Hannah Shihdanian

Born and raised in the Boston area, Hannah has a BA in Theatre Performance from UVM and is licensed in Zumba, Zumba Toning, and Certified in Barre Above & Schwinn Cycling. She has been teaching Group Ex since 2010 and also works professionally as a Director, Choreographer, and Performer. 

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Hannah believes that dance and fitness are essential to living a happy and healthy life, no matter what your experience or limitations are! She is passionate about advocating for the BLM, LGBTQ+ rights, and rights for women. 

Benedicta Sowah

Benedicta is a versatile dancer, singer, and actress from Ghana. Raised in Teshie, a suburb of Accra the City of Ghana. She holds a master degree in Performance Studies with Texas A&M with a double major in Theatre and Dance from the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana. As an undergrad, Benedicta worked with choreographers from Ghana, the US, and Denmark. She has performed with Tifali Dance Company, Artistic Vision, Abibigromma, Glomus, Heritage Africa, and Noyam Dance Company. 

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Her interest is in the area of African Dance, Ghanian popular dance, and Contemporary African Dance. Benedicta loves to sing and believes in the philosophy that "if you have not danced, you have not lived."

Cassandra Tavaras

Cassandra started taking Zumba classes in 2009 and instantly became hooked on the diverse rhythms and the combination of dance and fitness. She became a Licensed Zumba Fitness Instructor in 2016. One of her favorite things about Zumba is learning about and adding choreography with new rhythms and unique fusions, which separates Zumba from other fitness formats. 

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Cassandra loves to create a fun and engaging experience for all participants and loves to let loose in class! 

Ali Gingras

Born and raised on Long Island, Ali began dancing at the age of three at the Jan Martin Dance Studio in Huntington, NY and has not stopped moving since. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Vermont. There she was a member of the Catamount Dance Crew and also minored in dance where she had the opportunity​ to dance on tour in both New England and Nebraska. After taking some time off from dance, Ali started teaching dance at Studio 3 in 2010 and started coaching the South Burlington High School Dance team in 2015. Ali became a licensed ZUMBA® instructor in July 2018. She is very energetic and excited to share her love of ZUMBA® Fitness with you.

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