LAMBARRI DANCE ARTS

FACULTY

Alexa has been a dance educator for over a decade, advocating for "smart" dance training. Alexa graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts 2014 with a B.F.A. in Dance and received the University Dance Works Scholarship & Dance Express Choreography Award. Alexa is a Relative Motion Master Teacher, a NASM Certified Personal Trainer with Corrective Exercise, Youth Exercise, & Performance Enhancement Specialties & is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (Level 3), Progressing Contemporary Technique & is T Spheres Certified Teacher. Her students have gone on to perform in the National Tour of Matilda, the North American Tour of Mean Girls and attend Boston Conservatory, UArts, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Montclair State, Alvin Ailey and more! Alexa has worked with Larry Keigwin, Brian Brooks, Julia Ritter, Ginger Thatcher, Pamela Levy, Stefanie Batten Bland, & Sidra Bella & performed at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington D.C.). As a member of Zella Dance Company, Alexa performed across the United States & she toured internationally with the production Uma Saudação à Whitney Houston. In 2017 Alexa founded Lambarri Dance Arts, in memory of her grandmother Nilda Lambarri who passed from Dementia, to provide a space for young dancers to grow as artists while developing their technique incorporating functional methods to train in "smart" and more efficient ways. 

ALEXA

Marlon Santana is a professional teaching artist, dancer and creative from Elizabeth, NJ. After being self-taught for many years, he began his formal training at the age of 19 studying Hip Hop, Commercial Jazz and Contemporary Fusion. His credentials include: BTS, “The Soul Spot” Directed and Choreographed by Candace Brown, Carnival NYC, Club Jeté in LA, Sybarite and many more. Past dance companies: Motus, Royal Thieves, Kreativ Mndz, and Enigma Dance Collective. For the last few years, his main focus has been towards teaching and bettering the NY/NJ community in studios such as Broadway Dance Center, Peridance Capezio Center and Brickhouse NYC. Marlon is looking forward to more opportunities facilitating safe environments where people can grow in ways they never thought possible.

MARLON

Meghan has been dancing for over forty seasons more than half of which she has shared her passion through dance education. Beginning in the competition circuit while training at Knecht
Dance Academy she held the title, Miss Dance of Pennsylvania and performed at the TriBeCa Arts Center in the Gypsy Project. Becoming a well-rounded dancer from her home studio,
Meghan found a strong passion in ballet and additionally trained intensively with the Hamilton Ballet and Princeton Ballet. She started working professionally early on in her career as a dancer for Sesame Place and Busch Gardens, leading to such opportunities as dancing in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Meghan earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Point Park University and began teaching while finishing her degree. The opportunities that she received from her college career include dancing at the American College Dance Festival at the
Kennedy Center, choreographing and performing with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and collaborating with such companies as Parson Dance, Ballet West, Le Ballet Jazz de Montréal and Giordano Dance. It was through her college's broad training program where she continued to grow her tap skills and studied various techniques such as Gram, Limon, Horton and both the Cecchetti and Vaganova ballet techniques.

Meghans professional career expanded beyond college to include a contract performing with Holland America Cruise Line where she danced in all main stage shows. She was also hand selected to choreograph and perform for guest magicians DV8 Reality for their headlining show while on board. Finally landing on solid ground and planting roots at Miss Huguette's Broadway Dance she is honored to have had an eighteen year residency. During which she had run the Intensive Study Program, built the tap and lyrical programs and helped create the acrobatic program all while enjoying choreographing for winter ballet shows, competitions and the annual recitals. Meghan is blessed to have this full circle moment teaching at Lambarri Dance Arts 2 under the direction of her former students Alexa and Melanie.

MEGHAN

Sarah Bovat (she/her) is a New Jersey based artist, originally from Central Massachusetts. She grew up in competition dance, studying at Diane Kelley Dance Studio for 14 years. She received her BFA in Dance and a minor in Business from the University of the Arts. During her time at UArts, Sarah has worked with Sidra Bell, Helen Sinoneau, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Shayla-Vie Jenkins, Jesse Zaritt, Mark Castera, Da’Von Doane, and Katie Swords Thurman. As a teacher, she loves to inspire, encourage, empower, collaborate, and learn from young dancers. Sarah breaks the boundaries of how a studio class is run through journaling, collaging, and phrase making with students. She believes there is power in practices outside of dance, and such engagement can inform new ways of moving and thinking.

SARAH

Melanie, through over a decade of teaching, continues to put technique first and continue her own education to provide science-based, proven training to all of her students. Melanie is a graduate of Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in 2016 with a B.F.A. in Dance, cum laude, and was a recipient of the prestigious James Dickson Carr Scholarship. She has worked with choreographers Jessica Lang, Nick Bruder, Kate Weare, Jennifer Freeman, Kim Gibilisco, Keith Thompson, Pamela Levy, Doug Elkins, and Julia Ritter. As a member of the Movement Playground she has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Jacob’s Pillow, and other note-worthy NYC venues. Melanie is a Relative Motion Master Teacher, T Spheres Certified Teacher and is certified in Alixa Flexibility (Level 3), Progressing Ballet Technique Level 3 (PBT), & Flexistretcher (Advanced). Melanie is the co-Owner of Lambarri Dance Arts which was founded in memory of her grandmother Nilda Lambarri who passed from Dementia to provide a space for young dancers to grow as artists while developing their technique incorporating functional methods to train in "smart" and more efficient ways. 

MELANIE

Clarissa Jackson has had an extensive career as a professional ballet and contemporary dancer across France, including at the Junior Ballet of Lyon and the Opera Ballet of Avignon, to guesting in principal and soloist roles in Paris and New York City.  

She has worked with acclaimed choreographers including Carolyn Carlson, Isabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Marc Ribaud, and Ioannis Mandafounis, and has performed in many classical ballets such as Tchaikovsky Pas de deux, Paquita, Concerto (Kenneth MacMillan), and the Nutcracker (Brett Raphael).

She trained in France at the prestigious National Superior Conservatory of Paris with esteemed instructors from Paris Opera Ballet such as Nolwenn Daniel, Marie-Francoise Gery, Francoise Legrée, Anne Salmon, and Isabelle Ciaravola.

Her journey has taken her to the rewarding role of teaching at the Conservatory of Paris and multiple other schools in France, and now to the vibrant community at Lambarri Dance Arts.

CLARISSA