Meet the Surge Staff
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
Co-Owner + Instructor
Eve Rokhvadze
Eve has been dancing for nearly 20 years both recreationally and competitively. She grew up training in the styles of Modern, Hip-Hop, and Jazz before entering her journey with Ballet and Contemporary. Her teaching career began while running University at Buffalo's dance club, Impulse Dance Force. It was during this time that she explored and gravitated towards Heels and Street Jazz.
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Currently, Eve has found a connection to the style of Afro'Dance while studying under Angel Kaba - a leading Afro'Dance instructor based in NYC. Afro'Fusion has quickly become Eve's favorite style of dance and she is excited to continue her education within this genre.
Co-Owner + Instructor
Jenna Bradshaw
Jenna began dancing at age 4 and never stopped. She grew up as a competitive dancer, performing with a national championship winning team and training under several renowned choreographers. Jenna is experienced in many styles including contemporary, jazz, hip-hop and tap, and she spent several years training exclusively in ballet and pointe.
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Jenna has taught at all age levels for both recreational and competitive dance programs, including her time with University at Buffalo's Impulse Dance Force. Her passion for dance is rivaled only by her passion for teaching and passing along her love for the art, along with self-love and confidence, to other dancers.
Our Team
Erica Ruiz
Erisola - Instructor, Zumba Instructor
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Erica started taking dance classes at South Buffalo Dance Academy at the age of 4, until she was 13. Driven by her desire to share this transformative experience with others, Erica embarked on a journey to become a licensed dance fitness instructor. For Erica, being a dance fitness instructor isn't just a profession; it's a calling to inspire, uplift, and empower others on their journey to holistic well-being. With each class she teaches, she leaves a lasting imprint on the hearts and souls of those who dance alongside her, reminding them that they are capable of greatness and deserving of boundless joy.
Jill Dowdle
Instructor, Marketing Coordinator
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Jill is a graduate of Niagara University where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Marketing with minor in Dance, and was also heavily involved with the Niagara Danceline. Her favorite styles include Hip Hop and Contemporary, and for Jill, dance is an escape and the place where she can leave everything behind and just feel. Jill is looking forward to continuing to teach and meet new students!
Caitlyn Waalewyn
Instructor
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Tabitha Shevlin
Instructor
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​Tabitha is an emerging artist in the WNY area looking to explore the bound of visual and performing arts. She has immersed herself in numerous aspects of the arts including: training and performing in various dance styles and theatrical productions, obtaining three SAFD professional certifications, and withholding positions such as stage manager, choreographer, dance instructor, and media producer. Dance has always been the primary form of expression for Tabitha; however, she is excited to use her diverse experience and interest in the visual and performing arts to explore, “what is art?”.
Madeline Dembowski
Instructor
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Madeline is an accomplished choreographer, artist, mover, and educator currently pursuing an MFA in Dance at the University at Buffalo. She has worked with notable choreographers like Yoshito Sakuraba and Andrea Miller, among others. Her performance credits include appearances at Nazareth University, the Rochester Fringe Festival, and the immersive dance-theater production at Rochester’s 2024 Cocktail Revival. Additionally, she has showcased her choreography in the University at Buffalo’s MFA Showcase, ChoreoLab, and Rochester dance festival DancesatMuCCC in 2024.
Madeline's dance journey began at the age of two, and she has been teaching since seventeen. While she enjoys contemporary and hip-hop styles, she is particularly fascinated by blending different dance styles, which informs her creative approach as a choreographer and teacher.
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Maddie Rominger
Instructor
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Maddie is from Orchard Park, NY and began dancing when she was 3 years old at Mary Alice’s Dance Studio. She competitively danced through high school in styles ranging from tap, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, and hip-hop. During her 4 years studying Hospitality at RIT, Maddie helped manage Vis Viva Dance Company and choreographed and taught various styles to all levels of dancers. Here, she fell in love with sharing her passion for dance and building a community around it. Her favorite style is tap! While by day she works in accounting, she is excited to tap back into her creative side, and be a part of the Surge family.
Madeline's dance journey began at the age of two, and she has been teaching since seventeen. While she enjoys contemporary and hip-hop styles, she is particularly fascinated by blending different dance styles, which informs her creative approach as a choreographer and teacher.
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Leah McNerney
Instructor
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Leah is from Erie, Pennsylvania and has been dancing since the age of 4. She began her dance journey with Hip Hop and branched off into Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Contemporary, Lyrical, Modern, Pointe, and Musical Theatre as she got older. She found her passion for teaching dance in 2019 at her home studio, Spotlight Dance Studio. She was the co-captain and co-creator of her high school dance team her junior and senior year, as well as the dance captain for The Historic Lockport Palace Theatre’s production of White Christmas in 2023. Leah has a love for choreography and has choreographed for multiple local studios, competition teams, as well as for the UB student dance show, Dancers Workshop. She has also attended the DanceLife Teacher Conference for 4 years along with the Summer Street Dance Intensive by 10K Movement in Cleveland, Ohio in 2024. Her favorite style of dance is Hip Hop and she aims to provide a fun and safe learning environment for all dancers to learn and truly enjoy dance!
Saana Alsadoun
Instructor
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