Molly Valera, Founder
Molly Valera, Founder has studied dance for over 20 years. She began in West Virginia with ballet, tap, jazz and acrobatics, performing solo ballet pieces at age 11. At 15, she came to Santa Cruz and completed a 200 hour workshop in modern dance, contact improvisation, flamenco, ballet, and jazz. She studied ballet and modern dance at The Studio and Cabrillo College where she also did two years of gymnastics.
Molly spent four years working at a dance studio as a teenager. She has worked with at-risk and gang involved youth in the San Francisco Bay area for 13 years on the high ropes courses and other experiential learning activities. Molly has taught dance in public schools, recreation departments, health clubs and local dance studios. She is co-director and co-owner of Motion Pacific, where she teaches both children and adult classes.
Molly has performed with numerous dance troupes since 1996. She was one of the founding members of the original Boom Squad, with whom she danced for 4 years. Molly is currently directing Chickadee Cats, Motion Pacific's Tap Hip-Hop group, and Toy Soldiers, a Breaking and Hip-Hop group. In 1996, Molly also began taking weekly hip hop master classes in San Francisco and completed a 6 week workshop at the East Bay Center for Performing Arts. She most recently won a scholarship for LA Street Jams Summer Jamm 2000, where she was chosen by Style Elements. Molly has opened for Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature, Blaque, and 112. She has been a guest choreographer at Cabrillo College twice, and most recently co-choreographed with Christy Hernandez, tap master teacher and director of LA's Sound effects. Molly currently serves on the board of directors of Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern, and plans this spring to teach at a state sponsored Arts Outreach event in Alabama with Schaffer and Stern company.
Molly specializes in teaching groups of varied backgrounds and levels of dance education. Her choreography combines the techniques of her many dance influences, and makes use of a wide range of all styles of music.