Welcome to Marta's Legacy Dance Studio​
Ballet 1/2 & 3/4, Tap 1/2 & 3/4, Competitio Technique Instructor - Molly Dobring is a Brevard County native who loves everything the sunshine state has to offer. Molly started dancing at age 4 and has been dancing ever since. Has been classically trained under Marta Phillips, and various other instructors. For the past 23 year she has trained in ballet, lyrical, modern and tap with ballet being her first love. One of Molly’s favorite quotes is from William Shakespeare “a star danced, and under that was I born.”
Musical Theatre 3/4 and Hip Hop 3/4 Instructor - Kamryn Newlon
Started dancing at Marta’s when I was 11 years old. I had moved to Merritt island from Jacksonville Florida. I had always wanted to dance and become a dance teacher. I started assisting a few of the younger classes when I was 12 and loved it. About a year later I started helping even more classes and eventually started teaching some classes which are hip hop and musical theatre. Hip hop has always had a special place in my heart but along with that I take ballet, lyrical and jazz.
Acro/Tricks 1-3 & 4-6, Ballet 4/5, Ballet/Pointe 5/6, Lyrical 4/5 & 5/6 Instructor - Samantha Blanchard’s early dance training was in Denishawn Dance and Cecchetti Ballet until she attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst as a dance major. She received a BFA in Dance in 1991. In 2014, Blanchard received her MFA in Creative Inquiry and Interdisciplinary Arts from California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco.
Blanchard taught at various colleges, studios and public schools on both the east and west coasts and has twenty plus years of coordinating, teaching and choreographing for collegiate and youth dance and theatre productions.
Samantha Trained in Ballroom Dance for one year at Dance Arts Studio with Allan Parish in San Rafael California. Here she taught beginning and intermediate foxtrot, waltz, swing, tango and salsa to adults.
While in San Francisco, Blanchard choreographed for Linda Bulgo's Musical Productions. Bulgo’s claim to fame is her performance of Snow White in SF’s notorious Beach Blanket Babylon for 20 years. Samantha worked on the youth musical“The Wizard of Oz,” and taught musical theater summer camp. She also taught a summer of musical theater at Danspace for the advanced dancers and choreographed a stunning vignette of CATS.
Currently, Blanchard is working with the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center adjudicating high school musicals for the Applause Awards. Winners of Central Florida will be invited to compete in the Jimmy Awards in New York City to work with professionals and get a chance to perform on Broadway.
Blanchard performed professionally with various companies on the East and West coasts until she formed her own company; Eclipse Dance Theater. Eclipse’s mission aims to collide dance and the spoken word to create cutting-edge feminine perspectives of theatrical experience, reflecting the views and experiences of modern women. As Artistic Director of Eclipse Dance Theater, she presented, self-produced and toured twelve evening-length works both nationally and internationally. Eclipse was the resident company for 5 years in San Francisco for Dancers’ Group Studio Theater where they taught company class, rehearsed and performed. Eclipse was the recipient of numerous awards including grants from The Zellerbach Family Fund. The company has been quoted by the San Francisco Bay Guardian for their “…simple genuineness,” by the East Bay Express “…that inherited wisdom-whether folk or esoteric-can offer us direction for a more authentic future,” and by the World Dance Review as “Stunning!”
Jazz 3/4, 4/5, 5/6, Lyrical 3/4, Tap 4/5, Musical Theatre 4/5, and Competition Instructor - Elizabeth Lamontagne with over 18 years of teaching experience, Elizabeth’s dance journey began at age three in Terre Haute, Indiana. She is trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, classical modern, contemporary, hip hop, character and pole dance. Throughout middle and high school, she studied under Patti Willey, Alonya Yakovleva of Indiana Ballet Conservatory, and Jennifer Adam Bailey of Indiana University. Elizabeth attended various summer dance programs around the midwest and received her BFA in dance from Stephens College in 2014. Her choreography titled Nachtmar was featured at the American College Dance Association’s student showcase. Elizabeth performed as the lead soloist in Brandi Coleman’s What We Do With Time in Chicago. After living and working as a freelance artist in New York City, she moved to Florida in 2019. Elizabeth is thrilled to be teaching at Marta’s Legacy and is looking forward to sharing her knowledge and passion for dance and creativity!
Competition Private Lesson Instructor - Olivia Phillips started dancing at the age of five in Fernandina Beach, Florida at Royal Amelia Dance Academy. She attended Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida for high school, majoring in dance. During high school she started teaching dance to students ranging in age from 6-18. Upon graduation, Olivia moved to Orlando where she attended the University of Central Florida. In her four years of college, she danced on Knights and Damsels Dance Company and created a tap dance group called Rhythm of the Knight where she performed as well as choreographed routines for varied showcases. Throughout the years she performed in on stage productions such as, South Pacific (Liat), Cats the Musical (Victoria), West Side Story (Velma), and Newsies (Spot Conlon). She is excited to be a part of Marta's Legacy Dance Studio and can't wait to get to know the students.
Hip Hop 4/5 and 5/6 Instructor - Tim Yuen - Tim did not actually start out as a dancer, but as a martial artist and musician. While highly successful in both, he reached a point of burnout during high-school and wanted to try something new. It was because of this that he took his understanding of movement and music, merged them, and discovered dance as the perfect bridge between the two. He taught himself simple choreographies and basic moves through YouTube for fun before quickly realizing he wanted to pursue dance professionally.
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However, it wasn't until college that Tim's dance journey would rapidly and suddenly begin picking up momentum. He immediately immersed himself in the dance scene and worked towards a fine arts degree with a minor in dance. Before, after, and between classes, he was constantly practicing and sharpening his skill set. When he wasn’t dancing, he was researching and studying all of the ins-and-outs of dance, including technique, culture, science, as well as history. He also became the captain of the on-campus breaking crew and was heavily involved with the theater and film programs, making a name for himself in the local arts community. Since then, Tim has danced, choreographed, and instructed for multiple dance studios in Virginia, New York, and now Florida.
While he loves the creative and performance aspects of dance, Tim's true passion lies in teaching. Some of the most influential people in his life were teachers, and he wants to mirror the same intentionality and genuineness that was shown to him growing up. Tim's goals as an educator are to guide students to authenticity in their art, dedication to their craft, and appreciation for life through movement. Outside of dance, he is still an active musician and has taken up yet another hobby in culinary arts. Tim is so excited to share his love for dance and eager to invest in each of his student’s own personal dance journeys.