Jen Dobbins, Owner

Jenifer Dobbins (she/her), LCCA (Ms. Jen) is a professional dance educator, choreographer, and performer that has honed her craft for 25 years and is qualified to teach ballet, modern, jazz, and musical theater dance. Her passion for ballet pedagogy has led her to licensure in the Cecchetti Method of Ballet, through the Cecchetti Council of America. Her teaching is anatomically sound, inclusive, and nurturing. She has taught students of all ages and abilities, from ages 1 to 80, and from preschool dance to the advanced levels.
Her early training began at Frederick School of Classical Ballet under the direction of Joyce Morrison and she performed with Maryland Regional Ballet, TAWA Dance Company, Equinox Dance Company, and Searls Puppetry. A graduate of UMBC Department of Dance, Jen performed with Baltimore Dance Project and received an Undergraduate Research Award to study with the Jose Limon Foundation.
Jen has taught in a wide variety of institutions including private studios, conservatory programs, recreation centers, and religious institutions. She has directed youth and professional repertory companies, including competition teams, non-profit modern companies, and dancer collectives. Throughout her career, her students have won numerous awards and scholarships, with many going on to dance in college and professionally. In the DC area, she has taught for Joy of Motion Dance Center, The Washington School of Ballet, Ballet Petite, and The Ballet Garden, LLC, a dance program she founded in June 2019.
A resident of DC, Jen endeavors to build meaningful partnerships within the community by offering purposeful programming for dancers of all ages. Outside of the dance studio, Jen's passions include lighting design for the stage, organizing and advocating for the arts, non-profit arts management, and event/performance management.

Amanda Attiya, Educator

Amanda (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and Youth Protection Advocates in Dance (YPAD) certified educator based in the DMV. Originally from southern New Jersey, Amanda began training at the age of five in ballet, jazz, tap, acrodance, lyrical, hip hop, and pointe. She was a student teacher for many years, assisted at summer dance camps, and volunteered for the Challenger Sports Dance program providing individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities the opportunity to engage in dance classes.

After a successful career of dancing competitively in her youth, she moved to the DC area to pursue her B.S. in Public Administration from George Mason University. During this time, she served as Vice President of Mason Danceworks and President of SoleTap GMU, and her choreography for these teams resulted in multiple overall awards at intercollegiate competitions. Amanda loves spreading her love for dance with the next generation and teaches at studios, conventions, and intensives across the DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas. She currently teaches at Making Moves Dance Collective and was a featured faculty member at ATTACK Dance Convention in 2023. Her classes center around strengthening exercises and across the floor progressions to prepare dancers to execute choreography.

Amanda continues her training at various studios across the DC metropolitan area with renowned dancers and choreographers. She also performs professionally with the Capitol Movement Technical Company. Outside of dance, Amanda is a State Policy Specialist for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Johanna Barbosa, Educator

Johanna graduated from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a major in Dance and has been studying various dance genres for over ten years. Her areas of expertise include Ballet, Modern (Graham), Contemporary, and Improvisational scores. Johanna's hard work and talent were recognized when she was awarded a full scholarship to the Rioult Dance Company in New York City, where she trained Graham's technique. This experience allowed her to hone her skills and gain valuable insight into the world of professional dance.

Throughout her career, Johanna has had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the most renowned artists in the dance world. She has worked with Boris Charmatz on a collective dance project that was showcased in the United States for the first time, as well as with Douglas Becker, Curt Haworth, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Katie Swords Thurman, and Sierra Bell. These experiences have broadened her perspective and helped her grow as an artist. Johanna is also a dedicated teacher. During her time at the university, she created various dance projects that were showcased at Uarts, and since then, she has adopted her passion for teaching by working in charter public schools and local studios. She teaches both recreational dance and concert dance/ traditional classes, and her goal is to create a safe, inclusive, and nurturing environment that allows children to express themselves freely and confidently through dance.

Johanna believes in the power of dance to impact the lives of children in a meaningful way. She sees dance as a tool for personal growth, self-expression, and social-emotional learning. Through dance, children can engage in imaginative play, explore different emotions and themes, and develop their creativity and problem- solving skills. It is her hope that she can inspire the next generation of dancers and instill in them a love for the art form that has been such a significant part of her life.

Talissa Bavaresco, Educator & Admin

Native of Brazil, Talissa Bavaresco (she/her) is a NYC/DC based Dancer and Choreographer with expertise in Ballet, Jazz and Modern Techniques, as well as Theater and Commercial styles. Graduate from the Joffrey Ballet School’s Jazz&Contemporary Program, Talissa has performed with dance companies such as Keigwin+Company, Jennifer Muller/The Works, Joffrey Ensemble, Humans Collective, Jazz Ain’t Dead, TunanuT; and in independent works by Gabrielle Lamb, Patrick O’Brien, Manuel Vignoulle, Mark Caserta and more. Commercially, Talissa has performed with artist Kimbra, Andrew McMahon and Oriion, danced at PANORAMA Music Festival NYC and at Six Flags’ Fright Fest. Choreographically, Talissa is the Artistic Director of BAVA Dance and has presented works at the Apollo Theater, Bryant Park Dance Series, DUMBO Dance Festival, Dixon Place, The New York Jazz Choreography Festival, WAXworks, HATCH Presenting Series, Holi Hai Festival NYC, Uptown Rising and NACHMO. www.talissabavaresco.com

Ailey Fogel, Admin & Camp Counselor

Ailey is a recent graduate of Bethesda-Chevy Chase high school. She has been dancing for many years, was a competitive gymnast and diver, and was the captain of the BCC varsity poms team for two seasons. Under her leadership, the poms team won the Division 2 Poms County Championship this year, and she was named the 2022-23 BCC female athlete of the year. Next year, she will attend Georgia Tech to study neuroscience and physiology and hopes to continue dancing and choreographing.

Avelyn Heltzel, Educator

Avelyn, originally from Lexington, Kentucky, has over 20 years of dance performance, teaching, and choreography experience. She trained with the Lexington Ballet between the ages of three and eighteen. During that time, Avelyn performed in many ballets including the roles of Marie in the Nutcracker and Peter in Peter and the Wolf. Avelyn also attended the School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Lexington for grades 4-12, where she trained in ballet, modern, musical theater, and other forms of dance. Avelyn also attended the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts as a dance major. Additionally, Avelyn has a taught at multiple studios in Kentucky, and choreographed the Lexington Kentucky Ballet Under the Stars pre-show in 2018. 

Paetyn Lewis, Educator & Admin

Paetyn, originally from upstate New York, currently residing in the DC area is a graduate from the University of Maryland, College Park. She received her bachelors in dance and associates in business. Her training includes hip-hop, modern, tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, and musical theater. She has worked and performed with many artists in the DMV including Ama Law, the University of Maryland’s dance department, Laura Edwards, Becky Hill and many more.

Da’Shown Rawl, Educator

Da’Shown Rawl (he/him) studied Ballet and Modern at the Baltimore School of the Arts in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Rawl is a graduate of the prestigious Dance Department of George Mason University (GMU). While at GMU, he got the opportunity to perform works by Alejandro Cerrudo, Andrea Miller, David Grenke, Doug Varone, Lar Lubovitch, Mark Morris, and Robert Battle.

Da’Shown Rawl also teaches at The Washington Ballet, N’Ferno Dance, and Joy of Motion. He has been teaching and choreographing in the DMV and New York City area since the age of 16. In 2015, he founded RawArts Dance Company and has created works at the Baltimore School of the Arts, George Mason University, various companies in the DMV Area, and festivals in New York City. Some of his recent choreographic endeavors have included a dance for film, Just A Thought, and Cold Fire: A Story of Emotions, his first full-length work. Da’Shown’s passion for choreography was the catalyst for the establishment of the RawArts Dance Company. 

Alina Sharipova, Educator

Alina Sharipova is a professional DanceSport Ballroom and Latin dance instructor with more than 10 years working experience. She’s a prize winner of both Ukrainian and European dance competitions. Alina is also a winner of the Ukrainian Championship in 10 dances categories of Latin-American and European programs.

Alina teaches Ballroom Solo Dance classes for beginners.

Erica Stuchel, Educator

Erica Stuchel (she/her) is so excited to be part of the Unity Family! Erica studied dance her entire life, as she grew up in the studio so did her passion for dance and performing.  She spent her early career studying Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Pointe, Ballroom and Hip Hop. Outside the studio, Erica was extremely involved in musical theater and was part of over 20 musicals by the time she was 18. By then she was not only performing but choreographing several shows a year.  

While pursuing her degree in communications at George Mason University, she continued her dance education with a minor in dance.  After graduating Erica was determined to keep dancing and continued studying at many DMV studios this time training in Heels, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, Jazz, Technique and Street Jazz along with NFL and NBA styles.  She starting teaching jazz, hip hop, lyrical and technique in 2021 at PowerWorks Dance in  Virginia.

Erica believes that dance is a way for dancers to become confident in themselves and in all aspects of their lives in and out of the studio.  She teaches how to be powerful and perform while also keeping technique and the strength of dance. 

In addition to dance, Erica works as a public relations specialist at W2 Communications in McLean, Virginia.  

Jozanne Summerville, Educator

Dance has benefited my life in so many ways. With 30 years in the art form, I have had many opportunities to teach, learn, perform, advocate and grow from my dance experiences. As a youth educator, I seek to pay it forward by creating opportunities in the classroom for the next generation to explore their movement possibilities. In all of my classes, I encourage dancers to produce at their best, allowing space for talent and creativity. This is my way of supporting the next generation of movement makers of all types. 

A native of Virginia, Jozanne studied dance at Barton & Williams Dance School and then went on to graduate from Sweet Briar College with degrees in Mathematics and Economics, and a Minor in Dance. She has a passion for the development of young people and sustainable creativity. Jozanne now lives with her girlfriend, their dog and two rescue cats in a proudly self-renovated home in NW DC.