STAFF
Kerry has been dancing since the age of 3 and has loved it since. She grew up taking classes in baton, tap, jazz, ballet & highland. At the age of 15 she auditioned to go on tour with the well respected Hoctor's Dance Caravan in the Caravan Kid program where she worked & trained with many top choreographers in the USA . When she was 16 she auditioned for Opryland USA and was offered a contract . She has had many students who have gone to Reisa Germany, for the National Tap Championships and have brought home World Champion Titles for their solos she choreographed. She also had students on the National Tap Team representing Canada . She has been recognized with winning many Choreography and Entertaining awards both in the USA and Canada. Many of her students have won scholarships to Broadway Dance Centre in New York City & Many of her students have gone on to work with many top choreographers, Raptors Dance team, Ti- Cat Cheerleaders and on stage & television.Kerry continues her dance education by going to workshops and classes in the USA with top choreographers. Kerry loves to see her students grow in both their dance ability and in life. It's amazing to see a child go from the shy little student at age 3 into performing onstage by themselves and shining onstage later on in the years and want to become teachers here because they have enjoyed their experience and have the love for dance and children. Kerry wishes all her students to have an enjoyable year here at Star-lite!!
Kayleigh Dancing since the age of three, Kayleigh found her passion for
dance with the help of the staff at Dancemakerz in Waterdown, Ontario. Training
in disciplines of ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, tap and contemporary
dance; she competed for 14 years under the direction of Christie Mckay and
Irina Egorova. Kayleigh attended the intensive training for four weeks with The
Quinte Ballet School of Canada and was accepted into their professional
full-time program. She has successfully completed ballet exams through the
Society of Russian Ballet (Vaganova). Over the years she has received numerous special awards and
scholarships including Paris Summer Dance Tour, Pacific Coast Dance Fest held
in CA and Break The Floor Productions. Kayleigh was also awarded position of
iDance Convention 2009 Protégé and senior Hall Of Fame Inductee for her solo
which appears on the Hall Of Fame Dance Challenge website for 2007/2008. This
tile acquired the opportunity to work with Sonya Tayeh from So You Think You
Can Dance. Kayleigh has traveled to represent Canada on the World Canadian
Showedance Team in Germany as well as the International Dance Organization's
World Championships for jazz and ballet. She participated in Point Park
International Summer Intensive six-week program taught by internationally
recognized teaching artists.
Kayleigh has been teaching since the age of 16, sharing her
knowledge and creative spark with all students. Her students and choreography
have competed and won a number of special awards and overall tiles at many
competitions. She is currently teaching and choreographing for many studios. Kayleigh has completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in the dance
division at Point Park University, Conservatory of the Arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
with scholarship training intensively through all forms of dance. The
prestigious Point Park Conservatory has opened many opportunities working with
choreographers such Sidra Bell, Kiesha Lalama-White, Douglas Bentz, Garfield
Lemonius, Ronald Tassone, and many more. Kayleigh is now studying
a Master’s degree in Movement and Expressive Therapy: Specialization in Mental
Health Counseling at Lesley University. She hopes to bring the knowledge and experiences from both
degrees to help benefit her teaching and students. Kayleigh’s journey through movement,
performance and choreography is just beginning and she is excited to share this
with the students at Star-Lite.
Dani was born and raised in
Hamilton, Ontario. She started gymnastics at the young age of four training at
the Hamilton Wentworth Regionettes Gymnastics Club. By the time she was six
years old, she was on the pre competitive team putting in nine hours a week at
the gym. Just two years later those nine
hours turned into training fifteen hours a week. Dani competed both at the
Provincial and National level and won second in Ontario at the age of twelve.
She also had the opportunity to train in Liverpool, England. While doing
competitive gymnastics, Dani also found the time to start dancing at the age of
seven. Following a severe ankle injury at the gym she had to make a choice,
dance or gymnastics, Dani decided to focus on dancing. Dani
trained at Rhythm Plus Dance Studio in Stoney Creek competing in all forms of
dance. While dancing at Rhythm Plus, she attended Canada's
National Ballet School for a summer. Although she enjoyed her experience at
the NBS, she wanted to pursue all forms of dance, not just ballet. Dani also
trained at Joanne Chapman’s and the Canadian Dance Company.She has
had the opportunity to teach all ages ranging from two to fifty+ both on a
recreational and competitive level. She has taught at many dance studios such as
Ensemble Dance Studio, the Canadian Dance Company, Starlite, Dynamic Dancers
and is currently teaching at Core Dance Project.Dani continued teaching dance
while completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Once hired as a full time Registered
Nurse at the Hamilton General Hospital, she took a hiatus from the dance world.
She has been employed as an RN for the last twelve years working in many
different areas; Orthopedics, Neuro/Trauma Intensive Care, Spinal Cord Unit and
General Surgery. In addition, before going off on maternity leave to have her
beautiful daughter Reese, who is the love of her life, she spent a year working
as the Nurse Educator for the Spinal Cord Unit.
A few years ago, Dani got back
into teaching dance and is so glad she did. She loves how the kids can turn the
worst day at the hospital into an awesome day at the dance studio. Nothing
beats watching kids have fun and grow as individuals while doing something they
love.
“Dance is the hidden language of
the soul” ~Martha Graham
MIGUEL Found his passion for dance at a young age and has been able to teach and inspire young dancers today. He is a choreographer and drummer who has free styling abilities that have been perfected throughout his career. Miguel is trained in hip hop, jazz, ballet and contemporary and has successfully run his own workshops accompanied by other well known choreographers from So You Think You Can Dance. Miguel continues to develop his technique and refining his talents by taking classes when he has the opportunity.Miguel has won many teaching awards including; top choreographer, highest scoring groups, top scoring hip hop routine and genius concepts. Miguel is the choreographer of High Diamonds music video “dance it away”, fitness routines for UFE competitors, choreographer’s assistant for the 2011 Canadian national hip hop team and also a performer with Airtight Entertainment. He teaches at numerous studios and is well known for his extremely clean routines because of the time and effort he puts into his work and students. As a teacher, he mentors students with a fundamental message: with hard work and dedication, anyone can achieve greatness.Miguel is also known for sharing his talents with his community through volunteering. He has had the opportunity to teach dance as well as Caribbean drumming at an orphanage in his home town in Trinidad and Tobago. Miguel has always encouraged his students to be involved in different projects as it builds the love passion they have for dance. Miguel Truly believes that, “Great dancers can also be great people; they don't have to fall into the cliché of being stuck up. The teachers have to be the example".
Melissa Graduated
the National Ballet School's dance program which she attended from 1985-1993. She was
Trained in classical ballet, she continued her love of dance and went to the
University of Western were she took dance classes with the University and began
her love of teaching as well as graduated with an English degree. Melissa
believes in the fundamental principles of technique.
the National Ballet School's dance program which she attended from 1985-1993. She was
Trained in classical ballet, she continued her love of dance and went to the
University of Western were she took dance classes with the University and began
her love of teaching as well as graduated with an English degree. Melissa
believes in the fundamental principles of technique.
SeSerena began dancing at the age of 8 and has been passionate about dance ever since. She is trained in Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Acro and Ballet. Serena has been competing since she was 9 and has won many awards and scholarships. She has received the Be Discovered Scholarship for a Summer in LA Hip Hop Intensive 2016 and took many class at the EDGE Preforming Arts Centre and Millennium Dance Complex. She has also been apart of Five Star Dance Company which is a pre-professional dance company that travels to various tropical resorts and showcases the beauty of dance. Serena is also part of the World Performers Canada Inc. This is a company that is compete and represent Canada at the World Finals Competition - Dance World Cup in Sitges, Spain. She is also apart of a hip hop crew rena began dancing at the age of 8 and has been passionate about dance ever since. She is trained in Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Acro and Ballet. Serena has been competing since she was 9 and has won many awards and scholarships. She has received the Be Discovered Scholarship for a Summer in LA Hip Hop Intensive 2016 and took many class at the EDGE Preforming Arts Centre and Millennium Dance Complex. She has also been apart of Five Star Dance Company which is a pre-professional dance company that travels to various tropical resorts and showcases the beauty of dance. Serena is also part of the World Performers Canada Inc. This is a company that is compete and represent Canada at the World Finals Competition - Dance World Cup in Sitges, Spain. She is also apart of a hip hop crew called the Artillery and travels around Ontario to compete against other crews. Serena is excited for another year at star-lite.SeSerena began dancing at the age of 8 and has been passionate about dance ever since. She is trained in Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Acro and Ballet. Serena has been competing since she was 9 and has won many awards and scholarships. She has received the Be Discovered Scholarship for a Summer in LA Hip Hop Intensive 2016 and took many class at the EDGE Preforming Arts Centre and Millennium Dance Complex. She has also been apart of Five Star Dance Company which is a pre-professional dance company that travels to various tropical resorts and showcases the beauty of dance. Serena is also part of the World Performers Canada Inc. This is a company that is compete and represent Canada at the World Finals Competition - Dance World Cup in Sitges, Spain. She is also apart of a hip hop crew called the Artillery and travels around Ontario to compete against other crews. Serena is excited for arena began dancing at the age of 8 and has been passionate about dance ever since. She is trained in Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Acro and Ballet. Serena has been competing since she was 9 and has won many awards and scholarships. She has received the Be Discovered Scholarship for a Summer in LA Hip Hop Intensive 2016 and took many class at the EDGE Preforming Arts Centre and Millennium Dance Complex. She has also been apart of Five Star Dance Company which is a pre-professional dance company that travels to various tropical resorts and showcases the beauty of dance. Serena is also part of the World Performers Canada Inc. This is a company that will compete and represent Canada at the World Finals Competition - Dance World Cup in Sitges, Spain. She is also apart of a hip hop crew called the Artillery and travels around Ontario to compete against other crews. Serena is excited for another year at Star-lite.
lli began her dance training began at age 2, and at age 6 she became a competitive dancer in all disciplines of dance, including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop and later, pointe. Her first love was ballet and Ili received high commendations for the Russian Society of Ballet exams from primary to elementary levels.
Achievements in dance started at a young age when she danced the role of Clara with the Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble and the Cuban National ballet . She continued her intensive ballet training at Canada’s National Ballet school summer intensive auditions. She furthered her dance studies at the North Carolina Dance Theatre (now Charlotte Ballet) in Charlotte North Carolina.
Her studies and awards include all dance disciplines. Ili received international recognition representing Canada at the International Dance Organization’s Showdance Championships, World Ballet and Jazz Championships and most recently took home a Silver Medal at the World Tap Championships representing Canada’s adult team, was a finalist in the small group and took home fifth place for her duet.
Ili has received teacher training during her cooperative education placement where she worked with the high school dance teacher in carrying out the dance curriculum and choreographed for the dance crew.
She teaches and choreographs, as a special guest and as a member of the staff at dance studios in the Toronto, Halton, Kitchener and Guelph areas and has won many awards and overalls at competitions for her choreography.
Ili is an Honours English student at the University of Guelph and is a member of the University of Guelph Dance Pak where she trains, competes and performs in contemporary, jazz, hip hop and is one of the choreographers for the team.
Ili cares deeply for technique and performance quality, but most importantly strives to inspire and encourage all dancers to develop their ability to communicate with the world in a way that nobody else can. Ili is excited to join the staff at Starlite and looks forward to a great season.
Achievements in dance started at a young age when she danced the role of Clara with the Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble and the Cuban National ballet . She continued her intensive ballet training at Canada’s National Ballet school summer intensive auditions. She furthered her dance studies at the North Carolina Dance Theatre (now Charlotte Ballet) in Charlotte North Carolina.
Her studies and awards include all dance disciplines. Ili received international recognition representing Canada at the International Dance Organization’s Showdance Championships, World Ballet and Jazz Championships and most recently took home a Silver Medal at the World Tap Championships representing Canada’s adult team, was a finalist in the small group and took home fifth place for her duet.
Ili has received teacher training during her cooperative education placement where she worked with the high school dance teacher in carrying out the dance curriculum and choreographed for the dance crew.
She teaches and choreographs, as a special guest and as a member of the staff at dance studios in the Toronto, Halton, Kitchener and Guelph areas and has won many awards and overalls at competitions for her choreography.
Ili is an Honours English student at the University of Guelph and is a member of the University of Guelph Dance Pak where she trains, competes and performs in contemporary, jazz, hip hop and is one of the choreographers for the team.
Ili cares deeply for technique and performance quality, but most importantly strives to inspire and encourage all dancers to develop their ability to communicate with the world in a way that nobody else can. Ili is excited to join the staff at Starlite and looks forward to a great season.
OLIVIA has been dancing since the age of 7 and fell in love with the sport ever since. She is trained in Acro, Jazz, Lyrical, Ballet, Pointe and Hip-hop and was a dancer representing Team Canada at the world competition in Prague Czech Republic. She has received a $500 scholarship for California as well as numerous awards for her solos. By attending various dance workshops and learning from different choreographers, she realized her desire to share her knowledge and passion for dance by becoming a teacher. Olivia’s love for dance has opened doors to her passion for health, wellness and fitness. She is a fitness instructor at the YMCA and uses the tools for building strength in all of her dance classes. She was recently chosen by the Alzheimer’s Society and Kinesiology researchers from McMaster University to create a dance study program for elderly individuals at the YMCA. The goal of the study is to reveal if dance can improve cognition as well as mobility and overall health of older adults. As a choreographer and teacher of now 6 years, Olivia loves teaching her young dance students and adult fitness. She always encourages her students to take on new challenges, believe in themselves and expand on their creativity.
Jody has been a part of the
Star-Lite family since 1985 and like may others grew up in the studio. She has studied many areas of dance
throughout her career such as Baton, Jazz, Ballet, Musical Theater, Flamenco,
Irish Hard Shoe, Hawaiian, and even tried Break Dancing but her favorite forms
of dance are Tap and Hip Hop. She has participated in clinics and competitions in Canada and the US, leading her
students to win many awards, achieving overall high scores, adjudicator’s choice
and numerous special awards.
Star-Lite family since 1985 and like may others grew up in the studio. She has studied many areas of dance
throughout her career such as Baton, Jazz, Ballet, Musical Theater, Flamenco,
Irish Hard Shoe, Hawaiian, and even tried Break Dancing but her favorite forms
of dance are Tap and Hip Hop. She has participated in clinics and competitions in Canada and the US, leading her
students to win many awards, achieving overall high scores, adjudicator’s choice
and numerous special awards.
Deanne has been dancing at starlite for 13 years. She has fallen in love with the art of dance ever since she put on her first pair of tap shoes. Since the age of 4 Deanne has trained in dance styles jazz, hip hop, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, musical theatre, and acro. She has been a part of the starlite competitive team since the age of 6 and has won plenty of awards for the studio in both Canada and the US. Deanne started assisting competitive and recreational classes at the age of 11 and started teaching at the age of 16. She is so excited to be on the teaching staff again this year due to previous years being so enjoyable.
Tanisha has been dancing for 14 years. The ast seven of those have been spent
with starlite dance studio. Tanisha is trained in the styles of lyrical, jazz,
acro, hiphop, musical theatre and ballet. She has won many awards in both the USA and Canada
including a scholarship to New York's Broadway Dance centre. Over her years at starlite, Tanisha
has assisted both competitive and recreational classes, ranging in styles and
ages. Tanisha has, and will always have a love and passion for dance. Tanisha is very excited to
be added to the teaching staff here this year and will bring much enthusiasm to her classes.
with starlite dance studio. Tanisha is trained in the styles of lyrical, jazz,
acro, hiphop, musical theatre and ballet. She has won many awards in both the USA and Canada
including a scholarship to New York's Broadway Dance centre. Over her years at starlite, Tanisha
has assisted both competitive and recreational classes, ranging in styles and
ages. Tanisha has, and will always have a love and passion for dance. Tanisha is very excited to
be added to the teaching staff here this year and will bring much enthusiasm to her classes.
