Instructors and Staff
Kerry Mynatt, Instructor/Studio Director
Kerry has over 30 years experience in dance. Born and raised in New York, Kerry began her dance training at the age of three with the American Academy of Ballet. She began her studies of jazz and tap at Debonaire Dance Studios under Sam Fiorella. At the University of South Florida, she majored in elementary education and minored in dance. Being an advocate for continuing dance education, she continues her studies through Dance Masters TTS. She has received her Associates Degree and is certified to teach through Dance Masters of America, one of America’s most prestigious dance teacher associations. Kerry has also taken seminars with Kiddance, a teacher training program especially designed to teach students ages 2-7. Her studies include ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, modern, lyrical, hip-hop and acrobatics. She studied dance from masters such as Joe Tremaine, Tom Ralabate, Bob Rizzo, Judy Rice, Barry Lather, and Diane Gudat, along with classes in musical theory and musical notation. Kerry has had the opportunity to perform at several state and national events such as United Fund, Miss Manatee, The French Film Festival, and IMTA in New York City. Kerry competed and won several national dance competitions in a group and as a soloist. Kerry’s students have won top honors at both the regional and national level, and have been recognized both locally and nationally.
Antonio Pinho, Instructor/Office Admin.
Originally from New Jersey, Tony started his dance career at a young age. He attended the Broadway Dance Center in New York City, and it was there that he discovered his love for Hip Hop. He joined the JUMP family in 2008 as the Hip Hop instructor. Tony has trained with world-renowned names such as Tyce Diorio, Mia Michaels, Donyelle Jones, and Cris Judd, just to name a few. As a master class instructor, Tony continues to train, educate and inspire dancers of all ages and levels.
Tony’s ongoing self-education and performance work is influenced by rhythm and new world hip-hop styles. His choreography has won various awards including high score and overalls for his students both regionally and nationally. Tony is also actively involved in philanthropic efforts through various non-profits like Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, SPARCC, Child Protection Center and most recently CAN Community Health.
Kristina Babcock, Musical Theater Instructor
Born and raised in New York, Kristina has trained in all forms of dance for over 30 years. She is also a talented director, producer, choreographer and performer, having appeared in shows including Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy (Mazzeppa), Cinderella (Wicked Stepmother), Seussical, Annie, and Bye Bye Birdie. She has also received many awards including 2 TANYS (Theater Association of NYS) Outstanding Awards for her work. Kristina studied acting and dance at the New York State Theater Institute (NYSTI), and has worked in NYC with many studios and Broadway productions. Kristina has directed, produced and choreographed dozens of shows and many of her students have appeared on Broadway in productions that include Billy Elliott, 13 The Musical, Gypsy and more! She is excited to be working with JUMP and all the talented students here!
Nicole Chang, Instructor
As a Sarasota native, Nikki began her training at the age of 3 and started competitive dancing at the age of 8. She completed the Assistant Teaching program at JUMP and has been educating dancers since 2012. Nikki is an award winning competitive dancer and strives to inspire and educate dancers of many ages. She is currently enrolled as a Senior at the University of South Florida majoring as a Physical Therapy Assistant and minoring in Dance.
Amanda Harris, Instructor
Amanda is a life-long dancer trained in ballet, modern/contemporary, jazz, hip hop, musical theater, Latin / ballroom, and improvisation. She trained at Flex School of Dance here in Sarasota, Bowman School of Ballet in NJ, New World School of the Arts/Florida Dance Festival in Miami, Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Sarasota, and Beyond Dancing in Sarasota. She obtained a Minor in Dance from FSU, with coursework in ballet, dance history, jazz, and contemporary.
Amanda received her BA in Psychology from FSU and her MA in School Counseling from USF. She holds a Florida Professional Teaching Certificate in Social Sciences and is a full-time dance teacher to approximately 200 students at Manatee School for the Arts for grades 6-12. Her other work at MSA includes serving as the ballroom dance team coach and sponsor from 2016-2020 and co-directing "Dance Excellence: Generation Z" in 2019. Her previous
Carol Lee Klein, Instructor
Born and raised in Manhattan, NY, Carol trained at NY's Broadway Dance Center. She studied a variety of dance forms under the direction of several master teachers, including Frank Hatchett, Charles Kelly, and Lynda Gache and Luigi.
Carol's dance experience includes owning her own studio in New York for 33 years, as well as teaching classes for Fit Pro Travel at superclubs in the Caribbean.
Carol is a certified dance educator and holds certifications in Pilates and Zumba instruction. She has also trained in ethnic dance styles including Irish Dance and Belly Dance.
Sybil Manzano, Instructor
Sybil began her professional training with the Florida Ballet Arts School; continuing her training at the Sarasota Ballet School, Boston Ballet School, Steps NYC and The Nutmeg Conservatory. She went on to dance professionally with Bay Ballet Theatre, New York Dance Theatre, Sarasota Ballet of Florida and the Columbia City Ballet. Sybil performed soloist roles in ballet such as Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Firebird, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Balanchine's Rubies, Dracula's Revenge, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Coppelia, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, De Mille's Rodeo, and Alvin Ailey's Steams. She has taught at numerous schools including the Broadway Dance Center, NYC, Columbia Conservatory of Dance, Florida Ballet Arts Academy, Piedmont School of Music and Dance, Jami Masters School of Dance, Philadelphia Dance Theatre, and The Cary Ballet Arts Conservatory.
Addul Manzano, Instructor
Addul began his training at 11, attending the National Ballet School of Cuba in Havana. He was later selected to join the National Ballet of Cuba under the direction of Alicia Alonso. Since moving to the U.S., he has danced with Ballet NY, Columbia City Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Terpsicorps, the Washington Ballet and the Charlotte Ballet. He has performed numerous principal roles, including George Balanchine's Agon, Apollo and The Four Temperaments; Jonathan Harker in Dracula; Prince Charming in Cinderella; and Snow King and Sugar Plum Cavalier in The Nutcracker. Some of Addul's favorite performances include Balanchine's Rubies, Alonzo King's Salt, and Dwight Rhoden's Artifice. He has performed around the world - in the U.S., England, Ireland, Scotland, Cuba, and Greece.
Addul will join our staff teaching Ballet, Contemporary Ballet, and Pas de Deux.
Erin Montgomery , Instructor
Erin is a Florida native, and has been a part of the performing arts community her entire life. She began her training as a competitive gymnast at Apollo School of Gymnastics where she trained for ten years. Erin also took four years of figure skating with the Tampa Bay Skating Academy. From an early age, Erin was extremely involved in Musical Theatre at school and in her community, performing in multiple productions around the state, including productions with the David A. Straz Center for Performing Arts in Tampa. She primarily danced in the Tampa Bay area studying ballet, pointe, modern, lyrical, contemporary and jazz, finishing up her studies at Lees McRae College for a degree in Performing Arts. Erin has trained under well-known master instructors such as Victor Smalley, Tessandra Chavez, Jeff Amsden and Tony Bellissimo to name a few.
Erin enjoys teaching at Jump Dance Company, and continues to work hard with both recreational students and competitive dancers. She has received multiple regional and national awards for her choreography and costuming. Erin loves the students and the wonderful staff at Jump and looks forward to continuing to grow as an instructor and sharing her passion for dance.
MaryElizabeth Mock, Instructor
MaryElizabeth received her training in Ballet, Modern, and Jazz at Florida Ballet Arts in Sarasota and Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts in Connecticut. At age 14, she was selected to perform as a Junior Company Member with the Sarasota Ballet under the direction of Eddy Toussaint and at 16, with the Nutmeg Ballet Company. During her professional career, she performed for Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Classical Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet, Southern Ballet Theatre, Ballet South, Starpointe Productions, and as a choreography demonstrator for Frank Hatchett, “Master of Jazz”. MaryElizabeth has served as Ballet Master to West Florida Ballet, San Diego Ballet, and Unity Dance Ensemble, a Los Angeles based contemporary company. As the Artistic/Executive Director of Florida Ballet Arts Academy and the Florida Ballet Arts Ensemble, she earned great respect from the community through her unwavering commitment to excellence and sharp attention to detail, producing the area’s top level dancers while dazzling Sarasota audiences for more than a decade with professional seasonal performances at the Sarasota Opera House and Van Wezel. MaryElizabeth has since served as coast-to-coast Conductor of Auditions for Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts and Carreno Dance Festival, and has taught master classes across the country. Her students have gone on to dance professionally for Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, Boston Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, Ballet Theatre of Maryland, and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal.
Hayley Milne, Instructor
Hayley began her dance training at Woodbury Dance Center in Minnesota. She continued to train throughout elementary and high school, and was a member of Alliance Dance Company, as well as her high school cheer team. She received a BA in Dance Performance at Utah University in 2019, where she was a member and leader of Orchesis Dance Company. Hayley was a member of the St. George Dance Company in Utah, and was in the cast of the Spooktacular project for one season. She has been teaching students ages 3 to adult at various studios in Utah for the past 3 years, teaching ballet, jazz, hip hop, cheer classes, and adult dance fitness.
Hayley loves bringing her bright energy and athleticism to her classes. We are excited to have her as a part of the JUMP family.
Tracy Navarro, Instructor
Miss Tracy holds a B.F.A in dance performance. While attending college ,Tracy was crowned Miss Dance of WNY. Professionally, she danced with Gus Giordano’s Jazz Dance Chicago (2nd company), where she studied with and performed the choreography of Gus and Nan Giordano, Randy Duncan, Harrison McEldowney, and Mia Michaels, to name a few. She was a member of the faculty at Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Center where she choreographed and taught the Giordano technique. Tracy was in the Las Vegas Company of Footloose and in a national tour of Chicago. Presently, Tracy is teaching, adjudicating, and choreographing throughout the world. She won numerous awards for her choreography, including the American Dance Awards Diamond and Solo Choreography Awards. She taught at the college level, teaching classes and providing choreography for Fine Arts majors in Musical Theater and Dance. Tracy is excited to be working with Jump's competition team members, as well as recreational dancers.
Dori Sutherland, Instructor
Dori is a multi-talented, certified instructor with a strong background in gymnastics and acrobatics. Dori has been an actress and gymnast throughout her life, performing in several local theater productions and competing as a gymnast. She was very involved with the aerial arts students at the Sailor Circus in Sarasota for many years, where her daughter was a performer. Dori is certified as a dance teacher through Kiddance, a specialized program for students ages 2-7. She has been teaching gymnastics, acrobatics, and children's dance for over 20 years. Her diverse role at Jump Dance Company involves teaching preschool, creative dance, pre-k and youth hip hop and acrobatics classes, youth musical theater, as well as beginner to advanced acrobatics and tumbling classes. Dori is known by all of her students for her enthusiasm and joy of teaching.
Lexi Sutherland, Instructor
Bio coming soon!