Teachers

Jennifer Perry is excited to be in her second decade of training and choreographing for the talented students at Brucie Klay’s Dance Center where she works with all levels of dancers from recreational to pre-professional and has also prepared dancers for school auditions, pageant talent presentations and junior Olympics training. Her credits include over 200 performances as Clara in the New York City Radio City Christmas Spectacular, over 100 performances in Neil Goldberg’s Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy and in Mark Marino’s off-Broadway debut of Mixed Emotions. She has appeared on nationally aired television programs with Paula Abdul, Ben Vereen, Jenny Jones and others and in commercials for Radio City Productions, Foxwoods and in multiple Univision projects at Sony Studios. Jennifer has performed in many corporate industrials including Coca-Cola, Goodyear and Bayer and has taught around the country on the faculty of prestigious dance organizations including Dance Olympus and Dance Educators of America. Jennifer has received multiple awards for her competitive dance choreography and as a competitive dancer earned one hundred twenty scholarships or titles. She is a member of AGVA and the Zumba Instructors Network with multiple certifications. Jennifer also holds a BFA degree in Dance Performance from the University of South Florida (USF) where she was a member of the UDA National Finalist USF SunDolls Dance Team and, post-graduation, taught recreational and college credit fitness courses for twelve years as a USF employee.

Ballet Master, Dancer, Choreographer, Professional Performance Artist. Andrew Guilfoil has an impressive career in dance and education. He earned numerous dance scholarships, which allowed him to study ballet under Alexander Bennet of the Royal Ballet of London. He went on to become a principal dancer for the Scottish American Ballet from 1982 to 1989, performing in six international tours, as well as in film, theater, restaurants, clubs, and circus shows. Andrew has set many renowned ballets such as La Sylphide, Coppelia, Gisselle, and Swan Lake, but also has set his own original ballets! Along with BKDC, Andrew continues as the proud owner and director of the Guilfoil Academy of Dance and Ballet Theater Company in St. Petersburg. Each year he stages a yearly production of The Nutcracker which this year will include the talent of Brucie Klay’s!

Jillian Sternick is thrilled to be joining the BKDC family this year! Dancing since she was 5, she has trained in the styles of Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, and Musical Theater. Originally from Massachusetts, she moved down to Tampa in the summer of 2020 to pursue a degree in dance from the University of Tampa. Throughout her time so far at the university, Jillian has been training in the pedagogy, Brain Compatible Dance Education, which focuses on the connection between the mind and the body. She was awarded the honor of Dance Student of the Year in 2022. This past summer, she began performing professionally at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and got to dance in her first commercial for Nectar Mattress Company. Upon her graduation this upcoming May, she looks forward to continuing to pursue teaching and performance in the Tampa Bay Area. Believing that dance is for everybody, Jillian looks forward to fostering a creative, fun, and positive environment for her students!