Instructors

Owner/Instructor

Tina Moreno

Tina Moreno has been dancing for 33 years and is trained in the Cecchetti method of ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, tumble, and acro. She has trained under numerous pivotal dancers and choreographers in the dance world, including but not limited to: Linda Buell, Carrie Buell, Lynetta Neuner, Claylee Stewart, Nick Yonko, and David Damon, and has had the opportunity to work with dance professionals such as Debbie Reynolds, Debbie Allen, Mia Michaels, and Roland Dupree.

Miss Tina has been a calendar/print dance model and performed with LA Classical, Asante Ballet Company, Disney Performing Arts, and IC Entertainment. She has performed in numerous Nutcracker ballet productions, as well as headlining various professional shows. She has over 25 years teaching experience and has taught at various schools and studios throughout Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire, as well as taught master classes at several CA colleges and been a guest choreographer/teacher for some of the areas biggest productions.

She has also overseen a successful Kinderdance International and Yorba Linda City Recreation program fostering the love of dance to thousands of students over the years.

Miss Tina opened the doors to MDA in 2012 and upon entering the studio into the competition scene, has won numerous overall and special awards for her choreography and dances both locally and nationally. MDA and its students have also been awarded numerous scholarships and cash award prizes as a reward for their hard work.

Miss Tina has been married for 21 years and has 4 sons.

Acro Acrobatic Arts Certified Ballet Competition Contemporary Jazz Lyrical Modern Tap Tumble

Instructors

Instructor Alexis Chavez

Alexis Chavez is trained in the Cecchetti method of ballet, lyrical, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and pointe. She has been trained by Claylee Stewart, Melanie Kay Rosa, Fullerton College staff, Autumn Mortenson, Valerie Cabag, Josh Romero, Diego Gasca, and the American College Dance Association.

Miss Alexis attended Whittier Christian High School as a member of their cheer team and Fullerton College as a dance major. She has performed in professional shows/concerts such as Fullerton College Fall and Spring Dance concerts (2015-2018), American College Dance Association Regional Conference Gala 2018, Loose Cannons Choreography Showcase, IVC Invitational, and East LA Dance Festival to name a few.

Miss Alexis specializes in jazz, hip hop, ballet/tap classes, and loves teaching our youngest dancers, introducing the next generation to the love of dance!

Ballet/Tap Competition Hip Hop Jazz

Sofia Covarrubias has been working as a director and choreographer in the Los Angeles area for the past 15 years, and recently founded Next Level Theatre in Whittier, CA. She received dance training at Claylee’s Dance Academy and LA Dance Connection, and vocal training through various local instructors, plus with professors at Sonoma State University. Sofia recently received certification for Performing Arts Industry Essentials through NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and currently works with professionals on Broadway and National Tours on varying projects.

We are very excited to add her to the MDA staff!

Acting Musical Theater Vocal

Instructor Sofia Covarrubias
Instructor Mychal Gabb

Mychal Gabb Gabb is trained in hip hop, tap, tumbling, jazz, ballet, and modern dance. He has worked with Young Champions and performed with Disney Performing Arts and toured the US with Here’s to Lyfe Dance Company as a principal dancer.

Mr. Mychal has been teaching for over a decade and is also director for the performance company, The Next Level.

Mr. Mychal’s choreography is unique and innovative and something you will not see or hear elsewhere. He has earned numerous awards for choreography and designated judges awards at various competitions for his pieces.

Mr. Mychal has an AA degree in dance and child development and is currently pursuing his teaching degree at Fullerton College.

Competition Tap

Victor Hugo has danced all his life at family gatherings and always wanted to dance professionally. Victor has studied different styles of dance including jazz, ballet, modern, musical theatre dance, contemporary, African, and Brazilian and has taken dance at numerous community colleges in LA/OCarea. He had the opportunity to attend the American College Dance Association (ACDA) for two years in a row and performed at the gala representing Fullerton College in a piece choreograph by Lisa M. Anderson. Spring 2013 Victor represented two different schools at ACDA as he worked with Holly Johnston, founder of Ledges and Bones, and with Melanie Kay Rosa, chair of the Fullerton College Dance Department.

Mr. Victor has received his AA in dance from Fullerton College and also had the pleasure to dance for two years with Vicious Circle, founded by Valerie Cabag. He also had the pleasure of dancing for two years with Delineation Dance Company, founded by Lisa M. Anderson and Devon Smith as a bi-coastal contemporary dance company based out of both Los Angeles and New York City.

Mr. Victor transferred to the dance department of California State University of Fullerton (CSUF) where he credits his expansive knowledge in dance due to his well respected mentors. Being a student at CSUF, he found another part of dance he didn’t think he was going to enjoy; choreography.

Mr. Víctor has had the opportunity to represent CSUF at ACDA 2017 with his choreography, Brothers?, and was chosen to perform in the Gala. Víctor graduated in May 2017 with his BA in dance.

Mr. Victor currently works at four different dance studios; Strong Dance Studios, Moreno Dance Academy, Academy of Dance, and The Learning Spot, and dances with different choreographers as a freelance dancer. Victor has started his own company, ViHu Dance, where he can explore and create different works and submit to different dance festivals such as Highways Performance Space. ViHu Dance had also the opportunity to showcase their work at Synthesis IV & V, produced by Joshua Romero; SoCal Dance Festival, produced by Paula Vreulink and Jestoni Dagdag; Reflect produced by James MahKween.

Mr. Victor’s style and choreography is always unique and modern while pushing MDA dancers to achieve their highest potential.

Boys Hip Hop Competition Contemporary Hip Hop

Instructor Victor Hugo
Instructor Gabby Penner

Grace Penner, MDA’s newest instructor, is trained in Ballet (classical, neo-classical, contemporary, romantic, Vaganova, Cecchetti, Balanchine, Royal Academy of Dance), pointe, pointe prep, jazz, conditioning, contemporary, musical theater/character, lyrical, partnering technique, choreography, and yoga.

Miss Grace has studied with Hirschl School of Dance Arts where she performed and competed in Ballet Productions, Sunrise Ballet Theater as a soloist and Corps De Ballet Member. She was captain of El Dorado’s dance team and also worked with TDS and MDC in Orange County, CA.

Miss Grace has a BS in kinesiology and a minor in Spanish and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies from San Diego State University.

Ballet Lyrical

Haley Thompson is trained in ballet, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, and pointe. She began her dance training as a young girl with Tracey Dee in Anaheim, California, and returned to dance in her teen years with Tina Moreno at Moreno Dance Academy. She then broadened her dance spectrum by receiving a scholarship to dance/train with Debbie Allen and the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles and has also attended On Pointe’s ballet intensive and had the opportunity to work with Misty Copeland and Desmond Richardson.

Miss Haley has recently attended the American College Dance Association Regional Conference and worked with Melanie Kay Rosa, Autumn Mortenson, and other Fullerton College dance professionals. She performed in the Fullerton College Fall and Spring Concert series for 2017-2019, the American College Dance Association Regional Conference Gala, CDEA (California Dance Education Association), East Los Angeles College Dance Festival 2019.

Miss Haley’s competitive dance career earned her numerous overalls awards, scholarships, and judges awards. She also swept the award placements several years in a row by placing 1st overall for her solo dances.

Miss Haley has an Associate Degree in Arts, Social Behavior and Self Development in progress. Currently, Miss Haley is attending Concordia University studying Behavioral Science and is also a member of Concordia’s 2019-2020 Dance Team.

Miss Haley loves teaching all age groups, but loves connecting with the tiny classes and developing their techniques, friendships and love for dance.

Ballet/Tap Lyrical Stretch & Conditioning

Instructor Haley Thompson