Project 52 Dance Company

Project 52 Dance Company provides the highest quality in educational skills promoting dance, artistry, gymnastics, discipline, self-esteem, physical fitness and friendships in a fun and exciting atmosphere. Whether your intentions are to achieve fitness goals, or simply to further your appreciation for the art of dance or gymnastics, our focus is to help you discover your full potential at our state of the art facility. Our trained professionals at P52 Dance Co. will work to provide you with the best customer care.

TCP52 started as an idea in June of 2010 between Maria Silva and Geno Forliti. It has developed into a fun and educational atmosphere that brings individuals to their full potential both physically & mentally. “TCP”, literally, is a “Twin Cities Project” that Maria & Geno created to integrate Minneapolis and St. Paul areas into enjoying the art of performance and self perseverance. Their goal was to introduce the beauty of dance/gymnastics & fitness to all ages and educate every person on how to keep that piece of “fun” as a part of their every day lives. TCP52 believes that you should not look at your workouts as something that you “have to do” but something you can “look forward to doing.”

Maria and Geno met dancing in the Twin City area of MN at a local dance studio back in 1990 where Maria was a student and National competitor & Geno was a National competitor that had transitioned to choreographer with National titles within his choreography.

In 2006, Maria married Carlos Silva, #52 for Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners & Chicago Cubs. She, Carlos, along with Geno joined forces and wanted to create a facility where families could come together and have fun, make friends & become a better community while learning ideals for a healthy, fresh look on life…hence Carlos’ #52 incorporated in the name “TCP52″.


TCP is proud to introduce our Faculty:

Maria Hermann Silva ~ Owner/Dance Instructor
Maria Hermann Silva has danced for her entire life. She has competed in numerous competitions and won countless awards. Maria has spent 8 years of teaching dance and is loved by all of her students locally & nationally. She has performed with Vanessa Williams, Mia Michaels, Janet Jackson & Carmen Electra. Maria studied and worked along some of the biggest choreographers in the country. She instructs with a great foundation in technique and her love for dance.



Geno Forliti ~ Instructor of Dance/Fitness/Gymnastics
Geno Forliti has been a full time, well-known instructor for 25 years in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area. Geno has taught at countless workshops in the U.S., Canada & London. He has also been a judge for many competitions across the nation and has worked on commercials for McDonald’s, Wendy’s & Body Glove. He has shared the spotlight with such stars as Ben Vereen, MC Hammer, Vanessa Williams & Prince. Geno brings a high energy to class, packed with new & unique dance material that you will love.



Michael Burke ~ Gymnastics Manager/Administrative
Michael Burke has been a gymnastics instructor for over 24 years in the Minnesota area. He has worked with students on the Junior Olympic team and has judged gymnastics at a National level for over 11 years. Mike has also taught & judged at dance workshops and competitions in the Minnesota & Wisconsin areas. He has worked with various local MN dance schools helping specialty tricks and creative combos in dancers routines & has been a state clinician for other gymnastics programs in Minnesota.



Nick Hermann ~ Instructor for Technique, Contemperary & Jazz
Nick Hermann trained in the Twin Cities for 16 years in Jazz, Tap, Ballet & hip-hop. He has received many honorable titles in regional & national competitions. Nick completed his BA in Dance from Marymount Manhatten College, where he received a competitive dance scholarship. He has performed with The Pointer Sisters, Martha Walsh and was an Asst. choreographer to Linda Eder. Recently Nick danced under the direction of Tyce Diorio in a Tina Parol Video. He has worked extensively with West Coast Dance Explosion and NADAA.



Mary Kay Larkin-Kovaleski ~ Instructor for Preschool Classes & Dance Technician
Mary Kay Larkin Kovaleski ran the Larkin preschool program for over 30 years. In her career of teaching dance to youngsters, her direction & compassion towards her students has been recognized locally and across the U.S. Mary Kay has built life long friendships with past students who now bring their children to take her classes. Her preschool curriculum & teaching methods are unparalleled and are used as a template by many other programs! We are fortunate to have her teaching for TCP52!



Wendie Pett ~ Fitness Guru/Administrative
Wendie Pett, a nationally recognized name in the fitness industry, is passionate about motivating people and encouraging people to make fitness & nutrition a part of their everyday routine. She enthusiastically teaches the care of mind, body & spirit, assisting others to learn the importance of reaching their full potential through her Visibly Fit (TM) program – A total body and weight resistance exercise program. Wendie has helped numbers of people reach their fitness goals without even compromising their joint health, tendons, or ligaments by teaching simple easy to do exercises that use your body as a gym.

Lindsey Briggs ~ Instructor for Ballet, Technique, Jazz, Barre & many other genres
Lindsey Briggs grew up dancing locally at a studio in the Twin Cities where she was classically trained in Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Musical Theater, Hip Hop and Contemporary. At the age of 18, her love of dance brought her on a 5 year journey to New York City, Las Vegas, and most recently, Los Angeles to work and train with some of the best choreographers in the nation. She has performed on stages that have been graced by the presence of Mikhail Baryshnikov, Los Angeles Contemporary Ballet, Gregory Hines, and Complexions Dance Company. This past November, working with Poetry In Motion Dance Company, she performed in Kielce, Poland premiering an original work, “The Ascent” by Ricky Palomino and Stacy Boedekker. Her resume includes work for MTV, Nickelodeon, Choreographer’s Carnival NYC, Sundance Film “La Femme Americana,” industrials for Delta, Oscar Meyer, and Paul Mitchell. Lindsey is also an avid fitness enthusiast and anatomy junkie with certification in Pure Barre, Stott Pilates courses, and plenty of Yoga knowledge under her belt. Coming back to the Twin Cities, she is excited to share what she’s learned the past 5 years with dancers and mentor them unconditionally with her love of dance. “If you love it, you can do it! You just need the right guidance and mean work ethic.”

Other TCP52 team include:
Eudis Hermann, Justin Jacklyn, Jen Frost, Steina Sopoci, Rebecca Reed. Plus many other well renowned Instructors coming in to teach our Open Classes!

Please keep an eye out for our Master Classes and Workshops. We invite people from all studios and schools to come take classes!