Republic Dance Center
281-345-7555
21227 FM 529, Cypress, TX 77433
(We are located on Business Park Drive off of FM 529)
About Us
Republic Gymnastics and Dance Center, Home of the competitive team Republic Edge opened its doors in 2018. Our 46,000 square feet building offers dance, acro, gymnastics, tumbling, adaptive gym, AND Ninja classes! Republic is proud of our 5 state of the art dance studios including a stage sized studio that is over 3,300 sq ft! Each studio has professional marley floors and a TV viewing area. Our Snack Shop and Pro Shop offer drinks, snacks and Republic goods for your convenience and includes multiple seating areas. Our Company rooms offer a dedicated space for team members and is furnished with lockers, cubbies, multiple couches and a homework work space. We also have a dedicated prop storage and costume room.
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Our recreational program offers classes for dancers ages 2+ in all genres of dance including Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary ,Hip Hop and Acro. These students will grow in their technique and passion for dance and have the opportunity to perform in our Winter showcase and Annual Recital at the end of each season.
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Our Republic Edge Company Team has won multiple national championships, Top Studio, and Technical Excellence awards along with two official Industry Dance Awards nominations in 2021 and 2022. Our dancers train in multiple styes of dance each week and we also offer them special industry driven programs that have small group training in Acting, Voice, Ballroom, Audition Prep and more. Our goal is to provide a bridge between youth competitive dance and the professional industry and give our dancers all of the tools necessary to successfully transition to a career in dance. If you're interested in auditioning for our competitive team, please visit the "Company" tab. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram: @RepublicDanceCenter
Republic Edge Company Faculty
Christina is a native Houstonian who is extensively trained in all styles of dance as well as acrobatics, theater, and voice. She has over 15 years of teaching experience and has been the Director of Republic since it's inception in 2018. As Artistic Director, she oversees the vision and direction of the program and is a lead teacher and choreographer for Republic Edge. Christina enjoys teaching master classes throughout Houston and judges dance competitions across the country on both a regional and national level for Starpower, Kids Artistic Revue, and Rainbow National talent. Her choreographed pieces have earned numerous choreography awards, national championships and two Industry Dance Awards official nominations. She is grateful for her years of professional dance experience but has truly found her calling with dance education. Her students have gone on to receive acceptance into Kinder High School for Performing Arts, prestigious D1A college dance teams and programs, and some have gone on to become dance teachers and choreographers themselves. In 2019 she founded the Republic Edge INDUSTRY program to give dancers in her company the opportunity to train weekly with outside professionals in all genres involved in the industry. They train in Ballroom, Acting, Voice, Musical Theatre, Audition prep and more to prepare them for a future career in dance. Christina is passionately committed to teaching at Republic, loves her students and enjoys continuing to educate herself on the constant evolution of dance.
Christina Sefara, Artistic Director
of Republic Dance Center & Republic Edge
Company/Recreational instructor & choreographer
Founder of Republic Edge X-Track
Carlynn was a member of the contemporary dance company, NobleMotion Dance. She has completed two contracts with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, including a featured dancer in their production of Hairspray. Regional Theatre Credits include, The Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid, Cabaret, Beauty and the Beast, Cats, Pippin,Divas thru the Decade,and Hello Dolly. Carlynn is a nationally recognized choreographer and teacher and has been teaching since 2008. She also judges for Stage One Dance and Miss Drill Team Texas. Carlynn loves being a part of Republic and has also enjoyed teaching musical theatre for the Republic Edge EXCLUSIVE industry program.
Carlynn Laurie, Co-director
of Republic Dance Center & Republic Edge
Company/Recreational instructor & choreographer
Rachel Green
Company/Recreational instructor & choreographer
Rachel grew up dancing at North Harris Performing Arts where she received excellent technical and artistic instruction from “Dance Today’s Top Ten Dancers to Watch” – Dawn Dipple and Houston’s own Amy Cain. She quickly advanced and was assisting instructors in classes, learning valuable experience with teaching a variety of dance students and learning how to choreograph. Further dance instruction was received while studying at the HSPVA and with Marlana Walsh at the Houston Met and Kingwood Dance Company directed by Amy Duncan. Rachel also contributes much of her success to her study with top choreographers such as Mandy Moore, Tammy Dyke and Peter Chu. Rachel competed both regionally and nationally in dance, achieving top honors and awards from both competition events and conventions, even advancing several rounds in auditions for “So You Think You Can Dance”. She performed professionally with The Houston Met, Round Rock Entertainment, J&D Entertainment and Physphonia Dance Company and soon discovered her love for teaching young dancers, so embarked on owning her own studio for five years. She has spent the last nine years working as a teacher and director for Stacy’s Dance Studio in Kingwood, Texas. Rachel is looking forward to a new challenge where she knows that she can rely on her 18 years of teaching experience, her professionalism and her love and enthusiasm for teaching dancers of all skill levels.
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Jessie Harrell grew up in Memphis, TN where she trained in jazz, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical, and ballet on the competitive company at Studio 413. She then went to college at Middle Tennessee, where she began teaching and choreographing for her peers and competition dance teams. After college, Jessie danced professionally in Nashville, TN with FreshTalent Group and taught at Millennium Dance Complex. She later went on to train in Los Angeles and was apart of KreativMindz Mentorship Program, under Antoine Troupe and Kolanie Marks. From LA, she moved to Atlanta, GA to continue gaining knowledge of the dance industry from many incredible artists and also taught at Groov2Musik Studios, under D-Ray Colson. Jessie now resides in Houston, TX and has 13 years of teaching experience, focused in hip hop, contemporary, and jazz. She is so excited to continue to share her knowledge and passion for dance and mentor the younger generation!
Jessie Harrell
Company/Recreational instructor & choreographer
Yenifer Orioli
Company/Recreational instructor & choreographer
Yenifer Orioli moved from Venezuela at the age of nine and continued her dance training in Houston. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance, receiving several awards and scholarships, including the Hannah McCarty Performing Art Scholarship and the UCO Dance Scholarship. She was a member of the Kaleidoscope Dance Company at the university, a touring repertory company with a repertoire of ballet, modern, jazz, hip-hop, tap, and theater dance. She performed at the Performatica International Dance Festival in Mexico, Kansas Dance Festival, American College Dance Festival, arts outreach tours to Oklahoma schools, and Broadway Dance Student Showcase. In the summer of 2009, Yenifer was accepted into the American Dance Festival and trained with Pamela Pietro, Jeffrey Bullock, Ishmael Houston-Jones, and other inspiring artists. Still yearning for dance education after graduation, she completed a six month internship at Broadway Dance Center in New York City, where she had the privilege of working for Glamour Magazine. Throughout her career, she has taught many dance classes at local studios in Texas, New York and Oklahoma, and has choreographed award-winning routines. Recently, Yenifer trained at several well-renowned studios in NYC including Alvin Ailey and Peridance. She performed in and with A Modern Tribute, Symphony Space, Manhattan Movement and Arts, PMT showcase, Stage 6, In-Sight Suite Festival, and Choreographers Canvas. She also trained at the Broadway Dance Center and assisted in the Children and Teen Program. Yenifer is both thankful and excited to have the opportunity of sharing her passionate love for dance to her students.
Brittney Myers
Company/Recreational instructor & choreographer
Brittney Myers is a former company dancer with B.Moore Dance in Dallas. She started dancing
at age four in Houston, where she trained for her Royal Academy of Dance (R.A.D.) ballet exams
and Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP). Myers graduated from Joffrey Ballet School in Dallas
with a certificate in Contemporary/Jazz, attended Joffrey Ballet School in NYC on scholarship as
a Ballet trainee, and was featured in Joffrey’s “Your Story” video promotion. Brittney has also
trained at intensives with Hubbard Street Dance, Peridance NY, Complexions, Met Dance, Texas
Ballet Theatre, Ballet West, River North Dance, Orlando Ballet, American Ballet Theatre (ABT),
Alvin Ailey Extension, and Leon Dance Arts. Myers has performed with B. Moore Dance in
Dallas, New York City, and Philadelphia; in the Wanderlust Dance Project in Dallas; in the
opening number at the Rockettes Radio City Christmas Spectacular in Houston; in the cast of “A
Magical Christmas” in Galveston, TX; and is the former Dance Masters of America Teen Miss
Dance of Texas 2015. As an award-winning choreographer, Brittney loves to share her
experiences and emotions through movement and music. Brittney is excited to be teaching at
Republic Dance and passing on her joy and love of dance.