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Celebrating 31 Years of Arts Education

ULTIMATE DANCE FLORIDA began in the hustle and bustle of South Florida. Founded in 1993 by Annette Alvarez, ULTIMATE DANCE FLORIDA opened its doors with professional instructors in a beautiful location in South Florida. After 10 successful years, Ms. Annette decided it was time to move to a smaller, family oriented town and chose the Space Coast as the location. Upon their move, ULTIMATE DANCE in Melbourne was opened to offer students in east Central Florida the opportunity to experience dance training on a new level, with cutting edge choreography, professional level faculty and high expectations.

ULTIMATE DANCE FLORIDA is proud to be recognized as one of the TOP 50 STUDIOS in the SE United States by The Federation of Dance Competitions.

ULTIMATE DANCE FLORIDA is a highly successful and well-respected dance studio with an enrollment of dancers from beginner to professional level. What sets this studio apart from the rest is a team of experienced, enthusiastic, highly energetic professional instructors who are loyal, dedicated, and committed to each student individually. This combined with the expertise and artistic vision of Annette Alvarez has brought dance in Brevard county to the next level.

Our studio is fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology, floating dance floors with marley surfaces, and viewing windows for parents peace of mind.

Classes are educational and provided superior instruction at all levels in jazz, tap, ballet, acrobatics, hip-hop, musical theater, contemporary, lyrical, and specialty classes. We offer discounts for multiple children. Classes are offered six days a week, at various times. Here at ULTIMATE DANCE FLORIDA, your choices are maximized.

All classes are taught by an experienced professional staff, and in some classes, assisted by advanced level dancers. At ULTIMATE DANCE FLORIDA, we strive to teach the art of dance at its highest level in a positive motivating atmosphere. From the beginner child or adult to the professional dancer, ULTIMATE DANCE has a class for you.

While having fun dancing, students develop physical fitness, self-discipline, social skills, sportsmanship, team work, respect, and responsibility. Part of the excitement is participating in numerous regional and national competitions at which ULTIMATE DANCE FLORIDA students are always winners.

However, the ULTIMATE DANCE FLORIDA commitment runs deeper than winning awards. Students are encouraged and positively guided through a caring and dedicated faculty to be their best. The focus is on providing an excellent dance program in a safe, family-oriented environment conducive to learning- for the future of Brevard’s dancers.

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dancers in costume posing
dancers in costume on stage

Faculty

At ULTIMATE DANCE we choose instructors who have demonstrated excellence not only as a dancer and teacher, but also in their own dance career.

portrait of annette

Ms. Annette Alvarez

Founder & Artistic Director

Ms. Annette Alvarez began dancing at the age of 2 and has never stopped! Ms. Annette has been educating students and teachers professionally since 1984. In her dance career, Annette Alvarez has created and run arts preschool and academic dance programs, choreographed multi-award winning dances for many studios, schools, and venues, all around our great nation. She is sought out for her master lyrical and jazz classes around the country. She had directed several full scale Nutcracker productions, and choreographed many musicals. She also is a competition judge for some of the most prestigious dance competitions around, and gets to travel all over the country to see talent.

As a Master level teacher, Ms. Annette’s pre-professional and competitive dance students consistently earn top scores (regionally and nationally), titles, scholarships, and special awards. They are invited to New York with scholarships to Broadway Dance Center, been selected to study with the Joffrey Trainee Programs in NYC, dance with the NYC Rockettes, headed up elite college dance teams, opened studios of their own, dance on world cruises and dance professionally in Florida, New York, LA, and internationally! She loves working with and training teachers, including her UDF staff, to be the best teachers they can be!

Ms. Annette is recognized for her cutting edge choreography and entertaining dances at dance competitions regionally and nationally. Her dances win Entertainment Awards, Technique Excellence Awards, Clean Lines Awards, Emotion Awards- the list goes on. She also teaches master ballet, jazz and lyrical classes at conventions and studios around the country. Ms. Annette is asked to choreograph for many venues, including MTV. The producers personally sought her out to teach a ballroom dance to a couple for the premier episode of MTV’s series, Engaged & Underage. She has been the lead dance teacher for multiple industrials with TD Bank. She attends master classes with outstanding teachers to stay on top of new material. A member of Florida Dance Masters since 1987, she is a dance test examiner and an active member. Additionally, Ms. Annette is a member of Dance Masters of America, Chapter 2 and an affiliate member of More Than Just Great Dancing. She made sure that UDF is YPAD certified, as an extra layer of protection for our students. Miss Annette is certified through American Ballet Theater (ABT) for Levels Pre-Primary through 3, an accomplishment she is most proud of. Additionally, she is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT). Over and above her extensive knowledge and background in dance, she also holds a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from Florida Atlantic University and a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

As well as overseeing daily operations at the studio, teaching a few classes and directing the Powerhouse Dance Team, she works for Brevard Public Schools during the day as a Guidance Services Professional. In her limited free time, she enjoys the beach, traveling, and playing with her Maine Coons, Stormy and Kimba, and her Blue Frenchies Luna and Zoey.

If you haven't met yet, please be sure to introduce yourself next time you see her at the studio!

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Carolyn Alvarez

In Memoriam

Miss Carolyn was Miss Annette's mother, and biggest UDF supporter.
Without her, there would not be the wonderful studio you have grown to know and love.
Miss Carolyn went to her final resting place June 17, 2021. We know she is watching out for our dancers everyday.

Teachers

Miss Karis Rause
Currently living in Florida, Karis is a member of Florida Dance Masters and PBT certified. As an instructor for the past 22 years, Karis has learned how to bring out the best in her students through strict, but fun and insightful classes. Outside of the classroom she has choreographed community theater productions and solos for competitions and college auditions. Karis’ love for dance began on Long Island, NY at the age of three.Although she was mostly trained at June Claire Dance Studio, a studio run by former Rockettes Lynda Gache and June Loesche, a studio known for its focus on classical training and Broadway productions, Karis further supplemented her education at Frank Ohman’s School of Ballet and Eglevsky School of Ballet. As Karis’ love for dance grew (and as she became old enough to take the train into the city by herself) she diversified her education, venturing into Manhattan where she studied at Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor and Barnard College at Columbia University. Karis has performed in annual televised Holiday events, ballets, community theater, the Tribeca Film Festival and has appeared in such films as “Elf” and “School of Rock.” She has worked with such notable names as Michael Trusnovec, Loyd Culbreath and Andrea Kron. Miss Karis is a member of Florida Dance Masters and a PBT Certified instructor.

Miss April Shock
April acquired a love for dance at a young age. At 10, she began cleaning a studio in Matthews, VA in exchange for dance classes and has been sleeping and breathing dance ever since. April went on to become the youngest member of the performing company at Diggs School of Dance in Virginia. She attended Eastern Virginia School of Dance before moving to Florida where she began dancing at The Orlando Ballet. She is trained in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical, Tap, Contemporary, and Hip Hop. She is the recipient of two dance scholarships from Dance Educators of America, and has taught for many studios. Additionally, she has danced professionally as a main stage performer with Disney Magic Cruise Line. She believes God has given her the gift of dance and seeks to share this gift with others, hoping to inspire people of all ages with self confidence, respect, and inspiration. Miss April is celebrating 14 years with UDF and hopes to continue to inspire and share her love of dance with her UDF students. Both of her adorable daughters dance at UDF too! Miss April is our UDF competitive team Assistant Director.

Miss Samantha Blanchard
Samantha Blanchard’s early dance training was in Denishawn Dance and Cecchetti Ballet until she attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst as a dance major. She received a BFA in Dance in 1991. In 2014, Blanchard received her MFA in Creative Inquiry and Interdisciplinary Arts from California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. Blanchard taught at various colleges, studios and public schools on both the east and west coasts and has twenty plus years of coordinating, teaching and choreographing for collegiate and youth dance and theatre productions. Samantha Trained in Ballroom Dance for one year at Dance Arts Studio with Allan Parish in San Rafael California. Here she taught beginning and intermediate foxtrot, waltz, swing, tango and salsa to adults. While in San Francisco, Blanchard choreographed for Linda Bulgo's Musical Productions. Bulgo’s claim to fame is her performance of Snow White in SF’s notorious Beach Blanket Babylon for 20 years. Samantha worked on the youth musical“The Wizard of Oz,” and taught musical theater summer camp. She also taught a summer of musical theater at Danspace for the advanced dancers and choreographed a stunning vignette of CATS. Currently, Blanchard is working with the Dr. Philips Performing Arts Center adjudicating high school musicals for the Applause Awards. Winners of Central Florida will be invited to compete in the Jimmy Awards in New York City to work with professionals and get a chance to perform on Broadway. Blanchard performed professionally with various companies on the East and West coasts until she formed her own company; Eclipse Dance Theater. Eclipse’s mission aims to collide dance and the spoken word to create cutting-edge feminine perspectives of theatrical experience, reflecting the views and experiences of modern women. As Artistic Director of Eclipse Dance Theater, she presented, self-produced and toured twelve evening-length works both nationally and internationally. Eclipse was the resident company for 5 years in San Francisco for Dancers’ Group Studio Theater where they taught company class, rehearsed and performed. Eclipse was the recipient of numerous awards including grants from The Zellerbach Family Fund. The company has been quoted by the San Francisco Bay Guardian for their “…simple genuineness,” by the East Bay Express “…that inherited wisdom-whether folk or esoteric-can offer us direction for a more authentic future,” and by the World Dance Review as “Stunning!”

Miss Angela Short
Angela is an alumni of UDF! She was a member of our Powerhouse Dance Team for many years. She is trained in all styles of dance. She loves teaching for the studio she grew up in, and has the joy of watching her daughter and son continue the legacy. Miss Angela enjoys working with all ages, and especially loves teaching our Top Gun classes. Miss Angela also works as one of our Front Desk Ambassadors and is happy to answer any questions that you may have about the studio.

Miss Anjani Sadhoo
Teacher in Training (Bio coming soon)

Office Staff

Julie McKenzie, UDF Team Financial Manager and Miss Annette's Personal Assistant
Angela Short, UDF Guest Services
Maia McCabe, UDF Guest Services
Anjani Sadhoo, UDF Guest Services

Are you interested in joining our stellar faculty?
Please send a cover letter and resume to UDFdance@gmail.com
We are always looking for quality instructors and substitutes!

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