Instructor and Trainer Profiles
Dan Taylor
Studio Owner
NASM-CPT; ACE Certified Personal Trainer
After 15 years working in corporate finance management, Dan started Tri Valley Trainer in 1998. He has been a continuing education faculty member of the American Council on Exercise and the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and writes a weekly wellness column for AOL news website Patch.com (Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore and San Ramon editions). Tri Valley Trainer conducts corporate and non-profit seminars, lunch and learn presentations, employee weight loss contests and on-site exercise classes. The studio is the home for private client training and classes by the finest, most committed group exercise class instructors in the Tri Valley area. Additional studio events will include weekly group meditation, monthly workshops by other preventive wellness practitioners and periodic fund raisers for local altruistic organizations.
Group Exercise Instructors
Melissa Dickey
Group Exercise Instructor, Studio Co-Owner
Melissa developed a passion for fitness while working in a health club throughout college. A mother of two, she is committed to living a healthy, balanced lifestyle that includes a variety of approaches to exercise that enhance her quest for lifelong wellness. Her classes at Club TVT motivate and inspire students to challenge themselves physically, while benefitting from the support and camaraderie of the small group environment. Classes are intense, efficient, total-body workouts guaranteed to help you attain your fitness goals. Melissa will be sitting for the NASM-CPT exam in March and will be adding personal training services to the TVT schedule in April 2012.
Nichole Christoffersen, NASM-CPT, AAFA
Group Exercise Instructor
Nichole has been active in the health and fitness industry since 2004. She has worked as a personal trainer, youth fitness instructor and group fitness instructor. Nichole holds BA in Communication Studies with a minor in Kinesiology. She has taught a wide assortment of exercise formats including cardio, core and boot camp, and has authored workshops for new fitness instructors at San Jose State University. She is a firm believer in continued health and fitness education and continues to earn education credits towards her certifications. With a holistic approach to personal training, Nichole supports her clients in building a team of support and 'tool box' in helping them achieve their wellness goals.
Zumba Instructors
Angela Banke
Zumba Instructor
Angela is from Livermore California and loves being fit and active. Zumba has given her an outlet to be passionate about life and stay fit as well. Zumba gives class participants a fun, intense workout, while the music and movements motivate students to work hard and have a blast! Angela updates sequences to her class regularly, and participates in Zumba Fitness Master classes to keep her classes fun, fresh and challenging.
Patricia Clock
Zumba Instructor
Patricia is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has been living in California since 2006. She has a Masters in arts and acting and her passion is dance. She grew up surrounded by Samba (Carnaval in Rio is the largest popular Street Party in Brazil), Axe, Bossa Nova and Latin music. She has studied ballroom dance and when she discovered Zumba two years ago it was “Love at first dance.” Mixing easy-to-follow routines with energetic music, her class will keep you fit while you’re having fun!
Felice Gomez-Spencer
Zumba Instructor
Felice grew up in California and Arizona surrounded by Latin dance, music and culture. She has studied Brazilian dance and Capoeira for over a decade, and has studied with master teachers both in California and Bahia, Brazil. She brings a large vocabulary of movement and tons of energy to her Zumba routines. She studies and performs Brazilian and Cuban dance in the San Francisco Bay Area. Felice also teaches a Brazilian dance fitness class in Berkeley and Dublin and has taught Brazilian dance workshops to fellow Zumba instructors.
Yoga Instructors
Vrushali Tembe, MS
Yoga Instructor (RYT)
Vrushali is a graduate of Cosmic Dog Yoga teacher training program certified by the Yoga Alliance. She began her yoga journey as a teenager in India and has explored different styles including Vinyasa Flow, Hatha and Bikram Yoga. She is deeply committed to helping people achieve their highest potential. Vrushali studies with master teachers such as Suzanna Spring, but relies strongly on her own personal practice and intuition to influence her teaching. Her teaching incorporates knowledge of alignment and sequencing to ensure safety while allowing students to develop to their full capacity in the posture. She believes the key to physical vitality is a strong, flexible body; the key to mental vitality is a calm, quiet mind. Fitness-level modifications are always provided in her classes, offering students both stronger and gentler option so that each individual can truly cater to their own individual needs in a non-competitive environment.