2026 Summer Guest Faculty

McKaylah Bristow is an Atlanta-based dancer and choreographer, as well as a current student at Kennesaw State University, studying both Dance and Public Relations. She has strong technique in contemporary, ballet, hip hop, jazz, commercial jazz, and tap. She has had her choreographic works featured in festivals and shows such as Spectra Vol. 1 hosted by Monica Hogan Danceworks, the Fall for Fall Festival, The Choreographer’s Showcase, and the KSU Dance ChoreoLab 2022, 2023, and 2024. She has been fortunate enough to attend many summer intensives, including the Debbie Allen Dance Academy Summer Intensive and the BODYTRAFFIC Summer Intensive. During her time at KSU, she has taken classes from Autumn Eckman, Billy James Hawkins III, Caitlin Gray, Lisa K. Lock, and Mcree O’Kelly, and has had the opportunity to work with many local and international guest artists. McKaylah has also taken additional classes with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Jamal White, Juel D. Lane, Martha Nichols, and Brian Friedman. She has also gotten the opportunity to study abroad in Amsterdam with artists, such as Emma Evelein and Dereck Cayla, at Henny Jurienns Studio and ICK Dans.

McKaylah will be teaching during the Summer Dance Intensive.

Kylee Bowen 

Chandra Formaggioni With over 20 years of teaching experience, Chandra has a background in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz and ballroom. She received a major in broadcast journalism with a minor in dance and choreography from Berry College. She has received awards for her choreography as well as been accepted into the National Creative Society. 

Miss Chandra has been a guest choreographer with Sawnee Ballet Theatre and has set numerous pieces over the decade.  Most recently, she set Brokedown Palace for the spring concert this past Macrh.

Chandra will be teaching Repertory during the Summer Dance Intensive.

Abbi Fouts Throughout her 18 years of training, Abbi has studied a wide range of styles and developed a deep passion for dance. She trained with Sawnee School of the Arts for six years and performed with Sawnee Ballet Theatre for four years, where she was honored to dance the roles of Clara and the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker, as well as Dulcinea in The Dream Scene from Don Quixote. In addition to these featured roles, she has performed in numerous other productions during her time with the company, bringing a wide range of characters to life on stage. Currently, she serves as the Dance Chairman of Kappa Delta at Georgia Southern University, where she leads choreography and coordinates performances for her sorority. Abbi is proud to be part of the Sawnee School of the Arts family and is passionate about inspiring the next generation of dancers through both her performance and leadership.  

Abbi will be teaching during the Summer Dance Intensive.

Cyndi Garguilo, known as “Ms. G,” brings over 30 years of teaching experience in dance and tumbling. A former dancer and gymnast, she has owned two studios and spent 12 years as a Dance Director in private schools, teaching over 500 students weekly.

Ms. G coached competitive gymnastics for two decades and developed her own Acro-Tumbling curriculum for dance studios. She currently travels nationwide teaching master classes in ballet, jazz technique, leaps, turns, flexibility, and acro-tumbling.

Her students have gone on to professional careers across the dance industry, including Broadway, cruise lines, and professional cheerleading.

This July, Ms. G will be teaching both Tumbling Camps and during Ballet Training Camp.

Camia Green (pronounced: ka-mee-aa) is a Sarasota, Florida native and as such, a regular at Siesta Key Beach. After her training at Sarasota Ballet of Florida and graduating Booker High School - VPA Dance program, she attended Kennesaw State University where she majored in Dance and Choreography. Her training also includes The Ailey School, Bill T. Jones Summer Intensive, and Bates Dance Festival. Camia has performed in over 32 countries. She’s also danced behind artists like Latino pop star Alejandro Fernandez and hip-hop mogul Big Boi from Outkast..From Cirque shows, Latin Billboard Awards, Cruise Ships, and Theme Parks, Camia proves to be versatile in all aspects of entertainment.  Later she branched out into TV where she’s made some appearances on Disney commercials and the CW’s Vampire Diaries. Musical Theatre remains Camia’s natural inclination. Some of her musical theatre credits include Rodgers and Hammerstein’s: Cinderella, All Shook Up, 9 to 5, Dreamgirls, and Elvis: A Musical Revolution.  Currently, she resides in New York City.

Aubrielle Haslam

Rebecca Haslam

Jamie Howard brings over 30 years of dance training and 24 years of teaching experience to our summer faculty. She has trained at Dancer’s Pointe, Georgia Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and Ruth Mitchell, and continues her training annually in New York at Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center.

Jamie is proficient in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, and lyrical, and is known for her energetic teaching style with dancers of all ages. Her students have earned numerous regional and national awards, including multiple “Best Choreography” honors.

A sought-after guest teacher, Jamie travels to studios across the country to teach technique and set choreography, and also serves as a judge for several dance competitions.

Jamie is extremely dedicated to the art of dance and considers herself blessed to have a career encompassing her passion for dance and love for children. Jamie is the proud mother of two children Kethan and Maya and resides in Canton. 

Ella Ikokwu is a sophomore at Anderson University (SC) double majoring in Dance & English: Writing and Digital Studies. She has always loved creative storytelling, a passion that began to develop after taking her first ballet class at the age of five, and at the age of twelve, Ella began choreographing her own pieces. 

During high school, she choreographed and performed three solos, and most recently, she had the opportunity to choreograph and present an eight-minute group piece at Anderson University’s Department of Theatre and Dance’s Student Showcase. 

However, Ella’s passion for creative storytelling goes beyond dance and choreography into writing and digital media. Since coming to college, Ella has been able to take multiple creative writing classes as well as work as a content writer for her school’s social team. While having always been a strong writer, it was these opportunities that revealed to Ella the place creative storytelling has in writing, and she has also grown interested in exploring other storytelling mediums such as video production. 

Ella is a creative storyteller at heart, so in the future, she hopes to choreograph on a university or professional level as well as work in digital marketing for a dance organization.

Prianca Mafi brings over a decade of belly dancing experience through her studies in Egyptian, Turkish, Salimpour and Transnational styles. In college, she performed with the FSU Belly Dancers. From 2017 through 2019, Prianca studied the Salimpour Format with Debbie Despina and Transnational Fusion with Irina Akulenko in New York City. Prianca was a founding member of the Mati Dance Tribe and performed in showcases and venues throughout New York. In 2019, Prianca moved to her hometown and joined World Dance Orlando and the Iana Dance Club hosted by Iana Komarnytska. She also launched her professional career with A Magi Entertainment, performing at theme parks, restaurants and special events across Central Florida. After relocating to Atlanta in 2022, Prianca continued her performance career at restaurants and special events with Amarya Dance Company bringing her unique style of expressive arm movements, fluid transitions and sharp hipwork to her audiences. 

Prianca will be teaching Bollywood during the Summer Dance Intensive

Taylor Mitchell is currently pursuing her B.A. in Dance at the South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University. She grew up as a true bunhead, but has found fulfillment and joy in musical theatre in college. Some of her theatre credits include The Prince of Egypt (Ensemble/Dance Captain; ACTF nomination for Excellence as Dance Captain), The Lightning Thief (Ensemble/Annabeth Chase U/S), and Seussical (choreographer). She’s also participated in 4 Dance Concerts at SCSA where she’s performed a versatile mix of dance styles and numerous featured/solo roles. She’s gotten to work with choreographers like Kevin Jenkins, Chaz Wolcott, and Andrew Winans. Outside her AU training, she spent the summer of ‘25 training at the Steps on Broadway Conservatory in NYC. Taylor hopes to continue working in the theatre world as both a performer and choreographer after graduating.

Renee Pauley is a Ballet Educator with over 30 years of experience guiding dancers through purposeful, thoughtful training. Her work is rooted in strong classical foundations, anatomical clarity, and the belief that dancers grow best when they are seen, encouraged, and challenged with intention. After training at the Atlanta School of Ballet and performing with the Atlanta Ballet Youth Ensemble, Renee went on to dance professionally as a scholarship apprentice with Atlanta Ballet and later as a soloist with Northwest Florida Ballet. An injury redirected her path, opening the door to what has become her life’s calling—teaching. 

In 2021, Renee founded ReneePauley4Ballet, allowing her to work with dancers and studios across Georgia through private coaching, workshops, and guest teaching. Her approach blends technical precision with mindset development, helping dancers build confidence, resilience, and a deeper understanding of their bodies. 

Renee’s teaching is shaped by her faith and guided by the belief that each dancer is created with purpose. She strives to create an atmosphere of positivity, discipline, and encouragement—where dancers are challenged to work with excellence while growing in confidence and character. 

Her students have gone on to train and perform nationally and internationally, pursue collegiate dance programs, and build lasting careers in the dance world. 

Renee considers it a privilege to walk alongside dancers as they discover not only stronger technique, but who they are becoming—both in the studio and beyond.

Pytron Parker 

Gaby Sanchez-Trueba An alumnus of SSA, Gaby is a rising senior at Marymount Manhattan College where she is pursuing a double major in dance and psychology. She has gotten the privilege to get to work with some of the top choreographers and instructors of the dance industry. Additionally, she performed in her first professional dance show in April 2024. She is incredibly excited to see what the future holds for her dance career.

Gaby will be teaching Modern and Jazz drop in classes this July.