Ally Knight

Director, Senior Instructor, Choreographer

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Half Panamanian, Ally grew up in a household where Latin music was always playing in the background & a party just wasn't a party without Salsa.  While she always enjoyed Latin music & dancing, it wasn't until 2008 that she took her first official salsa class & became hopelessly addicted.

Dancing broke Ally free of her shyness & helped get her through the hard times.  She fell in love with not only the dances, but also the dance community that immediately welcomed her in.  She considers herself immensely fortunate to find former DSJ directors Isaiah Meders & Chris Bady, instructors with superb understanding of technique & attention to detail.  A fast learner & dedicated student who practiced non-stop, she was quickly brought onto the DSJ staff & began teaching in early 2010.

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Ally has since trained with many highly respected instructors at numerous congresses, performed across the country, & danced on stage with famous salsa singer Frankie Negron.  In 2012 she took up Ballet to expand her horizons as a dancer.  Subsequently, she was asked by The Cruxshadows to join their band as a dancer and backup vocalist, & has since ventured on several world tours with them.  (Check out their latest CD ^_^) Later that same year, she accepted the role of DSJ Director, sad to see her mentors retire but excited to take DSJ to new heights.

As an instructor & director, Ally strives to pay it forward by maintaining the sense of community, spreading the positive energy, & continuously raising the bar for quality dance instruction in Jacksonville.  Outside of dance, Ally practices Taekwondo & nunchakus, while working on her bachelors in Mathematics. She's also a big sci-fi fan, gamer, & an animal loving vegetarian.