Teaching Faculty

The Dance Arts “Collective”

Our faculty operates as a collaborative team of passionate educators dedicated to developing each dancer to their fullest potential. Through mentorship between senior and emerging teachers, shared class instruction, and collective choreography support, our team works cohesively to ensure consistency, growth, and excellence. Together, we build and uphold the artistic vision of our studio while fostering a supportive and inspiring environment for every dancer.

In mid-August, you will receive an email introducing your teacher(s) for the upcoming season. Some of the faculty members listed below teach at the studio on a regular basis, while others join us as guest instructors throughout the year. Please note that some classes may be taught by multiple teachers, or have instructors who alternate teaching weeks to provide dancers with a variety of training experiences and perspectives.

Miss Alia (She/Her)

  • MSc Dance Sci & Research (Dist)- Laban, London UK

  • BA Dance (Dist) & BKin General Kinesiology - Calgary, AB

  • International Dance Teaching Standards

  • Certified Leader in Dance with The Dance Leadership Institute

  • Certified Level 2 Adjudicator with the Dance Leadership Institute

  • ADAPT Jazz & Tap Certified & 20 years of guiding dancers through exams Pre Jr to Advanced

  • Acrobatic Arts M1 & M2 Certified

  • Progressing Ballet Technique Certified

  • Lisa Howell Ballet Blog Teachers Courses Level 1 & Level 2

  • Canadian Dance Teachers Association Gold Medal Jazz & Tap Examinations

  • Soon to be certified Ready, Set, Dance Teacher

  • Published: Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, Volume 16, Number 4, December 2012, pp. 161-166: Correlations Between General Joint Hypermobility and Joint Hypermobility Syndrome and Injury in Contemporary Dance Students

Miss Annika(She/Her)

  • 14 Years of intensive training as a competitive dancer

  • Member of Calgary’s Bare Dance Company

  • Recently competed at True West adult dance competition

  • Performed on dance trips to California and Mexico

  • Currently completing- International Dance Teaching Standards course

  • Soon to be certified Ready, Set Dance Teacher

  • Dance has been a large part of Annika’s life and she is excited to share her passion and joy of dance.

Miss Bri (She/Her)

  • Acrobatic Arts M1 & M2 & Alixa Flexability M1

  • ADAPT Jazz & Tap Certified and recipient of the highest teaching grade in her graduating class

  • Professional Training Program with The Verdon Fosse Legacy- New York City

  • House of Jazz Training Program- London, UK

  • Decidedly Jazz Danceworks Professional Training Program- Calgary, Alberta

  • IDA Hollywood Certificate of Dance

  • Founder of The SHiFT, a performance-based company in Calgary

  • Certified Leader in Dance with The Dance Leadership Institute

  • Certified Level 2 Adjudicator with the Dance Leadership Institute and National Competition Adjudicator

  • Professional Adjudicators Alliance Certified

Miss Brett (She/Her)

  • BA Dance- Calgary, AB

  • Certified and Registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD)

  • Certified in RAD Discovering Repetoire, and completed her Level 3 Repetoire exam with High Distinction

  • As a senior level teacher Miss Brett has entered hundred of students into RAD examinations from Primary-Advance 2

  • Constantly completing continuing education including programs with Lisa Howell and The Ballet Blog

  • Currently training with Juon Pointe Method to become a master pointe shoe fitter

  • Certified Fitness Instructor in Barre, Spin, Yoga

Miss Cat (She/Her)

  • Completed Royal Academy of Dance Certification in Dance Teaching

  • Registered teachers status with the Royal Academy of Dance

  • Successfully completed RAD ballet examinations up to the Intermediate level

  • Successfully completed multiple ADAPT Jazz examinations

  • Alum of Central Memorial high schools Performing and Visual Arts Dance program

  • Graduated High School with PD in the Arts Certification - Studied many different styles outside of ballet, as well as the history and theory behind them. Including West African, Latin, Fosse, Martha Graham technique, Vouge and more.

  • Learned from many different choreographers/teachers from DJD, illFX, as well as, Kate Hanson, Christie Preston, Catherine Hayward, and Billy Mustapha.

Miss Deanna (She/Her)

  • BA in Dance - Calgary, AB

  • Deanna is a choreographer, director, educator, performer and arts administrator

  • Sessional instructor in the division of dance at the University of Calgary

  • Artistic Director of Corps Bara Dance Theatre for 9 years

  • Two years training in Brussels, Belgium, where she studied extensively under David Zambrano, as well as Peter Jasko, Sun Xiao Jun and Dominique Duszynski and attending ImPulsTanz International Dance Festival (2011) in Vienna

  • Draws heavily on David Zambrano's Flying Low technique and Davida Monk’s principles of release and functional technique

  • She focuses on developing a functional relationship with the floor, harnessing power by releasing the joints to channel force through the body in efficient and dynamic ways. In her classes she prioritizes functionality over form, risk over perfectionism and “failure” is championed as a vehicle for learning.

Miss Emma (She/Her)

  • Graduate of the Professional Training Program for Tap Dancers through the Luthier School of Music and Dance- Barcelona, Spain

  • International workshops and guest work in Bern, Switzerland

  • Collaborated and performed with Canadian Beatbox Champion Peter Pot in the Calgary Public Library Foundation's signature event - the LIT Gala.

  • Ensemble Dancer in TapPhonics for the show Phonetically Speaking, performing alongside Lisa LaTouche and Leo Manzari.

  • Principal Dancer in Lawson Percussive Dance Arts, performing Play It Forward at the National Music Centre.

  • Principal Dancer in 89 Hours Tap Project, performing full-length productions of Paying The Dues in Calgary and Vancouver.

  • Guest Instructor at studios across the province of Alberta

  • Educational Assistant with the Calgary Board of Education

Miss Jill (She/Her)

  • BA Dance (Dist) & BEd - Calgary, AB

  • School of Creative and Performing Arts’ Silver Medallion Winner (faculty’s top graduating student, June 2025)

  • Presented literature review titled “Street Dance Intervention Programs in the Lives of Underprivileged Youth” at the 2023 UCalgary Movement Research Conference

  • Credited as a student researcher in PhD candidate Andrea Downie’s paper “Expanding: An Action Research Study on Science, Somatics and Embodied Flourishing in an Undergraduate Contemporary Dance Techniques Course”

  • Full time dance educator with the Calgary Board of Education

  • International Dance Teaching Standards Module One Certified

  • Member of En Corps Dance Collective

  • Has performed in works by Lisa Latouche and Marie France Forcier, and trained with artists such as Christianne Ullmark, Michele Moss, Heather Ware, and more

  • Trained intensively as a Cochrane dancer, won numerous scholarships and awards including a Harbour Dance Scholarship

Miss Lyall(She/Her)

  • ADAPT Certified Teacher

  • Completed Miss Alia’s Emerging Teacher Workshop

  • Studied & shadowed teaching methods at Crossings Dance

  • Trained intensively in Ontario (since the age of 2) in all genres and specialized in Jazz and Musical Theatre

  • Notable performance experiences include:

    - Cameo in Ballet Jorgen Canada national production.

    - Performing at the Pan Am Games Opening Ceremonies in Toronto.

    - Singing "O Canada" at the Pan Am Games Torch Ceremony in Huntsville Ontario.

Miss Sarah(She/Her)

  • Competed at LA World of Dance 2025

  • Trained Intensively in Hip Hop and Contemporary in Vancouver for the last few years taking drop-ins, programs, progressives, and was a part of Supreme Ryderz and A3 company

  • Training included programs with Rachel Poirier, Roberta Bierman and Carlo Atienza from Vancouver

  • Has trained in multiple genres of dances which included some classes at Alberta Ballet when she was younger

  • Certified Personal Trainer -Diploma in Sports Science

  • Rumble Boxing Motivator

Miss Taneil(She/They)

  • ADAPT Certified Teacher and completed many ADAPT Jazz and Tap exams herself while training

  • Soon to be certified Ready, Set Dance Teacher

  • Trained as an Intensive dancer in all genres with a special interest in hip hop and commercial styles (was one of Miss Alia’s students for many years)

  • Pre-Professional Training Program Alumni of Motives Dance & Fitness in Edmonton

  • Mentee, The Business of Dance under Menina Fortunato

  • Currently training and taking classes across North America

  • Has worked behind the scenes of a dance competition for the past few years

  • Excited to share her love of dance with the dancers of DAC

Stay tuned as more Dance Arts Collective faculty are announced over the summer!