Since 1992

Three decades of building dancers.

For over 30 years, we've been nurturing dancers, building dreams, and creating a family where every student can flourish and reach their full potential.

South Coast Conservatory instructors and staff

20,000+

Students trained

Specialized studios

70+

Expert faculty

75+

National awards

400+

Regional awards

Building dreams

We grew from one room in Mission Viejo to nine studios.

1992

Opened as Mission Viejo Dance & Performing Arts Center

Started with a vision to provide exceptional dance education in Orange County.

1998

Moved location to Laguna Niguel

Relocated to better serve our growing community and expand our facilities.

2002

Studio ownership change to Jena Minnick

New leadership brought fresh vision and expanded opportunities for our students.

2009

Added in-house theatre, awarded Best Dance Studio

Enhanced our performance capabilities and received recognition for excellence.

2010

Started the non-profit Dance Discovery Foundation, Teacher Training program, and Nutcracker

Launched comprehensive programs including our beloved annual Nutcracker production.

2011

Added 8th studio, a retail store, and Pilates room. Started scholarship programs

Expanded facilities and began offering scholarships to support talented dancers.

2013

Changed name from ‘Mission Viejo Dance’ to ‘South Coast Conservatory’

Rebranded to reflect our commitment to pre-professional dance training.

2017

Awarded Best Dance Studio, 10 years in a row. 5 finalists at Dance Awards and YAGP in New York

Achieved decade-long recognition and celebrated national competition success.

2019

Added 9th studio — the Acro / Aerial gym. 23 finalists at Dance Awards and YAGP in New York

Expanded with specialized aerial training facility and continued competition excellence.

2020

Awarded Small Business of the Year by the CA Assembly

Received state recognition and launched industry-focused training programs.

2021

4 Conservatory Programs — Commercial Dance, Ballet, Musical Theatre and Aerial

Established comprehensive conservatory training across four specialized disciplines.

2022

Created the Dance & Drama program through Dance Discovery Foundation

Expanded our non-profit foundation to include theatrical arts education.

2025

Merged with V&T Dance Academy and expanded the SCC Family

Welcomed new families and expanded our community through strategic partnership.

An SCC dancer inverted in plum aerial silks in the studio’s Acro/Aerial gym

Orange County's #1 Dance Studio

We built nine studios and a gym for flying.

State-of-the-art facility with 9 specialized studios
3,000 sq ft Acro/Aerial gym, Pilates room, and retail store
70+ expert faculty teaching 4-tiered training program

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Leadership

The people who run the building.

Jena Minnick-Bull

CEO / Director

Jena Minnick-Bull, the Owner/Director of South Coast Conservatory since 2002. She has over 30 years of teaching and award-winning choreography, an MBA from Quantic International Business School, a BS in Marketing, and has been recognized by the OC Business Journal, Chase Bank, and the CA State Assembly. Her studio has been awarded “Best Dance School in Laguna Niguel” for the past 18 years. She has worked with hundreds of teachers and choreographers throughout Orange County and is a community outreach activist, ensuring dance and drama are accessible to all of our community’s youth.

Jessa Mendoza

Aerial Director

Jessa has over 26 years of teaching experience. She has a BS from CSU Long Beach in Dance, certified in Pilates, and is a Master Instructor in Aerial Arts. She has danced with San Francisco Ballet, Metropolitan Ballet, Will Smith, Ricky Martin, The Backstreet Boys, Mark Ericson from ABT and Phantom of the Opera; and Mia Michaels from “So You Think You Can Dance”.

Maria Tikhomirova

Ballet Director

Maria born in Moscow trained and received a PhD from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy as Choreographer/Master Ballet Teacher. She has toured internationally with ballet companies and has been a judge for ballet competitions. She is the Co-Director of our Ballet Conservatory Program. She has been with SCC since 2013.

Carla Guajardo

Competitive / Commercial Director

Carla Guajardo is a dance educator, performer, choreographer, and researcher with an M.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Hawaii Manoa. She brings over 15 years of experience teaching various dance genres, emphasizing kinesiology, injury prevention, and inclusivity.