Meet The UDC Team

Ultimate Dance Center is a team of highly skilled and motivated individuals who are passionate about dance as an art form! UDC employs only dedicated individuals who love what they do and whose primary goal is to support the growth and vitality of our dancers and studio at large. Our elite Staff & Instructors are well trained to ensure that each student has the Ultimate Dance Center Experience! Take a look at our dance family here at Polk County’s premiere dance studio!

Management & Directors

Ferdinand (Freddie) DeJesus – Artistic Director & Owner Of FrediDance Project Non Profit Dance Company

Freddie De Jesus has been involved with dance since he was 12 years old. He has been involved with various successful dance productions and is passionate about exposing all persons to the world of dance. Freddie is currently the Creative Artistic Director of Ultimate Dance Center . Freddie has studied at prestigious companies such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and Dance Theater of Harlem. His performance credits include work with such companies as Philadanco, New World Dance Company, Joyce Trisler Dance Company, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Rebecca Kelly Ballet, Annabella Gonzales Dance Theater, Dance Compass, Donald Byrd The Group, DANCESAIS, Bruce Wood Dance Company and Florida Dance Theater. With a dance career spanning more than 20 years, De Jesus has had the honor of working with many well-known and widely acclaimed choreographers and company directors. He is formerly the Resident Choreographer and Associate Artistic Director of Florida Dance Theater since 2003. He is also a Jazz Dance Professor at Florida Southern College and Resident Life Assistant and faculty member in the Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts SUMMER INTENSIVE (EMIA). Freddie is the founding Artistic Director of NY/FL Based Contemporary Dance Company FrediDanceProject.

To learn more about Freddie please check out this video on YouTube:

Danielle Fudge, Competition Co-Director

 
Danielle Fudge, Competition Co-Director, is a 29-year-old avid performer and choreographer that has been in love with dance all her life. Originally from Valdosta, GA, she began gymnastics at the age of three before discovering her true passion at the age of six when she started taking classes at The Ballet School. By the time she moved to central Florida at the age of nine, she was completely committed to dance and began studying at Florida Dance Theater (where she first met Fredi De Jesus). However, that was too far away for her to go as often as she desired, so she began taking classes at Raskin Dance Studio where she threw herself into dance by taking as many classes as they allowed and then being a helper in a few classes to get even more. By her late teens, her determined work ethic and passion for dance had her studying at multiple studios. She was studying at the Orlando Ballet School, Raskin Dance Studio, Hardrive, Studio Zero G, Center for Contemporary Dance, New Dimensions, and Russian Academy of Ballet. Additionally, she took many master classes with instructors such as Edgar Godineaux, Lonnie Hightower, Patrick Daniel, and Jermaine Terry. Danielle enriched her dance experiences with conventions and competitions including the well-known and popular Jump, NYCDA, Shake the Ground, 24SEVEN, COdance, and Adrenaline. Her dedication, passion, and work ethic have enabled her to be well trained in over twenty different dance styles.
 
As a professional, she has danced for the companies Universal Studios Orlando Resort, Arabian Knights, Dawn Branch Works, With Love Productions, and IDEX DOTY. She has choreographed and been the assistant choreographer for multiple shows including Eden (performed at Dr. Phillips Center), Tampa Pride, Mary Poppins, In the Heights, West Side Story, and Bye-Bye-Birdie. She has also choreographed for many companies and studios including Dawn Branch Works, FrediDance Project, New Dimensions, Center for Contemporary Dance, Arabian Knights, and Ultimate Dance Center. She has also choreographed multiple music videos, Quinceañeras, and Weddings. She has attended and received certifications from several workshops including The Beginnings Workshop, Ballet Magnificat, and Acrobatic Arts. Most recently she became a director for the Ultimate Dance Center Competition Team and her choreography has won first at nationals multiple times and qualified for Worlds. She is thrilled to be in her 5th year at Ultimate Dance Center and 2nd year as co-director of the competition team.

Faculty Instructors

Alicia Boyte Allen – Acrobative Art Director

Alicia Allen is a 35 year-old mother of 3. She started gymnastic training at 3 years old, and began taking ballet, jazz, and hip hop classes at age 4, by 13 she reached level 9 gymnast with a few elite tumbling skills under her belt. She joined the George Jenkins Wind Dancers in High School and began coaching gymnastics and competitive cheer at Gymtek in 2004 as well as coaching all-star cheer teams and co-choreographing the routines with Jose Santa. They won national champs in 2006! Then in 2014 she started working at Kidzdance as the acro teacher for their studio (which she has done choreography for) as well as coaching gymnastics and tumbling classes at Champion Athletic Center. Recently Alicia has performed in With Love Productions & choreographs for The Ultimate Nightmare Before Christmas as well continuing her coaching career at Gymtek & the George Jenkins Wind Dancers. Alicia is an Acrobat Arts Certification Level 2 instructor & teaches Acrobat Arts (Acro) at the Beginners / Intermediate & Advanced Levels as well as Baby Acro (2-5 years).

Marcilyn Holmes

Marcilyn Holmes is a Florida native hip-hop instructor. She discovered her love and passion for dance at the age of 5 at Lakeland Academy of the Arts. Training in ballet, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, pointe, tumbling and hip-hop styles as well as competing at multiple competitions each year. By age 12, she transferred to Ultimate Dance Center, where she focused more on hip-hop, street jazz, contemporary & competitive dance. During her teen years she discovered her connection with the hip-hop style and devoted her time into learning everything she could about it.

As her time came to close as a competitive dancer and student at Ultimate Dance Center, she transitioned into a hip-hop instructor & competitive coach, teaching all ages the love and dedication to dance she has. She embarks on a new journey as being one of UDC’s Team Energy Competitive Choreographers.

Ana Howell – UDC Studio Manager, Tuition and Billing, Event Manager Coordinator

Celeste Howell and Alan Hernandez – After Care and Front Desk Team

Daniel Z Smith

Daniel Z Smith Jr is a Chicago native, graduating from Columbia College Chicago with a B.A. in
Performing Arts Marketing and Media Management. Daniel got his start teaching dance in
Chicago’s inner city. He’s danced professionally with notable companies such as Walt Disney
World, Busch Gardens Tampa, toured as Chad in Feld Entertainment’s High School Musical,
performed in Cirque Dreams’ Jungle Fantasy, served as Artistic Director of Fredi Dance Projects’
Youth Ensemble and currently is a Principal Dancer for Norwegian Cruise Lines. He continues to
spread his love for dance as a teacher and choreographer throughout the United States.

Saffera

My name is Saffera ( an Egyptian name for ambassador), I’ve lived in Lakeland for 18 years now, I started to learn the ancient art of Belly Dance back in 2005, I was invited to performed professionally for the first time in 2008. I’m an Egyptian style Belly Dance performer, I incorporate props while dancing like silk veils, isis wings, candelabra, silk fans, candles, cane and sword. I’m a former Belly dancer from The Hookah Palace, several local events and some other venues in Tampa and Orlando as well, along with private events and theater productions. I started to teach in 2015 and I’ve been teaching since then; the ancient art of Belly Dance is a beautiful and fun way to exercise, while learning to use abdominal muscles, along with balance and strength, many of the moves involve isolations which improves flexibility of the torso.

“I’m from Mexico and I’ve been dancing for 10 years and teaching for over a year now. I often perform at the Hookah Palace in downtown Lakeland and participate in as many community events as I can! I specialize in traditional Egyptian/Arabic style Belly Dance! I’m very excited to be a part of the UDC Team!!”