FACULTY
Aggie Eidson: Director
Aggie opened Studio A with the dream of inspiring students to develop creativity, artistry and a love for dance. She is a credentialed teacher and has been teaching dance for over thirty years. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education/Dance and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from California State University at Hayward. Aggie was also the dance instructor at Carondelet High School for 16 years. As a dancer, Aggie was a featured performer in numerous dance revues and as a member of the Olympic Dance Corps, she performed in the Opening Ceremonies for the 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles. She has choreographed local theatrical productions including They're Playing Our Song, Bye Bye Birdie, Mame and The Sound of Music. Whether choreographing a flash mob for the City of Pleasant Hill or a routine for the "Shoe Guys," at the Wine, Women and Shoes event , Aggie loves contributing to the local community. In addition to teaching dance, Aggie choreographs posing routines for professional body builders. Her clients include Miss Olympia, and her work with body builders has been featured in Flex Magazine. Aggie works with athletes on increasing their flexibility and agility, and for over twenty five years she has been the stretch and agility coach for De La Salle High School's nationally ranked football program. Her expertise in stetching / flexibility has been highlighted in Biomechanics Magazine. Aggie has been awarded numerous accolades for her competitive dance choreography, including being selected to perform in the Choreography Festival in Palm Springs. Aggie's students have been acknowledged for their outstanding technique, performance, teamwork, spirit, and sportsmanship. Many of her students have gone on to study dance at the collegiate level, attending prestigious colleges such as Boston Conservatory, Loyola Marymount, Cal Arts, and Point Park University, prior to pursuing professional careers in dance.
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Andrea Brosnan: Ballet
Andrea studied at Berkeley Ballet Theater and quickly excelled under the direction of Sally Streets. At the tender age of 15, Andrea became an apprentice and joined the company shortly thereafter. She has performed with Santa Clara Ballet, Patricia Banchik's Kineses, Danny Nguyen Dancers and Musicians, Aileen Kim, and is currently working with ChingchiYu. She was recruited and hired as Artistic Director of the Balletschule Gassmann Dance Academy in Germany, where she choreographed for the resident company, taught in the school, and traveled with the company. Upon returning to the States, she graduated with honors from the LEAP (Liberal Education for Arts Professionals) program at St. Mary's College, earning a BA in Performing Arts/ Dance. She has been teaching ballet in the Bay Area for over 22 years and absolutely loves sharing her passion for dance with aspiring artists.
Mimi Cagadoc: Hip Hop
Mimi has 8 years of experience in hip hop dance, having trained with the Chapkis Dance Family throughout her life. She has competed at prestigious events such as Body Rock, World of Dance, and Hip Hop International, earning multiple medals and defending champ titles with Chapkis. Mimi continues to train around the Bay Area, always striving to improve her craft. She is excited to take on her first teaching role at Studio A and looks forward to sharing her passion and experience with the next generation of dancers.
Mackenzie Canton: Tap
Mackenzie’s passion for dance started when she was two years old. She trained under the direction of Aggie Eidson at Studio A and spent 13 years as a competitive dancer with their award-winning team, where she won multiple awards and placed in the top 10 at numerous regional competitions. Mackenzie spent the 2017-2018 dance season as a teaching assistant at Studio A for jazz, ballet, and children's combination classes. She has trained in many different dance styles including tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, and pointe; and has a passion for working with young children and special needs students. Mackenzie is thrilled to be part of the Studio A faculty this year and to share her love of dance with her students.
Lillyana Jaramillo: Ballet, Children's Combo
Lillyana began dancing at three years old. She started off at Studio A by being a competitive dancer, then trained at San Francisco ballet school (performing in The Nutcracker!), and studied with Contra Costa ballet Center where she became a company member. Miss Lillyana's teaching style is best described as inspirational and fundamentals-focused. she loves to encourage her students to express themselves through the art of dance, and she wants to inspire her ballet students the same way her ballet teachers inspired her. Miss Lillyana can be found spending time with her family, going on adventures, and playing board games!
Ava Shannon: Contemporary
Ava Shannon is a freelance choreographer, dancer, teacher and visual artist in the Bay Area. Originally from Michigan, they grew up training as a competition dancer as well as a classical ballet dancer. Most of Ava’s early dance education was at Valentina’s School of Ballet and the Joffrey School of Ballet in Chicago. Turning more to a contemporary style, they graduated with a BFA modern concentration from Point Park University where they had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Christopher Huggins, Rennie Harris, Blakeley White-McGuire and more. Ava was a resident artist with a local improvisation based company, The Pillow Projects, where they performed multiple full length works at festivals and theaters in Pittsburgh. Since moving to the West Coast, Ava has been working professionally creating solo performances for both live and digital audiences as well as working with Tara Pilbrow Dance Company. When not performing, they work as a stretch therapist and paint artworks to be shown in local galleries.
Kat Shaw: Tap, Jazz, Children's Combination
Katherine started dancing at Studio A at the age of 3, and became a member of the Company at 8 years old. She went on to compete in jazz, tap, ballet, musical theatre, and contemporary with Studio A all the way through her senior year of high school. After graduating from College Park in 2021, she went on to study Public Health at the University of Nevada, Reno, and she recently graduated this past May with a Bachelors of Science in Public Health, along with a double minor in Psychology and Dance. She’s returning home to teach at the studio for this upcoming season and is incredibly excited to have the opportunity to work with such hardworking, passionate students!
Eddie Stegge: Ballet
Edward Stegge received his training on full scholarship at the San Francisco Ballet, and also received training at the School of American Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet. He danced with the Colorado Ballet for ten seasons, performing the Cavalier and the Nutcracker in "The Nutcracker", Franz in "Coppelia", Bluebird in "Sleeping Beauty", and alternate leading roles in Alvin Ailey's "The River". Mr. Stegge was a guest artist with Minnesota Dance Theater, under direction of the late Loyce Houlton, and has performed extensively throughout Japan. He returned to California in 2000 and performed with Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Oakland Ballet, the San Francisco Opera Ballet, and Diablo Ballet from 2002-2014, where he performed George Balanchine’s "Tarantella Pas de Deux" and "Who Cares", the title role in Julia Adam's "The Little Prince", KT Nelson's "Walk before Talk" and Val Caniparoli’s "Aquilarco" Pas de Deux.
Besides teaching ballet, he also worked with under-served school children and youth incarcerated in the Juvenile Justice System, teaching them self esteem, group process, and expressing oneself through movement.
April Taylor: Children's Combination, Jazz, Tap
April began dancing at the tender age of 5. She received her dance training under the direction of Aggie Eidson, Karyn Lee Connell, Holly Morrow, Susan Stone, and Kimberly Valmore. She was a member of the Studio A competitive team, which has won numerous 1st place awards as well as special recognition for outstanding performance. Early on, Aggie recognized April’s gift of working with children and encouraged her to hone her skills by working as a teaching assistant. Upon graduation from high school, April was hired as a teacher and has become a valuable member of the Studio A faculty. From 2005-2012, April danced for the contemporary modern ballet company, Coterie Dance in Oakland. April has been teaching dance to children since 1999. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal and Civic Studies, Minor in Performing Arts Dance, Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, Single Subject Dance Credential and a Master of Arts in Teaching, all from Saint Mary's College of California. When she's not at the dance studio April is teaching fourth grade at a local elementary school.
Roberta Vassallo: Ballet
Born in Italy, Roberta began her dance education at the Ballet School Capiferri in Genoa, under the direction of Maria Luisa Capiferri. She continued her training Balletschule Steib Elsbeth in Bochum, Germany, before travelling to the United States and joining the Saint Louis Ballet Company under the direction of New York City Ballet former principal dancer Gen Horiuchi, where she performed roles in the Nutcracker, Beauty and the Beast, Valse Fantaisie, as well as original works by choreographer Francis Patrelle. She also studied at Steps On Broadway, training with such notable master teachers as David Howard, Alexnder Filipov, Emilietta Ettlin and Fabrice Herrault. In addition to spending the past ten years teaching dance throught the country , Roberta is a practicing lawyer. She is delighted to be teaching at Studio A and sharing her love for ballet with the students.