DANCE EDUCATORS
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Laurie Maliwanag

Laurie is co-owner and the artistic director of Exceleration Studios.  She is originally from Madison, WI and extensively trained in ballet, jazz, tap and other genres of dance.  She was accepted to study at Boston Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Ballet West, and Hubbard Street summer intensives in her youth and was awarded scholarships to study at professional studios in Los Angeles and New York, such as Tremaine, The Edge, and Broadway Dance Center.  After turning down a scholarship to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an offer to attend Julliard, Laurie moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dancing dreams.

When Laurie first moved to Los Angeles, she became a backup dancer for Jessica Simpson and appeared in music videos and stage performances for artists Toni Braxton, Mandy Moore, and Shaggy.  Besides pursuing commercial dance jobs, her love was in the company work where she had the privilege to dance for many great contemporary choreographers.  She was asked to participate in the River North Dance Company in Chicago, assisted Jen Ballard, the original artistic director in creating Cedar Lake Ensemble, and danced for Mia Michaels in her company RAW. 

Multiple students of Laurie’s have been accepted and attended the Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensives in both Los Angeles and New York, as well as American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive in NYC.  Other students have been handpicked as “Best in Show” from the Burbank high schools nationally acclaimed show choirs.  3 of her beginning students were featured as “young dancers” in the hit show Glee and many of her students have received scholarships and awards at regional dance conventions and competitions, including her own award for “Choreographic Excellence”. Laurie has taught dance classes in Burbank elementary schools since 2010, and also teaches ballet to competitive gymnasts, many of which are state, regional, and national champions.

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Krystine Geronimo

​Krystine is a Toronto native who currently resides in Los Angeles, California.  She started dancing at the age of 4 and was competing locally and internationally by the age of 6.  Krystine decided to relocate to the States when she was awarded a scholarship to train at the world renowned EDGE Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, California.  She has appeared in music videos, stage performances and tours for numerous international musical artists including Chris Brown, Ludacris, Swizz Beatz, Cody Simpson, The Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Zendaya, Bella Thorn, The Cheetah Girls, Toni Braxton, Christina Milian, Omarion, Lil Mama, JoJo, Sabrina Bryan and Ms. Triniti.  Krystine has also performed on many television and award shows such as Ellen, MTV's Total Request Live, Live with Kelly, The Grammy's, The Latin Grammy's, American Music Awards, Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, MTV's Dance Life, Shake It Up, and The Fresh Beat Band.  She has also appeared in print ads, industrials, and commercials for Nike, BYOU, BODOG and Guess.  Krystine's movie credits include Spring Breakdown, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, and Disney's Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam.  

Michelle Barty

Michelle has studied ballet since the age of 3.  She studied many years with the Clytie Adams School of Ballet where she received training in jazz, contemporary, and of course ballet.  Michelle was part of the Davis County Dance Company and performed several solo performances with them.  While attending Brigham Young University, she was on the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble which took her traveling to many places to perform.  She has performed in many musical productions as well as choreographed for shows such as State Fair, Kiss Me Kate, and Guys and Dolls. She has taught all levels of ballet at studios in Orem, Utah and San Diego, CA.  Michelle is excited to be with Exceleration Studios.

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Megan Sarbaugh

Megan Sarbaugh has been dancing since the age of 2.  She began training at Dance Dimensions in Longmont, CO, where she also began to teach at the age of 16. Through training, Megan has become well versed in such styles as tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, contemporary and jazz funk.  During her time at Dance Dimensions she had the opportunity to perform with the prestigious Tap Dogs at the Buell Theatre.  

Megan has since moved to Los Angeles to continue a career in professional dance.  Her journey started with the Guided Study Program at the Edge Performing Arts Center training under Bill Prudich, Terri Best, Sabrina Phillip, Ricky Lam and many more.  Upon graduating from the program, Megan joined the highly respected bollywood infusion dance company, Karmagraphy where she had the opportunity to perform with the Asia Society Gala, "52 Blend" Afro Latino, and on David Tutera's reality TV show "Wedding CELEBrations".  She is also a member of Ryan Lohoff’s tap company, Rithem Dance Company.  Most recently, Megan has joined GEOMETRY, a contemporary dance company directed by Kenzie Crosley where she also became Crosley's Executive Assistant.  With GEOMETRY, Megan has had many performing opportunities including the 14th Factory, GEOMETRY's full length show "Amorphous", Dancing Italy Festival and the Capezio Ace Awards.  She is also Terri Best's weekly assistant at Edge PAC.  

​Megan is determined to share all of her knowledge as she continues to pursue her passion. ​

Morgan Hood

Morgan began her dance training at the age of 4 in a small town in Northern California.  She studied tap, ballet, and jazz.  When she was 13, Morgan began commuting to Sacramento to study ballet.  As a teen Morgan attended summer intensives with Alonzo King's LINES Ballet, UCLA World Arts and Cultures/Dance & Theater, and Joffrey Ballet WEST where she was a ballet soloist.  Morgan graduated from UCLA in 2017 with a BA in Dance and Sociology.  There she worked with leading dance scholars and choreographers, produced and choreographed for undergraduate productions, directed an on-campus dance company, and taught dance at the John Wooden Center where she received "Instructor of the Year" in 2016. Morgan has appeared in music videos, commercials, and numerous corporate events.  As she continues to train and perform, Morgan teaches dance to all ages and levels.  She is on staff at multiple studios in Los Angeles, the UCLA Theater, Film, and Television Department, and the Toyota Sports Center where she trains aspiring ice skaters in ballet and conditioning.  She aspires to share the beauty, discipline, and cultural importance of dance with her students no matter the age, level, or style. 

Rileigh Knight

Rileigh was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, where she began taking dance classes at the age of six.  After taking that very first class, she was hooked.  She began competing regionally and nationally when she was 10 years old, and trained in a variety of styles such as ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical, tap, and jazz funk.  At the age of fourteen she taught her first dance class, and after that began consistently teaching at a variety of studios in her local area.  She then moved to Los Angeles in 2017, and participated in and completed the prestigious Edge Scholarship Program in 2018.  Rileigh looks forward to many more years of training and teaching.

Jovver Fortuno

Living in Los Angeles California for several years now, Jovver Fortuno has established himself as a professional dancer, choreographer & instructor. Jovver has been privileged enough to travel the world teaching workshops & dancing for numerous choreographers, artists and productions. Credits include: MTV, American Music Awards, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, SM entertainment, and more. As one of the Hip Hop Instructors at Exceleration Studios, he is helping groom the next generation of performers.