About

Patti Weinberg, was born in the Los Angeles area in 1970 where she began a rich and fulfilling career in the world of dance. First dancing at the age of 5, she trained in Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Spanish, Hawaiian, and acrobatics at Annette’s School of Dance.

Dana is a native San Diegan who returned after studying dance, performance and teaching, and raising her family in Utah and the Chicago, Illinois areas. She has been teaching ballet at all levels in the North County area and principally at Stage Door since 1993. She also teaches Flamenco.

Noelle, a passionate and experienced dance instructor, has dedicated her life to share her talents and love of dance with others. With more than 20 years of experience in teaching, Noelle is an expert in developing a child’s confidence and abilities through dance. Noelle began her journey into the world of dance at 3 years old, when she first stepped into a dance studio. From that moment on, she knew that dance was her calling. She trained rigorously in tap, ballet, jazz, and lyrical dance forms, honing her skills and developing her unique style in dance.

Miss Andrea loves teaching at Stage Door Dance and is happy to be teaching for such an amazing studio. She started dancing when she was 8 and fell in love with it. She danced for 10 years throughout high school at Ramona High, was president of Dance Productions, and danced on The RHS Varsity Song Team.

Miss Lisette grew up training with a variety of professional studios such as American Ballet Theatre, School of American Ballet, Finis Jung, David Howard and Alvin Ailey in New York City. Miss Lisette has been teaching for over 30 years in San Diego County including teaching Outreach Programs for City Ballet of San Diego and San Diego Civic Youth Ballet. She is also a PBT certified instructor! Miss Lisette teaches ages 2.5 through adult, and looks forward to seeing your dancer in class. Her motto is “Reach for the moon and you’ll be amongst the stars.”

Miss Laura Gottas is an encouraging, positivity focused teacher hoping to share her love of dance with students of all ages and skill levels. With a passion for dance from a young age, Laura joined the RJAD performing group at age eight- going on to join their competition team and perform in the styles of ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, and musical theatre.

Anna Hall began dancing at the age of 6 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and has trained in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Tap, and Hip-Hop. She holds a B.F.A. in Dance with a concentration in performance and choreography, as well as a B.S. in Early Childhood Education and an M.Ed. in Reading Specialist from Slippery Rock University.

During her time at Slippery Rock University, Anna worked closely with choreographers including Jesse Factor, Francene Ott, Chitra Subramaniam, Lindsay Fisher Viatori, Jaya Mani, and Nora Ambrosio. She has also attended summer intensives and workshops at The Rock School for Dance, BalletMet, Princeton Ballet School, the American Dance Festival, Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute, and Dance Masters of America.

After earning her B.F.A., Anna taught Kindergarten during the day while teaching dance in the evenings at several studios in central Pennsylvania. She recently relocated to Oceanside, California, where she teaches ballet, tap, lyrical, and hip hop at Stage Door Dance. Anna is passionate about creating a positive learning environment and helping students build both strong technique and confidence.

Melissa Riley is a mother of 4 as well as a distinguished dance professional with a long and multifaceted career as a performer, studio owner, choreographer, coach, and judge. Her extensive background includes elite training and 27 years of experience as the owner and operator of her own studio. Melissa’s formal dance education is rooted in some of the country’s most prestigious institutions. While in high school, she was accepted into the renowned Juilliard School, where she completed two years of intensive training. She also refined her classical technique at the Ballet Pacifica Conservatory, Riverside Ballet, and the Joffrey Ballet. For over 27 years, Melissa successfully owned and operated her own dance studio, an experience that honed her skills in business management and artistic direction while fostering the talents of countless young dancers. A respected coach and choreographer, Melissa has guided numerous high school dance and cheer teams throughout Southern California. Her expert coaching has been instrumental in the success of these teams, helping to shape and elevate their performances. Melissa continues to share her passion and knowledge with the next generation of performers through her work as a judge. She lends her expertise to several major cheer and dance organizations, including JAMZ Cheer and Dance, World Class Cheer and Dance, Varsity, KAR, and Rainbow. Her discerning eye and deep understanding of the industry are highly valued in the competitive world of dance and cheer.

Miss Makenna Moss discovered the joy of dance at the age of 12 when she took her first class at Edge Dance Academy. She trained, performed, and competed in jazz, jazz funk, hip-hop, contemporary, lyrical, musical theater, ballroom, heels, and ballet until graduating from Edge’s program at the age of 19. During this time she also performed and competed on the San Marcos High School Dance Team, including three years on Varsity. Makenna was then accepted into the CLI Conservatory, a groundbreaking new program in Massachusetts designed to prepare students to enter the professional world of dance.