The Quintanilla sisters
We are Marielena, Marcela, and Francisca Quintanilla, a team of Latinx creators with over 15 years of experience teaching dance and choreographing. Growing up in North Bergen, NJ, we spent our childhood dancing at a local studio in West New York, where our mother worked as the administrator for over 20 years. She is a constant source of inspiration, fueling our dream to create a dance community of our own. We are thrilled to have established Q3 Dance Company in Union City, NJ, where we find joy and inspiration working with dancers of all ages, creating a positive, safe, and inclusive atmosphere in every class and choreography session.
Francisca received her BFA in dance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. While there she performed works by Christian Von Howard and Bill T. Jones. She has toured China and the Philippines with OcampoWang Dance Company. Professionally, she has performed works by Lar Lubbovitch, Reggie Wilson, and Donna Uchizono at the Joyce Theater. Additionally she has worked with Maxine Doyle, creator of Sleep No More. Francisca is a certified Polestar Pilates Mat Instructor and enjoys helping young dancers understand how to condition their bodies for strength and safe stretching. Panchi loves teaching Contemporary, Pilates, Jazz, Modern and Lyrical.
Marcela received her BA from Loyola University and currently works for NBC. She has attended the Break the Floor Dance Teacher Summit and was a member of Dance Educators of America. She especially loves to work with Tap dancers, with a focus on musicality and timing. She currently is on faculty at X-Quisite House of Dance as their Tap teacher. Marcela is trained to work with different age groups of dancers, and highlights the value of teamwork and collaborating in her classes. She has taught at summer dance camps at many schools in New Jersey. In addition, Marcela is an experienced music editor. Marci loves teaching tap!
Marielena has been a dance teacher and choreographer since 2006. She is a certified Alixa Flexibility Module 1 and 2 instructor and is also certified Mental Wellness Dance Educator with Danscend. She is currently an Adjudicator with True Talent Competition and is a Teacher Ambassador with Penny Prima. Marielena is especially passionate about working 1-1 with students on strengthening, stretch, conditioning and mindset mentorship. She enjoys helping students reframe negative thoughts and set intentional goals for their dance season. Marielena has a BA in Childhood/Special Education and Masters in Education from NYU and currently works as a Learning Specialist in Hoboken, but she especially loves to teach Jazz, Technique, Stretch and Flamenco. She studied Flamenco at the famous Calle de Amor Studio in Madrid, Spain and has taken classes with Siudy Garrido and Nelida Tirado. Many of her former students have gone on to dance on prestigious dance teams and programs such as Rutgers, Delaware, Northeastern, Fordham and Cornell University.
