Dance with us!
Faculty
Miss Zsa-Zsa
Owner of Duo Dance and Teacher
Pop Tweens, Latin Dance and Show Team Coach
A full-time nurse, mom, and member of a Latin dance team who's always had a passion for dance and love for kids. She's danced and performed since the age of 4 with a background in ballet, tap, hip hop, Tahitian and cheer.
Ms Madelin
Studio Manager and Teacher
Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, Pop Tots/Tweens, Jazz and Show Team Coach
Madelin Braun has been dancing since early childhood, training in Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Modern, and a variety of other techniques. She began teaching dance at her home studio in the Central Valley of California at the age of 15. In addition to her teaching, she participated rigorously in the studio’s Competition Teams by traveling, performing, and competing all over California. In 2012, she relocated to San Francisco to attend San Francisco State University, earning a minor in Dance. While attending SF State, she dove deeper into her dance training, participated in several Student Choreography Showcases, served as a member of the University Dance Theater Company 2014-2015 and as Student Dance Alliance VP 2014-2015. She has been teaching Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Lyrical, Jazz, and Jazz Funk at a variety of studios and summer camps around the Bay Area since 2013 and received a Choreography award at a local competition Dupree Dance in 2015. During the pandemic Madelin has been an integral part of choreographing and directing performances and studio management. When she’s not dancing, Madelin enjoys spending time outside on walks, gardening in her yard, and traveling.
Miss Chloe
Teacher/Dancer
Combo Ballet/Tap, Tap, Ballet
Chloe has been dancing with Duo Dance since she was five years old. Combining her passion for learning, teaching, and dance, she is now a dance instructor and active student at the studio. She is a senior at Oceana High School who teaches ballet and tap.
Miss Val
Teacher
Tap, Hip - Hop and Latin Dance
Valeria Bernal is a dance teacher and choreographer from Panama City, Panama and currently resides in San Francisco, CA. Valeria trained classical techniques such as ballet, modern, jazz, and tap at the Academia de Danzas Steps since she was three years old. As an adult, she trained with other studios that specialized in ballroom dancing, Latin styles, dancehall, reggaetón and hip-hop in her hometown and the US. She is passionate about teaching dance and sharing her lively and cheerful energy with others in any city she resides. The teaching style and choreography that Valeria creates prioritizes the dancer’s experience. She creates a space for all to identify their strengths, explore their individuality, and develop self-confidence.
Miss Akemi
Teacher
Latin Dance
Inspired by a street performance and the music around her, Michigan native Shaneeka “Akemi” Smoot began her dance journey as a young girl. “Akemi learned how to salsa, bachata, merengue, before she could walk,” her family jokes as to how she learned the various styles. From humble upbringings Akemi’s family couldn’t afford dance classes, so a lot of her style was self-taught, until she later began break dancing with her cousin who introduced her into the world of hip hop. That sparked something in the young Akemi to create her own dances. With over 15 years of performance and 6 years of teaching experience, she continues her study of dance in and out of the studio here in San Francisco. Akemi is an instructor with Loco Bloco, as well as dance mission theater. Her later goals in life are to travel the world, own a dance a studio/theater. After she becomes too old to dance she will be become a chef!
Miss Alexis
Teacher
Hip - Hop, Combo Ballet/Tap, Jazz and Latin Dance
Alexis started dancing at age three. She grew up going to the dance studio in her hometown and transitioned to the dance teams at her middle school and high school. This is where she really fell in love with dance. Her formal training includes jazz, hip-hop, modern, and tap. She received her dance credits from San Francisco State University and the City College of San Francisco. Alexis is currently pursuing her dance teaching credential from the University of San Francisco so she can teach in public schools. Alexis is passionate about dance accessibility for all students everywhere. She has performed with numerous teams and companies. Currently, she is a part of the Barclay Broadway Dance Company and Groove Generation Dance Company. She has also performed with the Sambaxé Dance Company and Joe Landini Dance. Alexis is so happy to be dancing with the Duo family! Inspired by a street performance and the music around her, Michigan native Shaneeka “Akemi” Smoot began her dance journey as a young girl. “Akemi learned how to salsa, bachata, merengue, before she could walk,” her family jokes as to how she learned the various styles. From humble upbringings Akemi’s family couldn’t afford dance classes, so a lot of her style was self-taught, until she later began break dancing with her cousin who introduced her into the world of hip hop. That sparked something in the young Akemi to create her own dances. With over 15 years of performance and 6 years of teaching experience, she continues her study of dance in and out of the studio here in San Francisco. Akemi is an instructor with Loco Bloco, as well as dance mission theater. Her later goals in life are to travel the world, own a dance a studio/theater. After she becomes too old to dance she will be become a chef!