MEET OUR STAFF

Alyssa has been dancing since the age of three. Her mother is a dance teacher and owns a dance studio, it’s been a big part of Alyssa’s life for as long as she can remember. She competitively danced as a kid and continued to perform and dance recreationally into adulthood. Alyssa plans to continue dancing for as long as she can. Dance has always been a form of therapy. It gives her a sense of freedom that can sometimes be hard to tap into during the day to day shuffle of life.

She has been trained in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, pointe, and hip-hop. Alyssa took her first heels class in 2019 at the Playground in LA and was on a search for something similar in the Boston area. Heels has become one of her favorite styles to take. It allows her to tap into a side of herself she’s always felt connected to but didn’t have an avenue to express it. Finding Seacoast in 2019 was everything she had been looking for. Since then, Alyssa has participated in several dance video programs and performed with Seacoast in March 2020 at the Raw Artist performance in Malden. Alyssa and Emily began collaborating in heels choreography before the Covid shutdown. During the shutdown, in May 2020, Alyssa taught her first class virtually for Seacoast and her first in person heels class the following September. From 2020-2022, she continued to teach heels and collaborations with other Seacoast Stilettos instructors.

Currently, she teaches Turn Up Dance fitness. A cardio dance class that is super fun and a great workout. Alyssa is constantly inspired by the humans of Seacoast community. She’s grateful for the growth love and support she has experienced. She hopes to have a positive impact on those she holds space for. Her goal is to help others find what it is that lights them up and makes people feel good in their body, both physically and mentally.

Follow Alyssa on Instagram @alyssa_moniz

Amanda started dancing at age 3, training in various styles of dance while competing until age 18. Amanda loves performing and has been in various shows including the 2013 Orange Bowl halftime performance, RAW Artists Boston showcase in 2020 with Seacoast Stilettos, Cult of Art, the Seacoast Stilettos Contemporary Showcase and currently performs as a gogo dancer in Boston. Outside of dancing, Amanda is a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, certified FRC Mobility Specialist and Level 1 Kinstretch instructor. Amanda loves being able to apply her knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology into her dance training and teaching. Amanda teaches contemporary and heels with a goal to hold a safe space for students to express their creativity while developing strength and confidence through dancing.

Follow Amanda on Instagram @amanda_gunning

Growing up, Bella was technically trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, musical theater, and tap. She attended intensives at the Joffrey Ballet school in NYC and Millenium in LA. Bella has worked with choreographers such as Kevin Maher and danced for artists such as New Kids on the Block. Bella found her way to Seacoast 2 years ago and it was love at first sight. She finds the most fulfillment in teaching dancers how to express emotion through movement and use this as a way of healing. Bella is also a veterinary nurse, and a crystal bowl sound healer. Catch her teaching contemporary and leading sound bowl healings at the studio!

Follow Bella on Instagram @bellaaa_rosaaa

Carolyn McCarthy is a dance educator and choreographer who has taught students of diverse ages, abilities, and experiences for 20 years. She is a licensed dance instructor for grades k-12 in Massachusetts. Her love for choreography blossomed during her time in the University of Vermont (UVM) Dance Department, which gave her the platform to present original work at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) New England Conference and Vermont College Dance Festival. She was a member and president of UVM’s Orchesis Dance Company and was recognized with the Senior Outstanding Performance and Choreography Award upon graduation in 2015. Carolyn earned a Master of System Dynamics at the University of Bergen, Norway in 2018, formalizing her intuition around the role of art education in systems change. She founded Emergence in 2022, dedicated to expanding access to high quality dance instruction and tools for building resonant community narratives. Carolyn is thrilled and grateful to be teaching contemporary and heels as a part of the Seacoast Stilettos community.

Emily has a BA in dance from Dean College and studied under the Ailey School in New York City. She has danced & performed professionally in New York and Boston in modern, jazz, contemporary, heels dance and more. Emily is also a trauma informed, E-YRT and has led yoga retreats & movement workshops globally. Her work has been featured through Big Night Entertainment Group and on NBC Boston.

Emily is the founder of Seacoast Stilettos, her inclusive movement focused on helping people reclaim their power through dance. With her signature Seacoast Stilettos dance classes, Emily serves empowerment and community along with hype at her home studio in Peabody, Massachusetts, as well as studios, nightclubs, and other locales across the country.

Follow Emily on Instagram @emily__chandra

Lea began training in dance in 2007, she has trained in various styles such as ballet, tap, contemporary, jazz, and hip-hop. She has danced competitively for over 7 years dancing at competitions like Daytonas National Competition, NDA, and competitions throughout New England. Lea has also studied dance at Dean College where she minored in Dance Education. In addition, Lea has over two years of teaching experience, her main styles are hip hop, jazz funk, and contemporary. She is also one of the videographers here at Seacoast!

Follow Lea on Instagram @_leatvs

Natasha is an incoming senior triple major in Dance, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at UMass Amherst. During the semester, Natasha teaches heels classes that are open to all levels of dancers. Outside of UMass, she teaches heels weekly at Seacoast Stilettos. Additionally, Natasha has taught in Boston and Honolulu. She has been fortunate enough to train in a multititude of spaces with artists such as Aisha Francis, Brynn Samms, Tom Vacanti, Dana Foglia, José Tena, Duane Lee Holland Jr, & Dana Shermister. 

Natasha's research contributions to the field of dance include exploration of Asian American women's identities and the hypersexualization and hyperfetishization that society has placed on Asian women. Through heels, Natasha hopes to reclaim her sensuality and disrupt the ‘morally sound’ expectations. Natasha's classes are focused on each individual's journey with sensuality. Her pedagogy emphasizes that sexy looks and feels different to everyone. She wants her students to walk away from class with a deeper understanding of what sexy means for them. Her classes have foundational technique for all levels of dancers. To her, the style of heels is so much more than what shoes you're wearing. Heels is a feeling of empowerment and a form of resistance.

Follow Natasha on Instagram @natasha_toomey @heelswithnatasha

MoMo Hobson is a professional dancer and heels instructor originally from Boston, MA. With classes fitting for all levels, body types and genders in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. MoMo Hobson has been in various commercials, music videos, concept videos and has choreographed for over ten local artists. Now being a member of LIV3LIHOOD SZN 6, who will be competing in World of Dance Finals in LA. MoMo proceeds to travel the nation, spreading her passion and knowledge for dance!

Follow Momo on Instagram at @momo_hobson

Richard started his dance journey 3 years ago on TikTok, where he fell in love with dance and continued to train and self study. Within these past 2 years he has taught HYPE & Heels classes which have not only grown his confidence but so many others! Richard has been featured on NBC10 News and has performed at Big Night Live, and headlined Pride in the Port. Catch him every Tuesday for HYPE, you don’t want to miss this energy!

Follow Richard XO on Instagram @richardxo_

Samantha Mendonca (they/she) is a Fat Queer Gender-Fluid Stoner Witch who’s mission as a sex educator, embodiment & empowerment coach, yoga teacher, sensual movement instructor, and tarot reader is to support you in coming home to your body, your pleasure, your joy, and your most authentic expression of who you really are- underneath it all. Samantha’s coaching asks you to always meet yourself where you’re at with compassion, while also pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone in the name of growth.

Follow Samantha on Instagram @samantha.not.sam

Natalie True is a multidisciplinary artist, performer, and heels instructor from Byfield, MA. She received her BFA in Dance Choreography from Marymount Manhattan College (NYC) in 2018 and has since been featured in films such as Aviva choreographed by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber and HBO’s Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance. Performance credits include backup dancer for Dorian Electra and opener for Ari Shaffir at the Beacon Theatre NYC. Additionally, Natalie is a gogo dancer, barre fitness instructor, dance teacher, stylist/costume designer, and associate choreographer and dance captain for Maine Dance Company. 

Vanessa began her dance journey in 2008 when she joined her first competitive hip hop dance team in her hometown of Fall River, MA. She has been featured in music videos, danced at a half time show for the Boston Celtics, danced in the ‘47 Brand Fashion Show, showcased at World of Dance, and much more.

She started her heels journey 3+ years ago and has loved the confidence it has given her and the support that comes from the community. Vanessa started teaching in early 2023 and hopes to help everyone in her classes also grow their confidence, uplift those around them and fall in love with their bad ass selves.

Follow Vanessa on Instagram @_vanessalynnn

Tiffany Mendes is a Mom to a cheerleader. Capricorn. Cape Verdean & loves to include her culture into her freestyles. Book nerd on her free time & loves her a good nap! Started dancing at 3 years old, then entered competitive dancing at around 7 years old until she graduated high school. Performed at Disney, danced with the New York Rockets & attended many dance conventions like JUMP & danced with Shane Sparks, Brian Freedman, Mia Michaels, Aliya Janell & more. She started assisted teaching for studios at 17 & has taken multiple adult classes throughout the years - over 8+ years of teaching dance. She has taught pop-up classes & Zumba - versatile in styles including: flex & stretch, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop & heels. Offering open space for any & every gender, ethnicity, parents & more.

As a mother, it is important to Tiff to be able to open up and offer the space and availability to others alike to be free and be able to express themselves openly and confidently.