2023 Peabody Dance! Festival Guest Class Teachers

Tabitha Hitchye was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Her ethnic background is multi-racial. Raised as the daughter of a musician, she was exposed to the music industry as a young child and grew up singing in various choirs & groups. At the age of 19 she was introduced to Latin Dance which turned into a love and passion for her. Latin dance & music inspired her to become a dance instructor in order to share the love of dance with others. She has been teaching Salsa, Mambo, Bachata, & Flamenco for a combination of over 15 years and dancing for 23 years. Musicality, Rhythm & Timing is a major focus in every class that she instructs, while also encouraging her students to add their own style into their dancing.
She is the Founder/Educational Director of BSDC Latin, African & Cultural Dance Institute, as wel as the Artistic Director/CEO of Baltimore Salsa Dance Company, has performed at various events over the years with Dance In Time Productions & Sentimiento Dance Teams and has instructed/performed in numerous events & charities throughout the DMV area: University of MD Eastern Shore, Penn State University, Northern Virginia Community College, The Army National Guard in DC, Baltimore National Aquarium, Baltimore City Association of School Psychologists-Charity Event, Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, March of Dimes Fundraiser, & various congresses.
Ms. Hitchye is also the Latin Dance Educator at the Peabody Conservatory and Peabody Preparatory, Institutes of Johns Hopkins University. She currently holds the following certifications: Salsa Instructor & Business Development from Edie the Salsa Freak, Flamenco & Spanish Dance from Marsha Bonet & Dancers, LLC, & Zumba Fitness I & II. She is currently a member of the Catonsville Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Tax Professionals, AAHPERD, National Association of Dance & the National Association of Professional Women. Her educational background includes Fashion Design/Merchandising, Business Management, Accounting, Cosmetology and she is currently continuing and pursuing degrees at UMBC in both Dance & Design. She is also an authorized IRS and registered tax preparer for the State of Maryland, Assistant Meetup Organizer for the Baltimore Salsa Meetup Group & Organizer of the Baltimore Latin, Flamenco & Spanish Dance & Maryland Latin Dance Meetup Groups.
Tabitha will be teaching Salsa on 2/25/2023 -- 2:30pm-3:45pm EST.

Kelly Hirina, originally from Michigan, moved to the Netherlands as a Fulbright scholar and continued to live and work there as a professional dancer for twenty years. While there, Hirina worked with many different choreographers such as; Emio Greco & Pieter C. Scholten (EG|PC), Krisztina de Chatel, Suzy Blok, Nicole Beutler, Liat Waysbort and Dylan Newcomb in companies such as ICKamsterdam and Dansgroep Amsterdam. Hirina also worked in mime/theater onstage with Jakop Ahlbom and Compagnietheater (Theu Boermans) and in films with directors such as Arno Dierickx and Noud Heerkens. Alongside her dance career she studied acting at the Atlantic Theatre School in New York City.
Hirina is a certified teacher of both Countertechnique, created by Anouk van Dijk and Double Skin/Double Mind, created by Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten. She has been teaching these methods at the Lucia Marthas Institute for Performing Arts (Amsterdam) and in her role as the artistic coordinator of ICKamsterdam’s academy. These methods offer healthy approaches to the dancing body while stimulating their personal creativity. Hirina also incorporates methods from ICKamsterdam, the Sensorium Toolkit and Pre-choreographics, in choreographic development.
She acquired her M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Michigan with research based upon the link between mind and body in dance training, rehearsal and performance. Her specific interest is in pedagogical methods that enhance intrinsic motivation, appreciation for learning (a process-oriented approach) and goal setting.
Beyond dance, Hirina is also a fully certified Pilates and Vinyasa Yoga instructor. She enjoys creating an extremely physical experience for her students while also encouraging them to take the practice deeper beyond the physical, a training that is both concentrated and joyous. Hirina incorporates her interest in education and psychology while working with clients and students to achieve goals while working in a positively charged environment.
Kelly will be teaching Countertechnique on 2/25/2023 -- 11:30am-12:45pm EST.
Photo credit: Jubal Battisti
Hirina is a certified teacher of both Countertechnique, created by Anouk van Dijk and Double Skin/Double Mind, created by Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten. She has been teaching these methods at the Lucia Marthas Institute for Performing Arts (Amsterdam) and in her role as the artistic coordinator of ICKamsterdam’s academy. These methods offer healthy approaches to the dancing body while stimulating their personal creativity. Hirina also incorporates methods from ICKamsterdam, the Sensorium Toolkit and Pre-choreographics, in choreographic development.
She acquired her M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Michigan with research based upon the link between mind and body in dance training, rehearsal and performance. Her specific interest is in pedagogical methods that enhance intrinsic motivation, appreciation for learning (a process-oriented approach) and goal setting.
Beyond dance, Hirina is also a fully certified Pilates and Vinyasa Yoga instructor. She enjoys creating an extremely physical experience for her students while also encouraging them to take the practice deeper beyond the physical, a training that is both concentrated and joyous. Hirina incorporates her interest in education and psychology while working with clients and students to achieve goals while working in a positively charged environment.
Kelly will be teaching Countertechnique on 2/25/2023 -- 11:30am-12:45pm EST.
Photo credit: Jubal Battisti

Amaniyea (Pamela) Payne for over fifty years have built an impressive career and is a viable artistic force in the field of dance and is recognized for her many talents in the global dance communities as dancer, singer, consultant, researcher, director, mentor, producer, choreographer, arts educator, costume designer, healer and humanitarian.
Known to many in the African Dance genre as a “National Treasure”, Amaniyea have been the recipient of many awards, which speaks to her career achievements. As an artist extraordinaire, her style of dance evolves from natural rhythmic movements based and influenced by dances and cultures of the African Diasporas.
She has studied/trained, performed and toured globally with prominent companies and well-known music and dance legends, such as Stevie Wonder, Cab Calloway, Ben Harper, Bunny Wailers, Lindy-hop innovators Norma Miller, Frankie Manning, Momma Lou Parks, Mickey Davidson and Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago to name a few.
In her long-life learning pursuits Ms. Payne have collaborated with artists and organizations in the field of education, mentorship, cultural and performing arts throughout the Diasporas, focusing on finding new ways to translate dance for the stage while also preserving and respecting traditional parameters for performance.
Having a deep sense of responsibility to honor the legacy of great expressions of dance, Amaniyea respectfully continues to provide uplifting cultural initiatives to various communities including youth, teens and adults that aids in the development of the future generations of dancers/artists who will carry the aesthetic and spiritual base of African Centered Movements as it relates to World Dance.
Mama Amaniyea will be teaching West African on 2/25/2023 -- 1pm-2:15pm EST.