U-W
Lauren Wightman
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Lauren Wightman began her training as a competitive dancer at the young age of 7 in thedisciplines of jazz, tap, ballet, hip hop, acro, modern, and musical theatre. Outside of the studio,
Lauren also took advanced classes in Toronto with professionals such as Stelio Calagias, Shawn Byfield, Siona Jackson, and Linda Garneau. After performing on the stage as a dancer, Lauren continued to explore her interest as a performer and headed to New York where she received her B.F.A. in Acting from Ithaca College. After graduating, Lauren won a scholarship to train with the world-famous Radio City Rockettes in New York City, and also trained with numerous
teachers at Broadway Dance Center. Lauren returned to Toronto and went on to study at the world’s premier school of improvisation- The Second City. Shortly after, Lauren was offered a spot to train at The Conservatory where the likes of Tina Fey, Mike Myers, and John Belushi.
As a choreographer, Lauren began choreographing award- winning routines for competitive studios at the age of 18. This then led to working for musical group ONE AVENUE, The Mini Miss Canada Pageant, and assisting the choreographer for the Irish play Dancing at Lughnasa at Clark Theater in Ithaca, NY.
Lauren’s goal as a teacher is to fuse the disciplines of dance and drama into one.Theatre credits include: A Chorus Line (Orpheus Theatre, NY), Crazy For You (Orpheus Theatre, NY), Romeo & Juliet Remixed (Toronto Fringe Festival),The Long Christmas Ride Home (Ithaca College), The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Ithaca College), The Love Doctor (Ithaca College), Dance*No Translation Needed (Ithaca College), Joyful Noise (Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse).
Member of B.A.T.D. & an apprentice of ACTRA.
Crystal Whyte
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Crystal Whyte is an accomplished performer, instructor and adjudicator of dance. She is an alumnus of Canada’s National Ballet TTP, and has been currently on staff at the Quinte Ballet School of Canada for over 10 years. She is one of the original Canadian cast members of Mirvish’s Crazy For You, and has performed in several different industrials, commercials, and television shows.
Crystal is known for her high energy and innovative choreography and workshops, where she teaches a variety of dance disciplines such as jazz, tap, hip hop, national dance, and ballet. She holds teaching status with the R.A.D., and the National and Cecchetti branches of the I.S.T.D., as well as being a certified instructor with the ADAPT organization. Many of the students who have trained under Crystal have gone on to perform professionally in many areas of the performing arts. This includes Riyo Mori - Miss Universe 2007, The Rockettes, Cats, Opera Atelier, Showboat, Anne of Green Gables, various Cruise Ships, Dirty Dancing, Ballet B.C., and Ballet Jorgen. In addition, Crystal is an advocate of arts education and continues to teach dance and drama in the public school sector.
After graduating Queen’s University with a Master’s Degree in History,
Crystal then began using her Bachelor of Education Degree to teach elementary school with the H.P.E.D.S.B.
Madeline Wright
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Madeline (Maddy) Wright is an active dance professional who trained early in a diverse range of disciplines. She completed all RAD vocational graded examinations including Advanced 2 and is a formally credited BATD teacher in Stage performance dance. In 2016, Madeline received her BFA - Magna Cum Laude, at Point Park University, but has also furthered her training at professional programs such as Springboard Danse Montreal.
Madeline’s professional and performance experience consists of commercial, concert and multi-disciplinary projects. She works with Emmy-nominated choreographer Sonya Tayeh and danced in her production “you’ll still call me by name” at New York Live Arts and Jacob’s Pillow. In Toronto, Madeline performed in the city’s first ever interactive dance-theatre production “Eve of St. George”. Madeline’s film work includes Barton Movement’s “Has She Never Asked Me” with spoken word by Daniel J. Watts, performer in Broadway’s “Hamilton”. In addition to her performance career, Madeline has extensive experience teaching and choreographing in Canada and the United States. Check out www.maddywright.ca
Nadine Nicole Varga
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Nadine is a multi-talented dance professional and the owner and studio director of "Pulse Dance Works Inc." in Markham-Toronto, Ontario. She is an accomplished dancer; instructor; choreographer and a sought after international adjudicator with over thirty years of dance experience. As well, Nadine is an experienced business professional specializing in office and operations management and event planning.
Nadine is a certified teacher and member of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (B.A.T.D.), Acrobatic Arts certified teacher and member, Acrobatic Arts certified AcroDance Competition Adjudicator, certified member of Professional Adjudicators Alliance (P.A.A.) and a certified "Strip To Fit" instructor in fused dance and fitness - burlesque dance. Nadine’s intensive dance background includes various disciplines of dance; ballet, jazz, strength & flexibility (a.k.a. stretch), tap, acrobatics, lyrical, hip hop, musical theatre, song & dance, salsa and many forms of social dance in which she continues to choreograph in many of these styles. Nadine also studied music for several years, specializing with the Tenor Saxophone.
As well as dance and music, Nadine possesses a strong background in musical theatre which she started at a very young age. Nadine has not only performed in musicals on stage, but has choreographed and assistant directed shows with various size casts of all ages. Some of her musical theatre work includes “The Wizard of Oz”, “Peter Pan”, “A Chorus Line” and “Jesus Christ Superstar”.
Nadine was one of the past trainers and choreographers at the prestige Kalev Estienne Rhythmic Gymnastics Centre in Toronto, that is highly recognized for bringing the sport into Canada, for one of the past Junior Canadian Teams “Jr. Rhythmic Express”. Nadine had the great opportunity to instruct some of the top rhythmic gymnasts in all of Canada.
Outside of teaching both recreational and competitive classes at her own dance studio, Nadine choreographs show pieces for professional venues and charity events. As an experienced international dance adjudicator, reputable for her detailed and positive technical critiques, Nadine continues to judge dance competitions regularly. As a former competitive award winning dancer, competing heavily in Canada and the USA for many years, Nadine understands the hard work and dedication it takes to become a well-trained dancer, performer and dance professional. Nadine's knowledge and experience, unique and creative choreography as well as her passionate approach to dance instruction, helps dancers of all ages and levels strive to achieve their highest dancing goals.
Cheryl Quiacos Upper
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Cheryl Quiacos Upper, B.A, A.R.A.D., RAD RTS, is an innovative choreographer, passionate dance teacher. She was competitive team coordinator for 5 years before becoming the current studio director of Conservatory of Dance & Music. With 15 years of teaching experience, Cheryl is trained in and teaches RAD classical ballet, contemporary, jazz, and acrobatics. She was a national-level gymnast and NCCP coach. She has also been a well established stunt performer within Toronto's film and television industry since 1999. She has been recognized and awarded for her innovative choreography by nationally recognized adjudication affiliations and she is a proud member of the PAA (Professional Adjudication Association). Cheryl holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Drama and French from the University of Toronto. She is a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance (RTS RAD) and has graduated with a Teaching Diploma. Cheryl completed the RAD Intermediate, Advanced 1 & 2 vocational exams. She has also performed the Solo Seal Award exam. Cheryl is a graduate of The Ailey School™ in New York City where she trained intensively in Horton, Graham and Dunham Contemporary Techniques, jazz and ballet. She has worked with world-renowned choreographers such as Talley Beatty, Elisa Monte and Judith Marcuse and has performed at Harlem's famous Apollo Theatre. She has also danced professionally touring throughout the Netherlands and Belgium with Koninklijk Theatre Carré.
Cheryl's passion for the arts extends into the film industry. She was assistant choreographer on feature film, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World starring Michael Cera. Cheryl was the lead stunt double for actors Tia Carrere and Vivica A. Fox. Other Television and film credits include: Relic Hunter, The Love Guru, The Day After Tomorrow, and Resident Evil Apocalypse and Repomen. Most recently, Cheryl worked with Paris Hilton and Natali Reznik (SYTYCD Canada) in Repo! The Genetic Opera. She was the movement coordinator on Vincenzo Natale's Splice starring Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley. Current film credits include Warm Bodies and Total Recall with Colin Farrell.
Nancy Voce
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Nancy is the successful owner and director of the Mississauga School of Dance. With over 30 year’s experience teaching and choreographing, her love of dance and commitment to her students is her inspiration. Nancy’s training style and innovative choreography has led her students to award winning results at local and International competitions.
She has trained extensively throughout North America with such well-known choreographers such Mandy Moore, Mia Michaels, Gus Giordano, Joe Tremaine and Frank Hatchett. She has worked in various fashion and industrial shows as a part of the AM Dance Company. Nancy became a member of the Canadian Dance Teachers Association (C.D.T.A.); Dance Masters of America (D.M.A.), Royal Academy of Dance (R.A.D.) to obtain accreditation in all areas of dance and to be a diverse and knowledgeable teacher.
Nancy attended Ryerson University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree with Food Science and Nutrition being her major area of study. Dancers need to begin with a healthy mind a body and she assists her students in achieving a healthy lifestyle while training.
In recent years, Nancy has devoted her time to attend workshops and seminars to further develop the creative and developmental process. In April 2008, Nancy received the 'Fever Dance Award' for her contributions to the dance community. Many of her students have gone on to the National Ballet, professional work on cruise lines, work on Broadway and have become accomplished teachers in the industry. Nancy is a member of the Professional Adjudicators Alliance and looks forward to sharing her knowledge and expertise at every event.
Richelle Van Dyk
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Owner and Artistic Director of Island Dance Studio, Richelle has been sharing her passion for dance as a teacher and choreographer since 1988. Richelle opened Island Dance Studio in 1999. Richelle studied dance at Reason for 2 years before moving on to The National Ballet School in Toronto. Richelle has been trained by many of Canada's Cecchetti Ballet examiners and is a member of The Cecchetti Society Classical Ballet Faculty AISTD (Cecchetti). Richelle is a certified Jazz Educator for the ADAPT method of dance and will be finishing her 3rd year in their Teacher Training School this July in Saskatchewan. Currently Richelle is pleased to enter her 18th year working with children, educating them in the art of dance, both in her studio and within the Durham Board of Education. Richelle continues to dance and choreograph in the dance industry where her style still remains cutting edge.
Richelle is a dancer who performs with intense passion. Richelle is a teacher with a wealth of knowledge and experience, but most of all she is a person who wants to share her love of dance with as many people as she can. "My philosophy is to help students achieve personal and artistic goals through quality dance training and performance in an inspiring, supportive, safe environment. The objective is to instill the love and appreciation of the performing arts in both students and audiences.
Jeff Wong
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Full of energy, positive and a natural entertainer comprise only a few words to describethis dancing professional. Jeff Wong brings years of experience to every event heparticipates in. You've seen him in live shows, in feature films, and recognized his talentson television screens throughout North America.
Jeff's versatile dance skills have lead him to appear on numerous television shows forCBC, YTV, CITYTV, MUCHMUSIC, CHIN Television, CTV, The LIFE Network,MTV and BET. He has been in Canadian and American television commercials forMolson Canadian, Labbatt's Blue, Hasbro and Target to name a few. Some of his filmcredits include Get Over It, If Wishes Were Horses, Superstar!, Prisoner of Love,Seventeen Again, Disney's The Cheetah Girls and Honey. Sisqo, Martha Wash, Patti Labelle, B'witched, Boyz II Men, Amanda Marshall, Martin Short, Carmen Electra andMariah Carey have all worked with Jeff, not to mention an abundance of otherentertainers.
The electricity that is created from Jeff's choreography is powerful stuff! He has createdchoreography for Toronto's Prince Charles Gala, the Maud Whitmore benefit, Ontario Place, Levi's, Ryerson fashion shows, Moved by Music, Tele Latino, CHIN TV, music videos for MuchMusic, CMT and MTV, and not to mention many award winning dance competitions. Jeff has just been recently chosen to contribute his view on adjudicating to the Professional Adjudicator’s Alliance.
As a creative, inspiring and well sought out dance instructor, he freelances at various studios throughout North America. Jeff has been a valuable guest teacher for many workshops and master classes in both Canada and USA. Jeff is currently Executive Director and Co-Producer/Choreographer of Thrive! Entertainment , Toronto's hottest hip-hop company known for their intense classes, awesome choreography and entertaining dance productions
ALLISON WIDDIS
Dance has been a passion of Allison's from a very young age. Throughout her youth Allison competed all throughout Canada and the US bringing home many titles and scholarships along her way. From a young age of 15 Allison began self choreographing and competing solos and being recognized for her innovated and impactful choreography. Allison went on to further her dance education at York University and earned herself a B.F.A honors in Dance degree. It is here she studied for 4 years intensely in the styles and concepts of Ballet, Modern, Jazz, African, Choreography, Improvisation, Pedagogy, and Performance under some of Canada's reputable teachers such as Susan Lee, Helen Jones, Julia Sasso, and Candice Helm. All while continuing her training at York, Allison performed in many showcases throughout Toronto including Toronto Dance Bizaare, Smile for a Cause, and Arts for Healing. After graduating York University, Allison has went on to teach and choreograph at many studios throughout Ontario and British Columbia and continues to be recognized for her unique and powerful choreography. Students of hers have won many shcolarships and workshops and have been invited to prestigious dance education facilities throughout Canada including National Ballet of Canada, Ballet Jorgen, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, National Circus School, and Harbour Dance. Allison is currently residing in Lake Country BC and is the Competitive Director for The Kore Dance Project in Kelowna BC, as well as the Co-Director of Level Up Entertainment in Kelowna BC which offers a pre-professional performance program for aspiring professional performers in the Okanagan. Allison has recently been certified under Progressive Ballet Training levels 1-3 and is a member of Professional Adjudicators Alliance. Allison is incredibly grateful for her experiences in the dance industry and would love to continue to encourage young dancers to follow their goals and dreams.
Wendy Wood
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Mrs. Wood is the owner and dance director of Dance Incorporated located in Barrie, Ontario.Having opened her business fifteen years ago, she hasn’t looked back in her endeavour to share her love of dance with her students and her peers. Wendy received her training in Toronto, attending dance programs through George Brown College, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, and the Randolph School for the Performing Arts. Wendy belongs to several highly reputable dance organizations including the Canadian Dance Teachers Association, Royal Academy of Dance, International Teachers of Dance, Professional Dance Teachers Association and is currently a member of the newly formed Professional Adjudicators Association. Wendy is an accomplished choreographer, trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and musical theatre. Throughout her dance career, Wendy has been involved in sharing her teaching talents through workshops, seminars and choreographing for several musicals including Grease, Leader of the Pack, and The Wizard of Oz, just to name a few. Her highly successful dance studio continues to grow, having given her students opportunities to progress and learn from her highly trained staff. Many of her routines have won top scores and overall titles and awards at dance competitions throughout Ontario and North America.Wendy has had the opportunity to have worked with several great teachers including Gus Giordano, Nadia Potts, Robert McCollum, and Rhee Gold to name just a few.Wendy continually evolves and always pursues a higher education in dance by taking master classes at the National Ballet School, Steps on Broadway, and Broadway Dance Centre, as well as attending workshops and conferences to enhance her students achievements and dance training.A firm believer in good quality training to develop strong technical dancers, Wendy strongly encourages dance examination programs such as C.D.T.A. and A.D.A.P.T. syllabus to promote her high standards in dance education.Wendy continues to be a much sought after instructor. A sensitive and compassionate teacher, Wendy has incredible energy and shares her love of dance with everyone she works with.
SHAYLIN WILLIAMS
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Shaylin has been involved in the dance industry for over 15 years, starting dancing at the young age of three. She specializes in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical and Contemporary dance styles. Shaylin is an incredibly versatile and well-rounded performer who holds five Regional and National Dance Titles as well as numerous Top Soloist awards, scholarships, special awards, and has been recognized as Dancer of the Year on many occasions earned over her 12-year career as a competitive dancer. Shaylin has been privileged to work with top dancers and choreographers such as James Kudelka (Artistic Director National Ballet of Canada 1996-2005, International Choreographer), Kenny Pearl (Artistic Director Toronto Dance Theatre 1983-1987, Dancer: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the Martha Graham Dance Company), John Ottmann (National Ballet of Canada), Tina Pereira (Soloist: National Ballet of Canada), Andrew Oxenham (Soloist: National Ballet of Canada), Lynn Ahmad (RAD Examiner), Wendy Holt (The Royal Ballet School Graduate, RAD Examiner), Tara Jean Popowich (Winner of So You Think You Can Dance 2010) and Breanne Wong (So You Think You Can Dance Top 20 2009).
Shaylin auditioned and was invited to attend summer intensive programs that include the National Ballet School of Canada, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Quinte Ballet School. Shaylin was one of the youngest dancers in the Durham Region to attend the National Ballet School of Canada’s summer program. She also spent the next two consecutive summers at the Quinte Ballet School. Some of her performance credits include: Culture Jam Festival Toronto (2013), David Foster Miracle Gala Flash Mob (2013), James Kudelka’s ‘Kudelka Meets Ryerson’ (2015) and David Earle’s ‘Sacred Garden’ (2015) to name a few.
Currently, Shaylin is going into her fourth year of the Ryerson Theatre Program (Dance) obtaining her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Shaylin continues to perform and choreograph works for Ryerson University’s ‘Choreographic Works’ and ‘EnChoreo.’ She is a certified American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Teacher (Level 1) and is working toward completion of both Level 2 and 3 in the ABT program. Shaylin has extensive training in the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) in which she has obtained Advanced Level 2. She is also extensively trained in the ADAPT (Jazz & Tap) syllabi and the ABT curriculum and is also a proud member of the Professional Adjudicators Alliance. Her choreography has been showcased at the recreational, competitive and professional levels where she has received awards such as ‘Choreography Choice of the Session’ at Shine Dance Competitions (2015). Shaylin has been commissioned as a choreographer around the GTA at places such as Uxbridge Secondary School. As a teacher, many of her students have received special awards, overall awards, costume awards, scholarships and continue to rank at the top tiers of their categories at competitions.
Shaylin loves to constantly learn about her craft as she believes that the best teachers and artists are the ones who are continually learning. She will continue to inspire and share her extensive knowledge of dance with young dancers and artists as she fearlessly follows her dreams.
Jacqui Willis-Morse
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Jacqui is an arts educator and choreographer from the Greater Toronto Area. She is currently a full-time teacher and studio manager at Jacqueline’s School of Dance, in Pickering, Ontario. Jacqui is a certified Acrobatic Arts Instructor (Module 1 & 2), a certified Paula Morgan technique teacher (Levels 1 & 2), is active within the BATD, and is a proud member of PAA (Professional Adjudicator’s Alliance). Jacqui recognizes the importance of maintaining her training and relevance in the industry, and as such regularly attends conventions such as The Dance Teacher Summit, the Toronto Dance Teacher Expo, and master classes.
Jacqui began dancing at the age of 4 and danced competitively for 13 years. She has training in contemporary, lyrical, jazz, ballet, musical theatre, tap, acrobatics, and hip-hop. She is also a graduate of Queen’s University with a degree in Cultural History and Gender Studies, and holds a Bachelor of Education with a focus in Community Arts. After completing her undergraduate degrees, Jacqui pursued a Master’s Degree at York University in Dance Education. Jacqui is well-recognized as an emerging choreographer and arts educator. She is the former artistic director of Exposed Dance Initiative and recently was chosen as one of 20 finalists to showcase their work in New York City at the Capezio ACE Awards for Choreography. Since beginning to teach dance competitively in 2009, Jacqui’s work has won overall choreography awards at over 20 competitions, both regional and national.
Jacqui’s students have achieved great success, studying dance at university, pursuing teaching careers, and performing professionally. Some competitive highlights include: Mini Miss Dancer of the Year, Teen Dancer of the Year, & Senior Dancer of the Year, and several Dance Off winners and runner ups. Jacqui’s students most recently won Highest Mark of the Competition at Nationals in Summer 2015. Currently, her students hold the top 5 marks in the Acrobatic Arts syllabus in the Pre-Professional Exam and are the only students Internationally to have achieved a Superior mark in this exam.
Jason Woolley
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Jason was born in East York, Ontario, Canada part of the greater Toronto area but raised in a small town north east of the city. Growing up in the country on 10 acres and surrounded by farms left little in terms of recreation. There was only school and the occasional outing with the family when schedules allowed for it.
It was in elementary school that Jason began singing and, what would start, a passion and love of the arts, first in the church choir, then a variety of school plays, Christmas concerts, and such. That catapulted him into the world of acting and dancing. He found joy in performing in local community theatres with his first lead role as “Mayor of the Munchkin City” in the “The Wizard of Oz” at the Whitby Courthouse Theatre which was exhilarating for a child working alongside mostly adults. That further garnered his wanting to be a part of the creative process and continued auditioning for anything he could. He joined the local youth theatre group at the Oshawa Little Theatre and performed numerous plays in various roles, “Peter Pan,” “Charlotte’s Web” and “Evita” to name a few. Throughout his high school career Jason also played the Alto Saxophone allowing for another performance outlet. His favourite on that end being part of numerous Jazz Ensembles predominantly playing lead on most pieces.
Wanting ever more to grow and learn, he joined a local dance school to further his craft and it was there that he found his greatest love, DANCE. Jason trained in multiple forms of dance, jazz, ballet, modern, musical theatre, hip hop, tap… The list goes on. As he grew older he was able to further his skills at well known Toronto based schools such as The National Ballet of Canada, Metro Movement, and the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, all the while still attending his local dance school, Theatre Dance Academy.
Jason has since performed in a variety of productions including numerous industrials, back up for various artists both Canadian and American, theme parks, Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies, major sports events, among others. A large part of his career was spent on the high sea performing on some of the largest cruise ships in the world such as Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
During his tenure aboard cruise ships, the performance landscape evolved beyond the review style formats, and so too did Jason’s talents, thanks to partnerships with Broadway and other major theatre companies. He was able to reincorporate more of his acting and singing skills. He was cast in “Vegas! The Show” performing double duty as Dance Captain and as a featured Tapper, (The Nicholas Brothers), helmed by director and choreographer Tiger Martina. He was also cast in Broadway’s “Swing! The Musical” with a featured Pas de Deux role, (I’ll Be Seeing You), under the direction of Lynne Taylor-Corbett.
During his time off stage, Jason is quite happy to teach, educate, and share his wealth of knowledge of dance and the arts garnered over his 20 year career to date. He immerses himself into each new project, approaching each as a unique learning and growing experience, incorporating all to further advance as a seasoned professional performer.
Ashley Voce Gibson
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Ashley, born and raised in Mississauga, ON, has been apart of the dance industry her entire life. At the age of 4 she began dancing at her mother’s dance studio, Mississauga School of Dance. She has trained in various dance forms and competed both regionally and nationally until the age of 18. Ashley then went onto to obtain her B.A. in Sociology and Political Science from McMaster University, while continuing to teach and expand her dance knowledge. Ashley has found her true passion through teaching over the past seven years, and prides herself on seeing the growth of her students. She has helped many of her students achieve overall awards and scholarships. She is currently very involved in the training and choreography for all levels of the competitive team at the Mississauga School of Dance. Ashley has obtained her certification with Acrobatic Arts and continues to attend training courses both in Canada and the US, learning from highly acclaimed professionals in the industry. Ashley is extremely passionate about sharing her love of dance and continuing to grow as an artist and professional. Her goal is to continue to positively impact the lives of others within the dance community and spread her love and knowledge of dance with others.
Jacquelyn Valiquette
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Jac began dancing at the age of 2 at her family's dance studio in Guelph, ON, where she has since trained in styles such as tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary and hip hop (w/ Gadfly). At the age of 13 she began training and taking classes in Toronto in addition to training at her studio. In 2010 she began dancing with the O.I.P Dance Company under the direction of Danny Davalos, where she trained for four years and was given the opportunity to meet and train with many of Toronto's best choreographers.
In 2013, she joined BOSS Dance Company under the direction of Leah Totten which provided her with many opportunities as a dancer. Jac has since performed in shows such as We Day with Kiesza, Toronto's Choreographers Ball, The Industry TO as a two time elite dancer, the mainstage for Toronto Pride, The Juno's red carpet performance with Shawn Desman, Choreographers Cup in LA and many other live dance shows as well as concept/music videos. In addition to training in Toronto and Guelph, Jac has travelled to many cities such as L.A. and New York to train with top industry choreographers and become more versatile. She has also attended many Monsters of Hip Hop Conventions where she has received scholarships and been given the opportunity to train with many of the Industry's best.
Jac is currently a faculty member at The Underground Dance Centre, DancelifeX, Rhythm2Dance, Kindred Culture, and AnnaMarie Oliver School of Dance. She teaches a wide range of ages from 5 to professional in a variety of styles and has a true passion for teaching. She recently was part of the faculty for the Rhythm2Dance winter camp alongside Bam Martin, Josh Williams, and Jerome Esplana and the Summer camp with Luther Brown, Tony Tzar, and Tucker Barkley. She has presented work at showcases such as Fever After Dark, Toronto's Original Choreographers Ball, The Bazaar Dance Showcase, The Industry Night, and Boss Dance Company Productions to name a few.
Lisa Ward
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Co-Owner/Founder & Artistic Director: Beyond Dance Academy
Professional Adjudicators Alliance (PAA)
National Dance Education Organization (NDEO)
Healthy Dancers Canada
Acrobatique: Acro Training
Lisa has dedicated her life and education to the performing arts and dance industry, and her extensive and elite training as a dancer, instructor, choreographer and industry performer has led her to great success. Lisa is an accomplished dancer, teacher, choreographer and studio owner who strives to motivate, inspire and nurture her dancers by cultivating artistry, athletiscm and refined knowledge of technique. Lisa grew up training extensively in all styles of dance, and competed throughout Ontario and the United States.
Lisa has been teaching dancers across Ontario for the past 9 years in all styles of dance. Lisa pursued her passion for dance, teaching and business by opening Beyond Dance Academy in 2017. Lisa has received numerous choreography awards from competitions across Ontario, many of which included top choreography of the entire competition and is well known for her unique routines. She takes great pride in her dancers who rank top marks at competitions, as well as earn scholarships, judge’s choice awards and overall marks. Lisa’s soloists have earned highest mark of the entire year (Kick It Up 2018), Top Studio 2018 (Kick It Up), Overall Junior Small Group Cup Winners (Rhythm 2019, Dance Canada 2019). Lisa’s students are known to further their dance education by working professionally in the industry starting at young ages. Lisa continues to guest teach at studio intensives and workshops across Ontario, as well as visit summer camps, high schools and pre-schools to introduce children to the art of dance. Alongside Lisa’s teaching background, she has successfully completed her PAEC jazz and tap exam training and Chechetti ballet exam training. Lisa furthered her education through Acrobatique, NDEO, Personal Fitness and Healthy Dancers Canada.
Lisa has had the opportunity to work as a backup dancer and choreographer to Portuguese pop singer ‘Nancy Love,’ where she appeared in multiple shows, music videos and radio/magazine interviews. She has choreographed for various up and coming singers and artists in the GTA to help prepare them for their professional careers. Lisa has performed in many shows including Portugal Fest, PinkTober Breast Cancer Foundation, Toronto’s Annual Art Expo, Dance to Heal and more. Lisa continues to make appearances in various shows throughout Toronto.
Lisa continually takes part in conventions, workshops and classes throughout the GTA to ensure her knowledge continues to grow and to stay current with dance trends, techniques and conditioning styles. She loves to teach, but will always continue to learn along the way.
Lucy Wintermans
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Lucy spent her young life as a competitive dancer and transitioned into teaching and choreography at age 18. After 3 years of teaching at a studio she opened her school Lucy Wintermans School of Dance. For 19 years Lucy has taught full time and produced award winning choreography for students age 3-adult, novice – advanced, in ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, musical theatre, and acrobatics. She holds her ballet membership and acrobatics association with C.D.T.A. (Canadian Dance Teachers Association) and has been developing the technique of her students through ballet examinations for 16 years. Lucy has also served as a dance educator in the school system, workshop presenter, and competitive judge. She has performed in and choreographed theatre productions and musicals, and was the choreographer of a dance team for a professional basketball team for three years (CB Highlanders – National Basketball league of Canada.) She is also a mother of twin daughters who are both competitive dancers.
Lucy has a passion for continuing to grow as a teacher and choreographer and has attended high level conventions and training seminars at Broadway Dance Center, The Pulse, The National Ballet of Canada, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, and Toronto Dance Theatre. She believes that competition is a foundational part of developing dancers and loves being part of that by offering positive and constructive critiques to help them grow through the experience on stage.
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Anastasia Vasilevski
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Anastasia Vasilevski grew up in Toronto, Ontario where she trained in competitive dance with the Denise Lester Dance Academy. She decided to further her dance career by continuing to perform and teach for over 10 years in styles such as Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Musical
Theatre, Acro, Tap and Hip Hop. She has her associate degree from the BATD in both Ballet and Modern. She is a proud member of the Professional Adjudicators Alliance. Anastasia has taught in studios across the Greater Toronto Area, as well as both curriculum and guest classes
in the Toronto District School Board. She traveled to Los Angeles to receive training in the Millennium Dance Complex Los Angeles Certificate Program in both Hip Hop, and Heels.
Anastasia has performed in various local dance showcases, music videos for Toronto artists, as well as at the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend. She has choreographed for the University of Toronto Pom Team, the Harlem Globetrotters halftime performances, as well as the Scarborough Music Theatre. Anastasia still continues to receive training as both a dancer and a
choreographer, as she believes there is always more to learn.
Brooke Van Dyk
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Brooke is a Toronto based teacher, choreographer and dancer who has trained in dance since the age of two. She danced competitively growing up, completed her Jazz, Tap & Ballet exams. For Jazz and Tap Brooke completed it to intermediate level according to ADAPT syllabus to and Ballet exams to Advanced level in Cechetti syllabus. Brooke is also certified in Acrobatic Arts and is a member of Professional Adjudicators Alliance.
Brooke has trained in Dance, singing, acting and is a certified Yoga
Instructor. She graduated with honors from the Dance Performance
Program at Centennial College. She has trained with Mitchell Jackson &
Derek Piquette at Intrepid Dance Company. Additionally, spent a Summer
at Canada’s National Ballet learning from their faculty.
She has professionally danced all over the GTA, New York, L.A, and
Vancouver where she was hired as a dancer to perform in live stage
performances. Some of the performances include; La Carnival- annual
show in LA, H’Arts for The Homeless-Charity show in Vancouver, all while
getting to work with some extraordinary choreographers. Brooke has had
the pleasure of working with Linda Garneau, Kate Kernaghan, Mihran
Kirakosian, Patricia Ferlisi, Alisha Lucchese, Shavaar Blackwood, Derick
Robinson, Rick Tji and more.
Brooke is always learning and growing her skill set and staying up to date
and current in the dance industry. She is known for being precise and
clean, she is overall highly knowledgable in all dance categories when
teaching and judging routines.