Meet Our Teachers
Nicole Cohen
Owner & Artistic Director
Nicole brings over 25 years of experience to Rise Academy of Dance. She has taught and choreographed extensively throughout California for the past 13 years, and she spent 9 seasons coaching the UCLA Dance Team from 2008-2017.
Nicole has extensive training in a variety of dance styles including Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Contemporary and Musical Theater Jazz. She graduated from UCLA in 2006 with a B.A. in World Arts and Cultures, concentrating on Dance Studies. While attending UCLA, Nicole spent three years on the Dance Team, serving as Captain and cheering on her fellow Bruins at all of the home football and basketball games. She also worked in the television and film industry, appearing in several movies, a TV series, and commercials for Fox Sports and the Lexus Gauntlet.
Upon graduation, Nicole moved to Boston where she spent a year performing as an inaugural member of the Celtics Dancers. When she returned to California, Nicole continued her career with the NBA, dancing for the Los Angeles Clippers Spirit for four seasons. In addition to her five years with the NBA, Nicole has performed with Rihanna, Cee Lo Green, and Lenny Kravitz at the 2011 All-Star Game, as well as taken part in international performances in Hong Kong, Beijing, Xi’an and Mexico City. Her choreography credits include routines for the UCLA Dance, Cheer, and Mascot Teams, the Los Angeles Clippers Spirit and Jr. Jam Teams, the Laker Girls, the UCI Dance Team, the Anaheim Bolts Dancers and the Tokyo Apache Dance Team to name a few. Many of her students have gone on to dance professionally with the Los Angeles Clippers Spirit, Laker Girls, Rams Cheerleaders, and most recently, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
In 2015, Nicole founded her own business, Rise Academy of Dance, in Redondo Beach. This was a long-time dream for Nicole, and she is excited for the journey to come.
Dance has always played a significant role in Nicole’s life, and she hopes to instill her passion for dance in her students.
Arlin Busano
Arlin Hrebien a native from Honolulu, Hawaii started her early dance training at a competitive studio from age 5 studying various styles such as hula, Tahitian, Jazz, tap, ballet/pointe and hip-hop. She was later a member of the Diamond Head Theatre Shooting Stars, a musical theatre repertoire. While involved with Musical Theatre, Hrebien furthered her training at 24-VII Danceforce where she focused on contemporary, hip-hop, and jazz funk art forms. She was also a company member at 24-VII and trained under many Hawaii dance superstars such as Mark Kanemura, Alicia Vela-Bailey, and Gil Duldulao. Hrebien moved to Tyler, Texas in 2007 and trained at Artistic Dance Concepts where she was part of Freedom Company. Throughout the entirety of her dance training, Hrebien has attended numerous dance competitions and conventions. She was awarded with the Pulse on Tour Protégé scholarship for three non-consecutive years where she was able to assist choreographers such as Mia Michaels, Cris Judd and Brian Friedman.
Hrebien attended Kilgore College where she was a part of the World Famous Kilgore College Rangerettes. She served as a Swingster for two years, and was Right End Lieutenant her sophomore year. Her performances as a Rangerette would include the Cotton Bowl Classic Festivities, Dallas Cowboys Games, 70th Anniversary for Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and the Black Tie and Boots Ball for the second Inauguration of President Obama in Washington D.C.
After her accomplishments as a Rangerette, Hrebien finished her studies at Texas State University in San Marcos and graduated in 2016 with a BFA in Performance and Choreography. During her years at Texas State, she was on Merge, a pre-professional dance company, performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Trey Songz, and has worked with Justin Giles and the Soul Escape Company.
Hrebien currently travels around Texas to choreograph at dance studios and high school drill/dance teams. She is also affiliated with Encore Creative Productions, Spirit of America, and West Coast Elite Dance. Hrebien is very excited and grateful to be an instructor at Rise Academy of Dance.
Mel St. Cyr
Mel St. Cyr is a native from New Hampshire and has been dancing for 19 years. Her training and experience has included Alvin Ailey Summer intensive, Joffrey Ballet School, and consistent training at The Jeannette Neill Dance Studio in Boston, MA. She has also been a part of professional groups such as Boston Community Dance Project, The Concept Artists, Static Noyze Dance Company, IMMABEAST, Rhythm City Ent. and Project Nailz attending major events like World of Dance, NYC Carnival Choreographer's Ball, and Prelude Urban Dance Competition. Her training has also brought her performance opportunities to be involved in Rolling Loud NYC, Rhythm City’s: Cosmological Warriors China Tour, Broadway in Boston: Dirty Dancing, NYC Dance Parade, and National Dance Day broadcasted on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance! Mel has also enjoyed assisting at major dance conventions and teaching at various dance studios around the New York area. working with artists like Chinese Kitty, Lil Mama, Sarah-Katarina "SKooJ", Alonzo Williams, DOMO, Ari B, 4ward Productions, and McCarthy Visuals has brought Mel to where she currently teaches and trains in Los Angeles.
Cameron Graham
Born in Los Angeles, CA, Cameron was always an entertainer at heart. Growing up in the Compton area of Los Angeles, he was fascinated with the dance moves of Michael Jackson, Usher and Omarion, and he wanted to move just like they did. After seeing the movie "You Got Served" he took notice of world known choreographer Dave Scott and decided to take hip hop dance more seriously. When he moved to Missouri, he joined a dance crew that formed at his high school. After winning talent shows, dance contests and performing for a local hip hop artist, Cameron decided to take his dance passion to the next level. At the age of 21 he moved to Oklahoma City, OK to learn more about contemporary and hip hop. He began teaching dance classes, and soon formed the dance crew/company known as Band Of Misfits. Since then,Cameron has traveled the states as well as overseas to China learning, dancing, and teaching. Cameron has been able to showcase some of his talents in events such as World Of Dance, Chris Brown's F.A.M.E tour as a pre-show act, as a co-choreographer on the "Bad Girl" music video for artist Cameron McBeth, and he has taught for dance conventions such as The Streetz and Soul de Soul. He is now working on more projects with Band Of Misfits and other personal dance projects and is a member of the MOB Dance Company. He is currently a hip hop instructor and competition choreographer and teaches master classes in different cities around the US. Today, Cameron is still pursuing his passion as a dancer and choreographer as well as an actor and home cook.
Allison Cook
Allison grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana where she began dancing with Tammy Palmer’s Center Stage Dance Company. During her time there she studied a variety of styles including jazz, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, and tap. She attended multiple regional and national competitions each year. She was also a member of the Barbe High School dance team, where she was captain her senior year. In May of 2021 Allison graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a minor in Dance. While at LSU she was a member of the LSU Tiger Girls dance team for 4 years and was captain her senior year. As part of the team, she competed in Hip Hop and Jazz at UDA College Nationals. She also performed at a variety of sporting and community events for LSU. After graduation, she spent a year in Indianapolis teaching a variety of competitive and recreational classes at Indy Dance Academy. Now living in Los Angeles, she is excited to teach at Rise!
Estelle Shaw
Estelle began her dance career at the age of 16, after many years of training in the Vaganova, and Cecchetti methods at Ballet Florida, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet and in NYC. She traveled Nationally and internationally performing with Ballet Eddy Toussaint de Montreal and Ballet Florida; working with renowned choreographers such as Peter Martins, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Danny Ezralow, Val Caniparoli, and Mauricio Wainrot, as well as works by Alvin Ailey, and George Balanchine. Some classical favorites are Coppelia, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Firebird and The Nutcracker.
After 15 years in pointe shoes she honed her singing skills and transitioned to Broadway as Dance Captain and swing in the show Fosse. Upon landing in NY Estelle had the privilege of performing with the Radio City Christmas Show for three seasons. Regional credits include: On Your Toes-Vera and Chicago–Hunyak, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film to stage) - Hollywood Bowl.
Estelle has also led a career in Pilates, Fitness and Dance Instruction. After having two beautiful children, Estelle decided to start a theater company called Broadway Arts Theater at Our Lady of Guadalupe. In order to keep moving during Covid, Estelle and Joie Shettler created Rocknfit, an online fitness studio geared to the over 35 year olds who still want to feel sexy and move their body to music.
She is thrilled to be teaching at Rise Academy of Dance, and enjoys implementing Therapeutic Barre (warms up every muscle), Floor Barre (finds and engages the muscles needed for dance), Pilates, and Strength training, into her regular teaching curriculum.
Katy Shaffer
As a native of Southern California, Katy received her early dance training in Palos Verdes. She most recently graduated from UCLA, earning her B.A. in World Arts and Cultures with a concentration on Dance Studies this June. She spent 4 years on the UCLA Dance Team, serving as Captain in previous seasons. In 2018, Katy was faculty assistant at ProAction Dance, which is a huge convention for professional and collegiate dance teams. She specializes in competitive jazz, contemporary, and lyrical and was one of our competitive team choreographers this season. Katy is passionate about teaching and choreographing, and loves sharing her knowledge with her students.
Brea Benson
Going into her second season with Rise, Brea brings a diverse dance background; trained by an Olympic gymnastics coach, at Brooksher Ballet, & with Elektrolykes hip hop crew, she was also recruited for a hip hop crew at JukeBox in Arizona. Brea started dance at age 3 and began competing at 6. She was trained in ballet, jazz, hip hop, musical theater, gymnastics, acro, tap, lyrical and contemporary. She transitioned to varsity pom in high school and assisted acro & tumbling from age 12. At 14, Brea began choreographing for varsity cheer teams, showcasing her versatility. By 15, she ventured into NYC modeling, representing the USA in Elite model look, and started working as a model in NYC. Now she continues her creativity as a cosmetologist in Manhattan Beach. Brea continues to cultivate her passion for dance into a diverse and vibrant career.
Kyleigh Colchico
Kyleigh Jai graduated from UCLA in the School of Arts and Architecture in 2023. She was a member of the UCLA Dance Team. At the age of three, Kyleigh Jai began dancing, and at fifteen years old, she started teaching at her home studio in Northern California where she developed a passion for training dancers in various styles, including jazz, ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, and tap. She deeply values her position as an educator of the arts and strives to foster confidence through the expression of movement while cultivating an understanding of the historical and cultural impact of different dance forms. Kyleigh Jai is passionate about working with the younger generation of dancers while pursuing a career in the commercial dance industry.
Ashley Richardson
Ashley is a passionate dance instructor with over a decade of experience in various dance styles, including jazz, tap, hip hop, ballet, ballroom, and contemporary. Prior to becoming an instructor, Ashley has spent a majority of her life dedicated to her own love of dance, and spent time training directly under Shannon Mather, Blake McGrath, Stephen “Twitch” Boss and Talia Favia. Her professional training includes being a dedicated member of the UCLA Spirit Squad and proceeded to join the Los Angeles Clippers after college. She is committed to fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment, and specializes in tailoring lessons to individual skill levels.
Tessa Bella deFries
Tessa Bella deFries has over 10 years’ experience working in the television, commercial and live performance industry. She grew up training in all styles of dance and most recently worked as an NBA Dancer in Los Angeles, CA. Tessa’s extensive dance training includes west coast competitive programs, Pulse on Tour, and LA based Hip Hop Crews.
Her professional credits include Justin Bieber, Lil Mama, Pharell Williams, ABC Mouse. Nickelodeon, Disney, Mattel, Sea World, ABC, KCA, KCSA, Broadway and BET!
Tessa is respected throughout the entertainment industry and known for her work ethic, professionalism, and positive mindset. Tessa has choreographed for high-school and college programs under US Spiritleaders and looks forward to continuing to coach in the competitive scene.
Tessa looks forward to sharing her passion for dance and life with you here at Rise Academy of Dance!
Laura Urgelles
Laura is a former gold medalist, Cuban ballerina and is currently a ballet & yoga instructor. Her dance career started in Cuba, and after coming to the US, she danced with Miami Hispanic Ballet, Hartford Ballet, and the Washington Ballet, with several guest appearances for other companies. Throughout her dance career, she danced a diverse repertoire, including the classicals, and contemporary works by George Ballanchine, Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, William Forsythe, Mark Morris, and Nacho Duato, among others. She also had fantastic opportunities to work closely with artists like Fernanado Bujones, Val Caniparoli, Christopher Wheeldon, and David Hallberg.
As a teacher, she has taught at several studios, at the School of the Washington Ballet, and served as an adjunct faculty member of George Mason University for 6 years. She was also a company guest teacher at California Ballet. Having recently relocated to Manhattan Beach, we are excited to welcome her to our Rise faculty.
Brooke Strachan
A native of Huntington Beach, CA, Brooke Strachan received her early dance training at Orange County Dance Center (now Dance Academy of Southern California) under the directorship of Terri and Anthony Sellars. While there, Brooke danced with the resident company- Ballet Repertory Theater, where she performed roles such as the Snow Queen in the Nutcracker, Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, the Fall Fairy in Cinderella, and Dawn in Coppelia amongst many original works. She has also spent summers training with the Joffrey Academy in Chicago, Nashville Ballet Academy, Complexions Contemporary Ballet Academy, and the Alvin Ailey School Professional Division. Brooke received a BFA in Modern Dance Performance from the University of Oklahoma School of Dance where she performed works by internationally renowned choreographers such as Ulysses Dove, Sidra Bell, Kate Weare, Rena Butler, Gus Solomons Jr., and George Balanchine. Brooke was also given opportunities to hone her choreographic voice in dance by being one of ten choreographers chosen to present work for the Young Choreographers Showcase two consecutive years, as well as producing her own show "Into the Deep." She looks forward to using her vast experience and knowledge to cultivate the next generation of dancers at Rise Academy.
Suri Serano
Suri is the most sought after ACRO/tumbling coach in the South Bay. Her decades of experience in competitive gymnastics gives her immense technique knowledge and an understanding of the hard work required to achievesuccess. Suri has 12 years of experience as a competitive gymnast and 24 years as a professional dancer in the TV and film industry. She has danced with Katy Perry, Will.I.Am, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and many more. She has also performed on the American Music Awards, American Idol, the TV show, GLEE, and is the co-host of Showstopper & Tremaine Nationals.