Leslie"Peaches"Jarvis
Owner/Director
As owner and director of Peaches Dance and Music, I have been blessed with twenty-nine years of influencing the talents and pathways of thousands of budding dancers and performing artists. Many of my students now have successful careers in the Performing Arts.
I began dance and acrobatics training at a very young age and studied under the direction of many renowned teachers in Miami and New York such as Frank Hatchett, Ron Daniels, Elizabeth Caroll, Felix Smith, Sue Samuels, Thomas Armour, Kenneth Samuels, Fred Bratcher, Tomislav Vuchovich, Judi Nelson, Joe Michaels, Robert Battle and numerous others. I enjoyed many years of performing in the U.S. and abroad. My passion for Dance and the Performing Arts lead me to open a dance school in 1987. I knew what I wanted when I was very young and I made that dream come true when I became a full time teacher and choreographer.
I have choreographed and directed numerous Dance Recitals, Miami Heat halftime shows, Musical Theater productions, Commercials, Television Specials, The Latin Music Awards in Miami, Star Search, Dance Fever and several other venues. In Central Florida I have had the pleasure of Choreographing "Mary Poppins", "Rent", "The Merry Wives of Windsor" and most recently "Nice Work if You Can Get It" at Dr. Phillips Performing Arts High School. I am currently the three time recipient of Central Florida's prestigious "Applause Awards" nominations for "Best Choreography".
In the process of creating all of these productions and performances, as a teacher, my class time is always structured but not without the freedom for the individual dancer, acrobat or musician to explore their full potential as an artist.
Several private and public schools, as well as community outreach programs, have implemented my method and class model into their curriculums under my direction or guidance. I assisted in the development of community Performing Arts programs for underprivileged and disabled students. I am a licensed Autistic Movement Therapist and have spent many hours working with these children.
I look forward to each and every day, as I continue to share my passion for Dance and Performing Arts, while providing the most talented Instructors for our students!
-Miss Peaches
Faculty
Dan Burke
I grew up in just north of Nashville, Tennessee and began dancing at the age of 8. I started dancing after a trip backstage at my sister’s dance recital in 1994. The environment behind the scenes was electric and I wanted to somehow be able to go back again. I knew the only way I could go backstage the following year was to start classes. Little did I know it would lead to a lifelong career in the performing arts! I grew up taking classes at American Academy of Dance in Hendersonville TN where I taught and choreographed for several years before breaking out of Nashville to begin my professional career. When I turned 18, I was given the opportunity to dance with Princess Cruise lines on a replacement contract the summer between my Junior and Senior year of High school. I was hooked and worked for Princess for the next 5 years dancing in 19 shows on 6 ships. I left for a short time in 2006 to dance at The Country Tonite Show in Pigeon Forge, TN before heading back for 3 more contracts at Princess. In 2009, after completing many contracts at sea, I moved back to Pigeon Forge to perform as a vocalist and dance captain at the Black Bear Jamboree Dinner show. After spending the year in Pigeon Forge, I was ready for another change. After a whim audition for Disney, I moved to Orlando in 2010 to work as a parades and shows performer at Walt Disney World Resort. Here, I performed in Parades and Street shows such as Block Party Bash and High School Musical before joining the long time dance ensemble of Beauty and the Beast, Live on Stage! at Disney's Hollywood Studios. In 2013, after 3 years at Beauty and the Beast, I moved into the role of Maintenance Choreographer at the Magic Kingdom where I worked full time teaching, staging and maintaining daily entertainment offerings at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In my years as a Maintenance Choreographer I was asked to be on the opening creative teams of Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade, Hocus Pocus Villains’ Spelltacular, Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire, and Mickey’s Most Merriest Christmas Celebration. I was also asked to serve as one of three maintenance choreographers on British Television’s “Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway” Finale Show broadcast live from the Magic Kingdom. With the opening of Peaches Dance and Music in 2017, I shifted my focus once more. What started as a secondary job of teaching on Tuesday nights, became a full time opportunity to reside as the General Manager of Peaches Dance Orlando. In January of 2018, I was asked to rejoin the cast of Beauty and the Beast at Hollywood Studios where I continue to perform on contract 1 day a week. I also was asked to join the cast of Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire as a "sub" dancer, which for me was an exciting opportunity as I helped to create and stage the show. Peaches has become my home away from home and I love to share my passion for dance and my knowledge of the industry with our dancers. Whether as a hobby or a serious professional goal, the world of dance creates memories that last a lifetime! I love seeing those moments realized on the dancers and Peaches Dance Orlando!
General Manager & Instructor
