Elaine McCarthy, Owner-Director

Elaine is the Founder/Owner of Elaine’s Dance Studio (EDS). She is a native born & raised Santa Cruzan and opened EDS in 1985 and has been teaching Dance for almost 40 years. Elaine is trained in all Dance disciplines including Jazz, Tap, Ballet and Acrobatics, but her heart and specialty is with children. She is Acrobatic Arts Certified & has danced & toured professionally in Montreal, Las Vegas, Japan, Spain, and Paris and has deep roots in the SC Community. She created EDS to be a nurturing Dance environment that serves to motivate and inspire students, as well as being a comfortable safe haven. Elaine takes immense personal pride in guiding a young person’s passion and creativity and seeing them reach their full potential.

Julia Osgood, Artistic Director

Julia is the daughter of Elaine McCarthy and began her dance training at a very early age. She has danced and competed with Elaine’s Studio in all styles of dance - tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, and acrobatics. She began teaching her own recreational classes at the age of 16. Julia attended Aptos High School where she excelled in both academics and Track & Field. Her main event in Track & Field was High Jump, where she qualified for the State track meet 3 years in a row. She attended UC San Diego and received her B.S. in Economics Management Science with minor in Dance. Julia competed on the UCSD Track team for 3 years and was a part of several UCSD Dance Department performances as well. While at UCSD, Julia was a member and choreographer for the student run Dance Company, Finesse Dance Company, and performed throughout her college years.

After living and working in San Diego for 6 years, she accepted a full time position as the Artistic Director for Elaine's Dance Studio. She has passion for Dance and loves teaching children. This is her 10th season working for her Mom (& boss).

Jessica Vargas, Competition Director

Jessica has been dancing competitively since the age of 5, winning numerous awards , titles and scholarships. At the age of 10 she won the title of “Dancer of the Year” in the Las Vegas nationals and was sent to Australia to compete in the Aussie World National Championships. The following year, Jessica appeared on the TV show “America’s Most Talented Kids”, and after high school was hired by award winning choreographer Tessandra Chavez, to be a part of her own company “Unity Dance Ensemble”. Jessica performed for several years with the Disney Corporation and Stiletto Entertainment as a dancer for Holland America Cruise Line. Recently, she began teaching and choreographing for local competition dance teams, winning “Best Choreography” and overall high point awards in numerous dance competitions and conventions. Jessica loves sharing her passion for dance through teaching, and looks forward to sharing her extensive experience!

Jessica has been a proud member of the Elaine's Dance Studio faculty since 2012. She truly loves what she does and feels incredibly fortunate to teach at a studio she considers home. Jessica is grateful to work alongside her inspiring boss Elaine, who has become a wonderful friend and mentor, and feels especially lucky to have found not only an amazing coworker but also her best friend, Julia. Being part of such a supportive dance family makes sharing her love of dance with her students even more meaningful.

Katy Emme

A California native and UCSC alumni- Katy has been involved in the competitive dance world for 20+ years. She is trained in a wide range of styles, including contemporary, jazz, tap, pom, lyrical, ballet, and acro. She was a competitive dancer herself from the age of 4 and began coaching and choreographing for local competitive teams during college.

Katy is an accomplished choreographer whose work has earned numerous Top Overall placements at regional and national studio and dance team competitions. Her choreography has received multiple Choreography Awards at competitions including Celebrity Dance, Spotlight Dance Cup, Hollywood Connection, Revolution Talent, Onstage New York, and many others. She is also the Founder and Head Coach of the UC Santa Cruz Spirit Squad, the university's official competitive dance team. In the program's inaugural season, Katy led the team to Top 10 finishes in both Jazz and Pom at College Nationals, helping establish UCSC as an emerging force in collegiate dance.

As an instructor, Katy is passionate about introducing kids to the wide variety of movement styles that dance has to offer. She believes no two dancers are alike and focuses on tailoring technical training in various styles to fit the needs and abilities of each individual. Katy is excited to share her passion and experience with the next generation of dancers.

Nadia Hinds

Nadia Hinds was raised in Soquel, California, where her passion for dance began at an early age. By the age of eight, she was training seriously in a variety of dance styles, competing, performing, and dreaming of one day becoming a dance teacher like the mentors who inspired her.

At just 15 years old, Nadia began assisting and teaching dance classes, discovering a love for sharing her knowledge with young dancers. During her junior and senior years at Soquel High School, she joined the Dance Company of San Francisco under the direction of Chris Jacobsen. There, she trained alongside exceptionally talented dancers, many of whom went on to perform and teach professionally across the country.
After graduating from high school, Nadia attended Cabrillo College as a dance major. Determined to continue growing as an artist, she auditioned for the prestigious Edge Scholarship Program in Hollywood, California. Out of 150 dancers, only 20 were awarded scholarships to train with some of the world's leading choreographers—and Nadia was one of them. She made the bold decision to leave college and pursue this incredible opportunity.

During her year at The Edge, Nadia trained with renowned industry professionals, including Mandy Moore, choreographer for Taylor Swift, Ryan Heffington, known for his work with Sia, and many other influential teachers and choreographers. Upon completing the program, she was signed by a talent agency before ultimately deciding to return home to Santa Cruz.

Back in the Bay Area, Nadia continued her professional dance career as a company member of Flex, directed by Leslie Johnson, and Rugged, directed by Tawnya Kuzia. Throughout her career, she has taught, choreographed, and inspired dancers across the Bay Area, sharing her passion and commitment to dance with students of all ages.
Today, while her greatest joy is raising her three beautiful children, Nadia is excited to continue doing what she loves as part of the Elaine's Dance Studio! She is passionate about helping every dancer grow in both confidence and technique while fostering a positive, encouraging environment where students can thrive.