Instructors

KEITH CLIFTON
Keith Clifton has been in business as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer for the last two and a half decades. He has performed in five Dr. Pepper comercials, three for Wendy's as well as commercials for Dodge, MacDonald's, Levis and many more.

He has performed on the stage in musicals including 42nd Street, George M, Oliver, My Fair Lady, A Chorus Line, and Anything Goes, for which he won the Dramalogue's Critics Choice Award for Best Choreography. His television credits include apperances in The Academy Awards Show, the Tim Conway Show, The Carpenter's, Wolfman Jack, and David Copperfield. Keith has also traveled as a guest artist to perform with regional ballet companies in lead roles such as: The Nutcracker, Copepelia, Swan Lake, and Firebird. He has staged and directed the entire Nutcarcker ballet for The Irving Ballet of Dallas, Texas. In 1993 Keith was commissioned to restructure the entire jazz and tap syllabus for the New Zealand Association of Modern Dance. He is a co-founder of the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles and LA Danceforce Convention.

Keith continues to teach around the world staying current with all the latest trends in choreography. He has taught dance throughout the United States as well as in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, San Salvador, and Guatemala.

We are excited to have Keith back as part of our faculty for DDI 2024!

Whitney Crites Brown
Whitney Crites Brown's contagious spirit and energy have kept her as a sought-after choreographer and teacher, sharing her skills and passion with students across the country.
Whitney’s talent has taken her around the world, where she has been Assistant Choreography & Dance Captain on several North American Tours, including Kidz Bop Live, Yo Gabba Gabba Live!, and Super Why Live!. Her performances have seen her share the stage with legendary artists such as Chaka Khan, Neyo, Snoop Dogg, Biz Markie and more! One of her career highlights includes performing at the White House Easter Egg Roll! In addition to her stage performances, Whitney has made notable appearances on television. She has been featured in popular TV shows like One Life to Live and Gossip Girl, and was a series regular in Sheira and Loli’s Ditty Doodle Works. She also had the opportunity to be a choreographer for the Nationally Televised Long Island Christmas Tree Lighting featuring Olympic Figure Skater Johnny Weir! Currently, Whitney resides in North Carolina, where she teaches dance locally and spends most of her time with her children Samantha & Darren.

Brandon Leffler
Brandon Leffler is a dancer, choreographer and educator currently on faculty at LA Dance Magic, Pace University (commercial dance program), and Super Ballroom. As a dancer in New York City, Brandon performed in many Broadway shows and tours including: On The Town, Cinderella, Wicked,
A Chorus Line, Cats and My Fair Lady. A few TV/Film credits include: The Goldbergs (ABC), Welcome to the Chippendales (Hulu), Physical (Apple TV), Miracle Workers, Goliath (Amazon Prime), Jackass Forever (WB), Saturday Night Live (NBC), The Tony Awards (CBS), and The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBC).
Concert dance has been a huge part of Brandon’s journey, working with companies including; Ballet Austin, Verb Ballets, Collage Dance Collective and The Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Brandon is currently a member of the Los Angeles Jazz Company.Since moving to LA, Brandon has immersed himself in the ballroom dance community and is currently a professional competitor in the American Rhythm category.

NICK DRAGO
Nick Drago, a native Texan and graduate of Oklahoma City University, is a dancer, writer and producer for the film and television industry. Drago, now residing in Los Angeles, has appeared in roles in front of, as well as behind the camera, in numerous productions over the past 20+ years. His television performance credits include Scrubs, Wizards of Waverly Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fresh Beat Band, Palm Royale, Dancing with the Stars, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Lucifer, Schooled, Bravo’s Step It Up & Dance, Terminator, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Wet Hot American Summer, How I Met Your Mother, Goliath, The Afterparty, Chippendales, Bob Hearts Abishola, Fuller House & Glee. Drago’s live televised performances include MTV’s VMAs, Fashion Rocks with Rihanna, The Backstreet Boys, The Emmys, Golden Globes, The Video Game Awards and The People’s Choice Awards. He has been fortunate to dance in music videos for Jessica Simpson (Boots), My Chemical Romance (Helena), Finger Eleven (Paralyzer), Capital Cities (Safe and Sound) and others for One Republic, Duran Duran, Demi Lovato, Will Butler, Melody Gardot, and the All American Rejects. Among others, he has appeared in films such as La La Land, Alvin & The Chipmunks (as Theodore’s Dance Double), The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure, Hop, The Muppets, G.I. Joe 2, Vice and Renfield. Commercially, Drago has worked with Exxon-Mobil gasoline, Jaegermeister, Smithfield Ham, Ford, Dickies, Delta, San Miguel Beer and RINVOQ. He has also appeared alongside Jillian Michaels (The Biggest Loser), and Leslie Sansone (Walk At Home) as talent in their respective fitness videos and as an approved on-air guest for QVC. While still performing, Drago is also a writer focusing on features, but has been hired to write for award shows, music videos, independent shorts, concepts, and numerous projects in the fitness industry.

Erick Yanez
From his humble backyard to world-class stages! At the age of sixteen, Erick Yanez drew inspiration from the Jabbawokeez and began teaching himself the basics of hip hop from YouTube videos. After his first “pop and lock,” Erick fell in love with dance, enrolled in his high school’s dance classes, and was quickly propelled into teaching opportunities in his small hometown of Burnet, TX. Scoring well at local competitions led to greater opportunities to train from world-renowned choreographers including Matt Steffanina, Parris Goebel, Nappytabs, and Nick DeMoura. While establishing his name in hip hop, Erick began booking industry jobs. He has performed in music videos for Sean Paul, K Camp, Tory Lanez, and D Woods; traveled with an artist as a backup dancer; and choreographed commercials for Keds, Quaker State Motor Oil, and Suavs Shoes. Though he is now based out of Austin, TX, Erick currently travels the country teaching masterclasses and choreographing for dance studios, high school teams, officer camps, and even the Sacramento Kings NBA hip hop team! But above all, Erick enjoys teaching for Dupree Dance Convention, for whom he has had the pleasure for the past six years.
Chances are that if he’s not dancing, Erick will have a camera in his hand. Around the age of twenty, Erick discovered a need and a passion for dance videography. Just as he did with dance, Erick taught himself how to film from tutorials on YouTube. Today, he has produced videography for many different industries including dance, automobiles, real estate, music, fitness, and corporate finance. While grateful for all his success, Erick is focused on educating, creating content, and providing opportunities for dancers hoping to pursue the industry.

Will Thomas
Will Thomas moved from Detroit to Los Angeles when he was 18, and dove into the professional dance industry. He continued his studies in dance, and acting as he began to work professionally. Will realized that his strength was his versatility, and because of this, was cast for television, film, commercials, and stage. He also realized, from the beginning, that one of his goals was to pass the information that he was learning on to others, so he started teaching at a very early age. Will was turning a childhood dream into a career that not only changed his life, but also changed the lives of thousands of young, hopeful dancers as he traveled the world teaching.Will's commercial resume reads like a "who's who" list. Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Zendaya, Rita Ora, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, Brenden Urie, Patti Labelle, Chris Daughtry, Michelle Williams and more.Televisions shows such as The VMA's, the EMMY'S, the Critics Choice Awards, Radio Disney Music Awards, So You Think You CanDance, Nashville, Ellen, Hit the Floor, Parenthood, World of Dance, Superstore, Rupaul's Drag Race. X Factor, 20/20.Pitch Perfect 3, Marry Me, Renfield, and Spirited, where he is dancing and acting next to Will Ferrel and Ryan Reynolds.One of Will's proudest accomplishments was achieved on the Masked Singer where he advanced from dancer, to assistant choreographer, to choreographer; and has continued his role for the past five seasons.Those who know Will, understand that he has a lot of energy and the determination to make things happen. When he’s not on set or at rehearsal, he travels with LA DanceMagic Dance Convention as a long-time faculty member. He says that's where his dreams began, and he loves teaching kids who are standing exactly where he did. He is grateful to his mentor, Jackie Sleight, who paved the way.Now Will and Jackie are dedicated to working as co-directors of the Los Angeles Jazz Company to preserve and advance the art of jazz dance.