Instructors
Jill Steel
Owner, Dance & Fitness Instructor
After a successful career in corporate finance, Jill has realized her dream and returned to her true loves… dance and fitness. Beginning dance at the age of four and never looking back, Jill’s accolades include 8 years as a member of the San Francisco 49er’s Goldrush Cheerleaders, where she also served as line captain and choreographed for the team. She performed at NFL American Bowls in England and Japan and four NFL Superbowls. She spent 5 years as a Song Pom Head Instructor for United Spirit Association (USA), where she danced with and taught alongside celebrity pop star and professional dancer/choreographer Paula Abdul.
Jill won a U.S. Latin Championship with her partner, Mic Thompson, now a successful choreographer and dancer/performer and won a world championship as part of the California Ballroom Dancers formation dance team. The team took the rarely-achieved Latin AND Ballroom Divisions while competing in Blackpool, England.
She is passionate about creating a space where people feel welcome, supported and moved.
Mindy Pedlar
Classical Ballet Director/Instructor
Mindy Pedlar has worked professionally as a Singer, Dancer and Actor. She toured with Serendipity Singers, performed in musical theater productions throughout the state and was a featured singer/dancer in Juliet Prowse’s night club act. Mindy is a lifelong student of Classical Ballet. She began teaching basic ballet at Synergy in 2006. She now teaches 4 classes a week to accommodate beginning, intermediate and advanced level students; recognizing the progress of her long time students and welcoming new students desiring to enter the wonderful world of Classical Ballet.
Peggy Knorr
Choreo Dance
Peggy is a long-time resident of Aptos and has an extensive dance background concentrated in jazz and ballet. She taught cardio dance under the direction of Frank Duncan at DanceSynergy, where she also served as dance captain, choreographer and performer in Frank’s annual Cabaret Musical Revues from 2008-2013. Some of her choreographic credits include Cell Block Tango, Show Me How You Burlesque, Sing Sing Sing, Mein Herr and On Broadway. Peggy loves teaching and wants to share her joy and love of dance with others in an encouraging and supportive environment.
Liza Manley
Classical Ballet
Liza Manley has been a student of classical ballet since the age of six when she began her training in the Vaganova method. She has lived in Santa Cruz for over a decade now, and continues to take as many ballet classes as possible, always striving to improve her technique and artistry. It is with this mindset that she loves sharing her passion for ballet, and all of its beauty and challenges, when she teaches beginning through intermediate ballet classes. When she is not dancing, she is in her classroom working as a local school teacher in PVUSD.
Zari Le’on
Foam Rolling, Classical Ballet
Zari Le’on is an artist and educator who challenges perceptions of either/or. A lone wolf in lineage, heritage and praxis, Zari’s work in liminal space bleeds into her performance, technique classes, scholarship and healing modalities. The late historian Hayden White, called Zari a “radical visionary,” an accurate description, as every mode of Zari’s work challenges existing notions of what “is.” The participant is plunged into an intellectual and/or physical articulation that uses the voices of both colonizer and liberator: Whether Ballet or vernacular, slang or scholarship, Zari uses languages that seek to tame, while simultaneously liberating the proverbial savage beast that humans ignore through 9-5 practices of counter-intuition
Tricia Aminifard
Yoga Sculpt
As an escape from the daily life with three boys under 5, Tricia turned to yoga as a workout as well as a mental reset so that she could be the best mom possible. After practicing Hot Yoga for 5 years, she was inspired to take her first teacher training. Inferno Hot Pilates was a new and challenging experience and she continued on the Yoga education pathway and completed trainings in Yin Yoga, Vimana Yoga, Yoga Sculpt and a 200 hr RYA certification.
Kelsey Redwoods
Latin Dance Fusion & Choreo Dance
Kelsey has been dancing for almost 30 years and grew up studying ballet, jazz, hip hop, modern, contemporary, belly dance, and various latin dance styles. While dancing at Cabrillo College in 2007-2010, she created pieces for the student-choreographed showcases and continued teaching dance classes at local studios. Kelsey was a part of the local Neo-Burlesque troupe The Do-Rights Burlesque when it started in 2010 and has been the Director, main choreographer, and main show producer for the troupe since 2012. Through The Do-Rights Burlesque, she has worked with people from different backgrounds and dance experience to create dynamic performances that allow all body types and genders to explore their self-love, confidence, sexuality, and dance. Over the years, she has continued to teach hip hop, jazz, contemporary, ballet, burlesque, and cardio-based dance classes to a variety of levels and ages.
Rea Steel
Limalama, Kickboxing for Fitness
Rea (pronounced Ray) studied and instructed martial arts for many years within the Bok Fu system in San Jose where he rose to the brown belt level. While stationed in Germany, Rea was a member of the U.S. Army boxing team and later participated in the AAU Golden Glove Tournament at the Cow Palace in South San Francisco. He has been training in Lima Lama with Senior Master Rudy Tuiolosega for several years and holds his Lima Lama black belt. Rea loves sharing his martial arts knowledge and skills to increase his student’s mental and physical strength leading to a state of empowerment.
Eileen Lento
Yin & Restorative Yoga
Eileen’s love affair with yoga began over 35 years ago. Her first practice was a 26&2 top New Year’s Day. As unsteady as she felt, the class ignited in her a new way of thinking and moving. From that day forward, she has been committed to deepening her practice. After 25 years of daily practice, she embarked upon teacher training. Having completed her 500 RYT, she wholeheartedly embraces the opportunity to share her passion for a balanced, sustainable practice with our local Yoga Community.
Tammy Prestigiacomo
Classical Ballet
Tammy is a longtime Santa Cruz County resident, whose dance experience spans decades. While earning a degree in psychology, an independent study of dance/movement therapy allowed her the opportunity to teach her methods at the University of California Santa Cruz and led her into a 20-year career teaching children with special needs.
Inspiring movement in children with physical and mental limitations has made an indelible impact on her, the lives of her students and fueled her passion and belief in the power of dance.
Tammy has studied and taught ballet, modern, jazz and lyrical and is trained in belly dance and Indonesian dance. She has also performed in local musical theatre productions, including Cabaret, Evita and Pippin.
Tammy says the only thing greater than the gift of dance is the honor in teaching it!
Vaza Racinet
Embody Yoga Flow
Vaza’s passion lies in helping people feel and live their best life with a combination of research-based approaches, traditional practices and over a decade of experience. She has taken over 1000hrs of different Yoga Teacher Trainings and continuously studies with her main teacher to stay up with the latest research and trends in the health and fitness industry. Vaza worked with hundreds of patients and students to help optimize their health and performance.
Thomas Sakoda
Yoga Flow
Thomas is a highly talented and experienced yoga instructor who teaches multiple styles and levels of yoga and Pilates. He believes a physically challenging yoga practice should meet you where you are at regardless of experience level, history or ideals.
Yoga literally translates “to yoke”, a bringing together and unification connecting you to community, your body, surroundings and your innate potential.
Melissa Russi
Yin & Restorative Yoga
Melissa is a California native who is passionate about alternative therapies and achieving balance within. She completed her yoga certification through Yoga Renew. She specializes in restorative yin and vinyasa flows that focus on the breath and holding poses longer for a full body reset. Within each class, she likes to create a safe environment where healing can take place and people can express themselves and connect with their body in the way that feels best.
Reina Tashnick
Worldanz JAM Dance Fitness
Reina began dancing at the age of 3 and studied ballet, tap, jazz, bellydance and Hip Hop. Born in Watsonville, she was part of the National Champion Cheer team in 2005 at Aptos High School. Also a talented singer and actress, she performed extensively for 11 years with Kids on Broadway, starring in many shows and serving as an assistant choreographer. Reina became a certified Zumba instructor in 2013 and is a school teacher in Santa Cruz County.
Kristen Ferlito
Certified Worldanz Instructor
Growing up in San Diego with a passion for physical expression and exploration, Kristen trained and competed in dance, gymnastics, swimming, synchronized swimming, diving and tennis. While earning her degree in psychology at UCSC she completed an independent study in dance furthering her education in jazz, modern dance, yoga, Pilates and ballet.
She discovered Worldanz in 2015 and fell in love with the level of fitness and joy she feels through the expression of movement in so many cultures and the global connection it offers. What she appreciates most about teaching is guiding students through fitness and movement to feel that joy within themselves.
Rudy Tuiolosega
Senior Master Limalama
Rudy Tuiolosega was officially promoted to Senior Master/Soke, 10th degree black belt, Malamalama in June 2004. Senior Master Rudy Tuiolosega has over 40 years of experience in self defense both as a competitor and instructor. He has traveled extensively and has done numerous seminars worldwide specializing in combative arms and well as specialized self defense training for police officers, and anti-terrorist groups.
Senior Master Rudy Tuiolosega has a deep love and respect for his father’s teachings and holds a deep commitment and passion to carry on the quality and integrity of Limalama to the new generation of practitioners. He speaks Samoan fluently and his love of his Samoan culture is reflected in his teaching. He believes Limalama will enrich the lives of those who study this unique martial arts system and asks of his students, “What can I do to benefit you.”
Caitlin Fahey
Dance & Certified Trainer
Caitlin Fahey is a certified personal trainer, dance teacher, choreographer and online fitness coach with well over 15 years of experience working with hundreds of clients. Classically trained in ballet, jazz, belly dance, hip hop, and theater arts, she has competed and performed professionally in an array of venues. Caitlin has worked at several local dance studios and fitness centers including Santa Cruz Performing Arts, Dancenter, TWDCC, Bodyworks, SpaFitness, and more. She formerly served as CEO and Co-owner of Synergy Dance + Fitness for more than 7 years.