The Teaching Staff
Making Continuing Education a Lifestyle
FLI-City Studios is proud to have staff that value education and a strong work ethic teaching in the classrooms. They are looking to meet the student where they are and help them build their skills from there. Here is a look at the instructors for our 2023/2024 season.
Alisyn "Wonderland" Hurd
Instructor and Director
Alisyn has been dancing and performing since the age of 4 in dance and competitive figure skating. She earned her Bachelors of Performing Arts in Dance from Oakland University and Her Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Hollins University in Roanoke, VA in partnership with the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt, Germany. She has been an active member of the Michigan Hip-Hop scene since 2006, participating in workshops, performances, and battles as a competitor, judge, and organizer. Formerly a member of Lunchbox Jams Crew, currently a member of Vertical Ambition crew and Vertical Ambition Dance Company which she co-founded with Jared Hurd in 2008. She is currently teaching dance at Alma College and is a guest choreographer this semester at Oakland University.
Talia Wooten
Instructor, Head of Ballet Programing
Talia started her dance training at the Flint School of Performing Arts, Blue Lake fine arts camp, Joffrey Midwest, Interlochen, and the Dance Theater of Harlem (She attended all of these schools on merit scholarships). She has been blessed to have been mentored by many great dancers and teachers some of which include Joffrey’s John Magnus and Judy Rice, Dance Theater of Harlem Directing founder Arthur Mitchell, DTH’s Tyrone Brookes (Now serving as Artistic Director of The Tallahassee Ballet), Lorraine Graves, and Choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie. As a professional dancer Talia has had the opportunity to work with Urban Bush Women, Ann Arbor Works Dance Company, Flint Water Project, FIM’s Nutcracker and More Dances Contemporary Dance Company.
Talia Wooten is an ABT Certified teacher. She holds a certification in levels pre-primary through level 5 in the American Ballet Theater National Training Curriculum. She is currently the only African American women in Michigan to have this certification.
Talia Wooten has 21 years of experience teaching movement to students aged birth through adult. Talia has had the opportunity to teach master classes and serve on the faculty of many Michigan dance schools. She has taught countless outreach classes in Genesee County and served as the Flint School of Performing Art’s Head-Start Coordinator, Summer Dance-N-Fun director, Children’s Performance Workshop Director and Adult Ballet Ensemble Founder and Director. She also served as the Children’s Ballet Mistress for the FSPA’s yearly production of the Nutcracker for 14 years. Talia served as an ABT project Plie’ teacher for the Boys and Girls Club for 2 years. In addition to teaching in the classroom Talia has created a course in GISD’s Edupaths program for teacher training focused around incorporating movement into early childhood classrooms.
Jared "J-aura" Hurd
Instructor and Co-Director
Jared has been breaking since 2001 and has spent that time as a choreographer, competitor, crew leader, battle judge, and event promoter. Formed the Zion Crew in 2001, joined Lunchbox Jams in 2005, and finally co-founded Vertical Ambition Dance Company and Crew in 2008 where he remains an active member to this day. Always bored sticking to one discipline, Jared has focused on Tumbling, Parkour and Freerunning, Trampoline, traditional Hip-Hop forms and Funk Styles, as well as, Contemporary, Modern, and Ballet.
His career in dance strongly adheres to the "each one teach one" tenet of Hip-Hop culture. Jared has been actively teaching for over 20 years in community groups, at studios, with master classes, open sessions and workshops. He is a graduate of the 2019 International Teachers Training course from the B-Boy Dojo and is looking forward to continuing his education in dance and pedagogy.