Ms. Ellissa began dancing at age 2, initially focusing on ballet and tap and eventually performing in regional and national dance competitions. Over the years, Ms. Ellissa expanded her dance training to include ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, musical theater, ballroom, hula, and Tahitian. She completed her high school education through the Fremont Arts Magnet Program focusing on dance, and joined the Urban hip hop dance community. Her dance company earned 1st place at Prelude Sacramento! Ms. Ellissa started teaching dance at age 14, and she enjoys choreographing a variety of styles. She is certified through the Building Blocks of Dance program to develop a strong technical foundation for young dancers. Ms. Ellissa recently graduated from San Jose State University with a BA in Communicative Disorders and Sciences, and a Minor in Child and Adolescent Development. She currently practices Social-Cognitive Therapy as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant at Social Thinking Stevens Creek to help children with social learning differences, and she incorporates dance movement into her practice. Ms. Ellissa is excited to join the EDA dance family!


Ms. Ashlee began dancing when she was 8 years old and has trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary/modern, hip-hop, musical theater, and tap. She joined the Expressions Dance Family in 2013 and was a member of the EDA Dance Team throughout high school. Dancing on Team gave Ms. Ashlee a newfound confidence in her movement, and she enjoyed performing in multiple styles of dance including two solo pieces. Her passion for dance and choreography continue throughout her college career. Ms. Ashlee participated in ACDA (American College Dance Association) in 2019 performing a modern dance piece. Ms. Ashlee has experience teaching dance to all ages as well as experience working in child care, and she is thrilled to be teaching at EDA. Ms. Ashlee earned her BA degree in Communication Studies at Cal State University, Long Beach in 2022, and she is happy to be back in the Bay Area at her favorite dance studio!

​Ms. Melysa has been dancing since she was 5 years old and was on the dance team with Ms. Veronica at Mission Dance & Performing Arts in Fremont. In high school, at Moreau Catholic in Hayward, she expanded from ballet, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary to modern, song/pom, with a sprinkling of hip hop. She was a Varsity Songleader for 2 years and her team not only cheered and performed at games, but competed and placed on a national level. While studying at University of California, Davis, Ms. Melysa dove into the world of social dance and ballroom. She has most recently been training at OnTheEdge in Los Angeles and is excited to be back in the Bay Area, bringing with her more variety and styles of dance. Ms. Melysa's joined the Expressions dance family in 2021, she choreographs and works with team dancers to develop strong jazz technique, and she can't wait to dance with you! 


Veronica Langford 
Program Director / owner 

​Ashlee Buote

Dance Instructor

Sandy Maloney
Business Consultant

Ms. Katherine began her dance journey as a ballerina in the San Jose Ballet. She continued to dance at The Harker School in San Jose where she trained in jazz, ballet, lyrical, modern, and tap. She attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA where, in addition to graduating with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Design, she became very involved in the hip hop dance community in the greater Boston Area. She served as captain for MIT Ridonkulous (one of MIT’s competitive hip hop dance teams), choreographed for MIT Mocha Moves (another of MIT’s competitive hip hop dance teams), and MIT Dance Troupe (MIT’s community dance group), and then joined the Static Noyze Dance Company. While in Boston, Ms. Katherine competed in Elements, the largest hip hop dance competition on the East Coast, performed at corporate events, and opened for Ginuwine and Ja-Rule. Most importantly, Ms. Katherine has found hip hop dance is one of the best ways to unlearn perfectionism and celebrate the unique ways each person interprets music and movement. She is excited to join the Expressions teaching staff and can’t wait to share everything she loves about dance with students at EDA!


Ms. Rosselyn was born in Caracas, Venezuela where she began her dance training. In 2005, she joined Ballet National de Caracas Teatro Teresa Carreño, and in 2009, Ms. Rosselyn was promoted to principal dancer. She joined Diablo Ballet in 2011. In 2019, Ms. Rosselyn retired from the stage to focus on teaching the new generation of dancers. Ms. Rosselyn attended interactive workshops led by world renowned dance professionals and educators at the Dance Teacher Summit in Long Beach in 2015 and 2016. Ms. Rosselyn earned her certification at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, and she is certified on Progressing Ballet Technique. Ms. Rosselyn joined Expressions in 2022 and we are thrilled to have her on staff. She teaches students of all ages and skill levels focusing on classical ballet technique, terminology and stylization. She encourages a love for creative expression and a passion for the art of movement. Ms. Rosselyn is excited to be working with the EDA Performance Team and Recital Dancers!

As the Program Director and Owner of EDA, and a mother of 2 EDA dancers, Ms. Veronica is excited to provide quality dance instruction and at our new location. Ms. Veronica began teaching at the studio in 2014 and soon became involved in all areas of the dance program. She helped develop a new direction for the studio after becoming an owner in 2019. Ms. Veronica enjoys working with children of all ages and has been teaching professionally since 2003, not only as a dance instructor but also as a lead preschool instructor, substitute teacher for grades K-12, swim instructor and camp director. She graduated from San Jose State University in 2010 with a Major in Liberal Studies Preparation for Teaching and a Minor in Dance. Ms. Veronica began her dance journey when she was six years old at Mission Dance & Performing Arts in Fremont, where she was a member of the dance team for 11 years. She has extensive training in a variety of dance styles including jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and modern. Several of Ms. Veronica's former students have gone on to study dance in college and become accomplished dance teachers. Ms Veronica’s training and experience working with youth, as well as her passion for dance, creates an encouraging environment at the studio, and she hopes Expressions will instill a love of dance to all students!

Ms. Laura has been part of the EDA Dance Family since our 2012 opening. She has over 40 years of dance experience, and she still dances professionally!  Ms. Laura is excited to share her passion and love for dance with dancers of all ages. She teaches basic dance fundamentals to children as young as 2 years old in a fun and encouraging style; and she enjoys teaching ballet, jazz and tap for Tiny and Lil’s recital dancers. Ms. Laura believes that children should find a balance of many activities as they grow, and she encourages dance as one of their selections in life because it builds self-confidence, discipline, and a positive outlook. She is certified with AFAA, Zumba and Zumbatomic (Zumba for kids). Ms. Laura is currently a Hardwood Classic dancer for the 2022 NBA Champions and you can catch her fun and energetic performances at Golden State Warriors home games. Ms. Laura has two beautiful grandchildren – Max (age 4) and Vivian (age 2) – who fill her days with love and joy. Ms. Laura is an inspiration to both young and old, and we are thrilled that she is part of the EDA teaching staff!

​​Ellissa Wood

Dance Instructor

​Ms. Kim’s passion for fitness ignited at a young age. She trained in ballet and tap and lettered in three sports in high school. She also played intramural sports in college. Ms. Kim enjoys weight training, group fitness classes and outdoor running, and she has completed a full marathon! Ms. Kim obtained her degree in Business from SDSU and holds a certification in Exercise Science and Fitness Instruction from UCSD and a Personal Training certification from the American Council on Exercise. She previously worked for the UCSD Recreation Dept teaching student wellness, strength training for women as well as personal training. After moving to the Bay Area, Ms. Kim’s daughter joined the EDA dance team in 2013, and Kim has been a member of the EDA dance family ever since. In 2019, Ms. Kim partnered with Ms. Sandy to develop an EDA women’s fitness program, which launched in early 2020. With courage, patience, an open mind and a great sense of humor, Ms. Kim continued to teach fitness classes on Zoom after the studio closed in 2020. She is grateful and excited to teach in-person classes again at EDA’s new studio! Ms. Kim looks forward sharing her passion and joy through exercise in a welcoming and positive environment where everyone has fun and feels accomplished. Her classes include a full-body workout, upbeat music, weekly themes, daily motivational quotes, and most importantly, a great sweat!


Ms. Diana began dancing at age 4, and over the years, she has trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, musical theater, and tap. She joined the Expressions dance family in 2013 and was invited to join EDA's Performance Team in 2015. Ms. Diana has performed at Disneyland, on the Golden State Warriors' court, at Great America, the Alameda County Fair, and many competitions in the Bay Area, both in group routines and as a soloist. She is currently a member of the Senior EDA Performance Team. Ms. Diana became a teacher assistant in 2019, and she has trained with Ms. Veronica, Ms. Daelyn, and other Expressions instructors, teaching weekly classes as well as summer dance camps. Ms. Diana is thrilled to be teaching Saturday classes for the 2022-2023 dance season!

Rosselyn Ramirez
Ballet Instructor​

​Daelyn Cerruti

Visiting Instructor 

​Melysa Vander Mel

Team Jazz Instructor

Ms. Dae is a former EDA team dancer and is thrilled to be back at Expressions as an instructor after dancing at the studio throughout middle and high school! Ms. Dae started dancing at age 2 and is trained in ballet/pointe, lyrical, contemporary, modern, jazz, tap, hip hop, hula/Polynesian, and color guard. She choreographed for the Las Positas College dance program, where she received the esteemed Mertes Award for Performing Arts, and she graduated from UC Riverside with a BA in Education and a Minor in Dance in 2021. Ms. Dae currently trains with Rosselyn Ramirez from Diablo Ballet and has worked in education at Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco. She has performed in, and been involved in, many community musical theatre productions including "The Wizard of Oz" as an ensemble dancer (Tri-Valley Repertory Theater), "In The Heights" as Carla (Livermore HS), and "West Side Story" as Pauline/Jet Girl (Sunnyvale Community Players). She is currently mentored by Ameenah Kaplan (credits include The Office, Avengers, and resident director of The Lion King on Broadway) as a member of the 2021 IGNITE cohort of BIPOC emerging female/non-binary artists. Ms. Dae loves to share her creativity and passion for the arts by teaching students of all ages and advocating for accessible and equitable arts education. Ms. Dae currently lives in LA, is pursuing a career in the performing arts, and enjoys teaching at EDA on visits to the Bay Area!      

​​Katherine Paseman

Hip Hop Instructor


​Kimberlee Buote

Fitness Instructor  ​

​​​​​​​​Expressions Dance & Arts

info@Expressions-Dance-Arts.com

Expressions Instructors

​​Laura Higgins
Substitute Instructor

Ms. Sandy opened Expressions in 2012 for her 3 daughters, who were the original inspiration for EDA.  As the founder of EDA, Ms. Sandy understands the importance of a quality dance education that is fun and encouraging for all students, and that allows time for a healthy balance of family, school, community and the arts. Ms. Sandy earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Texas A&M University (Go Aggies!), and moved to the Bay Area with her husband, Dave, 25 years ago. She worked as a research group leader at Lawrence Livermore National Lab for over 10 years, and she is the author of numerous scientific articles, book chapters and patents (published as Sandra McCutchen-Maloney). Ms. Sandy is excited to continue as a consultant to EDA, supporting Ms. Veronica on EDA's new direction, Ms. Kim in developing EDA's women's fitness program, and all the talented EDA instructors and dancers! Ms. Sandy enjoys adult tap dance and fitness classes at EDA, and she is EDA's biggest fan!

​Diana Schwarz 

Dance Instructor

Expressions  Staff