Meet The Administration Team
Susie Grafte
Owner/Director
Susie Nguyen Grafte, Mrs. Ooh La La "Salsa Susie". Owner, Founder, Creator, Director, Choreographer of Ooh La La Dance Academy, Inc, and Ooh La La Revue. A Petite Powerhouse. Passionate Dancer. World Traveler. ESPN World Salsa Cabaret Finalist-Ranked 15th in the World. America's Got Talent 2011 Season 6 Semi Finalist. Latin Heels Fusion Pioneer. Raw Award Indie Winner. All-American Cheerleader. Captain. First American to hold a National Costa Rican Championship Title. MTV's Hip Hop Finalist. An SDSU Aztec International Business Major. A Spanish & Finance Minor. President's Club Achiever. First Generation Dreamer. Lover. Fighter. Mother. Susie loves intensified living, adventure and spontaneity. Always laughing, embracing change and coming up with new ideas, Susie keeps life exhilarating! She pirouettes, sails forbidden seas, gallivants the globe and does it in high heels! She has a powerful religion and it's called Life. Dance makes her feel physical, strong and empowered so she equates Movement with Freedom. "Music is my diet & dance feeds my soul”. Susie started teaching dance in San Diego in 2005, but founded Ooh La La Dance Academy in 2011 when she built up enough clientele, credit and courage. Ooh La La Dance Academy has been voted Best Dance Studio in San Diego for 14 years consecutively. Ooh La La offers all genres of dance to preschool, youth, teens & adults. We L-O-V-E what we do so please join us in the dance….in our our journey of life.
Angela Zambrano
Operations Manager/Dance Teacher
Angela Zambrano continues her dance training and is currently a professional dancer/bellydancer. Angela started dancing in her teen years training in styles such as jazz, modern, ballet, tap, bellydance, and more.
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She is excited to be a part of the Ooh la la Dance program where she can utilize her managerial and organizational skills.
Her goals working here is to connect with parents, staff, and kids that share the same passion for dance and be able to help them throughout the studio dance life. Miss Angela believes we were all born to move our bodies and express ourselves through movement in whatever form or style that is. Even if you feel you can't dance, you can if you just show up for yourself!
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"Dance is therapeutic for the mind, body, and soul. When you dance you are free; let go and embrace all the troubles in the world.
Dance with life!"
Meet the Faculty
Amber Hoffman
Competition Director,
Tap Master, Ballet, Contemporary, Musical Theatre,Competition Coach
Coming Soon
Odessa Uno
Ballet Master, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Competition Coach, Adult Program
Odessa Mae Uno is a Filipino American movement based artist currently based in Southern California. Ms. Uno is a graduate of the California Institute of the Arts and the most recent recipient of the San Diego's Young Choreographer's Competition. With a mission to make dance an accessible art form, she develops and nurtures spaces that encourage movement as therapy, investigation, and celebration.
"I believe that dance has the power to strengthen mentally, physically, and emotionally. As a teacher my goal is to push students to work with thoughtfulness and specificity that transcends the dance studio. I am grateful to be able to work with the fantastic students at Ooh La La, and I am excited to continue seeing their growth!"
LynnRae Hiers
Technique and Turns Instructor, Youth Program
Lynnrae Hiers danced for 23 years. Her love for dance started with her dance Instructor Terry Schulke at J.P.D. She went on to win various awards such as Ms. K.A.R and Ms. Showbiz and scholarships at L.A. underground. Lynnrae trained with Keri LaGrande(Tremaine),Julie Rhoton, and Sharee Giles who formed her technical background. She later won performer of the year with LA/San Diego dance company, Unity, as an assistant to Tessandra Chavez who is a Grammy award winning choreographer. She also signed to an Agent in LA with an agency called Dorothy Day Otis. Lynnrae was hired by Sharon Keller, amazing tap instructor/choreographer, 40 year dance studio owner at San Diego Dance Centre in 2003. She worked there for 14 years, where she trained Sophia Lucia who broke the world record for 55 pirouettes in Guinness world of Records. Lynnrae has trained dancers who have become mothers, dancers with Cirque de Soleil, been on music videos, toured with popular artist, danced with Disney, danced on cruise ships, danced in New York, danced on college dance teams such as Pace University, SDSU, GCU, Chapman, ASU, Udub. She has also trained dancers who are now Laker girls, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, and dance for the Phoenix Suns. Also many of Lynnrae’s students are dance instructors themselves. She has now been teaching in San Diego for 19 years. She teaches masterclasses at various High Schools and with Aerial Achievements. Lynnrae enjoys teaching privates and continues to share her passion teaching at Ooh La La Dance Academy.
Analiese Villasenor
Contemporary, Ballet, Pre-k program, Jazz, Lyrical
Analiese Villasenor has been dancing from the age of 2 years old. She grew up dancing at Murrieta Dance Project getting her training from Erin Babbs, Oriales Ashley, Justin Pham, Ryann Alveraz, Susan Barnett, and Marco Cruz. She has studied many styles of dance such as Jazz, tap, Hip hop, Contemporary, lyrical and ballet. Analiese has competed at multiple dance competitions and conventions, winning multiple awards and scholarships. Analiese also throughout her High School years competed with her High school dance team at NDTC nationals in Orlando. She is currently going to school to get her Cosmetology license. She loves motivating young dancers to reach for their goals and gives them the mindset that they can achieve anything.
Nalani Dikitanan
Youth Program, Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, Acrobatic, Jazz, Competition Coach
Nalani has studied many styles of dance including ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop and some tap. She has had the opportunity to learn from many instructors that are prominent in the dance industry including Kyle Hanagami, Whitney Bezzant, Dee Caspary, and many more. Nalani has competed at many regionals and nationals throughout her years of studio dance, winning multiple awards and scholarships. She has also had the opportunity to assist many of her mentors and help inspire many dancers. Nalani is currently attending SDSU and is in her junior year of college as a kinesiology major, in hopes to become an occupational therapist. Nalani is currently on the Nationally Winning SDSU Dance Team and teaching at Ooh La La Dance Acadmy.
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"I strive to inspire and share my love for dance for every student I encounter and I'm grateful to just be a part of their dance journey."
Ellie Delbridge
Adult Program, Ballet, Jazz, Heels, Contemporary, Revue Company Choreographer
Ellie Delbridge started her first day of dance class at age 2 where she grew up dancing just about every day. Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Contemporary, Modern, Salsa, & Musical Theater are among the styles that Ellie studied and danced competitively. Ellie graduated from Orange County School of the Arts in 2014, where she studied Commercial Dance and achieved the title of “Best Lyrical Dancer” for the class of 2014. Ellie was admitted into San Diego State University as a Dance major and graduated in 2018. In her Professional career of Dance, Ellie has been featured in the music video “For Once” by J.Hofstee & "Buffalo Highway" by Wes Chiller and is currently the Director of Ensemble, one of our Ooh La La Revue performance groups.
"I am excited to assist in the growth of my students' technique in Adult Ballet/Jazz, Contemporary & Beg. Heels classes on Monday nights, as well as create a positive community of dancers who wish to perform with the stunning ladies of Ooh La La Revue."
Danny Aguirre.
Youth Program, Cheer Competition, Tumbling, Acro
Danny Aguirre trained in ALL STAR cheer for 6 years. He continues to practice tumbling and Acro at various gyms in San Diego. Danny is super excited to work alongside the wonderful kids at Ooh La La. He loves to watch kids improve and grow in their technique and skills.
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"I can't wait to see the smiles on these kids faces when they achieve a new skill through my teaching. It's such a rewarding feeling as a teacher."
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Melissa
Youth Program, Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Tap, Acro, Musical Theatre
Bio Coming Soon!
Andres Ley
Dancer, Teacher, Choreographer and Creative Director. Degree in Communications Science.
Creator of U-FAM and 664 IN THE GROOVE, Mexico.
Super Galactic Beat Manipulators former captain and choreographer.
Future Shock former co-director.
Selected by JABBAWOCKEEZ for their show in Macao, China.
He has competed and won awards such as scholarships, first, second and third places in competitions as a dancer and artistic director in Mexico and the US.
He directed a special number "The Chinese" in "A Culture Shock Nutcracker" at the Historic Spreckels Theatre in Dowtown San Diego and worked with a variety of brands and artists in Mexico.
Bio coming soon!
Lakshmi Basile
Bio coming soon!