Betsy Uhler Colombo
Originally from Allentown, PA, Betsy trained at Dolly Haltzman Dance Academy and performed with pre-professional company Repertory Dance Theatre. A ballet “late-bloomer,” she didn’t start dancing until age 12, and will always have a soft spot in her heart for students who might think it’s too late for them to start training. Of course, it’s absolutely never too late to start dancing! After studying dance at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY, Betsy moved to Los Angeles in 2004 and performed with Santa Monica Contemporary Ballet. In 2007, she co-founded LA Unbound, which has grown into the largest dance company in Los Angeles, producing 2 original shows per year and providing non-competitive performance opportunities for hundreds of local dancers and choreographers. She co-founded the Los Angeles Dance Film Festival in 2016, and is a member of the Dance Studio Owners Association. Betsy is a mom to 4-year-old Indiana and 1-year-old Kieran and is thrilled to have the opportunity to share her love of dance with the children and families of the Altadena and Pasadena areas.
Sheri Henry
Born in Toronto, Canada and raised in Amarillo, Texas, Sheri took her very first dance class at the age of 3. As a tiny tot with a bowl cut, she was almost always too shy to speak but never too shy to move it and groove it! Through her town’s welcoming studio, close group of dance friends, and encouraging teachers, Sheri discovered her love of movement and more importantly, her confidence through dance. She is trained in ballet, tap, jazz funk, contemporary, and hip-hop. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, double-majoring in Journalism and Radio-Television-Film, Sheri went on to become a Character Performer at Walt Disney World and was “friends with” Winnie the Pooh, Chip and Dale, and most proudly, Yellow Gingerbread Man #3 in the Christmas parade. Moving from costumes to corporate, Sheri is currently a Social Media Manager at The Walt Disney Company. She dances and choreographs for LA Unbound and every spare minute she gets, continues her dance training in studios around the city. She hopes to inspire the littlest dancers to chase their biggest dreams!
Jessie Shamout
Jessie, a native Angeleno, has been teaching kids of all ages for the last 15 years. She worked for five years as a dance specialist at Temple Isaiah school and day camp in West LA where her philosophy of teaching was to intersect fun and games into all her dance classes. She then went on to teach world dance classes to elementary school kids in Tucson, Arizona while she completed her BA at the University of Arizona. Later, she discovered more variations of world music and began to experiment and teach Bollywood and Bhangra dancing. She has been dancing and choreographing with the Los Angeles based dance company LA Unbound for the past 10 years. She is currently the director of Steve & Kate’s Camp Pasadena, a progressive and creative day camp. She always believes that classes should be fun and energetic with a healthy dose of silliness!
Danielle Jarvis
Danielle started dancing at the age of 4 in Buffalo, NY where she trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical/contemporary, modern, and hip hop at the Sherry Martin School of Dance. Dance provides an opportunity to truly explore how the human body works, and this led Danielle to pursue her education in both dance and kinesiology. She received a BS in Athletic Training and Exercise Science with a Dance Minor from at Ithaca College in upstate NY. There, she also performed and competed with the Ithaca College Dance Team and danced and choreographed for the student dance company IC Unbound. Danielle also received a MS in Kinesiology with a dance concentration from California State University, Northridge, and then went on to receive a PhD in Biokinesiology from the University of Southern California where her dissertation research focused on examining the mechanics of dance jumps. Danielle started teaching dance in Buffalo in high school and continued teaching after graduating from college. Danielle moved to Los Angeles in 2008 and has been dancing and choreographing for the dance company LA Unbound ever since. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Kinesiology Department at California State University, Northridge, where she teaching everything from biomechanics to dance! Danielle loves sharing her passion for dance with students of all ages, and truly believes that dance is an amazing way for anyone to learn more about the human body, develop new skills, and most importantly have fun!
Morgan Phillips
Morgan recently moved to the Los Angeles area from her hometown in Huntsville, AL. She has taken dance classes since the age of 3 and began training seriously at age 15. Since graduating high school in 2015, she has taught dance to students of all ages and has received teaching certifications with Karida Griffith’s Tap Teacher Lounge and Rhythm Works Integrative Dance. Morgan is passionate about sharing her love of dance with others and helping her students find their own voice through movement. She hopes to further her dance career in both teaching and performing as she transitions to LA County.
Sami Flores
Sami began her dance training with Glendale Community College at the age of 18 and is a BA graduate in dance from California State University Long Beach. She specializes in Modern and Contemporary dance and has a passion for creating choreography and dance film. Sami believes in the boundless potential each individual has for dance and hopes to inspire others to pursue their passions.
Lynda Myers
Lynda was born in Brooklyn, NY and began her dance training in ballet, tap, and jazz at the age of three. She immediately fell in love with performing and would dream about being on stage at the annual recital. After relocating to Albuquerque, NM, she was accepted onto her high school drill team with whom she competed regularly in addition to continuing her dance training at Dimensions School of Dance and Music. Lynda began assisting with dance classes during her senior year of high school which led to teaching her own classes to kids ages 2-10. She also coached competitive dance teams as well as choreographed for beauty pageants all over the country. Lynda went on to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and started her career as a nurse in Las Vegas, NV where she also continued to teach dance to preschool and kinder aged kids. Currently, she works as a Neonatal Intensive Care nurse at St. Joe’s in Burbank and dances with LA Unbound in her free time. No matter what city she lands in, Lynda is always looking for dancing and performing opportunities!
Sabrina Gimenez
Born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, Sabrina Gimenez has been a dancer most of their life, specializing in hip-hop and tap. In addition to memorizing all the dance moves to every Missy Elliot music video, they’ve choreographed a number of hip-hop & jazz funk pieces for LA Unbound, as well as commercial industry music videos. She’s excited to be part of the Unbound Dance Studio family and can’t wait to impart all the hip-hop dance and cultural history to her students. Don’t be shy and say hi next time! (También hablo español – es my primer idioma!)
We are always looking for qualified instructors, subs, and guest teachers to add to our roster. If you’re interested in joining our team, please contact dance@unbounddancestudio.com.