Our Teachers
Ms. Sandie
Sandie brings to Beaumont over 40 years of dance training at prestigious schools such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada. She performed with many junior companies and professionally with Ontario Ballet Theatre. Her performance credits include: music videos, commercials, TV & film, and choreographer. Sandie has 27 years teaching experience at studios in and around Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, and Oregon. She attended Grant MacEwan College for Dance Teacher Training and holds a degree in Professional Dance with Honours from George Brown College in Toronto. She is a registered teacher in the RAD method and was awarded "Distinction" for her teaching certificate and has recently been certified in Acrobatic Arts up to level 10. She is very proud of her students
that have moved on to other schools such as the National Ballet School,
Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Vimy Ridge Academy, Joffrey Ballet, and Alvin Ailey … as well as those who’ve gone to work professionally teaching at BSSD, dancing for Citie Ballet and performing for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. One of Sandie's greatest joys in her career was having Miss Abbey qualify and compete in The International Genee Awards. Traveling to London with Abbey and Julia to watch and be a part of the Genee live was a dream fulfilled.
Ms. Taylor
Taylor Lamarche comes to BSSD with over 16 years of dance training, in various styles including tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop and Rhythm Kids. She has been teaching for over 5 years, teaching children from 3 years old, up to and including adult tap. Taylor has taken several master classes, including a summer intensive with the legendary Heather Cornell, co-founder of Manhattan Tap. She was part of the pre-professional Rhythm Motives tap program and is now a member of the professional Rhythm Motives company, a local tap ensemble lead by Paige Tirs. Recently, Taylor also won several choreography and overall awards with her competitive groups, duos and solos. Taylor has taught the art of dance to children on the spectrum and with hearing disabilities. She has worked extensively with Edmonton's Autism Society teaching at summer camps and providing respite care. Taylor continues to work with the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Saskatchewan, running day camps providing first aid and assisting kids on the spectrum. She also has experience teaching dance and movement in various local schools. Taylor is entering her third year of Education at the U of A and has taken several university classes with a focus towards dance, healthy movement and rhythm, including Dance 431 and Kinesiology. Taylor loves to encourage kids to excel in what they love and help kids reach their full potential. She believes everyone has rhythm and soul in them and it's just a matter of letting it out!
Mr. Richard
Richard Andries has become one of the key driving forces within the Hip Hop dance scene in Edmonton and across Alberta. With his high energy classes and his passion for the art, he continues to share his vision of the positivity of hip hop culture in everyday life. His personal style is heavily influenced by the foundation of hip hop dancing; popping, locking, breaking, house, etc, and newer forms such as Krump, and Street. Richard and his company, “Rhythmic Flow Productions” (alongside Urban Metropolis) have produced shows with
the Jabbawockeez, Super Cr3w, Fanny Pak, and Supreme Soul, from America’s Best Dance Crew. Richard acts as Senior Manager of 3rd Street Beat; Edmonton’s only hip hop studio. He continues to sharpen his skills training with North America’s finest and lives with the motto that you are always a student of the dance.
Ms. Carmelle
Carmelle grew up in Fort Saskatchewan and was fortunate to be raised in a large family that was passionate about the arts. She has had extensive training in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Voice and Musical Theatre under some of the most prestigious instructors and institutions across Canada and the United States. She is a certified instructor and mentor with Associate status (ARAD) with The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and has prepared 100’s of students successfully for ballet exams. Carmelle has had the great honor to train, mentor and inspire these students, many of whom are now teachers, choreographers and professional dancers around the world. She prides herself in allowing each dancer a voice in the choreographic process to encourage creativity and ownership. Always dedicated to expanding her knowledge, she has attended training workshops in St. Petersburg, Russia in the Vaganova method with the Mikhailovsky Ballet, New York City at the American Ballet Theatre where she was successfully certified in the ABT National Training Curriculum and also had the opportunity to attend the NY Dance Teachers Summit. She has been certified in The Progressing Ballet Technique curriculum and more recently in Lisa Howell's Level 1 Dance Teacher & Practitioner Training with Perfect Form Physiotherapy.
In addition to teaching, Carmelle has choreographed and co-produced Bridal Fantasy, the largest bridal convention in western Canada for over a decade, as well as being an artistic consultant and choreographer for various events and fashion shows at West Edmonton Mall. She continues to appear throughout western Canada as a guest examiner, choreographer, and teacher.
Miss Sarah
Sarah Ranger brings us over 25 years of dance knowledge and education. In addition to the 12 years of RAD ballet & Al Gilbert Tap examinations, she also studied Classical Voice, Piano, Acting and Rhythmic Gymnastics. Having completed her Teacher Certification in Acrobatic Arts & Alixa Flexibility, she decided to further her studies and became a Level 1 CNADE Certified Teacher and has recently become a Founding Member of the ADTA : Acro Dance Adjudicators. Performing has taken her across many cities in Canada, the United States & China and she is thrilled to bring her knowledge & experience home to her dancers.
Miss Abbey
From a young age Abbey began her training in ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and tap with BSSD. Additionally, she trained with Citie Ballet, Edmonton Dance Centre and spent two summers at the National School of Ballet in Toronto. Abbey completed her Advanced 2 RAD ballet examination with Distinction and was a semi-finalist at the 2015 Genee International Ballet Competition in London, England. She was a member and Vice President for "MOD Contemporary Dance Movement" at the University of Alberta. Abbey was able to travel the world dancing professionally with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Since returning to Alberta, Abbey has received certification through Alixia Flexibility, performed with Viva Dance Company at the Edmonton Fringe Festival and obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education. Abbey is a passionate, experienced teacher who loves sharing her knowledge and love of dance with students of all ages!
Ms. Silvya
Silvya has enjoyed teaching dance for over 20 Years. Silvya began her ballet training at the age of 7 at the Edmonton School of Ballet and her flamenco training at the age of 4 with Conchita de Pectel. Silvya completed her advanced Flamenco training in Spain with Berta Valencia and she completed the ESB teacher training program with Distinction in RADRTS and AISTD (National Branch). Silvya has also enjoyed adjudicating ballet in various competitions and examining the Classical Ballet Progressions of Canada. Silvya’s Flamenco students danced in the opening ceremonies of the IAAF World Track and Field opening games.
Miss Sabrina
Sabrina Eng comes to us with over 15 years of dance experience. She has
trained in Ballet/Pointe (RAD and Vagonova), completed Advanced 1 RAD
examination, Jazz, Tap (Al Gilbert), Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, and Urkrainian. She has furthered her training by travelling across North America attending various conventions and workshops both as a dancer and a teacher. She has performed at numerous competitions and received awards, performed at shows and galas. For the past 10 year, she has worked at other well known dance studios in Edmonton such as Edmonton Dance Factory teaching Jazz, Hip hop and other disciplines as well.
Miss Megan
Megan brings over 10 years of dance teaching experience to BSSD. She has trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, tap, and novelty. Megan has won numerous choreography and high score awards for her contemporary, jazz, and novelty choreography at competitions across western Canada. Megan’s performance credits include; AB Winter Games Opening Ceremonies, Grey Cup HalfTime Show, Spooktacular, MOD Contemporary Shows, AB Ballet Nutcracker, etc. She is a certified dance teacher and has completed her IDTS training as well as her BEd. at the University of Alberta. Megan is passionate about Broadway musicals and shares her love for song and dance through the competitive novelty routines she creates. In addition to teaching at BSSD, Megan is a full time kindergarten teacher with Black Gold School Division. Megan absolutely loves teaching and sharing her passion for dance with her students at BSSD.
Ms Katie
Katie is a passionate educator with a diverse dance background, excelling in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, and musical theatre. Holding Advanced II I.S.T.D ballet and Advanced ADAPT jazz and tap certificates, she furthered her education with a BFA (honours) in Performance Dance from Toronto Metropolitan University (formally Ryerson University), in Toronto.
Katie's career spans from principal dancer at Cadence Contemporary Dance Company to performing in notable musicals like A Chorus Line, Footloose and Guys and Dolls. Under the mentorship of industry visionaries such as Nadia Potts, Darryl Tracey, Robert Glumbeck and Allen Kaeja, she transitioned into teaching, choreographing, and later directing. Since moving back to Alberta in 2022, Katie serves as the co-artistic director of Edmonton Contemporary Dancers and enjoys teaching and choreographing at various studios in the Edmonton area.
Awards and recognition adorn Katie's career, showcasing her exceptional choreography and storytelling. With a commitment to growth, she actively engages in workshops with industry leaders. Renowned for her compassionate and inspirational teaching style, Katie creates a positive environment for students to take both physical and emotional risks in their artistic pursuits.
Miss Megan
Megan’s love for dance started at the age of seven. She started her dance journey with BSSD and trained in various styles including Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, Novelty and Hip hop. She competed on their competitive team through till the end of high school where she won several awards and scholarships each season individually and with her team. After graduation, Megan continued assisting classes at BSSD while getting certified through International Dance Teaching Standards (IDTS) and in 2020, joined the Motives Dance Company 5, a pre-professional intensive training program. In 2021, she performed in, "Minutes, Hours, Days, Years," in Edmonton theatres and Grande Prairie’s, Live Theatre. Later that year her company performed in Edmonton’s NextFest at the Roxy Theatre. In 2022, she joined their Professional company, where they performed their contemporary show, "Perception and Reality". During her season, she also taught weekly drop-in classes. She’s also had experience in creating and being featured in concept videos, and having the opportunity to teaching workshops to Edmonton's “Symphony for Kids” summer program. She’s currently working towards becoming certified through Alixa Flexibility. Megan also teaches for DancED Movement Project who offers artist-in-residency programs throughout each school year and summer camps to kids throughout Alberta and Ontario. Megan has found a passion in teaching all levels of learners, whether it’s their first time trying dance, or have been doing it for years. She’s excited to continue growing in her teaching career, and share her love of dance with all her students!
Miss Olivia
Olivia has been dancing with BSSD for over 15 years. She has both trained and competed in ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, novelty, tap and hip hop. Olivia has assisted several dance classes and teaches dance classes offered by BSSD through the City of Beaumont that introduces students ages 3-9 to the foundations of dance. She also has continued her dance career by taking an adult contemporary class with other BSSD teachers and alumni. She is currently completing a bachelor of Education degree at the University of Alberta. Olivia is very excited to share her love of dance with everyone!
Miss Trisha
Trisha has been dancing with BSSD since the age of four and has trained and competed in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, and Contemporary styles. She has completed her RAD Ballet training in both the Graded and Vocational levels (up to Advanced 2) with Distinction. Trisha has been teaching with BSSD since 2017 and has been certified through the International Dance Teaching Standards (IDTS) as well as through the Classical Ballet Progressions of Canada Junior Teacher’s Course. Over the years, Trisha has attended various master classes and has performed with Alberta Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker". She was also company member and executive for MOD Contemporary Dance Movement (2017-2021) a student-directed and choreographed, advanced dance company through the University of Alberta. Through MOD, she has had the ability to choreograph and direct multiple video projects, direct the 2018-2019 year-end showcase "Desiderium", and various other small and large group dances. Trisha has also collaborated with Ms.Abbey, Ms. Megan K and the City of Beaumont to choreograph flash mobs for Beaumont's Town and Country Daze. Trisha is currently completing a Bachelor of Secondary Education After Degree at the University of Alberta. She looks forward to seeing everyone back in the studio for a new season!
Miss Brenna
Brenna Grewal started dancing at the age of three at Riverbend Dance Academy, and started her training at Edmonton Dance Factory when she was seven. She has trained in Jazz, RAD and Vaganova Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Acro. While student teaching and assisting in her senior years of dancing at the studio, Brenna discovered her love of teaching. She has had the opportunity to travel to Vancouver, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles to participate in various competitions and workshops, as well as work with competitive figure skaters from the Royal Glenora and the Derrick club. In her senior years, Brenna began her acro training with Jill Ford and realized her love of the discipline. In 2015, Brenna completed her first Acrobatic Arts certification and is looking forward to continuing to further her learning. In June of 2018, she graduated from the University of Alberta Faculty of Science, majoring in biology and psychology. In the summer of 2020, Brenna graduated from the Faculty of Nursing and hopes to work as a Registered Nurse in paediatrics. Brenna primarily teaches jazz and acro and has taught at various studios in the Edmonton area over the past 6 years including Edmonton Dance Factory, Dance Unlimited, and Supernova Baton and Acro.
Miss Jemma
Jemma has been dancing with BSSD since the age of four. She has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, and novelty. Jemma was an assistant teacher with BSSD for many years and is certified through International Dance Teaching Standards (IDTS). In 2019, Jemma was selected as a member of Team Canada Tap West and travelled to Germany to represent Canada in the IDO World Tap Dance Championships. In 2022, Jemma travelled to Mexico for a performance opportunity as part of Five Star Dance Company. Jemma is completing a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree at the University of Alberta with the goal of becoming a physiotherapist with a focus in scoliosis treatment. Jemma is a member of MOD Contemporary Dance Movement, a student-directed dance company at the University of Alberta. Jemma is also a member of RA Stylez, a street dance company directed by Richard Andries and Josh Capulong. Dance is a significant part of Jemma’s life and she is excited to share her love of dance.
