Jennifer Berrojo

Instruction at Jackie’s Jammin Studio often leads to fulfilling careers in dance, as Jennifer’s background demonstrates. She first took dance classes with Jackie in 1995. With this foundation, she later trained in classical ballet and Russian character dance under Suzanne Pomerantzeff and Lester Jacobson; studied at the Chicago City Ballet under Melissa Hayden and America’s Prima Ballerina, Maria Tallchief; and was awarded a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey Dance Center in New York.
Jennifer has toured throughout the U.S. and Germany as a dancer and assistant to illusionist Mark O’Brien. She has also performed with El Grupo Folklorico Mejicano throughout Florida; danced in the Nutcracker and Gisselle with the Tampa Ballet; performed and choreographed with the Ballet Folklorico of Ybor and at Busch Gardens; and danced in the Olympic Shows at Busch Gardens. Jennifer currently performs at the Columbia Restaurant (now in her 16th year) and works for Evention Show Productions. Now she has gone full-circle, back to where she began – at Jackie’s – where she has taught since 2004.

Karol Desort

More information coming soon...

Lisa Leonard

Performing is in Lisa’s blood, and the transfusion began at age 10 here at Jackie’s. Her boundless energy was obvious early on, during Bay area performances with the Tampa Jazz Company and then on tour as a principal dancer and singer in Up With People.
Her career in song and dance then skyrocketed at the Walt Disney World resort. While at Disney, Lisa performed on tour and in TV specials with such stars as Ben Vereen, Carol Lawrence and the Pointer Sisters. She was a member of Kids of the Kingdom, Diamond Horseshoe Revue, Mickey’s Starland, and EPCOT World Dancers. And, at Tokyo Disneyland, Lisa performed in The Diamond Horseshoe Revue, Swing & Sing, and the Hoop Dee Doo Revue. Disney then sent her to New York City for 10 years to stage special events, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and world premieres of the motion pictures Pocahontas and Hercules.
Recently, Lisa has served as show director for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Summer Nights and emceed for the national dance competition On Tour Dance Challenge. She has also been a guest host on the Home Shopping Network. Lisa and her husband Scott met at Walt Disney World, and they have two wonderful children, Jesse and Natalie. She is honored to join the staff at Jackie’s and hopes to instill a love in children for the challenge of Broadway jazz dance.

Rachel Lindstrom

Most of us learn to crawl first, then walk, and finally run. Not Rachel. For her, it was crawl, walk, and dance. (Or maybe just dance, dance, dance!) A member of the Jackie’s family since she was three, Rachel first began teaching ballet here when she was 15.
As she grew up, the dance training Rachel gained at Jackie’s prepared her for studies at the prestigious Steps on Broadway, American Ballet Theater, Broadway Dance Center, and Luigi’s Jazz Centre studios in New York City. She even earned scholarships to Steps and the Joffery Ballet School during her nine-year stint as a member of Jackie’s Competitive Team.
While on the team, Rachel placed second in state dance competitions for her jazz solo Fever. She and her teammates also gave memorable performances at Raymond James Stadium and the Columbia Restaurant. In 2006, Rachel took to the stage at Busch Gardens for their show Summer Nights.

Ashley Blake Fisher

Ashley has been in the entertainment industry for over ten years. As a professional actress and singer, she currently stars at WALT DISNEY WORLD in one of the nation's most elite princess tea parties, 'MY DISNEY GIRL'S PERFECTLY PRINCESS TEA PARTY'. In this one-woman show, she tells classic fairy tale stories, sings famous Disney princess songs, and interacts with 'little princesses' from all over the world. Additionally, Ashley performs as an improv actress at Disney's MAGIC KINGDOM and as Flora in WDW's longest running show, THE HOOP DEE DOO REVUE. In NYC, Ashley performed her one-woman cabaret act at the famous Danny's Skylight Room. She has competed as an AMERICAN IDOL finalist from Miami, and did national spokesmodeling for the show's sponsor, CLAIROL'S HERBAL ESSENCES. Behind the scenes, Ashley has worked in New York City with some of the leading production and casting offices for live production, TV, and film. She worked with SIBLING ENTERTAINMENT, the producers of Broadway's DAMN YANKEES, STOMP, and most recently, BROOKLYN, the musical. For MTV, Ashley worked as a casting assistant for the hit TV reality show, MAKING THE BAND 3. Ashley holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from The University of Central Florida.

Kelsey Nelson

Kelsey is a graduate of Oklahoma City University. She received her Bachelor of Science in Dance Management, which focuses on Professional Dance performance and Arts Management. Before Kelsey went on to receive her degree, she was traveling the country taking classes from the most well known and admired dance "creators" around. Kelsey has travelled to Vancouver, B.C., Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Orlando as a child to train along with receiving a grant from the state of Kansas to attend a three week workshop in New York City at the age of 15.
Some of her professional work includes Six Flags, Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA, Ballet Wichita, and most recently Royal Caribbean International where she performed on the Serenade on the Seas. Besides all of her different performance experience, she also does judging for different National Talent Competitions around the country. Kelsey has worked for Universal Dance Association for several years and was a Head Instructor for them in the state of Kansas. With UDA she also had the opportunity to travel the country teaching high school and college dance teams and working special events like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the World Dance Competition in Orlando. Recently, Kelsey was also given the opportunity through Universal Dance Association to travel over to India for two weeks performing in both Bangalore and Chennai. Being able to spread her passion for dance through teaching is something Kelsey has always loved to do and wants to enrich as many people as she can through the art of dance.

"Dance is the only art of which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made."

Stephanie Pleva

By the time Stephanie joined Jackie’s as a ballet instructor in 2003, she’d already amassed impressive credentials. Dancing since she was very young, Stephanie grew up in Michigan studying at the Letha Fulton School of Dance, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, the Lou Conte Studio, and Alma College, and she has studied under such dance greats as David Howard, Donald McKayle, Mary Hinkson and Fiona Fuerstner of the Balanchine Trust. While at Letha Fulton, she performed in numerous productions, including Kids Jam USA with Raven-Symoné and Sam Wright (the voice of Sebastian in The Little Mermaid).
While attending Western Michigan University, Stephanie participated in the Orchasis Dance Society, performed in campus concerts, and attended the American College Dance Festival. At WMU, she was also a ballet teaching assistant in the dance department. Her dance instruction résumé began in 1994 at her alma mater, Letha Fulton. She would later teach at a winter Gifted and Talented program and once more at Letha Fulton before moving to Tampa.
Stephanie graduated from WMU in 2001 with a BBA in marketing and a major in dance. She currently attends USF, where she is completing the Master of Architecture program.

Tricia Pressley

A Jackie’s instructor for over 12 years, she specializes in jazz and acrobatics and currently co-directs the studio’s award-winning Competition Team and Just Kids performance troupes.
Her dance training began 35 years ago right here at Jackie’s. Since then, Tricia studied with many choreographers, including "Luigi" Faccuito and Anna Marie Sagi,. As a young child, she began performing with the Tampa Jazz Dance Company, the Acrolites and the Young Entertainers. Tricia also performed as a Super Bowl dancer during Super Bowls XVIII and XXV. In 1990, she was honored as one of six local dancers to perform at the Helen Hayes Theatre in New York City during a tribute to dance master Luigi on his 65th birthday.
In addition to her life of dance, Tricia holds a BS in advertising from the University of Florida and runs a freelance media consulting firm. She and husband Troy are the proud parents of their two dancing daughters, Sara and Mia.

Heather Price

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Roxana Sanchez-Horn

Roxana has been a permanent fixture at Jackie’s since age three, having studied all dance disciplines here. Since 1998, she has provided quality dance instruction – focusing on hip-hop, acrobatics, and cheerleading. She has also directed the Competition Team and has assisted with Just Kids, the Gasparilla parade, auditions, and summer dance camps. Roxana has studied hip-hop and other dance forms in New York, and she has been a national cheer competitor. She has coached dance and cheer teams, nationally and locally, and she continues to choreograph routines and attend dance and cheer workshops.
Roxana is a licensed and certified school psychologist at a Pasco county alternative school. She earned a bachelors degree in psychology from the University of Florida, a masters in Curriculum and Instruction and an Ed.S in School Psychology from the University of South Florida, and is pursuing a graduate certification and PhD in Educational Leadership from USF as well. She actively volunteers in her community and is a member of many organizations at work and school.
Roxana and her husband Adam reside in Tampa. Their two year old daughter, Mia, already loves to dance.

Tammy White

Tammy is following her heart by teaching young children the art of dance.
Her dance studies began with Jackie Loto 39 years ago, and she started teaching when she was 18. She has performed with several dance groups in the Tampa Bay area, including the Entertainment Edition and with the Jackie Loto Dancers. She also participated in numerous fashion shows, including those for Burdines, Maas Brothers and JC Penney. Tammy was a Super Bowl dancer during Super Bowls XVIII and XXV and has been honored to dance at Walt Disney World during many of their July 4th Main Street celebrations.
Tammy received a BS in computer engineering and recently began working at the Pre-Kindergarten Early Exceptional Learning program for Hillsborough County. She has four children, and her biggest joy has been watching her daughter Amanda, now 20, dance for the past 17 years and seeing her 8-year-old daughter Alana perform as she did at that age.

Kelsey Smith

More information coming soon...

Chris Fields

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Jessica Diaz

Coming from a Spanish family, rhythm runs through Jessica's veins. At the age of 3 her family enrolled her at Jackie's Dance Studio, where she danced consecutively for 12 years. She soon became a part of a special dance team called Just Kids (which is now known as Jammin G's) where she remained a member from the ages of 8 to 13. She then went on to audition and compete for the hip hop competition team for over a year. Jessica quickly realized that dancing was what she was built to do. While studying hip hop for three years with Roxanna as her instructor, Jessica's love of dance grew stronger than she could have ever imagined. Due to Roxanna's extreme influence, Jessica realized that following in her footsteps and becoming a dance instructor would take this love to a higher level and what better place to do so than where her dream began at Jackie's. At 15 years of age, Jessica became a member of the Dragonera Dance Team at Jefferson High School where she became Captain during her senior year and led them through many superior performances until she graduated in 2006. After graduation, she moved on to become Captain of The Hillsborough Community College Cheer leading Team. Since then, Jessica has been an independent choreographer for many productions throughout the state of Florida. In addition, she volunteers her time to help coach her former dance team at Jefferson High with hopes to continue on with the standard she set in 2006. Teaching at Jackie's Jammin Studio is a privilege for Jessica, combining her passion for dance and her love for children gives her the opportunity to spread her knowledge and talent as an instructor in honor of the remarkable Miss Jackie Loto.

Heather Brown

Heather is a former student and teacher of Hopkins School of Dance in Kenner, Louisiana. She started at the age of two in 1979 under the the direction / founder Mrs. Lorraine Hopkins-Guidry. She was born and raised in New Orleans and is a single mother of 2 daughters. She attended Southeastern Louisiana University in 95-98 where she was a student choreographer and performer for Danceworks now called Moxie Dance Project. She performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in 95’ and upon leaving SLU in 98, directed a Performing Arts Studio in Fort Worth, Tx. After Hurricane Katrina, she returned to Southeastern to earn her degree in Performing Arts which she has received this past May. She was a student choreographer for SLU Moxie Dance Project and also the President. She has presented her choreography at the American College Dance Festival in Texas and at Columbia Theatre of Performing Arts in Hammond, Louisiana. Her passion is working with young dancers and promoting health education in which she minored in at Southeastern. She is excited to be a new resident of Florida and to join Jackie’s Jammin Studio!

Patricia Storelli

Patricia Storelli is a professional Ballet Teacher and choreographer who taught in most European countries and is currently a freelance Teacher in the United States. She received her professional training at the “La Scala” Theatre Ballet School in Milan (Italy) and became a Member of the Company where she performed in most ballets of the classical repertoire. She danced many leading roles like The Lilac Fairy and Blue Bird Pas de Deux in Sleeping Beauty, Sugar Plum Fairy in Nutcracker, Giselle and many other. She continued her training with world renowned teachers Yvette Chauviree and Daniel Frank from the Paris Opera, Anne-Marie Holmes, former Bolshoi’s principal Irek Muhamedov, David Howard, Rosella Hightower and English National Ballet’s Artistic Director Wayne Eagling. Patricia Storelli started her teaching career at age 25 and studied with the Royal Academy of Dance to obtain her teaching qualifications. She became a Registered Teacher and Member of the Royal Academy of Dance (since 1985) after obtaining the RAD Teaching Certificate and Teaching Diploma with Anatomy and History of Ballet. She has been entering students for RAD exams since 1985 with a 100% rate of Pass and recently obtained a BA (Hons) in Dance Education from the University of Surrey (England). In 2006 she was appointed as a Mentor of the Royal Academy of Dance for candidates enrolled in the Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies. She is a free-lance writer and ballet historian and writes ballet articles for the Diary of the Royal Academy of Dance and other dance publications. She is currently in the process of publishing her first book about pointe shoe technique. Miss Storelli has been Artistic Director of West Florida Youth Ballet in Safety Harbor (Florida) for two years and she is was of the principal teachers at Etudes de Ballet in Naples and Leggz Dance Academy in Kissimmee. She stages the Russian version of Nutcracker every year for several schools and she is a Member of Dance Masters of America and a Ballet Teacher at the Manatee School for the Arts in Palmetto, Florida. She has also been the Director of the RAD curriculum at Sarasota Dance Theatre in Sarasota. Her main focus is now on education and teaching students professionally at all levels. She is also an adjudicator for Dance Competitions.

Katie Fox

Katie began dancing at the age of four. She recently relocated to Tampa, Florida from Connecticut where she studied all areas of discipline such as jazz, lyrical, contemporary, tap, hip hop and ballet. She graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2000 with a degree in Marketing where she also performed on the UConn Dance Team. She has choreographed for local dance studios, competition and college dance teams throughout Connecticut. In February 2008, she attended the winter Intern program at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City for five months, where she had the privilege to study with many talented choreographers such as Sheila Barker, Tracie Stanfield, Ray Hesselink, Judy Rice, Dorrit Koppel, Chio, Rhapsody, Michele Assaf and Shea Sullivan. Some of her professional credits include Connecticut Sun’s Solar Power Dance Team performing at Mohegan Sun, Hartford Wolfpack Cheer Squad, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Moving Current Collective and Hybrid Dance Company.

Allison Hampel

Allison enters her second year as an instructor at Jackie's. Her love for dance began at a very early age as she studied Ballet and Jazz at Mary Pauline's Dance Conservatory in her hometown of Jacksonville, FL for 15 years. Prior to teaching at Jackie's, Allison led dance classes at a local Jacksonville Dance Studio and at several after school dance programs. She also conducted a summer dance camp for "A Chance to Dance" in Santa Monica, CA in the summer of 2008. In addition to her passion for more traditional styles of dance, Allison played an integral part in the success of her high school dance team in March 2008 - winning the NDA National Championship in the Hip-Hop division. Allison is currently a student at the University of South Florida studying Psychology. She hopes to own a studio someday where she can offer dance programs to the special needs population.

Caitlin Benedict

Caitlin began dancing at age 4. That is when she knew dance would be in her life forever. She continued through the years trying every possible style of dance. She started competing at age 10 in numerous local and national dance competitions throughout the New England area. She enjoyed dancing and competing and as she grew older she decided to become a teacher's helper in which she got the chance to attend different workshops that helped her with techniques and to learn how to teach her own classes. That is when she knew she wanted to teach dance as a career. Caitlin started teaching her own classes at the age of 16 at a Connecticut studio called Debbie Fratta's Dance Concepts which included: aerobatics, ballet, taps, jazz, hip hop, and lyrical. In 2006, Caitlin choreographed the Litchfield High School Cheerleading Squad and took the gold. In 2008 she choreographed and coached the girls from the Carrollwood Hurricane Cheerleading Squad in which competed to get a bronze. Caitlin is CPR, First Aid, and AACCA (American Association of Cheerleading Coaches & Administrators) Certified. Caitlin attends many classes to further her knowledge in dance so she will be able to teach her students the latest dance styles. Caitlin has enjoyed her many years of dancing and teaching. She is proud to say her students have danced in many national competitions and have won numerous awards. Caitlin is a firm believer of saying, "Everything happens for a reason and if you follow your heart and believe, your dreams will come true."