De•fine/ dance space

⏰ Reminder: Season 12 starts TOMORROW.

Whether you’re a returning dancer, a familiar face coming back after some time away, or brand new to de•fine/ — the studio’s about to feel like home again.
There’s still time to grab your spot. Head to the Parent Portal or shoot us an email today to lock in your registration before class kicks off.

See you on the floor tomorrow 💛

Meet Camille Vargas 👋

Camille teaches ballet at de•fine/. Her dance journey began at Inland Pacific Ballet, where she danced Sugarplum Fairy for several Nutcracker seasons along with leading roles in Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and more. She went on to train and perform with City Ballet of San Diego, Orlando Ballet Dance Theater, and Pasadena Dance Theatre, and was accepted into programs including the American Ballet Theatre Collegiate Program, Pittsburgh Ballet, and Santa Barbara Ballet.

3 things to know about Camille:
✈️ She loves to travel and explore new places
🏰 She’s a huge Disney fan — Disneyland has a special place in her heart
🌟 She taught preschool for 8 years, which shaped how she connects with young dancers

Fall registration is open now — grab your spot in Camille’s ballet classes before they fill up. Link in bio to register. 🩰

Meet Jessica-Kay Panganiban 👋

Jessica-Kay teaches tap and intro level classes at de•fine/. She grew up dancing competitively at West Coast School of the Arts starting at age nine. She went on to study Theater and Dance at Cal State Fullerton. With 15+ years of choreography and teaching experience, her former students have gone on to dance at the collegiate and pro level, including Ohio State, BYU, and the LA Rams.

3 things to know about Jessica-Kay:

👶 She’s mom to a wild 2-year-old boy
🍳 She loves to cook — baking is another story
🛹 She learned to skateboard after her performing career, and now loves landpaddle boarding

Fall registration is open now — grab your spot in Jessica-Kay’s tap and intro classes before they fill up. Link in bio to register. 🩰

Meet Esther Tomas 👋

Esther teaches ballet and littles at de•fine/. She started training at age two, danced competitively for six years with Just Plain Dancin’ across lyrical, jazz, hip hop, ballet, and acro, then found her love for ballet and trained in the Vaganova style at Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy — competing at YAGP with a trip to NYC finals. She also trained with her high school dance team, earning All American honors from UDA and competing at UDA Nationals. She’s now the dance team coach at Notre Dame High School in Riverside.

3 things to know about Esther:
🐾 She has a dog named Forest
🤠 She loves to line dance in her free time
🌐 She’s trilingual

Fall registration is open now — grab your spot in Esther’s ballet or littles classes before they fill up. Link in bio to register. 🩰

Meet Chrisilla Adrien 👋

Chrisilla teaches Ballet and Progressing Ballet Technique at de•fine/ dance space. She started dancing at the age of 4, and after moving to the U.S. she performed with the Blankenship Ballet Company alongside internationally acclaimed dancers José Manuel Carreño and Lorena Feijóo. With more than 20 years of teaching experience, she’s certified in Progressing Ballet Technique and specializes in helping dancers build strong technique and body awareness.

3 things to know about Chrisilla:
🇮🇩 She started dancing in Jakarta, Indonesia
🧪 She holds a Chemistry degree from UC Irvine
🧘 Beyond ballet, she’s trained in Jazz, Modern, Pilates, and Yoga

Fall registration is open now — grab your spot in Chrisilla’s ballet classes before they fill up. Link in bio to register. 🩰

Meet Sarah Klein 👋

Sarah teaches tap and Taps & Twirls at de•fine/. She started tapping in elementary school, was assisting classes by 16 and teaching her own by 18 — she kept dancing, training, and teaching all through college, later serving as an assistant studio director and then a studio owner for nearly a decade.

After stepping back to focus on her favorite role, mom, she’s still lacing up her tap shoes decades into the game. In her words: “I am very excited to continue my dance journey here at de•fine/ and can’t wait to make music with our feet each week!”

3 things to know about Sarah:
🥁 She never learned drums growing up, so she got good at drumming with her feet instead
🎸 She’d happily spend every weekend at a loud rock/punk/metal show
✨ When she’s not teaching, she’s rhinestoning custom solo costumes — sparkle is her favorite color

Fall registration is open now — grab your spot in Sarah’s tap classes before they fill up.

Link in bio to register. 🩰

Meet Alyssa Tellez 👋

Alyssa teaches lower level jazz, all levels of hip hop at de•fine/, and is one of our competition team choreographers. She’s passionate about developing confident, well-rounded dancers, & has choreographed award-winning routines for studios, high school dance programs, and quinceañeras across California — known for high-energy classes and choreography packed with musicality and performance quality.

3 things to know about Alyssa:
✈️ She loves to travel
🥤 She’s obsessed with Dr Pepper
✂️ She’s into Cricut projects

Fall registration is open now — grab your spot in Alyssa’s jazz or hip hop classes before they fill up. Link in bio to register. 🩰

Some news from the de•fine/ family. 💛

After years of pouring into this studio — teaching, choreographing, and helping build de•fine/ into what it is today — Megan is making a big personal move to be closer to family. We couldn’t be happier for her, and we couldn’t be sadder to see her go.

We want to send her off the way this community does everything: together.

Megan’s last ballet classes are Wednesday, August 19th:

🩰 4:00–5:00pm — 10 & under
🩰 5:30–6:30pm — 11 & up

If you’ve ever taken a class with her — this year, five years ago, or you’re one of her very first dancers who’s since graduated and moved on with life — come celebrate her. Dance, watch, give her a hug in the lobby. All of it welcome.

Can’t make it Wednesday? Come find her in classes Monday or Tuesday instead. Celebrations are never limited to one day!

Megan has given much to de•fine/ and to every dancer who’s walked through our doors. Let’s give some of that back this week.

✨ FALL REGISTRATION IS (almost) HERE ✨

Our fall schedule is live and we cannot wait to get your dancers back in the studio!

📅 Online registration opens Wednesday, August 12th
📅 Classes begin Monday, August 31st

Register early and save — families who sign up between Aug 12–14 get their 2026–2027 registration fee waived (September tuition paid in full at registration required)!

💻 Returning families: register through your parent portal
🆕 New families: head to our website
🏢 Need help? Stop by the studio — Nicole’s got you
📬 Check your inbox — we sent all the details your way!

Not sure which class is the right fit? Send us an email and we’ll help your dancer land in exactly the right spot.
Because dance isn’t just steps — it’s confidence, creativity, and a whole lot of joy (sparkles on a Tuesday, fully encouraged 💫).

Let’s make this season the best one yet. See you in the studio!