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 dance career.

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.

After a professional career of her own, Laurie started teaching dance and has taught in Burbank since 2007. She loves teaching ballet and jazz, as well as setting choreography on Exceleration's company members. She is a technician at heart but loves creating and telling stories through her pieces.  She believes kids are capable of doing more than we think they can and has high expectations for her students while keeping things fun and age appropriate. Many of her students are accomplishing goals people only dream about, such as dancing on Disney, Nickelodeon, and other tv shows, music videos, becoming Kidzbop kids, and dancing on Broadway. 

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.  

Morgan Hood

Morgan is a professional dancer in Los Angeles who specializes in ballet, contemporary, and tap. She received her dance degree from UCLA in 2017 and has since performed in several company works, events and music videos. She has been teaching ballet for eight years at studios around Los Angeles and will begin teaching ballet at both UCLA’s department of Theater, Film, and Television and World Arts and Cultures/Dance departments in the fall. She trains all ages ranging from 2 years old to adults and hopes to instill the beauty and discipline of ballet technique to all who wish to learn. 

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.

Arpine
Assadourian

Arpine began dancing at the age of five, but moved to Exceleration Studios at the age of 13 to explore everything else dance had to offer.  She competed with the studio’s Hip Hop Crew at the time, attending conventions and developing a deeper understanding of musicality, creativity, and teamwork.  While her main focus was hip hop, she trained in several different dance styles as well.  She was on Unleashed Dance Team at Burbank High School, along with CSUN’s competitive hip hop dance team FASA Modern.  She will be attending USC in the fall where she plans to participate in one of their dance teams while she works to earn her degree in Speech Pathology. Arpine is so excited that her dance journey is coming full circle as she is now able to teach and be a part of the next generation of Exceleration dancers!

Jensen Freedman

Jensen began dancing at age 3, focusing on ballet and tap.  After graduating from high school, Jensen performed and toured with Ryan Lohoff for Hollywood Vibe Dance Convention.  In 2016 she was an assistant choreographer and a featured dancer in Ryan Lohoff’s company for tap, Rithem Dance Company.  Jensen has worked with Streetz Dance Convention, Intrigue Dance Convention, and Tap Into the Network.  Through her experience, Jensen has developed a respect for the history of tap dance.  She enjoys working with youth and adults of any level and her joy for sharing the importance of tap and tap history is evident when she teaches.

Aika Doone

Aika Doone, originally from Orange County, California, began her training at West Coast School of the Arts.  In 2009, she went on to study at the Commercial Dance Conservatory at the Orange County High School of the Arts.  In 2015, Aika attended Chapman University and graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance in 2019. While at Chapman, Aika had the opportunity to expand her training with numerous notable choreographers.  During her senior year, Aika was appointed dance captain for the Complexions Contemporary Ballet repertory piece that was set on students by Desmond Richardson.  Along with her studies, Aika began an apprenticeship with Backhaus Contemporary Dance in 2018, gaining valuable performance experience with the company.  In her most recent performance with Backhaus, Aika performed the lead in an original work by Dwight Rhoden at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.  Upon graduation, Aika transitioned to Los Angeles to work on various projects as a freelance artist.  Currently, Aika is the head faculty member and program coordinator for the IAF Mentorship Program.  Aika looks forward to showcasing the knowledge she has accumulated throughout her years of experience with her students and will continue sharing her love for movement to audiences around the world.

Caitlyn Moyer

Caitlyn Moyer grew up in Madison, Wisconsin training at Synergy Dance Academy.  She began attending Tremaine Dance conventions at age 7 and became a member of the Tremaine Performance Program at 12.  Tremaine was a key outlet in her training to push her to the next level.  In 2015, she was announced Senior Female Dancer of the Year.  Since then, she has continued her training at Joffrey Ballet Chicago, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, and continues to work with established teachers across the country.  She moved to Los Angeles in 2017, but soon after adventured to Japan starting her professional career working at Tokyo Disney Land as an aerialist, dancer and actor.  She moved back to Los Angeles, continuing to perform at El Capitan Theatre for Disney.  She is also in the cast of “Let’s Get Up!” by Beachbody with Shaun T.  Caitlyn's passions don’t stop at dance.  She is also a personal trainer and works in the fitness industry as a group fitness trainer.

Lily Thongnuam

Lily Thongnuam is originally from Madison, Wisconsin where she started dancing at age 3.  She has trained in a variety of styles since a young age, including contemporary, jazz, hip hop, modern, ballet, ballroom, and tap.  She competed competitively for years along with being captain of her high school dance team.  In 2019, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance performance and a minor in studio art at Chapman University.  In college, Lily performed/choreographed on the “Zumanity” Cirque du Soleil stage in Las Vegas.  She also had the pleasure of working with acclaimed choreographers Hamilton Evans, Nick Lanzisera, Ido Tadmor, and Justin Giles for the dance touring ensemble.  In the commercial world, she can be seen as a featured dancer on CBS’s “The Bold and the Beautiful” alongside Nia Sioux.  This year she will be on West Coast Dance Explosion’s Air Team and will be traveling across the nation assisting and gaining mentorship from their faculty.  Lily has a strong passion for teaching and choreographing, and began at a very young age.  You can also find Lily in the yoga studio since she is a certified yoga instructor and has taught at several studios in Madison and Orange County.  She is excited to implement all of her own dance experiences and teaching skills with her students.

Bryce Moyer