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Our Instructors

It is the mission of Seattle Dance Fitness to bring our excitement for the power of dance to everyBODY. Our classes will not only ignite your passion for fitness, dance, and community, but they will also inspire, empower, and fuel you in your every day life.
 
Our SUPER welcoming and energetic team of instructors strive EVERY day to bring out the best in students of all ages, encouraging them to LIFT EACH OTHER UP too!

Meet the Team!

Jessica Gleason, 

Founder + Owner

Cardio Dance Party "CDP" • Groov3 • Move & Grow • Hip Hop Kids Dance Fitness®

In 2017 Jessica founded Seattle Dance Fitness where in her “Cardio Dance Party” classes, adult students not only follow along each week to original dance fitness choreography featuring pop, hip hop and Top 40 music but they also find a super fun and welcoming community of dancers in all ages and stages of life . 

 

Jessica's Hip Hop Kids Dance Fitness® program offers elementary aged kiddos the chance to find joy in just MOVING their bodies! No mirrors, no judgement, just a super fun hour of age appropriate follow along dance fitness songs, dance games and freestyle dancing too! Jessica's Move & Grow program offers the littlest of the SDF family members (toddlers and preschoolers) an hour of creative movement and play with their parent/caregiver.  

Through her dance and dance fitness programs, Jessica found her calling in helping to empower her students, both adults and kiddos. Her classes offer a truly FUN and satisfying option for creating a HEALTHY lifestyle that lasts for a lifetime!

Anna-Marie

Kids Dance Fitness

Anna-Marie is a born and raised Seattleite and has lived in almost every neighborhood in the Seattle area. Regardless of where she resides, Anna-Marie has made it a point to always be involved in her community and to get those around her to move and groove...

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Candice

Kids Dance Fitness

Candice, originally from Miami, FL, started taking dance lessons at the age of 3 and enjoyed dancing all through her youth. She has studied many different dance styles including ballet, jazz, tap, and hip-hop. When she was little, she loved making up dance routines with her cousin...

Floribel

Low Impact CDP/KDFit Fusion

Floribel is a RETIRED mother of 2 grown-ups (boy and girl) who has had many years of dancing as dance fitness workouts bring her pure joy!  Over the last 10 years she has learned to give herself grace and to know that DANCE truly is for every body and for every age group...

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Ginny

WERQ® Cardio Dance • Barre Above™ • Kids Dance Fitness

Ginny is a career dancer who has specialized in styles such as Jazz, Modern, Ballet, and Hip Hop. She received her B.S. in Dance, M.S. in Movement and Leisure Sciences, and is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. She is also licensed in Barre Above™ and Zumba®.

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Hannah 

Cardio Dance Party "CDP"

& Strong Base

Hannah feels grateful and ecstatic to join the SDF instructor team in 2022! After moving from Minnesota during the pandemic, Hannah was so thrilled to find a sense of home at SDF. She immediately felt how special the bonds and energy were of the community. 

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Isabelle

Kids Dance Fitness • Move & Grow

Isabelle was born and raised in Switzerland and moved to the Seattle area in 2019. Before her big move, she graduated from the Musikakademie in Basel with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Movement Education and was working as a music teacher for kids...

Mikayla

Barre Above™

Mikayla has been teaching fitness classes since 2001, and has been a major fan of group exercise since she was 12 years old and attended her first step aerobics class with her mom. Mikayla's classes will challenge you, make you smile, and give you a sense of accomplishment. 

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Marta

Kids Dance Fitness

BIO COMING SOON!

❤️
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Karen

Cardio Dance Party "CDP"

Karen is thrilled to join the SDF Team! Dance has been a passion her entire life. If music is playing, you can bet she is dancing! Growing up, Karen was a cheerleader and loved the performance aspect and the squad camaraderie. After cheerleading, the search was on to fill the void.

Katie

Yoga • Booty Pump •

Kids Dance Fitness

Katie is overjoyed to have found her community at Seattle Dance Fitness! She has been teaching Group Fitness since 2005, but it was during COVID lockdown that she found Buti Yoga and Primal Flow, which gave her a feeling of empowerment and confidence that she had not experienced before.

Lisa

Turbo Kick® Fitness

Lisa is delighted to bring TurboKick to the SDF family! Lisa brings an infectious energy to her classes and loves nothing more than sweating and smiling while working out. Her goal is to make sure that everyone attending her classes has fun, is safe and feels included, all are welcome.

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Paige

Booty Pump

Paige is ecstatic to join the SDF instructor team as our Strong in 30™ Instructor!  She has been a member of the SDF community since SDF was founded, and SDF holds a special place in her heart.  She is a strong believer in the power of group fitness and community. 

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Ruben

WERQ® Cardio Dance

Ruben is a WERQ Rep, WERQ Community Manager for the West Coast, & a Guest Choreographer, whose mission is to help others reach their full fitness potential and feel confident in their own skin. He was the first WERQ Instructor in Cali, putting WERQ on the map in the West Coast...

Tamara

Kids Dance Fitness

Tamara's relationship with dance was born when she was a little girl with a big mirror and her mom's records. Many evenings were spent getting lost in her head, twirling and leaping around the living room while Neil, Dolly and Kenny crooned their important lessons.

Guest Instructors

Marietta Villalobo

MARIETTA VILLALOBOS

Twerk Workshops • IG: @mertaloba • TikTok: @mertaloba

Marietta Villalobos is a world renowned professional pelvic isolation instructor based in Seattle, WA. Born in Costa Rica, and raised in Louisiana; She specializes in dances with Pelvic movement like Tarraxinha, Twerk, Latin dances and more!
 

Twerking has been present in Marietta’s life since childhood(New Orleans, Louisiana is the birthplace of Twerk)! On top of having the privilege of being raised with these movements, coming from Latin American background also came with its benefits. Pelvic isolation‘s are traced back to African roots, which are deeply ingrained into Latin American culture.
 

Through dance, Marietta will connect you to your body by giving you tools to help you understand your body’s movement and it’s functionality. Through movement, we will bring awareness to areas that may have trapped energy from trauma, stress, or stagnation. Lateral thinking is a strength for Marietta. She finds numerous ways to break down the same concept while keeping you entertained and focused. She is known for her strict attention to detail and fluidity. Her goal is to match all types of learning styles and guarantees you will come out of her courses with new and challenging material that you understand.

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