Instructors

INSTRUCTOR PAGE:


Jake “Bboy Boogie B” Riley
Breaking Instructor / Studio Co-Owner / Class Director

Jake “Bboy Boogie B” Riley has been a devoted practitioner of the original style of Hip Hop Dance, “Breaking” for 15 years. During this time, Jake has traveled from coast to coast, learning from and has competed against some of the most influential Bboys and Bgirls from all around the world. Jake has won over 45 competitions and has traveled to cities that include: Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, San Diego, Houston, Miami, Orlando, Austin, Seattle, Sacramento, Boston, Atlanta and more.
In August of 2014, he along with a few partners opened the doors to Minnesota’s first and only studio dedicated to Hip Hop/Urban dance called, “House of Dance Twin Cities”.
In May of 2016, Jake also graduated from North Hennepin Community College with an Associates Degree in Business Administration, along with a certificate in Entrepreneurship to further his management skills at the studio.
House of Dance Twin Cities today is among the top 10 dance studios (based on recent ratings) in Minnesota with over 275 currently registered students. House of Dance Twin Cities is also the official dance studio partner of the Minnesota Timberwolves/Lynx and has a partnership with Red Bull Energy Drink.
Jake’s performance experience includes dancing alongside platinum selling recording artists such as: Vanilla Ice, Montell Jordan, Quad City DJs, Bell Biv Devoe and most recently had the incredible opportunity to perform alongside Justin Timberlake for the Super Bowl LII Pepsi halftime performance at the US Bank Stadium in February of 2018.
In June of 2018, Jake and his wife, Bao Lee founded their 501c3 non-profit called, “House of Dance Foundation” to further provide classes and programming to a greater outreach of people in the Twin Cities and beyond.


Bao Lee (Riley)
Studio Manager / Co-Owner


David “Bboy Abide” Pellinen
Breaking Instructor

David “Abide” Pellinen, started dancing in 1998 after seeing Hip Hop dance crew, Battle Cats performed at First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis. He has shared his unique expression of dance in urban communities worldwide, including locations Kampala, Tokyo, Nairobi, Amsterdam, Montego Bay, Atlanta, New Orleans, Tampa, Orlando, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and throughout his homeland of Minnesota, especially the Twin Cities metro. Stage performances alongside KRS One, Naughty By Nature, Vanilla Ice, DJ Premier, Agape, Ryan Daniel, Xross, Tru Serva, Mello-D, Maria Isa, Guante, Big Cats!, Diamond D., DJ Los Boogie, Curio Dance, regularly at NBA and WNBA games in Minnesota 2009-2014, and Superbowl LII Halftime show with Justin Timberlake. Co-founded Dance Orchestra, New Heist Dance Crew, The Pack, and 612 Crew. Teaching artist, has directed Hip Hop youth programs and summer camps for youth enrichment in Minneapolis. Mentor with Twin Cities Mobile Jazz Project. Married 10+ years, with two children, and continues to perform, judge, compete, teach, and build appreciation for Hip Hop culture and dance with a youth focus throughout the Twin Cities Metropolitan area in Minnesota.


Joseph “Godsent” James
Popping & Locking (Funkstyles) Instructor

Started dancing in 2003 doing Musical Theatre, Tap, and Jazz. Joseph later started doing Ballroom and Latin style dances before finding Hip Hop, where he started with Breakdancing and New Jack Swing, before moving into the Funkstyles scene around 2008. Today he dances all styles, with an emphasis on Locking.


Simone Hall
Hip Hop Dance Instructor
Simone Hall is enthusiastic and optimistic teacher that has been dancing for the past 4 years. She trains and specializes in a variety of different styles such as Hip hop, House, and Krump! She has been traveling all around the US for dance and as well as overseas. In 2019, Simone and her dance crew was invited to South Korea to perform at the International Gangneung Junior Arts Festival. At the moment, Simone dances for the Minnesota Timberwolves under their hip hop crew, 612 Crew. Currently, she hosts an all women’s dance session at Hothouse Dance Studio on Thursdays as well. The reason why she chooses dance is the community and love dance has come with! With her endless passion for dance, she will continue to spread love, joy and connection through dance!

Camerron Estes
Breaking Instructor

Started breaking in 2009 at the age of 16 in St. Louis, MO. He moved to Minnesota in May 2021. He has traveled and competed in competitions throughout the country. He represents Rising Starz Crew (MO) and Icy Styles (MN). His style is all-around because he likes to cover all aspects of breaking.


George Baugh
Breaking Instructor

George Baugh been breaking since 2015 and has been a student at House of Dance Twin Cities for the entirety of his breaking career. George has a passion for art from a young age and thrives in creative and authentic spaces, like House of Dance. George is a part of the most tenured and prestigious Breaking student group, at House of Dance, “Break Fluid” and for him has truly been unreal. Through our shared passion for dance, he’s forged deep connections and relationships with his fellow Break Fluid teammates. To George, it feels like he’s gained a second family, united by our love for this art. George has competed across the country, in cities such as Denver and Boston and have had multiple opportunities to work with various organizations such as Monster Energy. George specializes in the more technical side of breaking in elements like footwork, prioritizing originality and the ability to create.


Derrick Gichaba
Hip Hop Dance Instructor

Derrick is a multidisciplinary artist, born in Kenya and based in Minnesota, who has found passion for dance, photography, film, and fashion!  As a kid, he always found himself dancing for fun with family and friends. Growing up in an African American culture, he picked up Breakdancing and eventually ventured off into Hip Hop freestyle and Litefeet. During his  journey through high school, he had the privilege of connecting with others who also enjoyed dancing! As time moved on, he continued developing his skills as dancers, and eventually became colleagues by creating a crew known as Squad 7. This community of dancers has connected him with a monumental amount of artists, this led him to pursue photography and videography professionally. He has had the pleasure of working with multiple local artists of all disciplines, while also taking advantage of the opportunity to shoot big name artists like: Ari Lennox, Denzel Curry Noname, to name a few.  During the pandemic, he picked up the art of fashion styling and design. He is in the process of creating a brand where he’ll be able to create clothing for himself and for others to enjoy!


Zhané Jackson
Hip Hop Dance Instructor 

Zhané Jackson is a creative mover, writer, director, producer, and event coordinator based in the Twin Cities. Her dance career was birthed with New Black City, an all-Black, femme, Hip Hop dance collective. For 8 years, she’s performed at venues such as First Avenue Mainroom, The Varsity Theatre, and The Ordway, opening up for artists like Kehlani, Rico Nasty, and Leikeli47. Currently, Zhané is focused on developing as an independent artist and building a stable legacy of community through transformative artistic creations. Her current projects include Discover Your Mode, The New Skool, and dance advocacy work with Minnesota Artist Coalition!

20 Responses
    1. Hello Sarah,

      We were not present at the Little Mekong event. However, we do know some of the organizers and are affiliated with some of the groups or dancers who participated. It looked fun and hope to be at the next one!

      Sincerely,

      – Jake Riley

    1. houseofdancetc

      Hello Tony,

      Thank you for reaching out to us. We do not teach electronic dance styles, however we do teach elements of House dance. I do not know of another studio that does focus on a dance styles like tectonics.

      Thanks again and please let us know if you have any questions.

    1. houseofdancetc

      Thank you for your inquiry. 612 Crew is an adult Hip Hop group. We are not sure when the tryouts next year will be as of yet.

  1. Deandre Dwyer

    Hello my name is Deandre.
    I am 29 years old. I’m also inspired by the Jabbawockeez, also Tight eyez and Chris Brown.
    I’ve been dancing hip hop since the age of 8.
    I haven’t had much luck or the right opportunities to make dance a career choice.
    I would classify my style as a freestyler. I krump, pop, and wave.
    I need more choreography classes but I don’t have much money.
    I’m just wondering, what would be the best way to get my foot through the door on a fixed budget. My goal is to be recognized for my art.
    I’m also interested in teaching how does one become an instructor?

    1. houseofdancetc

      Thank you for reaching out to us Deandre. We would recommend our adult Hip Hop dance class that is set to start on Wednesday, September 5th. This is a 10 week course that meets each week from 7:10pm-8:40pm. The focus of this class is to both learn new movements, review movements you may already know and learn choreography.

      We can set up a payment plan for you to help you get started. What we can do is take care of the first 1/2 of the payment now and the other 1/2 in September when the class starts. I have included a link to our adult Hip Hop dance class below with more details:
      https://houseofdancetwincities.com/product/adult-hip-hop-fall18/

      To proceed, please email us at: houseofdancetc@gmail.com. Thank you for reaching out to us and we hope to hear from you soon!

      – House of Dance Twin Cities Online Support

  2. Sara M

    Hi,
    If I were just starting out to be a hip hop dancer as an 18 year old, which class would you recommend I take?
    Sara

    1. houseofdancetc

      Good afternoon Sara,

      Thank you for reaching out to us! I would recommend registering for one of our adult Hip Hop classes this summer! We offer one on Tuesday nights from 7:10pm-8:40pm and another on Wednesday nights from 7:10pm-8:40pm.

      I have included a link below to view both options for more information and to register to secure your spot:
      https://houseofdancetwincities.com/product-category/classes/adult-hip-hop-ages-13/

      Sincerely,

      – Jake Riley
      Studio Owner / Class Director
      House of Dance Twin Cities LLC

      http://www.houseofdancetwincities.com

    1. houseofdancetc

      Good afternoon Yashvi,

      Thank you for your comment and for visiting our website! We would recommend one of our Beg. Hip Hop 1 (ages 9+) classes to start. Our spring class schedules will be available on Friday, January 3rd and registration is set to open on Thursday, January 16th.

      If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call at: (952)-405-9104. Thank you and we hope to meet you soon!

  3. Shannonelise Tietz

    Hi there
    Would like to start hip hop classes ASAP, I have a formal background in dance of modern tap jazz and pointe-and i do some hip hop – what class can I take as an adult?

    1. houseofdancetc

      Good afternoon Vanessa,

      Thank you for visiting our website and for your interest in our classes. We recommend to start our adult Hip Hop Dance class for students your age. If you have previous experience, please email us directly at: houseofdancetc@gmail.com with a video of a previous performance and/or practice. Our winter class schedules will be available this upcoming Monday, October 5th and registration is set to open right here on our website for all of our winter Hip Hop Dance classes on Monday, October 19th.

      Thank you again for reaching out to us and we hope to hear from you soon!

    1. houseofdancetc

      Hello Alaska,

      We do offer private lessons. However, we are not currently scheduling any more lessons through this summer.

      We do offer adult Hip Hop and adult Breakdancing classes and registration is open now on our website for both of these options this summer.

      Thank you for checking in and we hope to hear from you soon!

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