The mission of Pahokee Dance Academy is to provide a hi-quality, entertaining service that will prepare young children for life – long learning. This is produced through performances and educational programs that bridge cultures and reach diverse communities. We take our roles as mentors in your child’s life very seriously.

It is our objective to inspire a passion for the art of dance in every child who takes classes with us. In the process, we are committed to improving reading and comprehension skills through the art of dance.

Ms. Agyapong affectionally known by her students as Ms. Linda, has been a professional teacher, playwright, choreographer, director, and producer for the past 30 years.  She has been the Owner and Artistic Director of Community Book & Dance Academy since 1996. Her mission is to plant seeds of literacy in the minds of children, using dance as a platform. She began dancing at the age of 9 and obtained her earliest training with the late ballet and jazz teacher Jerry Ross of PAVAC, and the University of Miami. It was under his direction, she studied and performed with Chuck Davis, Geoffrey Holder, and The Orchesis Dance Theater. Ms. Linda majored in voice and minored in dance at the University of Miami. She later became the recipient of several Performing Arts Scholarships for intensive summer study with many notable professionals and won the National Annie Hawke Award in Washington DC for her flawless vocal and dance performance.

As her career became more prominent Ms. Linda continued to enhance her dance / music education and studied the influential styles and technique of many Master Teachers throughout the country. This included frequent visits to The Broadway Dance Center, and Steps on Broadway. She accredits much of her dance influence too many people throughout her career including veteran hoofer, Jimmy Sutton, Orchesis Contemporary Dance Theater Dr. Barbera, and author / dance lecturer Jean Sabbatine. She continues to re-energize the studio with legendary masters, professional dancers, and coordinate book clubs for children throughout the tri-county areas.

In 2012 Gentry graduated from the Juilliard School and began dancing with Ailey II of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. George was also a member of Lusting Dance Theatre, Malcolm Low’s Formal Structure, as well as the Dance Theatre of Harlem, under the Direction of Virginia Johnson.

Gentry began his choreographic pursuits in 2013 when he founded Inwood NYC’s premiere dance company Zest Collective November of that year. In New York Zest has performed at SummerStage, Dixon Place, HarlemStage Gatehouse Theater, Ulster Performing Arts Center, The Wassaic Project, Jamaica Center for the Arts, Fort Tryon Park, and Marcus Garvey Park. In February 2015, Zest debuted ‘A Matter Of Heart’ with Visual Artist Brian Michael Reed, accompanied live by electronic performance duo Pax Humana at the Alchemical Theatre Laboratory.

Gentry has created work on The Governor’s School for the Arts (Norfolk, VA), Arts High School (Newark, NJ), Randolph College (Lynchburg, VA), and Cooperative Arts and Humanities High (New Haven, CT). Gentry has choreographed four ballets on the Peter London Global Dance Company; the most recent of which premiered in December 2019 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.

In 2016 Gentry was invited to lead the Dance Ensemble at Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts. That year he also began working at Eglevsky Ballet, as well as the Dance Project of Washington Heights and became the school’s Youth Ensemble Director in 2017. In 2018 Gentry began working at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA).