Faculty Bios
Leann Alduenda
Born and raised in Southern California, Leann has trained extensively in all forms of dance throughout the LA and Orange County areas. She holds a BA in Dance with honors from UC Riverside, where she received a Chancellor's Scholarship. Leann has performed extensively with numerous companies including Rhapsody in Taps, Jazz Spectrum Dance Company, and Bare Dance Co. along with working in video and television. Leann is the Artistic Director of the Jimmie DeFore Dance Center, Co-Director of Pulse, and is on faculty at Chapman University.
Sebastian Arango
"Dance is your Pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing. It is the rhythm in which we live. It's the expression of time, music, and movement in happiness, joy, sadness, and frustration" "Dance needs no language…" "…it's poetry in silence."
Sebastian Arango has been moving and moved by music ever since he can remember. Starting off as a figure skater at the age of 10, going on to compete at the regional and national level, and then eventually making his way back to dance in search of an understanding of all movements in relationship to music. This search lead him here to Defore studio where he received a scholarship during the 2006 pulse term and was rigorously immersed in many dance & teaching styles.
Shortly then after he was asked to be a part of Rhetoracle Dance Company which was an unexpected yet thrilling opportunity for him. Also since finishing scholarship Sebastian has taken the opportunity to expand his training by taking from numerous teachers and classes from all around the southern California area. In gratitude to all his wonderful teachers and mentors he hopes to bring his students the beauty, determination and strength they brought him. He feels very honored to be teaching at Defore Dance and his goal is for his students to find the passions we have inside and be able to express and communicate that with our bodies.
Christine Baltes
Christine Baltes is a master teacher, specializing in jazz dance and recognized as a leader in technique who 'teaches'. Born in Evanston, IL, Christine studied with Gus Giordano, the grandfather of American Jazz Dance.She's traveled the U.S. performing on stage, television, industrials and dinner theater before moving to California.
With a teaching career that spans over 35 years, Christine holds a lifetime California Teaching Credential in dance, Pilates and Gyrokinesis® certification and faculty positions that included University of California, Irvine, Chapman University, California State University, Long Beach, Orange Coast College, Irvine Valley College, Long Beach City College, Academy for the Performing Arts High School, and more.
She owns her own Pilates studio where she privately coaches dancers of all ages as well as the non-dancer. Many of her students are working in the entertainment industry, both nationally and internationally.
Christine has made numerous contributions to the awareness of dance. She was founder/producer of the Choreographers Showcase of O.C., founder/advisor for California Choreographers Dance Festival, writer for the Dance & Fitness West magazine, and board member for Jazz Dance L.A. Presently, she serves as a board member for Jazz Dance World Congress and guest teacher for Giordano Dance Studio and Hubbard Street Dance Company Studio when visiting Chicago.
Her choreography and company, Jazz Spectrum Dance Company, has been presented at several dance festivals in Los Angeles & Orange County. Festivals include Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival, Festival of Solos & Duets, Spectrum L.A., Jazz Dance L.A. Jazz Dance World Congress to name a few, as well as numerous self-produced concerts.
This devoted, passionate and energetic professional is bound to make a difference in your body, mind and overall improvement of movement.
I care about the students who walk into my classes and I make a commitment to each one. At DeFore's I offer a class schedule that provides several progressive levels of jazz dance, from beginning, intermediate & advance/professional, where each level offers a stepping-stone into the next. Grab your opportunity to work with this highly motivated, educated and knowledgeable instructor.
Gina Cerato
Born in Laguna Beach, California began her dance training with Lila Zali, Paul Maure, and Kathy Kahn at Ballet Pacifica. She studied on scholarship with the Joffery Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet. She has extensively trained with Alaine Haubert, Molly Lynch, Janek Schergen, Jeremy Blanton, Diane Diefenderfer, James Jones and David Allan. Gina danced with Ballet Pacifica doing major roles in ballets as a young dancer and joined Ballet Pacifica as a company member in 1994. She had continued dancing full time until it became de-funked in 2004. While dancing professionally, she had created roles in ballets by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, John Selya, Peter Pucci, David Allan, Ann-Marie DeAngelo, Robert Sund and Molly Lynch, as well as over 25 more nationally known choreographers. Gina has performed for 6 years as Principle Dancer in the Glory of Christmas and is currently the assistant to the choreographer and director for this year's production. She has also been a Featured performer for 5 years in the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach. She has been teaching Ballet for over 10 years at several serious ballet/dance conservatories throughout Orange County. Gina is also a certified Pilates instructor, and has been teaching Pilates just as long. She is certified by the industries biggest company Balanced Body as well as training through a local teacher, Diane Diefenderfer at Studio du Corps.
Marlise Chel
Bio coming soon.
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