MEET OUR dance family

Amy Redmond Waran
Owner/Artistic Director

Amy is a Hollister native whose passion for dance began at age 5. Over the past 30 plus years she has trained in several dance styles including: Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Modern, Afro Haitian and Samba. Her early dance training focused mainly on ballet. She studied ballet at The Mainstreet Ballet Studio in Hollister, California under the instruction of Ariel Hall and at The Academy of Classical Ballet in Sonora, California under the instruction of Suzanne Stalley-Katsarsky (former soloist for the San Francisco Ballet). In 2000 she received a scholarship from the San Benito County Arts Commission; Ms. Redmond was the first recipient of this performing arts scholarship in San Benito County. Amy holds a B.A. in Theater Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a M.F.A. in Dance Choreography and Performance from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

After graduation from UHM she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. While living in the Bay Area she was an active member of two dance companies; Malia Movement Company and On Three Dance Company. In June of 2010 she completed a comprehensive Pilates teacher training course at Turning Point Studios in Walnut Creek, CA. Amy has taught Pilates both out of her home and at various studios/gyms around the East Bay Area.

For the past several years Amy has had the pleasure of teaching dance to children of all ages. Her classes for children focus on teaching proper technique in a disciplined environment that is encouraging and supportive. Amy's compassion and enthusiasm, combined with her education in anatomy and kinesiology, create a class environment that is not only fun, but also safe and effective.

From 2014 - 2018, Amy served on the board of directors for the San Benito Stage Company. She has choreographed 3 musicals for SBSC and is the Broadway Dance Pathway director for the SBSC Summer Theatre Camp. In 2022 she choreographed the San Benito High Schools production of The Addam's Family. Amy is a certified Zumba and Zumba Kids instructor. In 2017 Amy became a certified Intellidance instructor and completed a teaching practicum in order to make Flying Colors a licensed Intellidance facility. She is excited to bring this wonderful early childhood movement program to the Hollister community.

Owner/Co Artistic Director

Artistic Director

Amy Redmond Waran

Elizabeth Mendoza

From 2014 - 2018, Amy served on the board of directors for the San Benito Stage Company. She has choreographed 3 musicals for SBSC and has been the Dance Director for SBSC's Summer Theatre Camp since 2018. She also choreographed 2 musicals for Hollister High School, The Addam's Family and Rock of Ages. Amy is a certified Zumba and Zumba Kids instructor. In 2017 Amy became a certified Intellidance instructor.

In the fall of 2013 she opened Flying Colors Dance & Fitness in a small 1 room studio off Fallon Road in Hollister. Since then FCD has grown to include 2 locations, a performance team, and a competitive program. In the summer of 2023 she became the new owner of San Benito Dance Academy.

Amy is excited for the future of dance education in San Benito County. She looks forward to continuing to grow the quality programs that Flying Colors and San Benito Dance Academy have to offer.

Ms. Elizabeth is a San Benito Dance Academy alumnus and trained dance professional. She started her early dance training at the age of 3 at San Benito Dance Academy, and later trained at the New Ballet School focusing on ABT ballet curriculum for several years in addition to SBDA's continued training. After graduating high school in 2018 she continued her professional dance training in New York City as a Joffrey Ballet School Jazz and Contemporary Trainee. She is a graduate of the Alonzo King Lines Ballet training program in San Francisco. She learned from world-class faculty, including Alonzo King, and former and current LINES Ballet company members. At LINES, she focused on ballet, improvisation, LINES rep, Contemporary, and neoclassical ballet.

Elizabeth's involvement in SBDA has remained consistent for the last 20 years, even prior to it having its name! In her time studying dance elsewhere she still always found herself at every SBDA show, as a guest performer, volunteer, or choreographer. She have performed in 13 productions of SBDA’s The Nutcracker, but has also been involved with all 15 productions in some way. In 2022, she worked as Assistant Director of SBDA's annual Nutcracker. In 2023 Elizabeth became SBDA's Artistic Director. When asked about her new role, Elizabeth stated, "Stepping into this new position as the Dance Director is such a full circle moment for me and it feels so right. I couldn’t be more excited for what's to come."

Billing/Office Manager

Alisa Vass

Alisa Vass graduated from SJSU in 2000 with a degree in Psychology and minored in Business and Communications. She came to SBDA in 2007 when her eldest daughter began dancing with SBDA as a Petite Dancer.

In 2014, Alisa was blessed with the opportunity to do the bookkeeping for SBDA, which includes but not limited to handling all things related to tuition, membership fees, dancer account reconciliation, and inventory and merchandise accounting. Alisa also helps with several administrative support projects. Talking with dancer families and getting to know them and their needs is always a highlight in working at the studio. SBDA is a family centered studio that Alisa and her family are proud to be a part of.

Instructional Staff

Casandra Guerrero Teen Ballet, Ballet 4, Ballet 3B Ms. Casandra received formal ballet training since the age of seven at Lareen Fender’s The Ballet School, advancing to the Ballet Joyeaux company, and performing in its productions. She has a theatre background, including Center Rep's professional theatre training program, Young Rep, and has performed in shows such as “Grease” and “West Side Story.” Ms. Casandra continued to study dance and theatre at UC Santa Cruz and performed with International Academy of Dance in their production of The Nutcracker (while pregnant with her firstborn). Ms. Casandra has been part of the SBDA family since 2016 and has performed in SBDA’s Nutcracker every year since her daughters have started dancing. She is passionate about using her theatre and character development expertise with young and advanced dancers.

Angela Avila Ballet 5, 6 and 7 Ms. Angela was a professional ballet dancer with the Hartford Ballet, Richmond Ballet and the Israeli Ballet. She has taught at ballet schools across the country, and joined the SBDA instructor team in 2020. She currently instructs advanced ballet and pointe dancers in levels 5, 6 & 7, and has a daughter, Izzy, who is in Ballet Level 6 this year.

Leslie Hoffman Beg/Interm Adult Ballet Adult Pre-pointe/pointe

Chelcie Bielejec Ballet 2, Ballet 3A, Beg Teen Ballet

Raeann Collison Tap - all levels

Krisuan Rosalejos Hip Hop 1, 2 and 3 Competition Hip Hop

Hilary Sharp Acro 3, 4 and 5, FCD Dance Team & Competitive Teams

Lauryn Popham Dance for Musical Theatre & Teen Acro Technique

Kaitlyn Redmond Ballet 2, Ballet 3A

Mikey Gutierrez Hip Hop Minis, Hip Hop 1, Hip Hop Grooves

Stephanie Hicks Ballet Substitute Instructor & pre-pointe/pointe and Advanced Ballet private lessons

STUDENT Instructors

Addison Smith

Alessia Caceres

Not Pictured:

Vivian Anderson
Mazzy Duran
Hailey Riechers

Administrative Staff

Lupe Alcalon
Front Desk Admin & Auditions/Events Check in

Karina Caceres
Front Desk Admin & Auditions/Events Check in

Dana Butler
Front Desk Admin Performance & Competition Team Coordinator

San Benito Dance Academy's History

Lara King

SBDA'S Former Owner/Artistic Directer (2017 - 2023)

Ms. Lara (Lichten) King, born and raised in Washington State, spent her formative years gaining a dance education with Pioneer Dance Arts Academy. Trained in the core styles of ballet, tap, jazz, modern/Bartenieff Fundamentals and Laban movement, Ms. Lara experienced additional dance forms in elective movement classes such as tumbling, hip-hop, performance arts, and Capoeira Brazilian martial arts. She was raised in an academic-studio setting that demanded rigorous efforts and commitment, was instilled with an education of mind and body, and also competed with the Performing Company of Pioneer Dance Arts in modern, ballet, and jazz styles for several years during her adolescence. Bill Evans and his modern training were also very influential in Ms. Lara’s development of modern dance theory.

Ms. Lara completed her undergrad studies in 2010 at Whitworth University. While obtaining two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Cross-Cultural Studies and Spanish, as well as a Speech Communication minor and Certification in Teaching ELL/ESL/TESOL, Ms. Lara was also active in dance performance and activities. She performed in many works of choreography on stage, in the community, led a campus dance troupe and club, and took dance classes: jazz, ballroom, liturgical dance ministries and outreach, as well as student choreography. Additionally, through education abroad, Ms. Lara was blessed to dance with the Universidad Nacional's modern and Latin dance students in Heredia, Costa Rica. Outside of a studio context, she has also taken great pleasure in observing and partaking in Latin social dance, as well as Asian forms of movement and performance.

Ms. Lara also gained experience in dance aerobics, yoga and exercise fitness during her years living and working abroad. She traveled extensively during her young adult years--from missionary endeavors to international studies, and specifically working in the Education Field in Latin America and Asia for several years, post-grad. During multiple mission trips abroad, Ms. Lara has put on dance camps as a form of outreach ministries, spanning cultural and linguistic gaps to teach international youth basic ballet movement, as well as perform special presentations and performances en pointe in various locales (not just on stages, but also in confined spaces, in the dirt, on tile, uneven concrete and riser structures, or even in the sand on a beach!).

Ms. Lara moved to Hollister in 2013 to be close to extended family, and at that time, joined the SBDA family as a member of the teaching faculty. Inspired by her love of dance and fusing it with her background in education, Ms. Lara has toke over SBDA upon SBDA Founder/Original Owner/Director Ms. Kim Lavagnino's retirement, in January 2018. Due to personal reason, Lara and her family are moving out of the area in 2024, and in preparation to do so, ownership of the studio was passed on to Amy Redmond Waran, owner of local dance studio Flying Colors Dance & Fitness.

Kim Lavagnino

SBDA's Founder (Owner 2005 - 2017)

Ballet is “Miss Kim’s” passion. It became a part of her life through her daughters. She was 38 when she took her first ballet class with her girls. It is her testimonial that you are never too old to learn a new thing or to reach for a new dream. She opened San Benito Dance Academy in 2005 with a small group of dancers and instructors. There is a saying that some dancers are not good teachers and that some teachers are not good dancers. Ms. Kim says she fell into the latter category. “My peeps are the 3-6 year olds.”

SBDA thrived. It also needed more room. Ms. Kim was able to design the space with her own specifications in a new building, from scratch. SBDA families stepped up to volunteer their time and talent. In 2010, doors opened at the McCray Street location. She wanted to offer the community a place where families could bring their dancers who were all shapes and sizes, in a family atmosphere--a safe place. SBDA had the best in classical ballet instruction with the focus on the dancer’s heart and self-worth. It is Ms. Kim’s goal that each dancer leave the studio feeling better about themselves than when they came in.

At the end of 2017, with 12 recitals and 10 Nutcracker seasons in the books under Ms. Kim’s directorship, she joined her husband in retirement, selling the studio to Ms. Lara King (Lichten). “I have always felt blessed to live my passion. I have 4 daughters and 6 grandchildren. They are not all dancers, but sharing this passion with them has been a joy beyond words. My lifelong purpose has been to make a difference.”
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