Meet the Team

Beverly began dancing at age 3, studying classical ballet, jazz and tap. She continued dancing while working as a research scientist, and rehearsed with the Philadelphia Civic Ballet Company at night and on weekends. In class, she delivers her technical expertise in a structured but supportive environment — a more laid-back approach than what you might find at a traditional ballet school. She’s designed curriculum for students of all ages, from creative movement/pre-ballet classes for 2-5 year-olds, to jazz for grade school kids, to pointe for adults. Since joining our company in 2011, she’s been the driving force in growing and shaping our multi-generational ballet program. In addition to instructing, Beverly is the program director for the ZAZZ summer camp — a perfect outlet for her surprisingly extensive knowledge of popular kids’ movies and music! 

Emily is a former theater kid & dance instructor. From singing and acting, to training in many dance styles, performing and choreographing… she’s done it all. She can’t stop from singing along to a good show tune and loves having daily dance parties with her sons. Ask Emily any questions you have about our kids’ programs!

Alex is an actor, trained vocalist and cabaret performer originally hailing from Orlando, Fla. She’s been performing in plays, musicals, short films and performance art pieces since she was 3 years old. After studying Theatre Arts at the University of South Florida, she had the opportunity to perform in numerous states along the East Coast. In 2021, she settled in Philadelphia to further pursue a life of the arts here in the city. She has been teaching children in both traditional and non-traditional settings since 2013, and is pleased to bring her experience and love of musical theatre to ZAZZ!

Aliya is a New Jersey native who has been performing professionally for 15 years and teaching and directing for 7. She graduated from AMDA in New York City. She performed on the Broadway national tour of Spring Awakening and has performed in many regional theatre productions. Aliya has done two sold-out solo concerts in Philadelphia at Franky Bradleys. She loves teaching drama and creating a space for students to feel comfortable to be themselves.

Ashanti Jenkins

Instructor

Shaun is a recent transplant to Philadelphia after graduating from Case Western Reserve University where he studied Marketing and Theater. He studied and taught dance in both Cleveland and back in Houston for 12 years. His dance journey began in theater, performing in shows like Peter Pan, Little Mermaid, and Les Mis. He then began his training at the Houston Performing Arts Company with Jade Whitemire and Terrill Mitchell. At university he began choregraphing musicals for the CWRU Footlighters Theater Organization. He is excited to share his passion for dance with the students of ZAZZ and instill them with a love for the art.

Lesly Fernandez Gomez

Instructor

A native Philadelphian of Dominican descent, Lesly has trained in a wide range of dance styles including ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary, African, hip hop and Latin. She’s currently working toward a bachelors degree in dance at Temple University. After graduating, she hopes to join a professional dance company and eventually open her own performance group for young dancers. 

Skye is studying at University of the Arts to get a BFA in Dance and a minor in Musical Theater. She has had intense dance training for over a decade, as well as standard education in child development. She has been teaching dance for over five years, and loves working with children. Her musical theater background stems from professional training in her home state California, as well as frequent intensives at Broadway Artists Alliance in New York, where she takes classes from Broadway performers. Skye has also performed in recreational theater programs in shows such as “The Wizard of Oz”. She has performed original choreography on off-Broadway stages for years, and is super excited to bring her knowledge to the upcoming generation of stars!