Rebecca Crimmins
Owner and Director
Dancer, Director, Educator, Adjudicator, Choreographer, Television Host, CEO, Rebecca Crimmins has held all those positions throughout the performing arts industry. With over 20 years of dance industry experience, including an extensive background in tap, having studied with great tap masters such as Lady Di Walker, Lane Alexander, Robert Reed, Barbara Duffy, Derrick Grant, and more, has inspired Ms. Crimmins to continue sharing the tradition of this great American dance idiom with her students. In addition, Ms. Crimmins has been teaching as an adjunct professor for Oakland University's, in Rochester Michigan, Dance Department for sixteen consecutive years.
Ms. Crimmins's professional credits are multi-faceted. Ms. Crimmins is the CEO and developer of STARLINK, the Online Dance Challenge, the creator of the children’s television series, Come Dance With Me, hosting and coordinating more than 48 episodes. Her extensive past experience includes Owner/Director, Performing Company Director, Choreographer, and Teacher for Bravo Dance Centers, and Rebecca Crimmins Dance Factory, where her students won National Top awards. The success of these performing companies led her to become a much sought-after adjudicator for national talent competitions including; Kids Artistic Revue, Hall of Fame, and Star Systems.
In her professional dance years, Ms. Crimmins danced with Detroit Windsor Dance Company and was an original Club Land Dancer. Her vast diverse education was attained from an early age as a jazz student under the direction of Linda Diamond and as a ballet student under the tutelage of Cornelia Sampson of the Ballet Russe. Miss Rebecca owes her first inspiration to carry on the legacy of so many tap greats by becoming a student of the legendary Loyd Storey. She continues to teach, coach and choreograph for Michigan Regional Gymnastics levels 8, 9, 10 & Elite.
Since earning her BA at Michigan State University, she has dedicated her career to sharing her passion for dance. Miss Rebecca teaches, dances, and choreographs throughout the Metro area and continues to advance her dance education through attending master classes, workshops, conventions, and teaching seminars.
Tamera Lusch-Odrobinar
Accounts Manager
Tamra is a proud Owner of Xtend Barre Rochester Hills. As a former dancer she knew Xtend was what she has always been looking for in a workout. She loves to give her clients a fun, energized workout leaving them smiling after each visit. She challenges her clients to achieve many small successes as they reach their goals and expand their boundaries. Tamra is also a franchise owner of Kinderdance of Michigan, LLC. She has been a leader and educator in the field of dance for 32 years. Tamra is a wife and has two beautiful children, a twenty-one year old Daughter and a nineteen year old Son. When not instructing and managing the studio, you will find Tamra taking a class right along with her clients. She has been dancing since the age of 4 and continued this passion through keeping up with the latest training. In addition, Tamra also has a degree in Early Childhood Development and Business Management. She has been a leader and educator in the field of Childcare for the past 28 years, and has taught at local studios for the past 23 years.
Kelly Zeltmann
Recreational and Competitive Instructor
Kelly has been an instructor with Jupiter Dance Academy since its inception in 1995, concentrating mainly on tap, ballet, and lyrical. She began her dance training at the age of 4 under the direction of Jill Harrison Kaflin and later continued to train in ballet under the tutelage of Debra Conrad, former Jupiter Dance Academy Artistic Director. Kelly was a member of numerous top award-winning dances and she was featured in many leading roles throughout her performing career. She began teaching dance while still in high school, but continued her education graduating Summa Cum Laude from Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology and Biological Sciences. While teaching a full load of dance classes at Jupiter Dance Academy, Kelly also became a mathematics instructor at Jupiter High School focusing mostly on calculus and geometry. After starting a family in 2014, Kelly resigned from the mathematics position to focus on teaching dance and raising her daughter. Throughout her teaching career, Kelly has choregraphed numerous top award-winning numbers, but always continues to strive to share her passion for dance with her students, hoping to instill a love of dance in every one of them.
Denise McClymont
Recreational, Adult 18+, and Competitive Instructor
Denise returns to teach at Jupiter Dance Academy with more than twenty years of experience. A native of Palm Beach County, she trained under Jill Harrison and has performed nationally and internationally. Her students have been honored with regional and national titles, high scores and special awards. Many of her students have continued working as professional dancers and have become teachers themselves. Denise has been recognized for her fresh, unique style and approach to dance. Her training and technical expertise are reflected in her classes and choreography.
Alex Safran
Recreational, Adult 18+, and Competitive Instructor
Alexandra has trained at Palm Beach Ballet Center, received an AA Degree in Liberal Arts at Palm Beach Community College, and a BA in Drama Studies at Purchase College New York. She has received extensive training in ballet, jazz, modern, swing, waltz and Flamenco. She also studied acting, stage combat, and ballet with Florida Atlantic University and works as a professional fashion model. Alexandra has been the featured dancer and performer in numerous productions such as Dances We Dance, A Broken Heart, Bye Bye Birdie and more.
Barbara Lenski
Recreational and Competitive Instructor
A Boston native who began dancing at 3 years old. Her studies include tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, lyrical, acrobatics, baton and ballroom. In 1989, she graduated from the Dance Teachers Club of Boston and remained an active member for several years. Barbara is a former chairperson for the Suffolk County Junior Miss Program. She has completed, with high honors, many levels of the National Medal Testing Program in tap, jazz and ballet. Barbara is a former regional champion, competing both as a soloist and group company member. Her teaching specialties include beginner, intermediate and advanced recreational and competitive dance. Also, lyrical/contemporary fusion, technique and leaps and turns.
Melody Cline
Recreational and Adult 18+ Instructor
Melody Kline, originally from Staten Island, NY and now residing in South Florida, is an accomplished tap dancer who started dancing at age three. Beginning at Chickie's Dance Studio, her mother's school, Melody found the love of dance that stayed with her studying Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Acro. She continued her training through High School while attending the famous High School of Performing Arts in New York City. When she relocated to PA in 1976 she started her own dance school, Melody's Dance Studio, in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania which she ran for 37 years.
While directing the studio, teaching and raising a family, Melody continued her dance studies in NYC at both Steps and Broadway Dance Center studying with some of the best in the dance world, including Paul Draper, Bob Audy, Frank Hatchett, Charles Kelly, Shiela Barker, Don Farnsworth, and Germaine Salsberg. IN Pennsylvania she studied with Nicole Hockenberry and Shelley Oliver, and became a member of the company T.A.P. - Teach All People, where she performed for many Tap venues and festivals, the Third Coast Rhythm Project in San Antonio, TX. as well as the first of many T.A.P. concerts, where she shared the stage with master tap dancers, LaVaughn Robinson, and Dr. James "Buster" Brown. She was also a founding member of Tap Ties, performing choreography from Nicole Hockenberry, Shelley Oliver, Rochelle Haynes, and Germaine Salsberg to name a few. For the last six years, Melody has held adult tap classes of her own and has subbed at various studios in all forms of dance in the South Florida area.
Recreational and Competitive Instructor
Sophia McCann
Sophia started her dance career at the age of 3 and has been a student at Jupiter Dance Academy since she was 8, studying under many of our staff here at JDA including Denise McClymont, Kelly Zeltmann, and Alexandra Safran. Sophia was cast in Miami City Ballet's Nutcracker in 2015, is a Bak Middle School of the Arts Alumni, and has been part of the JDA Competition Team since 2014. She has been in numerous award winning dances, winning awards like overalls and judges awards. As well as an undefeated 1st overall season for her solo her senior year. Sophia has been awarded the PAC Attack Callback Award at Precision Arts Challenge and Tremaine Dance Competition and Convention Studio Dancer of the Year. Being both the Administrative Assistant and the Social Media Manager of JDA as well as a Teacher, Sophia is thrilled to be learning the behind the scenes of owning a dance studio and teaching to next generation of dancers.
Tamara Tilly
Recreational and Competitive Instructor
Tamra has been teaching Acrobatics for 15 years in South Florida and Atlanta. She started her Gymnastics training at the age of 2 and competed competitively until college. This passion for movement simultaneously brought her to teaching Gymnastics, Acro Dance, and Pilates. Mrs. Tamra has certifications in Acrobatic Arts, Peak Pilates, AAAI, NASM, and CrossFit L1. She is continuously exploring new methods and approaches to introduce to her students to keep them motivated and learning in a positive and functional way.
Emily Sweetz
Recreational Instructor
Emily Sweetz has been training in multiple styles of dance for most of her life and is excited to continue a life in the performing arts. She graduated in 2022 with her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts with a concentration in Dance Performance and Choreography from East Carolina University. She has received training up the East Coast at Dreyfoos High school for the performing arts, Douglas Anderson High school for the performing arts, The Florida Dance Festival, The University of the Arts pre-college program, and the Alonzo Lines Discovery Project. Sweetz loves performing and choreographing jazz, contemporary, ballet, hip hop and is glad to have been influenced by a wide range of genres. Miss Emily trained in gymnastics for 5 years, then continued acrobatic training in dance studios for 5+ years. She has been assisting and teaching acro and acrobatic arts to all ages in Florida and North Carolina for the past 6 years and is excited to continue to help young dancers grow and develop their acrobatic abilities!
Samantha Musso
Recreational Instructor
A student with Jupiter Dance Academy and a member of the acclaimed Jupiter Dance Academy Performance Company until high school graduation, Samantha is a delightful addition to the JDA staff. Samantha also teaches the outreach programs. Samantha is currently pursuing her college degree.