DanceSynergy Dance Instructors



	Frank Duncan, Owner/Director: DanceSynergy Mindy Pedlar/Instructor: Ballet Annie Colbeck/Instructor: Jazz, Fitness Sharon Vaughn Lahman/Instructor: Sub Adult Ballet Lee Pate Robbins/ Instructor: Zumba Jillian Engbers/Instructor: NIA Dawn Kershner/Instructor: NIA Crystal Silmi/Instructor: BellyDance Mark Sanchez/Instructor: House Dance Natalie Strunk/Instructor: Pre Ballet/Zumba Frank Duncan, Owner/Director DanceSynergy An aerobics instructor locally for twenty years, Frank became a certified professional trainer in 1986, and co-founded Motivation Plus Personal Fitness in Aptos in 1997. Frank began dancing at a very early age. He danced professionally on a local television show in Ohio as a teenager, studied ballet and Jazz dance while in college in Cincinnati, and subsequently toured the country for two and a half years in a Las Vegas show group as a singer and dancer. Frank has appeared in the Richard Simmons video, "Sweatin' to the Oldies, III". With the opening of DanceSynergy, Frank is realizing his longtime dream of directing his own dance studio. Classes: Dance Workout, Dance Circuit, Cardio Dance Mindy Pedlar/Instructor: Ballet Mindy Pedlar enjoys sharing her passion for ballet with her students. Originally from the Los Angeles area, much of her ballet training was at the acclaimed Stanley Holden Dance Center where such notables as Gelsey Kirkland, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Juliet Prowse and Mary Tyler Moore studied. Mindy was first introduced to Stanley's school in 1975 when she was working as a singer and dancer in Juliet Prowse's night club act. She still performs locally as a singer, dancer and actress. Annie Colbeck/Instructor: Jazz, Fitness Annie is a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She is trained in ballet, jazz, and tap, and worked in film and television in Los Angeles. She spent time in England choreographing for London theatre productions, and teaching at Oxford University. Upon returning to California she continues to teach and choreograph in the Bay Area. She is currently in the process of getting her B.A. in Dance from St. Mary's College in Moraga. Sharon Vaughn Lahman/Instructor: Children's Ballet Sharon Vaughn-Lahman directs our children's ballet program. She is a member of London's Royal Academy of Dance having passed her professional level examination. Sharon trains the young dancer with an emphasis on proper technique creating a solid foundation in preparation for advancement to higher levels. As a certified Pilates instructor, she brings awareness of correct biomechanics to her students for enhanced mobility, strength, and injury prevention. Most of all her classes are fun and foster a love of dance in everyone. Dawn Kershner/Instructor: NIA From years of handling and refinishing the fine art of Antiques, to the craft of Massage Therapy to a well seasoned Cranio-Sacral Practitioner. I find myself called to "a new". As my body says...do something more in alignment with myself. I was beckoned to follow the beat, the sounds and the voices. This led me to a room filled with music, movement, dance, emotions, intrigue and great joy..... I f o u n d Nia. Nia has given me new tools in working with my own body's limitations and the desire to go deeper and explore this beautiful Dance. Nia creates a place for me to let go of those daily challenges and step into a moment of bliss, an opportunity to connect with my community and great fun! I am a recent white belt and I’m looking forward to offering an enriching experience for all. Dancing away to a healthier you! Lee Pate Robbins/Instructor: Zumba Lee Pate is very excited to bring Zumba fitness to Dance Synergy. A lifelong resident of Santa Cruz, she has been teaching group exercise classes for 15 years (hi-lo, step, body sculpting, and spin). She has a master's degree in exercise physiology and a NSCA CSCS certification. Lee has also taught physical activity classes at San Jose State University for the past 12 years. Lee was trained and certified by Beto Perez, the originator of Zumba fitness, in July, 2007. Jillian Engbers/Instructor: NIA An artist, a mother and business owner, Jillian proudly adds Nia instructor to her resume. Jillian just loves to dance! It's that simple, and she believes that we should be dancing through all the phases of life. She has found that dancing is what truly connects the body to joy. "It takes us out of our daily responsibilities and brings us back to where we belong, in our bodies." After her first Nia class Jillian left feeling as though she had finally made it home. Nia, a holistic practice, addresses more than body fitness. It also arouses creativity and opens space in an overworked mind. When asked about her goal with Nia she says, "I love this practice. It has changed my life on many different levels. I want to share what I am continually discovering in the art of Nia as I learn to experience the grace, strength and freedom that a truly loved body enjoys." Crystal Silmi/Instructor:BellyDance Crystal Silmi is a belly dance fusion performer, instructor and choreographer. She is the director of Santa Cruz based belly dance troupe RaksArabi and has been teaching in the Santa Cruz community since 2003. Crystal is a principle dancer for both the Suhaila Dance Company and Bal Anat, based in Berkeley, California. For more biography info visit: www.crystalsilmi.com Mark Sanchez/Instructor: House Dance Mark Sanchez is thrilled to bring the style of House dance to DANCESynergy. He has been dancing since 2001 after taking dance classes at Cabrillo. From Cabrillo, he went on to dance for a group called Funkanometry SF in the bay area for about 2 years. After 2 years of still seeking who he was as a dancer, he began going to house music dance clubs in the bay area. He believes that this is another calling because he fell in love with house music and dance and has been wanting to share his love for it ever since. He currently dances with a group called Flo-olgy and has been with them for 4 years. Mark loves the fact that music and dance can bring joy and happiness to peoples lives no matter who they are or where they’re from. He also loves the fact that we can communicate without words with each other and bring joy into each others lives. Natalie Strunk/Instructor: Pre Ballet/Zumba At the early age of eight years old, Natalie Strunk stepped into her first dance class, and has been dancing ever since. Natalie began her dance career at a local dance studio in Soquel. It was there that she attended jazz, tap, and ballet classes. As she progressed, she auditioned for their production group and danced competitively until the age of seventeen. During those years she performed at local events, competed at many dance competitions and workshops, and had the honor of performing in Europe, as a participant with her production group at Tanzsommer. She is currently a full time student at Cabrillo College and is now teaching at DANCESynergy. Dance has always been a huge part of Natalie's life, and she is looking forward to the many experiences that she will face while dancing in the future! DanceSynergy invites qualified local instructors, representing any style or tradition of dance to contact us to discuss how we might work together to meet the needs of the local dancing community. DanceSynergy instructors are usually independents, with their own student following, who "rent time" at DanceSynergy. Interested parties should contact Frank Duncan at: info@dance-synergy.com to set up an interview/discussion.