Who we are
Amanda Cuoco
Founder and Artistic Director
Amanda Cuoco is a native Texan who began studying ballet at the age of five. Amanda went on to dance professionally with Ballet El Paso by age 12. She earned her BFA in ballet from the University of Texas at El Paso in 2005 and has performed with Ballet El Paso/UTEP Ballet, Lone Star Ballet, El Paso Opera, El Paso Symphony, "Viva El Paso!", Shakespeare on the Rocks, El Paso Salseras, UTEP Dinner Theater, Amarillo Little Theater, West Texas A&M Ballet, and "TEXAS!" Outdoor Drama.
Amanda has been teaching ballet since the age of 18 under the direction of Andree Harper, and later Neil Hess. She continued her career as the Head of Administration and a resident substitute teacher for The School at Steps, a division of Steps on Broadway in New York City for almost a decade. She has taught at numerous studios including Backstage Performing Arts Center, Sharron Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts, Westfield School of Dance, Motion Arts Dance Studios, among many others throughout New Jersey. She recently earned her certification in Progressing Ballet Technique in 2020.
Her professional career in administration has made her a valuable asset at Barnard College, Columbia University, Mason Gross School of the Arts Department of Dance at Rutgers University, and Montclair State University.
Amanda Cuoco currently resides in Montclair, New Jersey. She is vibrantly passionate about ballet, fitness, and dance in general and is thrilled about her new dance studio in the heart of Bloomfield, NJ.
photo by: Jaqlin Medlock Photography
Keisa Parrish
Horton and Jazz Instructor
Keisa Parrish began her training in dance in Los Angeles CA under the direction of 3 amazing teachers; Paul and Arlene Kennedy of the infamous tap studio, Universal Dance Designs which lended her the opportunity to perform with Michael Jackson; Cyd Glover-Hill of Art in Motion and Karon Brown Lehman at LA County High School of the Arts.
While earning a BFA degree from Fordham University’s joint program with The Ailey® School, she became a Radio City Rockette, performing in the Christmas Spectacular, doing print ads for Bloomingdale's and making special appearances all over the Tri-State area. Keisa has been teaching and choreographing for the past 25 years and judging dance competitions for the last 17 years. Her various schools and organizations include Harlem School of the Arts, where she was also the Assistant Dance Director, Next Step Bradway, where she was manager and Assistant Artistic Director, Elite Dance Challenge Competition, Pathway to the Arts, (E)motion by Design, Hal Jackson's Talented Teens International Competition, Dancers Inc. Competition, The Rockette Experience as well as many other dance studios in the Tri-State area.
She is also Yoga/Pilates/TRX certified, who’s been featured in Fitness Magazine, on Pix 11 Morning News, and Buzzfeed, and had been teaching classes/workshops for great companies such as YogaWorks and Clay Gym for over 13 years. Colgate Palmolive has hired her to teach their global leaders "How to use Mindfulness to Alleviate Stress,” while The Covenant House hired her to teach “Exercising & Eating Your Stress Away.” She has also taught Pilates as a Team Building program to the Nike Basketball Team New York. Keisa is now the Founder and CEO of Luebirta and Kaleonani Inc, a Performing Arts and Wellness education and consulting company that strives to educate, empower and guide communities to be their best selves.
Elisa Matos
Administrative Assistant
Hello everyone! My name is Elisa Matos and I am so excited to be AC Dance's first official Administrative Assistant! I am currently a college student pursuing my degree in education in hopes of becoming a dance teacher in a public school. Dance has always been a significant part of my life. I'm so fortunate that I get to be around such hard working, creative dancers and instructors. It is both a privilege and honor and I look forward to working with you all!
Alanna Espinal
Beg Ballet and Jazz Instructor
Alanna Espinal is a dancer, choreographer, educator and a student. Alanna is trained in all stage styles including Ballet, Jazz , Tap, Contemporary, Acrobatics etc. She is currently a dance BFA at Mason Gross School of the Arts in Rutgers New Brunswick. She is the founder and co-director of Transcendence Dance Company, part of Brickhouse’s commercial training company Mixrz / X Factory and part of the teaching faculty at a few dance studios in the North Jersey area. She has choreographed, backup danced for and made special appearances in various artists’ music videos including Money Moves (Alus) and “Why Me?” (Law). Aside from dance, Alanna also has a love for musical theater and most recently did a production of A Chorus Line. She has performed in company works, dance visuals, and world wide competitions such as World Of Dance. Alanna loves helping students develop their craft and creative voices as artists and really looks forward to join AC Dance’s teaching faculty.