Director

Jenna grew up outside of Boston in a family where performing arts was at the center. Trained in ballet, tap, and jazz, Jenna danced in countless recitals and musicals, and later enjoyed choreographing dances and musicals in college. Bethesda Dance Center has been a passion project for Jenna who, with her BDC Team, looks to establish a positive dance environment as well high quality dance education for the community. Jenna received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and her M.A. in Childhood Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Jenna’s experience as an elementary school teacher has gone hand-in-hand with her work as a Studio Director, seeking to connect with and nurture the growth of children, and in this case, specifically dancers. Jenna is also, importantly, a wife and the mother of three incredible children, Levi, Micah, and Bella.

Director of Preschool Program and Camps

Meg is a Maryland native who grew up performing wherever she could– stages, backyards, and everywhere in between. She has studied ballet, tap and jazz, and went on to earn her degree in musical theatre. Meg has a passion for early childhood education and since graduating in 2018, has worked with kids from 18 months to 1st grade. Meg is part of the administrative team at BDC and is the primary teacher for the Preschool program. Meg enjoys working behind-the-scenes to help produce the Recital and organize BDC community events. She especially loves instilling a joy of dance in the littlest dancers at Bethesda Dance Center!

Director of AcroDance Program and Marketing

Faith danced while growing up in Massachusetts from the age of 3, primarily in ballet, tap, jazz, jazz-funk, and lyrical. In college at American University she danced and choreographed with AU In Motion. Since then, Faith has performed with groups around the DMV, and earned her choreographic certification from the International Consortium for the Advancement of Choreography in May 2023, after premiering a one-act contemporary work at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. She has a B.A. in Political Science from American University, and works in political consulting in addition to her work with BDC.

Director of Operations

Luisa Lynch is a dance artist and educator, who started dancing at age 3 by imitating routines from classic films such as “Scarecrow Dance” from The Wizard of Oz, and “Gene and the Mouse” from Anchors Aweigh. Soon after, she started dancing recreationally at her local dance studio, and through the performing arts public school programs in Akron, Ohio, where she grew up. Luisa then went on to study dance at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA where she graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance (2021) under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. She has also studied with American Dance Festival in Durham, NC, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance in Baltimore, MD, and The Movement Project in Cleveland, OH. Luisa became a certified Level 1 Franklin Method Educator under the direction of Eric Franklin and Shannon Murphy (2022), and holds a certification in Pilates Mat (2021), both of which she uses to inform her dance teaching philosophy of student-centered learning and imagery based practices to inform ease and efficiency in the body while dancing. She has danced professionally with DMV based modern dance company Heart Stück Bernie through Dance Place in NE D.C., and is excited to join the Bethesda Dance Center team!

Director of Company

Carmen started dancing at the age of three and pretty much never stopped! Born and raised in Montgomery County, she grew up on the competition circuit through the DMV, winning countless awards as a soloist and group member. She began choreographing at the age of 14 while continuing to further her technical training in all styles from classical ballet to hip hop. Carmen attended Penn State University where she was a member of Penn State Dance Company, serving as a showcase choreographer, advanced technique teacher, and head choreographer of the company's select ensemble. After college, she moved back to the DMV area to continue pursuing dance education and a career in fitness. Outside of being a dance professional, Carmen is a nationally-certified fitness professional, which gives her an in-depth and highly technical approach to training her dancers. Carmen is known for her unique choreography and ideas, attention to detail, and ability to tell stories through dance. Carmen believes in the power of a positive and nurturing classroom environment, while simultaneously pushing her dancers to the next level. She continues to grow as an industry professional through classes and workshops and is excited to be leading BDC's company program!

Manager, Teacher

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Khail Bryant found her passion both on stage and screen at only four years old. Bryant began dance training at The Dance Theater of Harlem before settling at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where she trained for 15 years under some of the most revered dancers in the world. While at Ailey, Khail was chosen to dance in The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and at The White House for the Obamas. In addition to her love for dance, Khail has turned her love for acting into a thriving profession, starring in over 50 national commercials––one of which received an Emmy. Additionally, Khail has starred in films such as, “The Perfect Holiday,” “Alex Strangelove,” “See You Yesterday,” “My B.F.F, “ and even starred as Young Nala in The Lion King on Broadway for three years. In 2021, Khail graduated from Brown University, Magna Cum Laude. Khail is excited to share her love and passion for dance with her BDC dancers and looks forward to watching them grow as dancers an individuals!

Teacher

Sydney grew up performing and teaching in South Jersey. She has studied ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, and pointe. Sydney spent two summers training with the Radio City Rockettes and was on a traveling competitive dancing team for 9 years. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Integrated Early Childhood and Special Education at Towson University. Sydney is a 1st grade special educator in Montgomery County and is excited to keep her creative side and love of dance alive as a teacher at BDC!

Teacher

Meghan Letizia (she/her) was born and raised in Connecticut. As a child she danced and did competitive gymnastics for several years before transitioning to field hockey and distance running. She went on to the University of Vermont where she continued playing field hockey on the UVM club team, and earned her Bachelor of Social Work with a minor in Dance and a minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. While studying with UVM’s dance program, Meghan discovered her passion for performing, creating, and exploring dance in environments that prioritize trust, vulnerability, and community. She has since worked as a teacher, residential counselor, and track & field coach. Meghan now lives in D.C. where she works in recruiting. Meghan has danced with local DMV collectives and recently co-founded The Effervescence Collective—a D.C. dance collective founded in principles of Community, Accessibility, and Levity. Her DMV performance credits include The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, Capital One Hall’s Vault Theatre, and the Atlas Performing Arts Center’s Lang Theatre. Meghan believes in the confidence and community our youth gain in creative and athletic spaces— and the impact of mentorship founded in mutual respect, intention, and care. She looks forward to creating a safe, meaningful, and fun environment where all of her BDC students can grow and gain valuable dance and life skills!

Teacher

Anna Carlisle is a Maryland native who began dancing at the age of three with Ballet with Cindee Velle. After high school she attended Towson University and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography. While at Towson University she studied Ballet, Modern, Pointe, Partnering and a composition series culminating in a senior capstone. After graduating, Anna moved to New York City and attended Broadway Dance Center’s Professional Semester, studying intensely under industry leading choreographers and teachers. After spending a year and a half in New York City, Anna is excited to continue sharing her passion for dance with the students at Bethesda Dance Center. Anna believes in creating a safe, inclusive space for dancers to express themselves through movement and most of all have fun!

Teacher

Jada Hicks started dancing at age 5. She is trained in ballet, modern, contemporary, hip hop, African, and acro. She graduated from The Dance Institute of Washington in 2022. Jada has loved teaching and choreographing in numerous styles at The Dance Institute of Washington, Arundel High School, Confi.DANCE, and Spotlight Studio of Dance. Jada received her certification in Acrobatic Arts this summer and is looking forward to teaching AcroDance. Jada can’t wait to meet all her dancers and is excited to be on the BDC team!

Teacher

Janae Witcher is a professional dancer from Prince George’s County, Maryland. She has been dancing since the age of 3. She spent 4 years in Bishop McNamara High School’s Dance and Theater Programs where she was also inducted as a member of their National Honor Society of Dance Arts and International Thespian Honor Society. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University where she performed in various contemporary projects, was a teacher’s aide and achieved part of her degree in Dance and Choreography. She has performed with PG County’s Teen Performance Ensemble (Dance Captain), Little Theater of Alexandria’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar (Ensemble, Dance Captain), Isokan African Dance and Performance Company (Principal Dancer), ArtsCentric’s Productions of Dreamgirls (Stepp Sister/Ensemble) and The Last Five Years (Dancer), First Baptist Church of Glenarden’s production of Someway Somehow (Lead Ensemble Dancer), a background dancer for DC artists Whitney Chantel and Danjale aka Punchline Princess and a dancer for Jalenography concept music video. She has also been Assistant Dance Instructor and choreographer for Zion’s Daughters Dance Ensemble and a dancer in Chitramoves’ dance production of Temple.