Ernesto Galarza aka Precise was born & raised in the city of Pacoima, California. Ernesto first met Jackie Lopez through an after school program in the sixth grade at his middle school, Lakeview Charter Academy. Later Jackie helped him apply to receive scholarships from the Flourish Foundation to take Hip Hop/street dance courses at the Jonette Swider Dance Center, where Jackie then introduced him to Leigh Foaad. Ernesto was one of the original members of Versa-Style Next Generation starting in 2009, but is now a Principal Dancer and Artistic Director of Digital Content/Marketing for Versa-Style Dance Company, as well as one of the Co-Directors for Versa-Style Next Generation. He graduated from UCLA in 2015 with a major in World Arts and Cultures/Dance and a minor in Visual and Performing Arts Education. With over 20 years of experience in Hip Hop/street dance as a performer, educator, and internationally recognized competitor, Ernesto remains a student of his craft and continues to learn and train every day with the goal to pass on his knowledge and inspire the future generations.

Aryeal Lands aka “AryLove” is a movement and teaching artist passionate about serving underprivileged communities through dance. She was born in Riverside and raised in Los Angeles, CA where her love for Street Dance culture truly flourished. With an early dance background already developed, she eventually learned about Versa-Style through her mother who taught on the same campus as VS Member Allison Gray, and was inspired to start training with Versa-Style Next Generation in 2018. After receiving a scholarship to attend the UCLA Summer Dance and Performing Arts Intensive, she applied to UCLA where she got to continue training with VS Directors Miss Funk and Breeze-Lee. As of 2023, she is a member of Versa-Style Legacy where she tours around Los Angeles County performing educational school shows and sharing what’s possible for careers in dance. She has now graduated Cum Laude from UCLA with her B.A. in Dance and B.A. in Sociology and is looking forward to continuing her growth as a future educator under Versa-Style’s leadership.

Aubrey “Siga” Mamaid was born and raised in the Philippines, and moved to Los Angeles, California in 2015. As a first generation immigrant and student, she completed her B.A. in Dance, B.A. in Asian American Studies, with a minor in Public Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has been part of Versa-Style Next Generation since 2016 and graduated from the program in 2022. Her involvement in the youth program continues on as the VSNG Co-Manager, which includes planning, implementation and execution of the VSDC Street Dance curriculum. Her credits as a teacher began in 2019, and has now completed multiple residences with our LAUSD partner schools such as Grand Arts High School and Van Nuys High School. Today, Siga continues her work within the streetdance community as the Special Projects Associate for Versa-Style, ensuring meaningful streams of fundraising and development for the company. As a Teaching Artist, Administrator, and Street Dance Practitioner, Siga advocates to make Street Dance culturally accessible for the youth.

Elizabeth Altamirano, aka Essence, is a dancer, choreographer, teaching, and performing artist in Los Angeles. She began training in street dance styles at age 15 after joining Torres High School’s dance team Rhythm Impact, where she trained with current Versa Style member Allison Gray. Elizabeth joined Versa Style Next Generation in 2016, continuing to develop her skills under Versa Style members Ernesto Galarza and Anthony Berry. In 2022, she graduated from the VSNG program and now performs professionally as a member of the “B”-company Versa-Style Legacy. Elizabeth’s drive to pursue a dance career began when she realized she could use dance as a form of self-expression and language. As an artist, Elizabeth fuses her passion for dance with her heart for social justice and uses her voice in dance to bring to light social justice issues. Through dance, Elizabeth learned compassion and empathy for those around her and for problems she didn’t relate to, prompting her to want to teach others that as well. Elizabeth is currently the director and lead coach for the after-school program Rhythm Impact at East Los Angeles Performing Arts Magnet for the last five years. As a former student, she now leads this program to empower the next generation of artists from her community.

Gabriel “Magk” Avalos is a multidisciplinary Salvadoran artist based in Los Angeles. His professional teaching and performing career started in 2018 when he joined the New School Crew in El Salvador. Magk was a finalist in The Qualifier Jam for Versa Style’s 15th anniversary that Newschool hosted in 2020, where he met Jackie “Miss Funk” Lopez and Leigh “Breeze-Lee” Foaad. The hunger to learn and improve and the love and passion for performing arts motivated Magk to move to Los Angeles, California, where he joined Versa-Style Next Generation in 2022, under the guidance of Ernesto “Precise” Galarza and Anthony “Berry-Groove” Berry. He was subsequently selected to be part of Versa-Style Legacy and Versa-Style Performance, Education, and Community. Gabriel believes that Hip-Hop can open minds and hearts. By exposing and sharing its meaningful values, artists could bring the love and knowledge that society needs to evolve, potentially change lives, provide platforms to learn and promote self-expression through the arts, and create work opportunities in countries where there isn’t artistic education or communities.

Leonardo “Inner-G” Flores is a Los Angeles native born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. He is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles where he earned a B.A. in History and Dance. Leonardo is a teaching artist with Versa-Style Dance Company where he has had the opportunity to work with schools and students across Los Angeles. He works closely with at-risk and low income youth including incarcerated youth, using Hip Hop as a platform of positive and productive expression and release. Within Versa-Style, Leonardo is also Co-Manager of Versa-Style Next Generation and a principal dancer within Versa-Style Legacy. In addition to being a practicing artist in the field, he is also a competitive dancer, competing and representing street dance on the national stage. Leonardo stresses the importance of cultural integrity and technique in Street Dance, always emphasizing an eye to the past to inform the developing culture of Street Dance today.

Luis Maravilla aka “Marvelous’’ is a latino performing artist born and raised in East Los Angeles. He first discovered Versa Style in highschool, where he fell under the mentorship of Allison Gray-Odeniyide. Learning the history and movement of street dance culture. He quickly fell in love with the arts and started to train with his high school’s dance team Rhythm Impact. Later on, he was introduced to Versa Style Next Generation, where he became a member from 2017 to 2022, guided by Anthony Berry and Ernesto Galraza. Due to his commitment and hard work he was offered the opportunity to become a professional dancer for Versa Styles “B” company, Versa Style Legacy in 2022. Since then, he has been touring around Los Angeles with the company, helping keep the mission alive and aspiring to give back to his community and influence the next generation.

Milagritos “Floetic” Godina is a first-generation Latina born and raised in the heart of East Los Angeles, CA. She graduated from California State University, Los Angeles in 2023 obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and a Minor in Spanish. Milagritos is a versatile street dance artist and has been dancing professionally for four years. Her dance journey began at Esteban E. Torres High School, where she was introduced to Versa-Style Street Dance Company by Versa-Style Member, Allison “Mama Alli” Gray-Odeniyide. Milagritos fell in love with street dance culture, drawn to the histories and narratives, she developed a profound passion and joined the Versa-Style Street Dance Company youth program, Versa-Style Next Generation, in 2016. There, she received training across various street dance styles such as House, HipHop, Whacking, Locking, and Popping, to name a few. In 2023 she was asked to be a principal dancer of Versa-Style’s professional B Company, Versa-Style Legacy. Now part of Versa-Style Legacy, she shares her passion for street dance through performances, teaching, and media. As a teaching artist, she emphasizes healing, self-empowerment, and self-expression, teaching the history and movement of street dance to help students connect deeply with their art. Additionally, she supports Versa-Style Dance Company’s digital media and marketing efforts, promoting their mission via social media and merchandise branding..

Nicholas “Surge” Cuevas, a street dance artist born in Los Angeles, California, began his dance journey at Esteban E. Torres High School. There, he met Allison “Mama Alli” Gray-Odenyidie, who introduced him to the Versa-Style Street Dance Company. Eager to explore various dance styles, Nicholas received a full-ride scholarship in 2018 to study ballet and contemporary dance at the Colburn School of Fine Arts during his senior year of high school. In 2019, he joined the Versa-Style Street Dance Company youth program, Versa-Style Next Generation (VSNG). VSNG provided him with intense training and deepened his knowledge of the history of street dance styles, fueling his passion for the art. Through his dedication and hard work, Nicholas became part of a new branch of the Versa-Style family, Versa-Style Legacy, the B company in 2023. This opportunity allowed him to give back to his community through performing and teaching all over Los Angeles, CA.

Tyrese “Taktic” Starling was raised in the city of Altadena, California. Tyrese first met Jackie Lopez and Leigh Foaad in 2018, during the UCLA Summer Dance Intensive. It was there Tyrese discovered his passion for street dance, leading him to continue his training within the Versa Style Next Generation program. After four years of dedication within the program, Tyrese graduated into the newly established B company of Versa Style, Versa Style Legacy. He now continues exercising his passion performing and teaching weekly all throughout Los Angeles county. Tyrese currently has an associates degree in communication, and is in the process of getting a bachelors in dance from UCLA. With his goals being achieved one after another, Tyrese plans to double down on his growth, aiming to be a successful example of living through street dance.

Zion Elamin aka “NOIZ” is a performer, teaching artist, and street dance practitioner born and raised in Chicago, IL. He moved to Los Angeles, CA in his sophomore year where he began attending Ramon C Cortines Performing Arts High School. There he was introduced to Versa-Style through performances and workshops where he immediately fell in love with the company and began taking the weekly Friday classes, eventually joining the Versa-Style Next Generation dance company in 2019. In 2022, through Versa-Style’s teaching artist program, Zion began to step into the world of consistently teaching dance to the youth. He has been teaching at locations like Inner City Arts in L.A since 2022 and the teaching program under the Regina Klenjoski Dance company in Torrance since 2023. In 2023 Zion joined the Versa-Style B company, Versa-Style Legacy, where he tours, performing educational school shows as well as paid gigs showcasing street dance in Los Angeles County and helping the Versa-Style mission to educate, and uplift for communities and generations to come.

Zuleny “Zuly” Ordoñez, originally from Boyle Heights, began her dance journey at the age of 5 with ballet and expanded into tap, modern, and jazz over the years. At 14, Zuleny’s passion for dance took a significant turn when she immersed herself in hip-hop under the mentorship of Leigh Foaad, aka Breeze-Lee at Everybody Dance. She eagerly joined the Friday Versa Style classes and later successfully auditioned for Versa-Style Next Generation in 2016. The intensive training and mentorship she received at Versa Style had a profound impact on Zuleny, shaping her into a skilled dancer, choreographer, and artist. Today, as a member of Versa Style Legacy, she finds fulfillment in performing for elementary, middle and high school students, sharing her love for dance and inspiring young minds. Additionally, Zuleny serves as a teaching artist, inspiring her students to develop their own passion for the art form. She looks forward to her next chapter at UCLA, where she plans to major in dance. Zuleny is also excited to continue her personal and artistic growth, bringing her dedication to new heights and continuing to inspire others through her journey.