Cornerstone Studio

Jacob:A 3rd generation dance instructor, performer, choreographer and dance school director; Jacob has many performing acclamations to his name, including world championship awards in tap. As an instructor and choreographer, Jacob has coached many groups to 'High Score' Awards and his choreography is currently featured in the Seattle community.

Heidi: Dancing since she was 6 years old, Heidi is trained in jazz, ballet, tap, hip-hop, and more. She was a cheerleader at Newport High School for 3 years and went to Boise State University, where she danced on their nationally-ranked dance team. She was a Seattle Sea Gal for 5 seasons with the Seahawks and was the Newport High School Cheer Coach for the past 3 years.

Jeromeskee: Started b-boying in 1996 and has been performing since; Jerome is a member of several competitive b-boy groups - the world champion Massive Monkees, Rock Steady Crew N.Y., and what was the Seattle SuperSonics BOOM Squad. He has participated in, judged, and won numerous b-boy events throughout the world in the U.K., France, Denmark, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Poland, Canada, and the U.S. Jeromeskee, was featured on "Dancing With The Stars," competed on "Americas Best Dance Crew," and was one of the coaches on MTV’s “MADE: I Want To Be A B-boy.”

Rich: Rich’s choreography helps students gain a better understanding of musicality and the dynamics of hip-hop. Born and raised in New Jersey, he started training with Project D Dance Company and later under Jennifer Yee and Jansen Mao in Future Shock New York. He continued training at Westlake Dance Center when he moved to Seattle for college. He has also taken class from Jay De Jesus, Ellis Barba, Kyle Hanagami, Jun Quemado, Brian Puspos, and more.

Lina: Lina was the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the former Seattle Jazz Dance Company. She has danced professionally with SD Prism Dance Theatre, Fusion Dance, and Ballet Bellevue and has choreographed for PLU, Ballet Bellevue, Inglemoor HS, and Cascade Christian HS. Her training is from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Skagit Valley Academy of Dance, PNB, and PLU. Lina has also trained with Sonia Dawkins, Duane George, Flemming Halby, and Anthony Manuel.

J: Taking her first gymnastics class at just age 3, J fell in love with movement. In high school she played soccer and softball and competed in gyastics and cheerleading. In college she took hip-hop class and got her rock-solid core strength from Pilates. After graduating from Washington State University, she discovered the perfect mixture of movement, dance, and positive energy - Yoga.

Rico: A 2nd generation salsa instructor, Rico has won numerous Latin dance competitions and continues to make a name for himself in the Seattle area. The company he founded, Bravos De La Rumba Dance Company, has toured throughout the US performing Latin dance. Rico has appeared on Star Search and even in a Marc Anthony music video! He is married to Tatiana.

Tatiana: Growing up as a dancer, Tatiana is trained in jazz, ballet, hip-hop, and Latin dance. After working with hip-hop choreographers, Daniel Cruz and Ron Smith, Tatiana started learn Salsa from Rico and joined his dance company. Eventually they married and now teach dance classes together, where they can pass on their experience and expertise to their students.

 
Tamara: Dancing for over 20 years and teaching for the past 10, Tamara has taught everything from African to lyrical to tap. When Tamara was 18, she opened her own dance studio, while going to school as a full-time college student. She then auditioned for Disney Entertainment and spent 6 months in Orlando as a character performer and parade dancer. Tamara moved back to Washington to finish school, and in June 2011, she graduated from CWU with a Musical Theatre BFA. While at school, she was also the cheerleading coach and the tap teacher for the college.

LEA: Lea is the Studio Owner and Artistic Director of Cornerstone Studio. Lea has been an instructor at Cornerstone for 10 years now and has taught everything from hip-hop to yoga. She was a cheerleader at Newport High School, danced for the Seattle SuperSonics Dance Team for 3 seasons, and has a dance minor from the University of Washington. She has been a guest dancer in local productions and is trained in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, musical theater, and more. She was a member of Daniel Cruz's hip-hop group, Cruz Control, and Elmer Pizarro's Team BoogieZone Breed. She has a background in sales, marketing, copy-writing, and social media.

LYNELLE:  Lynelle runs rehearsals for Jr. & Sr. Cornerstone Company, our performing group, and Cornerstone Compete, our competition team. She is also an integral part of our annual Nutcracker production. With 15+ years of choreography and teaching experience, she has competed and performed regionally and nationally in jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, ballroom, and more. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes technique, flexibility, performance, and teamwork. Also a fitness professional, Lynelle makes an effort to introduce her students to Pilates and yoga and instill the importance of creating healthy habits for the mind and body at any age.