Jeanna Reiter

 

Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Bunnell, Florida, Jeanna has been with Flagler School of Dance for over 35 years!  Her journey began as a student, followed by teacher, and eventually, the Owner and Artistic Director in 2014.  Throughout her teaching career, “Ms. Jeanna”, has worked with dancers ages 3-73 years old, and has taught every style at some point.  Jeanna has contributed her talents for “The Nutcracker,” and choreographed for several musicals with local schools and community theater groups.

 

As Director, she has built a successful and award-winning competition team, and has received awards such as “Standout Studio,” “Shaffer Studio, “Outstanding Professionalism” and multiple Choreography Awards.  Her educational background includes a Bachelors in Elementary Education from the University of Central Florida, studies in Dance Performance from Florida School of the Arts and she is 200 hour RYT Certified in Satya Yoga through Yoga Alliance, and also currently holds space to teach yoga at Yoga Elements in Bunnell.

 

While she is a technical teacher, Jeanna also strives to bring out the artist in every dancer.  In fact, one of her biggest accomplishments has been to mentor students into their own platforms of finding their choreographic voice as an artist/dancer.  Under her guidance, many of her students have gone on to win choreography awards during their training with her.  

 

“Dancing is a window to the soul, and everyone has a story to tell.”  Her passion to pull out the performance, artistry and story from students brings her joy and fulfillment. She loves to help children grow into young adults, build their confidence and use all of the life skills they’ve gained from studying dance to be the best humans they can be!

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Katelyn Walker-Spina (Katie)

 

A Florida native (Palm Coast native to be exact), Katie has been working the desk for Flagler School of Dance since 2009, and was also a student with the studio even before that!  Katie enjoys working at Flagler School of Dance because of the family atmosphere, and watching students come in day after day and year after year aspiring to grow more and reach their goals.  Katie is committed, diligent, organized and a very hard-worker, and when not covering the office at the studio, Katie is a part-time Procurement and Logistics Specialist with Fair-Trade Company Trades of Hope.  She enjoys baking and reading in her down time, and most importantly, she is a full-time mom of two, cute, crazy boys.

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Lenzie Sowders

 

Born and raised in Southern Indiana, Lenzie moved to Palm Coast in 2021.  You can find Lenzie at the front desk taking payments, entering registration, answering phones or emails and so much more!  When she’s not at the studio, Lenzie works for Fair-Trade company Trades of Hope, providing sustainable jobs for women around the world to rise out of poverty and human trafficking.  At Trades of Hope, she works in Customer Service and Product Development, working closely with the Artisans they partner with to create products using the artisan’s skills and resources.  Besides two jobs, Lenzie enjoys hanging out with family, friends, and her golden retriever, Cash, and has recently fell in love with playing piano. 

 

When asked what she enjoys most about Flagler School of Dance Lenzie states: “The family feel you get when you walk in the door. I also really enjoy watching the camaraderie among the dancers. Being in sports most of my life, I don't think I have seen such support and love among teams like I have in our dancers. It's my favorite thing to watch during recital time. I am so happy to be a part of the FSOD Fam! 

 

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Javier Bustos
 

Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, Javier Garcia Bustos “Javiolo” is a skilled dancer and choreographer with years of experience spanning around the globe. He fell in love with dance at the young age of 3, finding the art form beneficial to his coordination, memory, and overall health. Honing his dance skills over the years has served as a therapeutic outlet for creative self-expression, and Javiolo hopes to give this to others through the classes he teaches.

 

Serving as a professional dancer since the age of 8, Javiolo is proud to have danced, choreographed, and trained all around the world, having performed in top European cities such as in Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, and London, and in major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, New York City, and Boston. He has performed in dozens of music videos for up-and-coming artists, and in 2010, he was a backup dancer for RCA recording artist Ke$ha, following the release of her hit debut album, Animal. Javiolo’s vast dance experience has also taken him from the Broadway stage to the Top 10 finalists (out of 2,000 dancers) in the Spanish version of “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Now having lived in Northeast Florida since 2017, Javiolo has discovered his calling in teaching hip-hop, ballet, jazz, modern, and contemporary dance to students of all ages and skill levels throughout Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Ormond Beach and Palm Coast. After many exciting life experiences and positive lessons learned through dance, Javiolo has found a true passion in entertaining people and taking them on a journey to a place where they can let go of their worries and enjoy the present moment through the fine art of movement.

 

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Janelle Hodgson

 

Born in St. Augustine, Florida.  Janelle has been with Flagler School of Dance for many years, first as a student, and now as a teacher and competition team coach/choreographer, where she specializes in Jazz and Lyrical.  This season, Janelle teaches all of the Pre, Kinder and Mini level classes which consist of Ballet, Tap and Jazz as well the Junior level Ballet.

 

Having attended numerous dance conventions as a student, Janelle has received scholarships in styles such as Ballroom, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical and Ballet. In the Volusia County Civic Ballet Nutcracker, Janelle received the lead role for Spanish, and also danced ensemble for Snow, Party Scene and Dragon. 

 

Lastly, in 2021, Janelle received the “Hands Down” award at the FSOD recital.   In her experience teaching and working with young dancers, she believes that creating a positive, enjoyable and exciting environment is the most beneficial approach when teaching new material.  Throughout the years, Janelle finds inspiration through the continued growth amongst students.

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Talia Marie Recce

 

Born in Denver, Colorado, Talia grew up competing and attending conventions, where she was trained by many amazing teachers.  After graduation, Talia danced for the Sacramento Kings NBA Dance Team 2019-2020 and coached/instructed for multiple competitive dance studios and Varsity High School Dance Teams in Denver.

 

Now a Florida resident, Talia has been with Flagler School of Dance for two seasons, where she specializes in Hip Hop, Jazz and Contemporary.  Talia is also a contemporary choreographer this season for the competition team.

 

When asked of her teaching philosophy, Talia states: “CAN’T… is failing before you try.” She believes you can do anything you put your mind to.  It’s up to the dancer themself, at the end of the day, how badly they want to better themselves.   Talia believes the dance studio is a safe place to grow, and encourages dancers to build confidence and believe in themselves.  She wants dancers to understand, we all share this amazing passion for dance, so enjoy every moment you get to do it!!

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Emma Schwen

 

A Florida native, Emma, better known as “Schwen,” also trained with Flagler School of Dance from a young age.  This season, Emma teaches all levels of contemporary on the schedule, (junior, teen, senior) as well as choreographing/mentoring for the competition team.  

 

In addition to working with students at Flagler School of Dance, she is a member of the Motiv Crew from Orlando, where she trains weekly with Marlee Hightower and other professionals in the industry.  FUN FACT!  Recently, Schwen, along with Motiv Crew, headlined at the “World of Dance Summit” in Los Angeles, California.  When asked what is the most unique dance experience she’s had Emma states: “Her first paid gig “MURMURATION” learning from the brains of Sadeck Berrabah Jbril Maillots.  Her teaching has also taken her to Savannah, Georgia where she leads classes in summer intensives and sets choreography on solo dancers.  In 2024, she won runner-up for an Improv Dance Challenge with Intrigue in Orlando, Florida.  

 

Emma’s goal is to create a space where her students feel comfortable and free, while being focused and refined, and feels it’s important to let kids have an opportunity to share who they are, explore their own ability and build team skills.