Meet our team

Elyssa Dru Rosenberg (she/her) holds a Master’s degree in Dance and Dance Education from New York University and a B.A. from Tufts University. As a dance educator, she brings her passion for historical context and artistic development to her students in her Isadora Duncan technique, Ballet, and Creative Movement classes. Elyssa is a world-renowned expert in the legacy of Isadora Duncan and has presented her research, choreography and historical restorations at dance education and dance history conferences and in numerous venues around the United States. She has also taught Master classes and workshops at universities including UCSD, Tufts University, NYU, and SUNY Purchase. As a performer and choreographer, Elyssa’s work has been presented at various venues in New York City, San Diego and Boston. Elyssa founded Seaside Arts Center as a creative space for children of all ages and means to express themselves and gain confidence through art. 

 Lucia Padilla (she/her/they) was born and raised in National City, California, and began her dance training at transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project. From there she practiced a variety of dance styles such as modern, afro-cuban, and improvisation. She attended San Francisco State University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Minor in Women's Studies. After moving back to San Diego, she reconnected with transcenDANCE as a Teaching Artist, and has been teaching special needs students of all ages through their off-site Artist in Residency program. In addition, she spread her passion for the arts in other communities such as Malashock Dance School and Sesame Place's Entertainment Department. Lucia's current purpose is to spread the joy and importance of dance education to San Diego communities. 

Justine Elise Banal (they/she) is a passionate performing artist and educator with a heart for her community. She cultivated her love of dance in middle school when she started taking hip-hop classes at her community center and is proof that accessible arts education can change a person's life for the better. A few of Justine’s  professional performing credits include Insomniac Entertainment, Legoland California Resort, Anime Expo, and Teatro San Diego. As an instructor, Justine believes that everyone, regardless of experience, has valuable knowledge to bring a class. She is passionate about honoring the historical and cultural context behind different dance forms and empowering her students to use this knowledge to inspire their own creative expression. 

Danielle Behrens (she/her) was born and raised in Visalia, California. She works professionally as a musical theatre performer and dance instructor in both California and New York City. She has been dancing since the age of 3 and teaching and choreographing since the age of 16. While studying dance at Sierra Performing Arts Center, Danielle quickly discovered that she wanted to pursue a career in the arts and began training in voice and acting as well. She continued her training at College of the Sequoias, and then transferred to Marymount Manhattan College in New York City where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre. After graduation, Danielle joined the North American touring cast of The Wizard of Oz working as a swing. She then performed on the Disney Wonder cruise ship where she appeared onstage as Aurora, Cinderella, Belle and more. Danielle has also had the pleasure of performing at many regional theaters around the country. Some of her favorite credits include: Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street, Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza, Kathy Selden in Singin' in the Rain, and Meg Giry in Phantom of the Opera. She has worked as an instructor and choreographer at Broadway Dance Center, Thommie Retter’s NYC Tap Crew, Lopresti Dance Theatre, Sierra Performing Arts Center and College of the Sequoias. She loves sharing her passion for the arts as well as everything she has learned along the way!

 Uriah Brown (he/him) (Bass-Baritone)  is a graduate of San Diego State University where he earned a BM in Music Education and a BA in Spanish for Education. He is a classically trained Singer and has performed in a few operas, but is deeply rooted in Gospel and R&B as he grew up and learned to sing at church. Uriah  has an extensive background in musical theater both on-stage and behind the scenes. Some of his favorite leading roles were in The Wizard of Oz, Rent, and The Music Man. Although he loves to be on stage, Uriah’s true passions are Education and Advocacy for the Music and Dramatic Arts. He has served as an ambassador and mentor for Youth Entertainment Stage Company (Y.E.S. Co.), a Musical Theater Arts Education program of the Stanislaus County Office of Education in partnership with Gallo Center for the Arts and is annual lead performer for UC Merced’s Children’s Opera, an outreach program servicing the neighboring schools and districts. 

Uriah is originally from the San Fransisco Bay-Area, but spent his most important and formative years in Turlock, California.  Uriah is thrilled to share his passion for the stage and music with the children of Seaside Arts Center and it’s community.  

Born and raised in San Francisco, Selena (she/her) trained as a classical ballet dancer. At age 19, after performing and touring with local companies (Robert Moses & Robert Henry Johnson), Selena moved to NYC, where she discovered Pilates. She found it was  the perfect rehab/cross training for Ballet dancers and quickly saw how it would benefit anyone. For 20 years Selena has taught all levels of Pilates, tailoring her teaching to meet the needs from her clients.Selena is certified in both Mat & Equipment Pilates.  

 Rose Holliday (she/they), a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, is a competitive ballroom dancer with over a decade of experience. Throughout her career, she has received regional and national placements while also being able to train all over the world in places such as Prague, London, New York City, and Los Angeles to hone her skills in both Latin and Ballroom styles.  Alongside their dance pursuits, she has had the privilege of teaching and working with people of all ages and backgrounds, including adults and children with disabilities.  Rose has a passion for teaching movement and expression to people of all abilities and is very excited to join the Art & Heart team at Seaside to further this goal!  On her off days, you can probably find her scouring thrift stores for deals or roaming the library for a new book.   

 Shiri Ramras (she/her) was born and raised in Mexico City where she received her BA in Communication Science at the Universidad Anáhuac de Mexico. After moving to San Diego in 2001, she continued her studies in Early Childhood Development. Shiri has been working in education for more than 25 years, 15 of those as a preschool teacher. She worked as a Music Together teacher for over 10 years bringing music and movement to infants, toddlers and preschool children. In her spare time, Shiri enjoys listening to music and going to the theater with her husband and two daughters. Shiri is excited to be part of the Seaside Arts team and sharing her love for music with children.