ARTISTIC DIRECTOR / OWNER
Anacia Weiskittel is the Owner and Artistic Director of Degas Dance Studio since 2009 where she has built her vision from the ground up, of a top professional training facility focusing on technique and artistry with real world professional experience and opportunities. Anacia is on the board of directors for DARTS Foundation. In 2021 she opened a second International location Degas International Dance Academy in Delft, Netherlands and in 2023 she began the Degas Dance Franchise. It is her goal to see full circle and help mentor and guide her alumni and faculty to become the next generation of dance entrepreneurs with their own Degas Dance Studio community.
She was honored to receive countless awards and recognition over the years including the 2017 and 2018 Youth America Grand Prix LA Outstanding Studio. Our success is truly a team effort with an incredible faculty, dedicated dancers and families in our #degastribe.
Before opening the studio she was the founder, Artistic Director and CEO of the non-profit organization ACFCLA – Artist Community For Change Los Angeles. Anacia danced professionally for over 10 years with credits including: the motion picture “Tank Girl” choreographed by Adam Shankman, Acro-dancer for the world famous Follies Bergere, performer for industrials that included former President of the United States, key note speaker George Bush Sr. and General Schwarzkopf and tons more.
She found her true passion to be teaching and has been teaching and choreographing in studio, for live events and film for over 30 years. She has over those 30 years studied and developed training principles, curriculum and class syllabus with a tried and true system that has successfully trained generation after generation of top professional dancers from the ground up. She has new teacher training certification courses in addition to the Degas Dance Franchise business.
Anacia is the mother of 3 amazing children. She’s so proud of all of her alumni students that are dancing professionally and/or using their skills to do great things. She continues to offer mentorship throughout their lives. She is a big picture visionary, a fearless leader and always on the cutting edge of her industry.
FACULTY & INSTRUCTORS
Rei Aoo – RIP (was a beloved member of our original faculty and the foundation of many of our dancers. She will forever be in our hearts and steps.)
In 2014 Anacia Weiskittel and Degas Dance Studio created the “Rei Aoo YAGP Memorial Scholarship” in which each year one classical ballet student who demonstrates exceptional work ethic, passion and dedication would receive a weekly private coaching lesson for the season approximately 9 months in preparation of their classical variation. In honor and loving memory of Rei Aoo.
Tigran Sargsyan began his dance studies at the Yerevan Choreographic Dance College in Armenia. In 2011 Tigran was offered a scholarship under “TheRudolfNureyevFoundation” to continue his education at Dance Academy of Zurich in Switzerland where he was trained and coached by Oliver Matz. In 2013 Tigran competed at the international ballet competition "Prix de Lausanne", and was awarded a full- scholarship to attend "San Francisco Ballet School" Summer Program.
In 2014 Tigran joined Dortmund Ballet Theater in Germany, where he danced for two seasons. He then moved to Los Angeles to dance with Los Angeles Ballet as a Principal Dancer. He has danced many lead roles such as:
Prince in “The Nutcracker”, Prince Siegfried in “Swan Lake”, Prince Desire in “Sleeping Beauty”, Principal Man in George Balanchine’s “Who Cares” and many more.
Tigran has worked with many known choreographers such as W. Forsythe, A. Ekman, J. Kylian, C. Spuck, J. Bubenicek, Alejandro Cerrudo, Azure Barton, Patricia Neary, Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen.
Currently Tigran is a freelance Principal Dancer and teaches in Los Angeles area.
Guest Faculty & Choreographer Savea Kagan received the Holland Scholarship and is attending Codarts University of the Arts in Rotterdam, Netherlands working towards her Bachelor in Dance degree. Savea spent her fourth year University Internship and dancing with Scapino Ballet Rotterdam in Netherlands. She was honored to receive the 2020 Music Center Spotlight Honarable Mention award with her self-written and self-choreographed solo “17 Things”. She was on the March/Arpil 2020 cover of Ventura Blvd. Magazine’s issue of Top 10 Teens. She was a 2019 National Young Arts Winner for Modern/Contemporary with her self-choreographed solo "Tea For Two" and was able to spend a week training with some of the top leading professionals in the industry. Throughout her pre-professional career, she trained at Degas Dance Studio in Encino, California and LACHSA (Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.)
Over summers and winter breaks she studied with Jacobs Pillow 2020 Contemporary Virtual intensive under mentor guidance of Milton Myers,and Didi Veldman with guest choreographers including Francesca Harper, Helen Pickett, Stephen Shropshire, Doborah Wingert, Aszure Barton, Ami Shulman and Hope Boykin. She has attended summer & winter workshops Orsolina28 Italy, B12 in Germany, Bodytraffic, Paul Taylor, Hubbard Street Dance Company, Mathew Bourne’s workshop.
She knows firsthand what it takes to bring future generations to the next level in an artistic and nourishing environment. In addition she has choreographed award winning solo/duo/trio, ensemble and production pieces for YAGP competition and live concert performances. As a training dancer, choreographer and teacher she believes in being well rounded and studying all styles to increase dynamics and artistry, exploring movement, and life long learning & personal development.
Amir Yorke is a talented singer, actor, dancer, and model, based in Los Angeles, California. Amir’s dance training began at the age of 12, when he joined musical theater at Millikan Middle School. With a love for acting and singing, Broadway was an early dream for his sight. After graduating from middle school, Amir attended CHAMPS Charter High School of the Arts, and this brought him to Degas Dance Studio to further his education and training in dance. During high school, he attended Ballet West and The HARID Conservatory on full scholarship, training in ballet. Upon graduation, Amir was offered a scholarship/traineeship with Martha Graham Dance Company, but declined so he could begin his career in acting and modeling. Since then, Amir has modeled for Onlymaker Shoes, Adore Cosmetics, Karl Kani, and has starred in different short films and shows. In 2017, Amir began training and performing with Debbie Allen’s Dance Academy. He is currently working towards completing his first album for his solo music career. As a Degas alumni students Amir knows first hand what a unique and special community and training program it is. Amir is very much looking forward to his future, and what he will contribute to the arts.
Kris Engelstad From Chicago to LA, Kris is one of the hottest up and coming choreographers and teachers on the Jazz Funk scene. She’s on faculty with Dupree Dance Convention traveling across the country as a master teacher and does guest choreography for studios all over the world. She’s a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, member of Essence Ladies under Gigi Torres, member of Mischief Makers and Assistant Director of Trouble Makers under the Maker Empire umbrella established by Beau Fournier.
Her credits include Rihanna, Karmin, East Los High and commercials for Converse and Behr Paint to name a few. She’s a technically diverse choreographer that is currently one of the most sought after dancers in the industry.
Lilian Manansala is a Los Angeles-based choreographer, performer, and journalist. Lilian received an Emmy nomination for her choreography on BUNK’D in 2023. Credits include choreography and casting for television shows and pilots for Netflix, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, abcfamily, and ABC. She has choreographed for over 20 shows, including Raven’s Home, Pretty Little Liars, Bunk’d, and Bizaardvark, and has worked with Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Olivia Rodrigo, Raven Symone, Keke Palmer, and Vanessa Hudgens. She is also a volunteer for the newly formed Choreographers Guild and is a member of the Television Academy's Choreography Peer Group.
Lilian has taught all over the nation for dance workshops and conventions and her short dance film #88 has won numerous awards at over 20 international film festivals. Lilian graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in World Arts & Cultures and received her Master’s in Journalism at NYU in 2022. She is currently an MSc candidate in Epistemology, Ethics and Mind at the University of Edinburgh and is a video journalist at Insider Business on the News & Documentary team.
Alexito "Xito" Pelaez began dancing in Miami, Florida. At an early age he began winning 1st place at many competitions in the hip-hop and jazz funk genre. He later received scholarships nationwide, which led him to teach and pass down knowledge at home when he was back from his many travels. At the age of 14 he began dancing professionally on-stage and on-camera for young latin artists in Miami. By 15 he was making his first trips to LA. Xito made the big move and has lived in Los Angeles for over a decade now. In that time he has danced for stars such as Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Lorde, Jojo Siwa, Jennnifer Hudson, Becky G, Sofia Carson, Rev Run, and many more. Not to mention working with the industry's top choreographers such as Nappytabs, Kenny Ortega, Richy Jackson, Luther Brown, Guy Groove, Ryan Heffington ....the list could go on. Through the pandemic Xito began to focus his efforts on teaching dance to all ages, specifically teaching classes to the youth via Guy Groove's virtual program Groove Interactive. He is also pursuing acting as well as dancing in TV/Film, having been recently featured on Grey's Anatomy, Netflix's "Christmas with you', and Disney+'s "The Hip Hop Nutcracker". If you're looking for a fun, character-building, and supportive class environment…come train with Xito!
Tarah Paige was born and raised in Phoenix Arizona, where she trained as a Dancer, Gymmast, Actress and as a Performing Arts artist as well. At 19, she graduated collage with honors and went on to became a member of the USA National Gymnastics Team and US National Bronze Medalist on the Balance Beam. She has also won several National Dance Titles for her various solos through the years and now uses her dance and Gymnastics achievements to work in the entertainment industry here in Los Angeles. Moving to LA in 2002, Tarah has spent the last 2 decades working as an actress and/or Stunt Woman in many of the industry’s biggest Films and Television shows including Alice in Wonderland, Several of the Transformers movies, Stick It, Make it or Break it, Lost, ER, NCIS, Bones, How I Met your Mother and many more. Now, Tarah is anxious to help spread her love and knowledge of both dance and gymnastics to the next generation here at Degas Dance Studio.
Eden Reynolds began her dance training at the age of four where she studied under the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus, training in ballet, jazz, contemporary dance, and musical theatre. She completed her exams with Distinction up to Grade 6. She put forth intentional effort to experience a multitude of dance and teaching styles. She studied with Julia Bourlina (graduate of Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet and former dancer with the Kirov Ballet and Opera Company), began assisting classes around LA at age fourteen, and soon discovered her passion for teaching.
Eden has over ten years of experience as a dance educator in Los Angeles. She prides herself in her ability to adapt to the needs of her students and dedicates time to nurturing their individual artistry alongside technique, strength, and flexibility.
Eden is beyond proud to be a part of the Degas family, first as a student and now as faculty!
Skylynn Stokes travels around the country with HEAT dance convention as a PRO assistant. She started dancing at the age of 7 and has been a part of the Degas Dance Studio family for over 10 years. She has trained in various styles from Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, Musical Theatre, Jazz Funk, Hip Hop, Acro and everything in between. She is a graduate of LACHSA Los Angeles County High School of Arts. Skylynn was the lead role in the original production of PROXIMA and has received numerous awards and acknowledgments from competitions. She has attended Degas Dance Studio Teacher Training and before joining the faculty she assisted and substituted for several teachers. Given all that she has learned along her journey she is excited to share those lessons and knowledge with the upcoming generations.
Guest Master Classes Monique Meunier was born in Hollywood, CA. Her father is Cuban and mother is Ecuadorian. As a young girl in Los Angeles, she earned spots in various commercials, music videos, sitcoms, and short films. At the age of 15, she received a full scholarship to attend the School of American Ballet in NYC. Miss Meunier was asked to join the New York City Ballet one year later. In 1996, she was promoted to soloist and reached the rank of principal dancer in 1997. There she performed numerous roles by Balanchine, Robbins, Martins, Wheeldon, and Forsythe, as well as, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. In 2002, Meunier joined American Ballet Theater where she added the classics, Tudor, and Kylian to her repertoire. In 2007, she joined Complexions Contemporary Ballet under the direction of Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. Miss Meunier has staged Balanchine ballets for the Balanchine Trust and has served as rehearsal director for Karole Armitage. In 2010, she became ballet master for Washington Ballet and in 2011 became director of TWB’s Trainee Program and faculty of The School of Washington Ballet. She has also ventured into choreography and has created works for Lake Placid Arts Center and The Columbia Collaborative. Miss Meunier is now highly acclaimed for her teaching and coaching and is a permanent adjudicator for Youth American Grand Prix. In 2016, Miss Meunier appointed to the inaugural committee of School of American Ballet’s Alumni Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion.
GUEST FACULTY & Choreographer Daria Tertova “DASHA” is one of the most exceptional dancer/choroegraphers in professional community today. She is the founder and CEO of DARTS non-profit organization. Dasha is a unique choreographer, with a wide range of skills and performing abilities. She was born in Moscow and grew up in the heart of Russian Ballet training. She blossomed into a beautiful technical dancer, who over the years has worked with companies such as Moiseyev Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet(Moscow) and Riverdance company( European tour). Dasha also became known in Europe as a principal dancer and actress in world famous productions like `` Cats`` (Moscow),``Romeo&Juliet`` (Moscow), ``CHICAGO``(Tour), ``Burn the floor`` (London) etc.
After receiving her Masters ( Russian Ballet Academy, Russian Theater Academy) Dasha made her way West - towards new goals and creative dreams and has been working in US. Since then her professional credits include : Madonna, Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce, Cirque Du Soleil (MJ), MTV Music Awards, Billboard Awards, Pharrell ,Daft Punk and many more. She continues to teach master classes across the US and internationally ( NYC, DC , Italy, Russia, Netherlands, Japan, Israel and Spain).
Dasha is professor at American Music and Dramatic Academy College (AMDA LA).
In June 2015 Dasha became one of Artistic Directors of the renowned Millennium Dance Complex in LA- MDC The Company and MDC Crew. She received multiple years the distinguished Outstanding Choreography Award from YAGP Youth American Gran Prix- the pearl of Classical and Contemporary ballet Competitions.