Our Teachers

CATERINA CHISESI

Director, Ballet, Jazz and Ballet workout

Born and raised in Zurich, Caterina began dancing classical dance at the age of four and with only ten years she entered the Zurich Opera School where she began her professional dance studies.

From there she went to the Opera of Rome, where she performed for ten years as a classical dancer. Later he returned to Switzerland and then took part in the musical ‘Cats’.

Following this performance, Caterina began her career as a teacher in a school for dancers in Switzerland before taking her passion to Spain, and opening in 2007, in Marbella, her dance school, Marbella Dance School, which has not only the discipline of classical dance but with a wide variety of styles. In 2016 both Caterina and the school become part of the organization of the International Dance Council.

SARA TORRES

Ballet, Jazz & Moder mix

She started taking her first steps as a dancer since she was very young and since then she knew that she wanted to dedicate herself to this. He studied classical dance in the IDTA (International Dance Teachers’ Association) in the specialty of Ballet and Theater.

After continued at Marbella Dance School under the tutelage of Caterina Chisesi. Where she obtained the title of Student Teacher being able to exercise as an official teacher of the Russian Ballet Association.

She has received numerous master-class and studied from numerous professionals such as Antonio Morales (Director of the Andalusian Ballet Association), Natalia Tapia, Angella DeMello, Sara Accetura, Vito Iiacobelis, Anthony Wright, etc. She has also completed the Martha Graham technique methodology course at the Superior Dance Conservatory of Malaga with Marnie Thomas.

In 2013 she began teaching classes for many classes and in 2014 she joined the Marbella Dance School staff as a ballet teacher for the youngest of the school.

Fernanda Gimenes

Jazz & Latin Workout

Fernanda Gimenes Santarosa, Brazilian nationality, started dancing when she was 4 years old in her American hometown, São Paulo. Graduated in dance and choreography from the State University of Campinas UNICAMP, Brazil and professional dancer from China, Portugal and Spain. She has been a dance teacher in several schools along the Costa del Sol teaching jazz, contemporary and classical ballet classes. She is currently part of the MDS staff as a Jazz and Latin Workout teacher.

Shelly loder

Contemporary & Tap

Shelly Loder is from America and has been choreographing, performing and teaching dance for over 25years.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Theatre Arts from San Jose State University under the mentorship of Jose Limon’s proteges Fred Mathews and Gary Masters of the Limon Dance Company.  A recent returnee to the Costa after being back in the U.S.A., Shelly spent 8 years here, where she danced as a principal dancer and company class instructor with Diablos Contemporary Dance Co.   She also taught contemporary/jazz at The Ballet Academy in Marbella run by Ballet Master Mohsen Eli-Wakil of the Cairo and Royal Ballet Companies.   In addition she taught at the former Jayne Melville’s Performing Arts Academy as well as having her own private ballet and American jazz dance clients.  Residing here gave her opportunites to choreograph/dance for professional venues including city events, galas and entertainment clubs as well as dance as a soloist in the production of The Rat Pack at the Torrequebrada Casino.

Over the years she has performed and toured works by Jose Limon, Charles Weidman, Doris Humphrey and Nikolais and Louis to name a few, as well as set her own work on various independent companies throughout California, and New York.

Shelly has danced with both the San Francisco Opera and Opera San Jose in roles from La Boheme, The Magic Flute, The Pearl Fishers, and the world premiere of Roumanis’ Phaedra.  Other credits include being an opener for former Saturday Night Live cast member Dana Carvey,  touring the role of “Frenchy” in Grease, performance artist and choreographer for the Magic Theatre and Footwork in San Francisco, and choreographer for the great American composer Lou Harrison.

She has also trained with modern dance pioneer Murray Louis, Jody White, David Roxander and Sabina Alleman of the National Ballet of Canada, Marge Champion from the Golden Age of Hollywood, Joe Goode, and tap virtuoso Sam Weber to name a few.

In the last ten years Shelly has taken time to follow a deeper study of her yoga practice.  She is a EYT-500 and teaches a variety of styles from Vinyasa Flow to Yin and Restorative Yoga.  Shelly was also the first in the U.S. to be certified in Neurogenic Yoga—a therapeutic modality that uses yoga postures and neurogenic tremoring to release stress and/or built up trauma stored in the body.  She is certified in Neurogenic Yoga’s sister modality TRE(tension/trauma releasing exercises) as well.  She shares this yoga training with the dance world by teaching ‘yoga for dancers’ to help strengthen and further develop a dancer’s training and understanding of the body and alignment to prevent injury, as well as increase breath capacity and control, and to release overworked muscles through Neurogenic tremoring.