Meet NOVA'S Staff

Aubrey received her formal dance training from a ballet conservatory in her hometown of New Mexico. She danced with a pre-professional company from the time she was 12. She has a BSED in education from Northern Arizona University and has used her skills as a classroom educator, curriculum designer, and instructional trainer to bring new ideas to dance. Aubrey has studied nutrition, bio-functional movement, physiotherapy, and personal training to train young athletes and dancers. Her passion is to provide dancers and adults alike with effective skills to awaken their body, mind, and soul, and fall in love with movement. Aubrey is an ABT-certified instructor, trained pointe shoe fitter, and RYT with advanced training in yin and biofunctional, NOVA's signature class.

Laura grew up dancing in Southern Maine, studying ballet and tap at 3 years old. She trained at Maine State Ballet, working her way up through the company to becoming a soloist! She has enjoyed performing in many ballets, and some of her favorite roles have been the Lead Creature in Firebird, The Summer Fairy in Cinderella, The Moth in A Midsummer's Night Dream, and Clara in The Nutcracker. Laura moved to Jacksonville in 2020 and has enjoyed teaching both children and adult dance classes at NOVA.

Hannah began taking ballet classes at the age of 4. Since then, her love for dance has only grown! As she moved around the country in adolescence and adulthood, she has taken classes with many teachers in a variety of ballet styles, including Cecchetti, Vaganova, and ABT. She is also trained in Pointe, Contemporary, and Modern. She has performed multiple roles in The Nutcracker Ballet, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Peter Pan, Aladdin, and The Jungle Book. 

Before joining the NOVA team in 2022, Hannah taught ballet in YMCA classes, private home lessons, and more. Hannah is an ABT® Certified Teacher who has completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

Sydney grew up in Portland, Oregon, where she began dancing at the age of seven. That year, she moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and continued her dance career into late high school. She enjoyed dance of different genres such as ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary, and lyrical. Since graduating from high school, she has enjoyed being able to continue dancing through the adult classes offered at NOVA Dance & Wellness. She is pursuing her Master's degree in Social Work to become a counselor. Although she desires for dance to forever be a part of her life, and to guide students as they deepen their passion for dance. She greatly enjoys partnering with NOVA as they bring passion and joy to the community through the power of dance and wellness.

I grew up in Vermont dancing and doing gymnastics. In High School, I was in my school's fine arts program where I learned the foundations of many styles including Jazz, Modern, Ballet, and more. I was also taught dance history, choreography, and terminology. I was on our school's Dance Company and performing for 4 years.

I went on to coach cheerleading, take classes, and then open my community-focused dance studio which I ran for 9 years before moving. During this time I trained in Hip Hop, studied the culture, and trained with many master teachers, poppers, and Bboys. I worked hard to keep hip-hop authentic and also be able to break down its technique in the studio and choreograph for performances and competitions. I have since taken classes and taught in California and North Carolina where I was contracted to run the dance and tumble program at Camp Lejeune.

My Acro training is mixed acrobatics arts and ADTA and my hip hop is a mix of using updated info from the John Comix Method and my training with street artists. I now have over 20 years of teaching and choreography experience.

Megan has been a dancer for as long as she can remember! She was a competitive dancer for most of her life and continued her dancing career as a member of her college's dance team and dance company! She was born and raised in Queens, New York, and attended Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, for her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Dance. Megan then completed her master's degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, where she worked at the division I level in Student-Athlete Support Services! 

Megan and her mini poodle, Stark, moved here as her fiancé matched for his anesthesia residency at UF Health. She works in Human Resources and loves to spend her days helping others. In her free time, Megan likes to take long walks, read, watch Netflix, practice yoga, and enjoy the sunshine. She is so excited to teach and join our team as dance has always been an integral part of her physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being!

Zach started dancing when he was 3 years old in his mother's dance studio, and has continued to dance for 23 years. He started in creative movement, clogging, and hip hop, and then focused his training on Hip Hop and Breaking. Zach has grown up around Hip Hop culture and danced with many professional BBoys. He has participated in Jams, Battles, and Cyphers all over the country. He has taken master classes in LA with Quest Crew and many other professional Hip Hop Masters. Zach's combination of training from authentic BBoys from Maine, Massachusetts, and New York, and his choreography experience from dancing in studios, makes him great at bringing breaking to the classroom. He understands the culture and style of Breaking and can teach it in a structured way that helps students not only master technique and choreography but also freestyle and cypher. Zach is also a NASM-certified personal trainer and has many years of tumbling experience.

Ellen began dancing at the age of 3, starting with ballet and tap, and has loved it ever since. In 5th grade, she discovered her passion for musical theater, which she continued to pursue alongside training in multiple dance styles through middle and high school. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Palm Beach Atlantic University, where she studied ballet, tap, and jazz. Ellen has worked with children in both performance and classroom settings, directing and choreographing children’s musicals. In addition to teaching Primary Ballet, she works as a professional actor in regional theatre and enjoys spending time with her husband, reading, and baking macarons.

Noalani has had a passion for movement and creativity since she was young, and seeks to implement that wherever possible! She is currently a student and a local creative here in Jacksonville Beach! She values intentionality and authenticity and desires to make everyone feel seen and welcomed! Expressing herself through Dance and movement has always played a big part in her life, and she is excited to share that with others.

Tony is a dedicated wellness professional with over 25 years of experience in the industry. As a Certified Yoga Instructor (200hr), Certified Health Coach, and Licensed Massage Therapist, he brings a unique perspective to his yoga practice and teaching. He is trained in Vinyasa Flow, trauma-informed yoga, and functional fitness. Tony is passionate about sharing the transformative power of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. With over 5 years of teaching experience, Tony has helped countless individuals discover the peace and balance that yoga offers. He believes that yoga is a journey of self-discovery and is committed to guiding students towards a more fulfilling life.

Maria Tucker

Jazz, Tap Instructor

Maria Tucker began her love affair with the arts at the age of twelve, studying with and being mentored by Zetta (Shook) Alderman. She received scholarships to Gus Giordano Dance Center in Evanston, IL, and the University of Arizona, School of Dance in Tucson, AZ. She has been performing, teaching, collaborating, and creating for more than 20 years; with credits including Royal Caribbean Entertainment, Busch Gardens, Bodyvox, Northwest Dance Project, Broadway Rose Theatre Company, Oregon Children's Theatre, and Colorado Jazz Dance Company. For more info: MARIA TUCKER - Teaching artist, choreographer, performer

A lifelong dancer and musical theater kid, Tyra Dant brings a rich and varied background to NOVA. Her professional credits include featured roles in Crazy for You, Anything Goes, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Will Rogers Follies with the former American Musical Theater of San Jose. She was a cast member of San Francisco's Beach Blanket Babylon, the world's longest-running musical revue, and performed as a singer and dancer, first on dinner cruises in NYC, and then all over the world aboard Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises.

Alongside her husband on guitar, Tyra leads worship at their church and fronts the blues band, Toots Lorriane and the Traffic. Their two children also dance at NOVA.

She is grateful to God for his generational blessing of creativity in all its forms and has a desire for all of her students to dance in freedom and joy! In Him, we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28