Marla Leonow is owner and artistic director of MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE DANCE. She was a Nets Dancer in the NBA for 4 seasons. She has over 25 years of extensive dance training in all areas including jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballet, pointe, lyrical, modern and over 15 years of gymnastics training. She continues her training at Broadway Dance Center in NYC. She was a 4-year member of the nationally ranked Rutgers Dance Team and majored in dance at Mason Gross School of the Arts (Rutgers University). She also received a B.A. degree in Communication while at Rutgers. She has been teaching dance and gymnastics to children of all ages for over 20 years. Ms. Marla has her elementary teaching certification and was an elementary school teacher for 10 years. She has coached and choreographed for various teams, including the Nets Senior Dancers, West Point Cheerleaders, WAM cheerleaders, Ridge H.S Cheerleaders and North Plainfield H.S Cheerleaders. She was featured in the movie, “Gotta Dance,” (directed by Tony Award-winning Broadway producer, Dori Berinstein) which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2008 and received numerous awards. She has performed on Good Morning America and Good Day New York. She was also featured in the Capezio ad campaign for their Frontline Dancewear line, Dance Spirit Magazine and a Nets billboard on the NJ Turnpike. She was represented by one of the most well-known talent agencies in NYC and has performed for celebrities such as Jay-z, Beyonce, Ciara, Missy Elliot, P. Diddy, Rihanna, Usher, Bon Jovi, Bruce Willis, Eva Langoria and Kanye West. Marla continued her training in L.A. at Millenium Dance Complex, where stars such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera etc. also rehearse and take classes. She also attended classes at other professional dance studios in L.A. and Hollywood such as The Edge Performing Arts Center and Debbie Reynolds Professional Rehearsal Studios, in order to keep up with the latest dance trends and deliver the absolute best to her students. She received the 2014 Star Dance Alliance Teacher Excellence Award and the 2022 ADCC Studio of Excellence Award. Marla is passionate about her students and the art of dance! It is a dream come true for her to have the opportunity to share her talents and love for dance with others!