age of 14. Since then, she has moved to Los Angeles and pursues a professional career as a dancer and choreographer. Some of her credits include Principle roles in Justin Giles’ Soulescape Dance Company and Dee’s IV Dance Company. Not only has Merissa performed across the country, she also was cast as a principle dancer in “Dice Girls” in Nassau, Bahamas.  She too is now a new addition to Tessandra Chavez’s company, Unity LA. Merissa assisted on the creation of Justin Timberlake’s “Damn Girl” performance on F.S.L.S. tour, as well as the pilot for the upcoming remake of “Solid Gold”. She has also been lucky enough to work under choreographer Mandy Moore since the age of 18 and most recently assisted her on the 2011 Liberty Bowl’s halftime. Merissa’s appreciation for growing up in a dance studio has brought out her desire to teach and choreograph. She toured as a faculty member of Shock: The Intensive and now continues to travel and share her passion with kids across the US and Canada. 

Originally from San Francisco, Damian "Dmoe" Gomez moved to Hollywood CA at 18 years old and pursued a career as a professional dancer. He has taught all around Europe and across the country including well known studios like Millennium in Los Angeles and Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Since his move to LA he has been blessed to work with various artists such as Janet Jackson, Jessica Simpson, Black Eyed Peas, Queen Latifah, Estelle, Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, & Cheetah Girls. His choreography can be seen on the Fox TV show “So You Think You Can Dance” after assisting Tabitha and Napoleon, Keri Hilson’s In a Perfect World Tour for co-choreographing the song “Slow Dance”, Jordin Sparks "I Am Woman" performance on American Idol and her US Tour, Nickalodeon’s “Dance on Sunset”, NLT's music video feat. Timbaland, and a live performance for Def Poetry Jam. He had danced in the 2009 OSCARS performance with John Legend and AR Rahman, and the Oprah Winfrey Show with the Slum Dog Millionaire dance tribute for its success in “Best Original Score in a Motion Picture.” He has assisted many well known choreographers such as LaurieAnne Gibson, Fatima Robinson, Mandy Moore, Tony Testa, Eboni Nichols, Tabitha & Napoleon.

As the son of a dance teacher, Mikeal Knight's passion for the art runs deep. His performing credits include shows with Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, Shirley MacLaine, Jocelyn Brown, Anita Ward and The Backstreet Boys. He has worked creatively with numerous companies such as Disney, Nike, Adidas, Redkin, Dreamworks, Universal Pictures, 7-Up, and the Superbowl Halftime Spectacular. In addition, he has taught on a master level in Panama, Costa Rica, Bahamas, Mexico, Canada and across theUnited States. Mikeal also donates his time & talents to many charity organizations including The Headress Ball, Broadway Cares- Equity fights AIDS, and Fashion Cares- Toronto. As co-creator of DancelifeTV with Rhee Gold, Mikeal further developed his passion for dance education. His work includes features with industry icons Joe Tremaine, Art Stone, John Crutchman, Nan Giordano, Joe Lanteri and Tyce Diorio; as well as pieces for Broadway Dance Center, The Edge Performing Arts, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, University of Arizona-Tuscon, and Jacob's Pillow. Collaborating with co-director Chris Jacobsen on The Dance Sessions is a natural progression for Mikeal. His diverse experience in the industry and life long passion for dance allow him insight into both the personal and professional sides of the dance business. He believes that life's greatest opportunities come from being part of a great team and can only be realized when each member's strengths are utilized. Together with the faculty of The Dance Sessions, Mikeal finds great joy in helping the next generation develop and nurture their passion for the one of a kind art that is dance.

Caroline Lewis-Jones, from South Carolina, has been dancing for over 27 years. At the age of 18 she moved to NewYork City where she performed for six years. Her credits include the VMA’s with NSYNC, the Latin Grammy Awards, WNBA National Commercial, a French Energy Commercial, Disney Industrials, Britany Spears “Me Against the Music” video, MTV’s Body Rock Fitness Video, and more. Although successful as a commercial dancer, her true passion lies within contemporary company work, where she has had the opportunity to work for Mia Michaels Company R.A.W, Dee Caspary’s IV Dance Company, Notario Dance Company, Rhapsody and Company, A.S.H Contemporary, and Justin Giles’ Soul Escape. In 2001 she traveled to Seoul, Korea where she performed for Jason Parson’s and POZ Dance Theatre.  In July 2010, Caroline performed with Sonya Tayeh from “So You Think You Can Dance” with her company in Chicago. She also choreographs for studios around the country, and teaches for  Adrenaline Dance Convention and The Sessions.  In December 2007, Caroline choreographed and performed a one-woman show, called Finding My Way. It was about the loss of her mother and her life currently without her. It is her greatest accomplishment yet. Caroline also founded Unbound Dance Company in Columbia, South Carolina. Her goal as Artistic Director of UNBOUND is to inspire and give dancers over 18 years old a new outlet to perform.  She wants to show Columbia a new way of moving with No Boundaries.  Caroline also has a deep passion for inspiring kids around the country to eat healthier and fuel their bodies correctly for optimum performance.  She is a Certified Nutrition Coach and sees an overall lack of nutrition and overall body strength in dancers today.  Her mission in life is to encourage those around her to eat more Whole Foods to prevent disease and in turn, they will Dance Stronger.