Teaching Artists & Mentors

FRANCISCO GELLA

Founding Co-Director & Core Faculty, Artistic Director of Zeitgeist Dance Theatre

“Francisco from day one has always expected the very best of me and nothing less. His classes push me beyond my limits and allow me to make new boundaries for myself every single time. I’m so grateful!”

Xavier Logan, PDI Class of 2019
BFA Candidate at Juilliard

Francisco Gella’s distinguished 30-year career as a compelling dancer, award-winning choreographer, and widely-recognized dance educator, began when he took his first formal dance class at the University of Washington at the age of nineteen. His innovative choreography and highly effective teaching methods are sought after by professional companies, universities, arts high schools, conservatories, and studios across North America and around the globe.

Francisco’s choreographic commissions include Repertory Dance Theatre, Ballet Pacifica, California Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet’s Shut-Up and Dance Production, PHILADANCO’s Danco on Danco program, Laguna Dance Festival, Tucson Regional Ballet, University of Utah Ballet Ensemble, University of Washington Faculty Concert, Irvine Valley College, Ballet East, DANCO/II, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts, Orange County School for the Arts and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. His commission, ‘Between the Lines,’ set on PHILADANCO (The Philadelphia Dance Company), premiered at the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts in April at the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, and was selected by PHILADANCO’S Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown as the company’s solo performance at the opening of the Democratic National Convention in 2016.

Among the recognition he has received includes numerous choreography awards at the Youth America Grand Prix International Ballet Competition, including Outstanding Choreographer, and the Outstanding Choreography Award at the National Regional Dance America Conference in 2007. In 2013, Francisco premiered Concentric Harmonies at Celebrate Dance in Los Angeles, a work that received the Grand Prize at the McCallum Theatre Choreography Festival in 2014. In 2014 and 2015, his work Solstice, performed by the Phoenix Ballet, had its world premiere at the 60th Anniversary Gala of the Beijing Dance Academy and its European premiere at Poland’s prestigious Lodz International Ballet Festival. In May 2016, his work Souvenirs de Mouvement was selected as a featured performance at the nationally recognized Booker T. Washington High School of the Performing & Visual Arts’ annual Flying Horse Gala. In 2018, Francisco’s work Timelapse, performed by the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, was selected for the gala performance at the National High School Dance Festival. Most recently, Francisco was invited to be the resident artist at the Palm Springs Dance Festival, where he will be premiering a new work.

Francisco is the founding artistic director of NUEVO School of Contemporary Dance and COLLABO Youth Dance Collective (2008-2015). As founder and Chief Creative Officer of Francisco Gella Dance Works, he has created numerous educational programs; Ballet+ (beyond technique) workshops, the Preprofessional Dancer Institute, New Year’s Training Camp, Seattle Dance Advance, the New Century Dance Project (a youth dance festival), the College Prep program, and Dance 360 – an online educational community that provides ongoing knowledge and support for students, parents, and teachers. Additionally, Francisco is the ballet and modern faculty member for the 24 Seven Dance Convention and founding director of ARIA Ballet Intensive produced by Break The Floor. Born in Bacolod City, Philippines, Francisco is a proud immigrant to the United States, now a citizen of this country who resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

JULIE ROSE FRIEDRICH

Founding Co-Director & Core Faculty

"Julie is masterful at helping young dancers navigate the professional and collegiate dance world. She inspires and guides students to fully realize their dreams."

Connor Freeman, PDI Class of 2018
BFA Candidate at Juilliard

Julie Friedrich’s distinguished career as a professional dancer, mentor, and dance educator in the areas of ballet and contemporary dance, spans more than 18 years. She joined her first professional company at the age of 17 and received her primary dance education from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and Meredith Baylis of the Joffrey Ballet School. Upon graduation from high school, Julie joined the American Repertory Ballet under the direction of Septime Webre and then went on to join Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. Discovering her passion for contemporary dance during her time with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, she then moved to Europe, where she danced professionally for the following five years. She has danced works by George Balanchine, Anthony Tudor, Ohad Naharin, Septime Webre, Nacho Duato, Guy Weizman, Alex Ketley, and other European choreographers. Upon returning to the United States, Julie joined the acclaimed contemporary dance company BodyTraffic as one of its founding members.

Julie taught for over a decade at both the Orange County High School for the Arts and the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. During her time at both schools, along with teaching ballet and contemporary, she was the lead senior seminar advisor to all graduating dance students going onto the professional and collegiate world of dance. Through her guidance, Julie has taught numerous Young Arts Foundation winners, and her students have gone on to study at the Juilliard School, USC/Kaufman, SUNY Purchase, Tisch at NYU, and the Boston Conservatory, just to name a few. Professionally, she has former students working in such companies as ATE9, Kyle Abraham, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Cirque Du Soleil, and on Broadway.

In 2012 Julie was featured in the documentary film “ Fame High” for her mentorship of Grace Song, the first Korean American female to be admitted in dance to the Juilliard School. In 2013, President Obama and the White House named Julie one of the most influential art teachers in the country for her mentorship of young dancers.

Currently, Julie teaches, choreographs, and mentors students across the country. She teaches full-time at the Windward School in Culver City under the direction of Alesia Young and tours the country with Francisco Gella as one of his principal faculty mentors. In 2017, Julie became the Associate Director of College and Career Programs and the Associate Artistic Director of the Preprofessional Dance Institute (PDI) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, under the direction of Francisco Gella. Julie has also been on the faculty at the ARIA intensive as part of Dancerpalooza for the last three years. Most recently, Julie has signed on to become one of the main contributors to Dance 360 under the umbrella of Francisco Gella Dance Works.

WILSON MENDIETA

Core Faculty

"Wilson is one of the most attentive and approachable teachers I’ve had the pleasure of learning from. I am so appreciative of his willingness to share his vast experience!"

Tatum Marshall, PDI Class of 2019
BFA Candidate at Pace University

Wilson Mendieta, is an Assistant Professor in Dance at Chapman University, where he has choreographed for Chapman Celebrates and the Dance Faculty concert. Prior to his arrival in Southern California, Wilson served as the Director of the Musical Theater Program at the University of Washington in Seattle (2013 – 2017), where he also earned an M.F.A. degree in Dance and a Nonprofit Management Certificate from the Evans School of Public Affairs. His creative credits at the University of Washington include directing a production of Pippin and Sweet Charity for the Musical Theater Program. He also earned a B.F.A. degree in Acting with a minor in Dance from Montclair State University.

After his undergraduate training, Wilson lived in the New York City area, where he worked as a performer for television, radio spots, commercials, concert dance companies, and Off-Broadway and Broadway musicals. He has had the opportunity to share stages and deepen his artistic voice alongside dignitaries of the performing arts, such as Chita Rivera, Tony Stevens, Patty LaBelle, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Mark Dendy, and Kevin Wynn, but to name a few. Wilson’s choreography has been seen throughout the United States, including at The Kennedy Center in D.C., and has been invited to festivals in Venezuela and Australia.

Wilson has years of teaching experience, and more recently, he’s taught at the University of Minnesota, Purchase, Montclair State, Tisch School of the Arts, CAP 21, Steps on Broadway, and Dance New Amsterdam. His research on how to better equip performing arts students to have sustained careers in their fields led to an invitation to present at the International Conference on Visual and Performing Arts in Athens, Greece, and the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities in Oahu, HI. He also has served as a panelist for several arts funding organizations, including The National Endowment for the Arts.

STEVEN SOFIA

Core Faculty

"Steven’s classes take you back to the roots of jazz dancing by engaging your soul! There is no judgment in any of his classes, and you feel really safe and open to learn."

Kaylie Wood, PDI Class of 2019
BFA Candidate at Boston Conservatory

Steven Sofia, is presently teaching dance and Pilates at Chapman University. Prior to joining the faculty at Chapman, he spent three years as an Artist-in-Residence at the University of Washington for the Musical Theater Program. Steven is a Broadway performer, dance captain, choreographer, and university instructor. His Broadway and national tour credits include; Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, Chicago, Kiss Me Kate, Beauty and The Beast, Guys and Dolls (‘92 revival), and Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story. Some other credits include A Chorus Line at Olney Theatre (Helen Hayes Award winner for the Best Musical in 2013), An Evening with Betty Buckley at Carnegie Hall, Applause at City Center’s Encores, Susan Stroman’s Contact with Sarasota Ballet at Asolo Repertory Theatre, and several Tony Awards and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade presentations. He also danced with The American Dance Machine, where he worked with such choreographers as Ron Field, Agnes DeMille, Buzz Miller, and Gwen Verdon, to name a few.

He has been an assistant to Broadway choreographers Tony Stevens and Chris Chadman. Steven restaged the national tour of Chicago for Troika, a number for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Andy Williams, productions of Pippin, Anything Goes, and the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the University of Washington, a production for the Wings Theater, and directed and choreographed Pippin for NYU’s Cap21. He has been on the dance faculty at NYU, Cap21, SUNY Purchase, Marymount College, Broadway Dance Center, and Steps on Broadway. Steven is also a certified classical Pilates instructor.

Zak Ryan Schlegel

Choreographer and Dance Educator

"Zak's class has changed me forever. His approach to movement has made me rethink my abilities and what I am capable of. He has challenged me to do things out of my comfort zone and I believe it has made me a better dancer and human."

David McCool, PDI class of 2023
Studio Powers, Warner Robins, GA

Zak Ryan Schlegel is a performer with Shen Wei, educator at The Joffrey Ballet School, founding curator of cross-genre salon CONGRESS, and co-artistic director of AXIOM Dance Theatre. His work has been presented from The Juilliard School in NYC to Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA and is a three-time Outstanding Choreographer of the Youth America Grand Prix. He is the official recipient of the New Century Dance Project 2022 Choreography Award Grand Prize Honor, his film “In Beauty It Is Unfinished” is an official selection of The Athens International Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, and recently won the Knight Foundation award at the Miami Film Festival. The New York Times calls him “a star” & Wall Street Journal “eye-catching & effortless”. His extensive research of Eastern and Western movement traditions adjacent to the philosophical tenets of observation, logic and mathematics largely inform his presence of being, technical vocabulary, arresting language and physical study of identity. Query is his primary motivation of understanding—where mortal repetition and shifting layers define performance as a series of cascading epiphanies.

Zak can be seen in Ryan Heffington’s Emmy award-winning choreographic work for HBO series Euphoria directed by Sam Levinson starring Zendaya, the feature film Babylon, directed by Damien Chazelle starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, The Weeknd’s highly anticipated upcoming HBO series The Idol starring Lily-Rose Depp and is the featured artist in Lexus’ L5 campaign. He has worked with directors Damien Chazelle, Sam Levinson, Edgar Wright, Melina Matsoukas, Floria Sigismondi, Amy Seimetz, Sebastian Strasser, Nina McNeely, Dugan O’Neal, Kitty McNamee, Greko Sklavounos, Eliot Lee Hazel, WIFE, Lita Albuquerque and GMUNK.

On stage, Zak has performed and toured globally as company member and soloist in Shen Wei Dance Arts, Italy’s Spellbound Contemporary Ballet led by Mauro Astolfi, Yin Yue Dance Company and Backhausdance on iconic stages from BAM, Art Basel Miami and Hong Kong to The Guggenheim, Asia Society in NY and Hong Kong, Arcosanti’s FORM Festival, and LA’s Walk Disney Concert Hall in collaboration with the LA Philharmonic. He has created an evening length, experiential sound bath “Liminal” with Jonsi and Alex Somers of Sigur Ros, and has danced the works of Jean-Guilliame Weiss, Ryan Heffington with associate Ryan Spencer, Mandy Moore with associates Jillian Meyers & Megan Lawson, Michael Rooney, Nina McNeely, Jennifer Backhaus, Denna Thomsen, JA, Lisa Eaton and Josie Walsh. He received formative training from Rafael Bonachela at Sydney Dance Company, Danielle Agami, Lucas Crandall, has participated in Gaga research with Ohad Naharin in Tel Aviv, Israel and holds a BFA from Chapman University.

Commercial collaborations include: The Weeknd, Sigur Ros, Britney Spears, Ry X, Lawrence Rothman, Years & Years, Peaches, MIKA, Ecko, Audrey Nula, Nova Wav, Fitz and the Tantrums, Japanese Breakfast, Lawrence Rothman, The Pierces, Sam Sparro, Vogue Italia, FLAUNT and OUT magazine, Lexus, Toyota, Ford, Squarespace, Amazon Prime, Sleep Number, Tedx, The Getty, Milk and FIDM in multiple genres and platforms from film/television, music videos, live stage performances, commercial campaigns and print editorials.

Adjunct Faculty and Presenters

Allegra Lillard, Dance Educator

Elise Gent, West African and Haitian Dance Instructor

Jess Spinner, Owner of ‘The Whole Dancer

Jonathan Guise, Artistic Director at Los Alamos Dance Arts

Accompanists

Fred Simpson, Percussion

Melanie Monsour, Pianist

Ryan Bridwell, Pianist