Maria Hannon
Studio Owner, Competition Team Coordinator, Expressive Dance
Ms. Maria is the smiling face behind the desk and on the phone for NRG Dance for many years. With an extensive background in early childhood education and cheerleading, Ms. Maria has been working with children for over 30 years.
When her older daughters showed a strong passion for cheerleading, Ms. Maria became a cheer coordinator for a youth football organization, taking the division to many regional and state championships over the years. When her youngest daughter showed a love for dance, Ms. Maria traded poms for ballet shoes, and began a new career. She is always happy to help coordinate the competition teams and come up with fun recital themes.
In her spare time, you can find Ms. Maria at her happy place, Disney or volunteering at Maitland Public Library!
When her older daughters showed a strong passion for cheerleading, Ms. Maria became a cheer coordinator for a youth football organization, taking the division to many regional and state championships over the years. When her youngest daughter showed a love for dance, Ms. Maria traded poms for ballet shoes, and began a new career. She is always happy to help coordinate the competition teams and come up with fun recital themes.
In her spare time, you can find Ms. Maria at her happy place, Disney or volunteering at Maitland Public Library!
Mackenzie Cook
Lyrical Jazz, Senior Competition Team
Ms. Mackenzie was born and raised in Orlando, FL, her love for dance started at the age of 3. She grew up dancing at The Dance’s Pointe under the direction of Susi Martucci and Kelly Salisbury for 15 years. Training in Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Pointe, Hip Hop, Musical Theater and Competition Dance. This passion continued upon graduating from high school when she entered college and began teaching in the greater Orlando area. She continued to pass on her passion for dance while she studied at The University of Central Florida. Ms. Mackenzie obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2021.
She is very excited to share her love of dance with the NRG Dancers!!
Ms. Mackenzie was born and raised in Orlando, FL, her love for dance started at the age of 3. She grew up dancing at The Dance’s Pointe under the direction of Susi Martucci and Kelly Salisbury for 15 years. Training in Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Pointe, Hip Hop, Musical Theater and Competition Dance. This passion continued upon graduating from high school when she entered college and began teaching in the greater Orlando area. She continued to pass on her passion for dance while she studied at The University of Central Florida. Ms. Mackenzie obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2021.
She is very excited to share her love of dance with the NRG Dancers!!
Bre Hannon
Hip Hop, Cheer, Junior Competition Team
Ms. Bre began her passion for cheerleading and dance at the young age of 2. Born and raised in Florida, this gave her the opportunity to cheer at a local recreational division team. She fell in love. The 3 hour a day practices, 5 days a week really paid off and she joined the competitive world of cheer.
After 13 amazing years of cheering, at the age of 17, she began her love for Hip Hop right here in Winter Park, FL at NRG Dance Studio with Mrs. Nichole. Bre had the pleasure of dancing and cheering for NRG from 2013-2015. She was able to share her love for her sport, while also connecting with her team through dance. Now, as an instructor, Ms. Bre plans to inspire the new, returning and upcoming students through dance and/or cheer, while having fun! She was choreographer for the Hip Hop Competition team in 2018.
Ms. Bre is a pastry chef for the Walt Disney World Company, currently working on her degree in baking and pastry management.
Ms. Bre is so excited to return this year and head up her new competition team, the NRG Junior Team!
After 13 amazing years of cheering, at the age of 17, she began her love for Hip Hop right here in Winter Park, FL at NRG Dance Studio with Mrs. Nichole. Bre had the pleasure of dancing and cheering for NRG from 2013-2015. She was able to share her love for her sport, while also connecting with her team through dance. Now, as an instructor, Ms. Bre plans to inspire the new, returning and upcoming students through dance and/or cheer, while having fun! She was choreographer for the Hip Hop Competition team in 2018.
Ms. Bre is a pastry chef for the Walt Disney World Company, currently working on her degree in baking and pastry management.
Ms. Bre is so excited to return this year and head up her new competition team, the NRG Junior Team!
Hayley Robinson
Ballet/Tap, Anything Goes, Mini Competition Team
Since the age of three, Ms. Hayley has been performing and sharing her talents with many audiences around the country. Training in many styles including ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, contemporary, musical theatre, and many more, she has her BA in Dance from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO.
Ms. Hayley has recently earned her Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness from the University of Massachusetts Global through Disney Aspire. She has worked for the Walt Disney World company for almost five years.
Ms. Hayley is thrilled to be returning for her second season at NRG Dance!
Ms. Hayley has recently earned her Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness from the University of Massachusetts Global through Disney Aspire. She has worked for the Walt Disney World company for almost five years.
Ms. Hayley is thrilled to be returning for her second season at NRG Dance!
Sienna Vittone
Ballet/Jazz
Ms. Sienna began her love for dance at the age of 4 when she lived in a small town in Michigan. After moving to Orlando, her parents searched for a new dance company to put her in so she could continue pursuing her passion. That’s when they found NRG dance company where she danced for 5 years in a row. When she started middle school she picked up competitive cheerleading with Ms. Natalie as well as tennis. Upon entering her freshman year of high school she realized how much she missed dancing, so she went back to NRG and practiced mainly ballet,lyrical, and jazz. She also joined the competition team taught by Ms. Mackenzie. Sienna continued dancing all throughout high school. She is now attending Valencia college where she will get her Associates degree in order to obtain her bachelors in elementary education at UCF.
Sienna loves to teach and cannot wait to share her love for dance with her students!
Sienna loves to teach and cannot wait to share her love for dance with her students!
Natalie
Ballet/Jazz
Ms. Natalie was born and raised in Winter Park Florida. She took dance classes here at NRG for a couple years when she was in elementary school! She was in ballet, jazz, and lyrical. Later, she also found a love for cheer and began competitive cheerleading for a few years.
Ms. Natalie attends the University of Central Florida, with hopes of becoming a zoologist and working with all kinds of animals! In her free time you can find her baking, painting, and spending time with her best friend, Ms. Sienna!
She is super excited to start her first season at NRG Dance!
Ms. Natalie attends the University of Central Florida, with hopes of becoming a zoologist and working with all kinds of animals! In her free time you can find her baking, painting, and spending time with her best friend, Ms. Sienna!
She is super excited to start her first season at NRG Dance!
NRG-Dance Studios Featured in the
Orlando Sentinel (News Article Below)
By Meredith, Special to the Forum
January 24, 2013
Dance class is a highlight of the week for 8-year-old Ella Gregory.
"I like that we get to do dance games and fun dances," said Ella of Winter Park. "We do cool things like hip hop."
Ella's hip-hop dance class is taught at the Winter Park Community Center by Nichole Rose Genchi.
"She is fun to dance with," Ella said of her teacher. "She has a lot of good dances to teach us."
Genchi, a south Florida native, moved to Winter Park in 2011, giving up two jobs she loved.
"I had a dancer's dream job in South Florida," Genchi said of her job as director of the Florida Panthers Ice Dancers, a dance team that performs during Florida Panthers' hockey games. Genchi also taught dance at a private school in Boca Raton.
"I loved it, but I was dating my boyfriend, and he moved to Orlando for law school," said Genchi, who recently became engaged to that boyfriend, Jon. "I didn't want to have a long-distance relationship, so I moved with him."
Genchi said it was scary to move to a new city with no job lined up, but she looked at the transition as an opportunity to pursue another dream: Opening her own dance studio.
"I missed dancing so much when I moved here," she said. "I would drive around looking for a place where I could open a studio."
What she encountered was high rent for decent locations and bad locations for reasonable rental fees.
"I wanted to have my studio in a family-friendly, safe place," Genchi said. "And I loved Winter Park, so I wanted to find a place here. It was just so expensive."
Genchi's luck changed when, by chance, she drove by the construction site for the Winter Park Community Center.
After doing some research, Genchi discovered that the building was the city of city-run Winter Park Community Center, and that it did have a space for dancing.
"I saw it as a miracle," she said. "It was a dance studio already built for me. I wrote a proposal to the city about offering dance lessons at the building, and it worked out."
When the community center opened in October 2011, Genchi started offering dance classes for children and teenagers.
"It was slow getting started, but soon we had 50 kids enrolled in classes," she said. "Now, we have about 100."
Genchi's dance studio, NRG-Dance Studios LLC, has not only offered Genchi a unique opportunity to have her own studio in Winter Park. It also has offered dance lessons to some children who otherwise might not have had the chance.
"Because the lessons are offered at the community center, the children are eligible for a scholarship program," Genchi said. "If they are on free or reduced-price lunch at school, they qualify for a 50 percent discount on recreation programs offered by the city. This allows so many kids who wouldn't have been able to afford dance classes be able to take them."
That all-inclusive attitude is part of what has made Genchi's dance classes a success, said Ella Gregory's mother, Jennifer.
"Nichole offers such a positive, but challenging, environment," Jennifer Gregory said. "She makes it fun for the kids, and it's something that Ella really looks forward to coming to."
Genchi offers a variety of dance classes ranging from hip-hop to classic ballet. Class registration is free through the end of January.
The Winter Park Community Center is at 721 W. New England Ave. Visit NRG- DanceStudios.weebly.com.
Copyright © 2013, Orlando Sentinel
January 24, 2013
Dance class is a highlight of the week for 8-year-old Ella Gregory.
"I like that we get to do dance games and fun dances," said Ella of Winter Park. "We do cool things like hip hop."
Ella's hip-hop dance class is taught at the Winter Park Community Center by Nichole Rose Genchi.
"She is fun to dance with," Ella said of her teacher. "She has a lot of good dances to teach us."
Genchi, a south Florida native, moved to Winter Park in 2011, giving up two jobs she loved.
"I had a dancer's dream job in South Florida," Genchi said of her job as director of the Florida Panthers Ice Dancers, a dance team that performs during Florida Panthers' hockey games. Genchi also taught dance at a private school in Boca Raton.
"I loved it, but I was dating my boyfriend, and he moved to Orlando for law school," said Genchi, who recently became engaged to that boyfriend, Jon. "I didn't want to have a long-distance relationship, so I moved with him."
Genchi said it was scary to move to a new city with no job lined up, but she looked at the transition as an opportunity to pursue another dream: Opening her own dance studio.
"I missed dancing so much when I moved here," she said. "I would drive around looking for a place where I could open a studio."
What she encountered was high rent for decent locations and bad locations for reasonable rental fees.
"I wanted to have my studio in a family-friendly, safe place," Genchi said. "And I loved Winter Park, so I wanted to find a place here. It was just so expensive."
Genchi's luck changed when, by chance, she drove by the construction site for the Winter Park Community Center.
After doing some research, Genchi discovered that the building was the city of city-run Winter Park Community Center, and that it did have a space for dancing.
"I saw it as a miracle," she said. "It was a dance studio already built for me. I wrote a proposal to the city about offering dance lessons at the building, and it worked out."
When the community center opened in October 2011, Genchi started offering dance classes for children and teenagers.
"It was slow getting started, but soon we had 50 kids enrolled in classes," she said. "Now, we have about 100."
Genchi's dance studio, NRG-Dance Studios LLC, has not only offered Genchi a unique opportunity to have her own studio in Winter Park. It also has offered dance lessons to some children who otherwise might not have had the chance.
"Because the lessons are offered at the community center, the children are eligible for a scholarship program," Genchi said. "If they are on free or reduced-price lunch at school, they qualify for a 50 percent discount on recreation programs offered by the city. This allows so many kids who wouldn't have been able to afford dance classes be able to take them."
That all-inclusive attitude is part of what has made Genchi's dance classes a success, said Ella Gregory's mother, Jennifer.
"Nichole offers such a positive, but challenging, environment," Jennifer Gregory said. "She makes it fun for the kids, and it's something that Ella really looks forward to coming to."
Genchi offers a variety of dance classes ranging from hip-hop to classic ballet. Class registration is free through the end of January.
The Winter Park Community Center is at 721 W. New England Ave. Visit NRG- DanceStudios.weebly.com.
Copyright © 2013, Orlando Sentinel