Jess was a four year member of the Rutgers University Dance Team. She then started her professional career as a Knicks City Dancer where she was a captain, a member of the NBA Allstar Dance Team, and had the opportunity to perform in China, London, and the Dominican Republic. She can be seen dancing in the movie Trainwreck and in the upcoming film Happy Gilmore 2. Jess has been featured on Project Runway Jr, and in commercials for Pepsi, Hudson Yards and IFC Network. Jess has performed live with major artists such as Lil Uzi, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, DNCE, Ceelo Green, Montel Jordan, Run DMC, Sugar Hill Gang, and Swizz Beatz. Jess is currently the Assistant Coach of the Knicks City Kids. She is excited to work with all of you!
About The Pearl
The Pearl is a club dedicated to health, wellness, and personal growth for girls, teens, and women. We offer a variety of classes and workshops focused on fitness, personal development, teamwork, and self-care. In addition, our beautifully curated spaces provide the perfect setting for relaxation, and meaningful connection with others.
Meet the Team
Our team is comprised of passionate mentors with years of professional experience in diverse and distinct fields. They bring creativity, dedication, and expertise to all they do to ensure every Pearl Member feels supported and inspired.
Marcella
Marcella is an accomplished professional dancer, choreographer, and artistic director with a global performance background, having danced for artists including Pitbull, Kanye West, and Fergie. Her work has been featured on Saturday Night Live, Sex and the City, and in major campaigns for iPod and Panasonic. A former captain of the Knicks City Dancers, Marcella balanced her professional dance career while earning a degree in Sports Management from Rutgers University. Deeply committed to the arts, she serves on the board of The Shed at Hudson Yards and Youth America Grand Prix. She is the Chair of Associates of The Society of Memorial Sloane Kettering and has co-chaired New York City Ballet’s Nutcracker Family Benefit for five consecutive years, helping to break fundraising records.
She is also a supporter of American Ballet Theatre and plays an active role in strengthening dance education at Duke University. Marcella is the founder of Studio MGH Creative, an event production company known for immersive, dance-driven experiences. A lifelong dream of owning her own studio, she has created The Pearl as a space where girls can grow, connect, and thrive in a thoughtfully curated environment that reflects the real experiences of girlhood today.
Lauren
Lauren grew up as a competitive Texas dancer and cheerleader, serving as Cheer Captain and Senior Lieutenant of the Cougar Stars HS Drill Team. She performed under the Friday night lights at iconic venues like NRG Stadium and the Alamodome, with appearances during Rockets halftimes, the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade, and alongside artists such as Jay Sean and Andrea Bocelli. A 2023 Vanderbilt graduate, Lauren earned a B.S. in Human & Organizational Development and Environmental Sociology. She led her college dance team as President and discovered a passion for entrepreneurship, founding Vanderbilt Fashion Week—a still-thriving organization that gives local and international sustainable designers/companies a greater platform and community. Now based in NYC, she hopes to make a meaningful impact in the community.
Alex
Alex has been cheering since sixth grade and hasn’t stopped since. She’s competed on All-Star and rec teams all through middle school, high school, and college, and was a member of the D1A coed cheer team at Rutgers University, where she studied communications, PR, and education. Beyond cheer, she loves long walks, coffee runs, baking something sweet, and spending time with her dog and her favorite people. Whether she’s dancing around the studio or laughing with friends and family, she believes joy, movement, and community go hand in hand.
Jess
Nicole
Ella
Ella Titus is a Florida native and spent most of her life in Miami with the Miami City Ballet where she danced for a decade. Recently, Ella moved to NYC to pursue ballet and teach fitness here. In the past few years, Ella started privately teaching both ballet, Pilates, and sculpt fitness classes online as well as in person. Off ballet season, Ella began cross training in Pilates and HIIT, finding it has helped her ballet technique, strength, and stamina. Ella’s Ballet Sculpt classes are aimed to bring joy to people through movement through dance. She’s also certified in Mat Pilates and loves a good magic circle burn!
James
Born and raised in Queens NY, James began dancing at the young age of 7 and hasn’t stopped since. He’s worked with musical artists such as Alicia Keys, JLO, Travis Scott, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and more. James also most recently appeared in the films “Marry Me”, “In The Heights” and shows such as “Law and Order SVU” and “Harlem”. In life we all have this divine energy to manifest our wildest dreams and that’s exactly what James continues to do.
Michelle
Born and raised in New York City, Michelle Caputo is a graduate from LaGuardia High School of the Performing arts. She has been dancing professionally since the age of 18. She began her career as a Knicks City Dancer, where she was named captain and held the role for seven years. With over 24 years of teaching experience, she has dedicated her career to training and inspiring young, aspiring artists. Her passion for dance has taken her around the world, where she has led clinics and workshops at the collegiate level, sharing her expertise with dancers of all ages and backgrounds.
Our Story
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