Santa Fe College Faculty

Melissa Brenner serves as the Dance Area Coordinator at Santa Fe College, where she directs and choreographs for the performance ensemble, Dance Theatre of Santa Fe. She is a devoted educator with over 14 years of teaching experience and leads several collaborative events and guest artist residency activities to enhance the education of her students.

Melissa's professional training began at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, followed by the University of Florida's B.F.A. program, where she studied under Kelly Drummond-Cawthon and performed repertory by Shapiro and Smith Dance. She holds an M.F.A. from Arizona State University and a Pilates certification.

Melissa has performed in venues such as Dance New Amsterdam (NYC), Taliesin West (Scottsdale, AZ), Broadway Performance Hall (Seattle, WA), ODC Theatre (San Francisco, CA), American Dance Festival (Durham, NC), and the Bates Dance Festival (Portland, ME), and has danced the works of notable choreographers including Mary Fitzgerald, Michael Foley, Karen Schupp, Elizabeth Johnson, Ashleigh Leite, Shapiro and Smith Dance, and Elina Mooney. Since 2001, her choreography has been featured in various platforms across the U.S. and has earned special recognition in Gala performances for the American College Dance Festival.

Mohamed Dacosta is a master teacher in West African Music and Dance. He also performs multiple duties beyond that of the principal musician, drummer, and performer. These duties vary, but they consistently call upon his skills as a director, composer, choreographer, lecturer, demonstration organizer, and designer in collaboration with other esteemed colleagues of the theatre, costume, and dance areas.

He is versed in many dances performed throughout West Africa. The primary dance and music styles that he teaches comes from Guinea, Ghana, Gambia, and Senegal. From Guinea, he teaches dances from the Malinke, Sou Sou, Baga, Landoma, and Fulani ethnic groups; from Ghana, he teaches dances from the Ewe ethnic group; from Gambia, he teaches from the Mandinka and Jola ethnic group, and from Senegal, he teaches Sabar dance (drum). He also teaches songs, traditional folklore, meanings, and the culturalism of the dances. This includes teaching and instruction with and about the following instruments: djeme, dun dun, sangban, kenkeni, and krin.

Born and raised in the Florida Keys, Michael Davis began dancing at age 7 at Island Dance Connection under Kathie Jamieson Cote, later training in Miami with Dance Attack Performing Arts Company. As a young performer, he earned numerous regional and national titles, including “Mr. Showbiz,” Teen Mr. Starpower, and ADA Dancer of the Year.

In high school, Michael expanded his leadership as captain and choreographer of his Varsity Cheerleading team and co-founded the Marathon All-Star Cheerleading Team, leading them to multiple national titles. He was named an All-American Cheerleader by the National Cheerleaders Association in 2005.

After moving to Gainesville to study at Santa Fe College, Michael performed with Dance Theatre Santa Fe and began choreographing for local schools and teams, earning top awards at national competitions. He went on to direct Fusion Dance Company at O2B Kids for eight years, where his students won numerous national championships and he received choreography awards.

In 2017, Michael opened his own studio, Dance!nk by Davis, now celebrating eight years of offering both recreational and competitive training for Gainesville’s youth and adult dancers. With 18 years of teaching experience, Michael is dedicated to building confidence in his students and providing an outlet for creativity and self-expression.

Jessie Dominguez is a classically trained ballerina who started her education at the Alejo Carpentier Elementary School of Ballet in Havana, Cuba, in 1993. She continued her studies at the Cuban National Ballet School Fernando Alonso, obtaining numerous awards, including a silver medal in 1998, another silver medal in 1999, and a gold medal in 2000 at the International Ballet Encounters of Academies Competitions for the Teaching of Ballet held in Havana, Cuba. In 2001, she graduated from the Cuban National Ballet School as a Distinguished Graduate and received Gold Diploma, the highest award given to only one person per graduating class”. The same year, she was selected to become part of the world-renowned company, the National Ballet of Cuba, under the artistic-technical direction of the founder and absolute prima ballerina Alicia Alonso. After initially serving as a soloist, she was rapidly promoted to principal dancer. Her repertoire as a principal dancer included Giselle, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Coppelia, La Sylphide, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Apollo, Carmen, Nutcracker, La Fille Mal Garde, La Bayadere, Theme and Variations as well as contemporary and neoclassical works by creators such as Alberto Alonso, Laura Alonso, Alberto Mendez, Gustavo Herrera, Ivan Tenorio, Jean Gran Maître, Annabelle López Ochoa, Luis Serrano, Peter Quanz, Gerard Ebitz, among others. Jessie Dominguez possesses a rare combination of skills and experiences. She has trained and performed at the highest level in the masterful tradition of Cuban National Ballet yet she fluidly transitions she excels in performances of a more creative/experimental nature. Her work ethic is impeccable and she has delightful interpersonal skills. She is a thoughtful critic and teacher, encouraging and enlightening dancers of all ages and abilities. Jessie is currently the ballet professor at Santa Fe College.

Calypso May is a director, choreographer, educator, and artistic collaborator working primarily in the world of musical theater.  Calypso holds multiple dance and choreography degrees including an MFA from Florida State University, a BFA from Elon University, and an AA from Sante Fe College where she was a Performing Arts Scholarship Student. Calypso has over 27 years of dance experience and 14 years of teaching experience ranging from higher-level courses at FSU and Santa Fe College, to being a full-time elementary school dance instructor and arts integration specialist. Calypso has created works for the FSU School of Theatre, the FSU School of Dance, The Hippodrome State Theatre, The Acrosstown Repertory Theatre, The Young Actors Theatre, ACDA, and many pre-professional programs throughout the United States. Calypso is passionate about arts education and creating community collaborations that strive to make dance and theater more proactive, inclusive, and conscious. Calypso is currently an adjunct dance faculty member at Santa Fe College where she teaches Musical Theatre Dance, Jazz Dance, and Dance Fundamentals.

Harley O’Neill is a movement coach, artist, and producer with a demonstrated history of being on film and media sets. She has been a touring performer, instructor, and choreographer with artists and companies like Panic Attack Films, Madwoman Music, Conservation Florida, Nadya Riot, Liberate Artists, The Global H.E.R. Project, Turn It Up! Dance Challenge, Contest of Champions, Alowiza, and others. She runs the arts advocacy and wellbeing organization Spatially-Fed, using the power of the arts and her own artistic facilitation for research, arts advocacy, festival production, and project management to drive forward messaging and action on equitable community health initiatives.

Elan Robinson is a freelance dance artist, choreographer, and instructor. She holds a BFA in Dance and a BS in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology from the University of Florida. As a Washington, DC area artist, she has worked with Shanice Mason and Jamison Curcio, Lionel Popkin, Jesús Benzal, Deviated Theatre, among others. Most recently, Elan and co-creator Sydney Goldston presented work at Dance Place and are currently in process as the 2025–2026 Dance Place New Releases Commissioned Artists.