2025 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, 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 Shannon Alvis, 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 Contemporary on Thursday during the Summer Dance Intensive.

Lisa Cregan was born in Dublin, Ireland, and had her early Irish dance training at Inis Ealga Irish Dance and Marie Duffy School of Irish Dance, who was the lead choreographer for Lord of the Dance.  Lisa had a great Irish Dancing Career, placing at many World and All-Ireland Championships and winning several World and All-Ireland Ceilis.  Lisa performed and toured in Spirit of Ireland as lead dancer.  She has also danced with many renowned artists.

Lisa begain her teacing career and became a TCRG in 1997 and started a School of Irish Dance in Atlanta, Georgia.  Lisa became an ADCRG in 2023, and she currently teachers at Drake Alpharetta School of Irish Dance, where she has been for ten years.  Lisa has run successful feiseanna and Feis ATL and Hotlanta Feis have continued to run successfully for 20 years.  Lisa teaches beginner to championship dancers and was recognized at the 2022 Southern Region Oireachtas for her 25-year anniversary of teaching Irish dance.  Lisa resides in Alpharetta, Georgia, and she is excietd to be carrying on the tradition of sharing the culture in the US.

Lisa will be teaching Irish dance on Wednesday during the Summer Dance Intensive.

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 collaborated on SBT's 2023 Spring Concert Production of Once Upon a Fairy Tale.

Chandra will be teaching Jazz, Jumps, and 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 Hip Hop, Jazz, and Leaps & Turns during the Summer Dance Intensive as well as drop in classes on June 24 and July 1.

Cyndi Garguilo, better known as “Ms. G” in the dance/tumbling world, has been teaching for 3+ decades. She has owned two dance studios, in Florida & Georgia, respectively. She was the Dance Director in 2 private schools for 12 years in Florida. There she taught over 500 students weekly. Ms. G is an FSU graduate and former dancer/gymnast. She coached Competitive Artistic Gymnastics for 2 decades and has developed her own Acro-Tumbling curriculum for dance studios. 

Ms. G is very proud of her former students who have succeeded in the Dance Industry. They have been hired on Cruise Ships, on The Amazing Race, as Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders, on Broadway (Mamma Mia & more), in music videos, and as NCAA Cheerleaders. 

One of Ms. G’s favorite memories is teaching at the “Abby Lee Dance Studio” (ALDC) in 2013 in Pittsburgh, PA. All the original “Dance Moms” stars took her Master classes. 

Ms. G's studio participated for years in the "Middle Ga. Nutcracker" directed by Jean Weaver. Her students danced the roles of Clara, Fritz, Children, Parents, Jesters (Ms. G choreographed)   Snow Corps, Flutes, & Flowers. It was a wonderful experience for them & they were privileged to dance with Rotaru Balket & Ruth Mitchell ballet. 

Ms. G currently teaches Master Clinics for students in ballet, jazz technique, "leaps, tricks & turns", Beginner to Extreme  flexibility, & Acro-tumbling. She also travels & teaches her "Dynamic-Edge" Acro-Tumbling" Curriculum to dance studios. 

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

Erica Gilley Keating is from Fayetteville, Georgia and started training in dance at age 2.5. She has been involved in the studio competition/convention circuit and studio administration/management for 40 years as a dancer, dance educator, and Co-Director with Carla's Dance Factory. She earned a Bachelors in Sociology from Georgia State University which deepened her understanding of development and behaviors of children. She was also the technical director for McIntosh High School dance team for 15 years and helped them achieve numerous State titles and UDA National placements. She currently travels around the Southeast teaching for studios, middle school dance teams, and high school dance teams. Her philosophy as a dance educator is to help raise good humans through the art of dance.

Ms. Erica will be teaching Pom Technique on Friday during the Summer Dance Intensive.

Katie Lish is n Sawnee School of the Arts and Sawnee Ballet Theatre alum and is currently sophomore at Georgia College and State University. She is a marketing major with a dance minor and is an instructor for Georgia College’s dance program. She is excited o be back at SSA this summer to teach!

Katie will be teaching Modern during the Summer Dance Intensive and Mini Dance Sampler.  She will also be working with campers in the Chillin' Like a Villain Descen-Dance Camp.

Jacqueline Lopez, dancer, educator, choreographer.  Her 40 year career has offered opportunities to study, educate, choreograph and perform throughout the country as well as abroad.  As an Adjunct Professor of Dance at Palm Beach Atlantic University, she is inspired by her desire to create and educate the next generation of dance artists through strong technique, the collaboration of historical and current influences and the reflection of life experiences uniquely communicated through dance. Jacqueline is a member of the Board of Directors for Room to Move Dance and  a member of the National Dance Educators Organization both nationally and for the state of Georgia.  She teaches throughout Atlanta offering  Jazz, Contemporary, Tap and Dance Conditioning.  She sets her choreography on numerous dance groups and is an author of a musical children”s book, “My Meals Are Singing.”

Jacqueline will be teaching Contemporary on Wednesday and Jazz on Thursday during the Summer Dance Intensive.

Estef Martín is a dedicated dance artist and instructor from Georgia whose passion for movement and storytelling began early in life. Encouraged by her mother, she enrolled in a local dance studio where she trained extensively in Ballet, Contemporary, Tap, Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Musical Theatre. Throughout her formative years, Estef deepened her craft by participating in workshops and masterclasses across the United States. Her commitment to performance led her to study at the Gainesville Theatre Alliance, where she refined her skills in both dance and theatre. Estef’s stage credits include standout performances as Rosalia in West Side Story (City Springs Theatre Company, directed by Daniel Kutner), Yolanda in In The Heights (directed by Natalie Caruncho) and Ana in Living Out (Gainesville Theatre Alliance, directed by Elisa Carlson). In addition to her stage work, Estef has made notable appearances in film, portraying Reena in Kitty, Kitty, Bang, Bang and Brooke in Hula Hoop—both produced by Glass Table Film Co. and featured at the 2024 Atlanta ShortsFest and Atlanta Women’s Film Festival. Since 2020, Estef has continued to evolve her artistic voice through work with innovative dance companies, including WLD ATL under the direction of Keith Wilder Jr., and most recently with Music and Movement, led by Frankie Freeman and Mighty Paul. She brings a dynamic blend of technical precision, expressive depth, and teaching experience to every performance and class she leads.

Estef will be teaching Hip Hop on Friday during the Summer Dance Intensive.

Renee Pauley My passion for ballet began as a very young girl at the Atlanta School of Ballet, where I received serious, dedicated training. As a member of the Atlanta Ballet Youth Ensemble, I performed in several productions of *The Nutcracker*. During my senior year of high school, I attended a summer program at the Royal Academy of Ballet in London and performed at the Southeast Regional Ballet Association (SERBA), where I was selected to dance at the Young Choreographer’s Workshop in New York. 

After high school, I began my professional career as a scholarship apprentice with the Atlanta Ballet, performing in *The Nutcracker*, *Sleeping Beauty*, *Swan Lake*, and *Carmen*. I then moved to Florida, performing as a soloist with the Northwest Florida Ballet. Although an injury ended my performing career, it opened the door to my true calling: teaching. For more than 30+ years, I have taught throughout the metro Atlanta area at both competition and ballet studios. Following my heart, I started ReneePauley4Ballet, which allows me to travel to even more studios as a guest ballet teacher. I focus on sharing my knowledge, encouraging dancers to think deeply about technique, and inspiring growth across the Southeast and Midwest. 

I am proud of my students’ achievements. Many have gone on to major in dance at colleges including Point Park University, Loyola Marymount University, Oklahoma City University, the University of Arizona, and the University of Georgia. Others have performed nationally and internationally with The Royal Ballet in London, Norwegian National Ballet 2, the Moulin Rouge in Paris, on Broadway and Off-Broadway productions such as the Radio City Rockettes, *Wicked*, *42nd Street*, *A Chorus Line*, as well as touring shows like *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory*, *Wicked*, *Fame: The Musical*, and in Las Vegas shows. My students have also danced with Gus Giordano Dance Chicago, as NFL Cheerleaders, at Disney, on cruise ships, and in televised events such as the Tony Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and Capezio A.C.E. Awards. Some have even gone on to start their own dance companies. 

Outside the studio, I cherish time with my husband, our Cavapoochon CoCo Bean, and our adult children.

Jadyn Tamborello is a dance major with a concentration in ballet at Kennesaw State University. She has been in the KSU Dance Company for 3 semesters, danced professionally as an apprentice in SOMOS (a contemporary dance company based in Atlanta), and recently participated in a dance study abroad program in Amsterdam where she trained with local professionals. Her training includes, ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and modern. Jadyn is an SBT alumni and has a deep love for contemporary dance, ballet, and choreography. She is extremely excited to return to SSA to work with you!

Jadyn will be teaching Contemporary drop in classes on July 8.

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.

Saya Watkins is an artist who loves to tell and share stories through movement. 

STAGE: “Five More Minutes”(RISK, dir. Brady Michael), “Seasons” (MSquared, dir. Frankie Freeman and Paul Jenkins), “Heartstrings” (dir. Airianna Tauanuu), “KAIROS” (ADMIX Project, dir. Rachel Truitt), “The Nutcracker” (Southern Arc Ballet Theatre, dir. Paulo Manso de Sousa). NEW MEDIA: “United in Grief” (I Am Force L.A., dir. Chehon Wespi-Tschopp). ON TOUR: Force Dance Tour Convention (Assistant), Revel Dance Convention (Pro-Reveler / Assistant to Faculty). MODEL: Weissman, Dancewear Solutions. TV / FILM: Nickelodeon, NBC, KLCS PBS - PBS Affiliate, Amazon Studios. TEACHING / 

ASSISTING: Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) Teaching Certification. Many dance genres at studios, conventions, and schools. UPCOMING: “Under The Same Moon” (Sept 2025 - @riskdanceatl), “Dancers for Hope” (Sept 2025 - @dancersforhope, $12,000+) Georgia 

Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) alumna. IG: @saya_watkins @iamforce

Hannah Watson has danced for 18 years and is a proud Sawnee Ballet Theatre alumni. She was a member of the Samford Dance Company (2022–2023) and spent the past two years teaching at VIBE Performing Arts in Helena, AL. As a college senior she’s so excited to be back at Sawnee this summer to share her love of dance!

Hannah will be teaching Ballet, Leaps & Turns, and Tap at the Summer Intensive, Tap at the Mini Sampler, and Dancing through Life Musical Theatre Camp.