Lisa Collins was recently honored with the award “Woman of the Year”, Arts and Culture for her contributions to the area of Kitchener-Waterloo. Lisa is a performer, choreographer, teacher, adjudicator and internationally recognized casting agent. Lisa is a versatile dancer/teacher and has been trained in all dance forms in Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Miami, New York and Los Angeles. Lisa had a successful performance career of her own as dancer for over a decade. Her credits include many cruise ship contracts as a Dance Captain/Dancer/Flyer, company work (Jazz & Modern), theatre, the NBA & CFL, various TV and film credits and Industrial/Corporate jobs across North America. Lisa’s students can be found dancing around the world on multiple cruise lines, with Drayton Entertainment and on film and television. Lisa’s passion while teaching is to help young dancers achieve their ultimate best and her “signature” in the industry is her ability to provide high quality technical training. Lisa hosts and produces KW’s Annual Choreographer’s Snow Ball. This show features local choreographers and highlights their choreography and teaching abilities. It gives a chance for choreographers in our area a chance to shine! Lisa also choreographs for the show. The show was featured for it’s 2nd year on CTV and was a huge success for many choreographers in the area while giving local dancers a chance to perform. Lisa is a well known and accomplished teacher and choreographer in Canada. She teaches professional level dance classes across Southwestern Ontario at workshops, Universities and various studios. Currently, Lisa is a faculty member at Metro Movement Dance Studio in Toronto, one of Toronto’s leading professional training studios. Lisa has also adjudicated dance competitions across Canada. Lisa is the Director of LMC Productions, a company housing many different aspects of the entertainment industry including casting, production and talent development. LMC Productions expanded internationally through this past year by installing the Production Shows for Celebrity Cruise Lines Inc. and recently cast and aided in the rehearsal process for Japan Cruise Lines. Lisa also developed the workshop program GET EXPOSED, a workshop program designed to expose young dancers to leading professionals in the arts industry and is thrilled to be the Director of another dream come true, IN.MOTION School of for the Performing Arts.
Registered Royal Academy of Dance Ballet Instructor. Hailing from Australia Felicity Jones found her love for dance at the early age of 3 growing up in the dance studio her Mother owned. She is now well traveled in the dance community, teaching & performing across the world. Felicity graduated from the Canberra Youth Ballet full time 3 year program in 2000; and is also a certified Pilates instructor under the Physical Mind Institute of Canada, trained at the Vital Action Pilates Studio. Felicity has completed the two year ballet teachers certification course with the Royal Academy of Dance and can offer examinations.
Her professional career began with the Australian Revue in Atami, Japan. From there Felicity took time out to co-direct a major production for the CSIRO in Australia. She has also performed in several Carnival Cruise Line Productions as lead and feature dancer.
Moving to Canada in 2005 Felicity has embraced the K-W dance community teaching at many studios, also starting a program of her own with the City of Kitchener. She has performed as a singer/dancer in Holiday Sparkle and Kiss Me Kate. Recently Felicity choreographed a piece for KW’s first Annual Choreographers Snow Ball and has adjudicated for competitions in the Southern Ontario region. Felicity shows a passion for both performing and teaching.
Nick, Director of Airtight Entertainment has been dancing since age 9. Nick is one of Ontario’s hottest new Hip Hop artists/teachers & choreographers and is currently teaching professional classes in Toronto. Nick is trained in hip hop, ballet, jazz, contemporary, underground dance genres, African, and Caribbean dance. Nick has danced on television and stage in shows produced by Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon Germany, Rogers, HBC, various recording artists Lloyd Banks, Euro Super Groups and artists such as US5, Lexington Bridge, Jimi Blue. Nick has performed across Canada, the US, and north Western Europe. He has taught classes and workshops through out Southwestern Ontario, Germany and France. Nick says “Dance because you love it and because it makes you happy. Believe, work hard, and let the music do the rest”
Katie Lawless has been dancing since age 4 and is well rounded in numerous styles of dance & acrobatics. Katie is an award winning choreographer, has performed, successfully competed across North America winning numerous overall awards, and has taught all forms of dance and "acro" for the past 5 years. Katie is a graduate of Eastwood C.I.'s Integrated Arts Program as a dance major, and has since returned as a guest teacher and choreographer. She has trained under Lisa Collins, Deardra Leslie, Danny Grossman, and Everett Smith (to name a few!) and received her Advanced credits in the CDTA Examination Syllabus. Katie has travelled to Vancouver for the Vancouver International Tap Dance Festival where she took classes from Dianne Walker and Lisa La Touche. Recently Katie appeared as a Student Performer in a Danny Grossman show, choreographed by Grossman himself and Kitchener's First Annual Choreographers’ Snowball as a dancer. Katie's choreography was also featured in the 2009 Choreographers' Snowball. Katie loves to dance and cannot wait to share her passion with the IN.MOTION dancers!
Jenny Galloway was born in Kitchener, Ontario and began dancing at the age of 5. She immediately excelled in ballet and jazz technique which paid off to win numerous of overalls and awards through competing at various competitions. One of her greatest achievements was earning her intermediate, advanced foundation and advanced 1 classical ballet examination through Royal Academy of Dance passing with distinction. She won many awards competing such as the prestigious tittles of Junior, Teen and Miss Dance Masters of America of Western New York (Chapter 8). On a professional level, you can see Jenny in various TV commercials and several events in Ontario. Her latest endeavor has been to travel the world entertaining for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Jenny is very enthusiastic to spread her knowledge of current style and technique and continues herself to become a more well-rounded dancer.
Natalie started dancing when she was 6 years old and has been on stage ever since. Winning numerous overall and special awards throughout her 10 years of competing, Natalie decided to take her dancing career to the next level. Starting with the Jr. Raptors Dance Pak, dancing in front of 20 000 fans was such a rush that Natalie knew performing was where she was meant to be. Taking her journey to the triple threat aspect of the arts world, Natalie performed for 3 consecutive years with Kitchener Waterloo Musical Productions fall shows at the Centre in the Square as well as The Community Players spring shows at the New Hamburg Arena. Natalie then toured with Dance Canada in Malaga, Spain and became part of LMC Productions working and training with Miss Lisa to be the dancer she is today. After performing in many local gigs and LMC Production's Christmas Show "Holiday Sparkle", Natalie said farewell and bon voyage to land work. Travelling to 4 different continents and over 23 countries throughout her 4 contracts with Celebrity Cruises, Natalie is so grateful for what her dancing has helped her achieve. With feet firm on land, Natalie continues to perform and train as much as she can, and is now a successful teacher/choreographer in Kitchener and Mississauga. Happy and honoured to be a part of the amazing IN.MOTION staff, Natalie can't wait to see what the next years bring. "Why dance?" … "Why breathe?"
Katherine has always been passionate about ballet. Growing up, she studied extensively at the Lynne McCarthy School of Dance and numerous studios across Ontario, successfully completing her Advanced Level RAD examination. She attended Eastwood Collegiate’s Integrated Arts Program as a dance major, and spent her summers dancing at the Banff Center for Performing Arts, The Alberta Ballet School and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School where she studied the Russian and Chechetti ballet methods extensively under such ballet masters as Galina Yordanova, Arnold Spohr and Johnny Chang. Upon graduation, Katherine was accepted into the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Company. As a member of the corps de ballet she toured across Canada performing in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Romeo & Juliet. While she loved her time dancing, she later returned to Toronto to graduate from Ryerson University with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. While in Toronto, she also performed extensively with Ryerson and other local companies, working with dance masters such as Evelyn Hart, Roberto Campanella, Robert Glumbek and Nadia Potts. She was a dancer with ProArteDanza, a contemporary ballet company based out of Toronto, as well as Cadence Contemporary Ballet Company under the direction of Courtnae Bowman. She can also be seen in the Paramount Pictures film “Save The Last Dance 2”, and is now a certified teacher with the Society of Russian Ballet. Beyond her dance abilities, Katherine is also a certified yoga instructor, lifeguard and has worked with children with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders. Katherine takes great pleasure in working with children of all ages and abilities and seeing their progress. Her gentle and precise way of teaching ensures that each of her students feel respected and enlightened, allowing them to progress, grow, and enjoy dance as much as she does. She is honoured and excited to be teaching at In Motion this season and is looking forward to introducing the Russian Ballet method to all of her students!
An active musical director and voice instructor, Ms. Brunk earned a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and remains a student of the constantly evolving field of Vocology. She maintains memberships with The National Association of Teachers of Singing and The Voice Foundation and has completed several courses over the years, including Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute (Shenandoah University, VA), The Voice Foundation 3rd Annual Voice Symposium: Voice Evaluation and Treatment - Medical and Therapeutic Considerations (Voice & Swallowing Center of Maine), NATS Vocology Seminar (Princeton, NJ) and The Institute of Voice Performance Pedagogy (Oberlin, OH). She has adjudicated voice competitions in Canada and the United States, and has attended courses and sessions in voice disorders and rehabilitation in New York, Philadelphia and Hamilton, ON.
Her voice students have performed as members of the company at The Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada to Broadway, and have starred in T.V.'s Degrassi: The Next Generation and My Life as a Dog. Others have gone on to complete voice performance degrees in all of the prominent Ontario college and university programs.
Amanda now maintains a voice studio where she coaches singers of all ages in technique, interpretation and expression through private lessons and masterclasses, and is the founder of the Kitchener-Waterloo based production company The Singer's Theatre.
She holds the position of Vocal Director for LMC Productions, coaching singers in multiple shows and cabarets for Japan Cruise Lines and Celebrity Cruises.
Musical direction credits number over 20 major musicals, from Les Miserables and Candide to Cats and Rent, and is the conductor of The Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir. She continues to produce, direct and perform, with the intent to promote and maintain the integrity of dramatic vocal music.
Jake Simons has been working professionally in the entertainment industry for 20 years. He has over 25 theatre credits, 40 film and TV credits and has shot 30 TV commercials. He has also worked with six different casting directors in Toronto helping cast such projects as Degrassi; the Next Generation, Hairspray, Mama Mia and She’s the Mayor. Some personal highlights include; a two year run of Dirty Dancing at The Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto where he played the lead character Johnny Castle, West Side Story at Stratford (Riff), Song and Dance at Theatre Calgary, working in New York on a Disney produced play about The Harlem Globetrotters called Hoopz, three Pantomimes at the Elgin and a recurring role in the TV series Metropia. Most recently: an episode of Mayday on the Discovery channel Canada, a recurring character in the current season of Degrassi the Next Generation, a Fallsview Casino and Folgers commercial on air. Look for Jake in a supporting role in the upcoming feature film ‘Sacrifice’ starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Christian Slater. Jake studied General Arts at The University of Western Ontario and graduated from the Randolph school of performing Arts in Toronto. Jake recently moved to Guelph where he lives with his wife and two daughters.
Originally from Port Elgin, Ontario, Angela Burns is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Bachelor of Music in Performance and Diploma in Opera where she studied with Kimberly Barber. Further study has taken her to Opera Nuova; University of Manitoba’s Contemporary Opera Lab; Queen of Puddings: Songs and Scenes; Wendy Neilson’s Opera Workshop in St. Andrews by the Sea, New Brunswick; as well as the Casalmaggiore International Festival in Casalmaggiore, Italy. Angela’s joy lies in musical theatre, having brought to life many roles including Laurey in Oklahoma!, Kim in Bye Bye Birdie and most recently Maria in The Sound of Music. Angela’s enthusiastic approach to new opera has led her to premier the roles of Katherine in Glenn James’ To Daniel, Mortimer in Meagan Bunce’s Mortimer, Esurient in Luke Nickel’s Jack and his Jillions, and the North American Premier of the Grand-daughter in Ella Milch-Sherrif's And the Rat Laughed with Opera York. Other operatic roles include Belinda in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, L’enfant in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortileges, First Knitter in Seymour Barab’s A Game of Chance, Nursing Sister in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, and Harry in Britten’s Albert Herring. Oratorio engagements include Daley’s Requiem, Poulenc's Gloria, Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilia and Schubert’s Mass in G. Angela started teaching at Singer’s Theatre in 2007. Her students have been featured with KW Musical Productions, The Community Players of New Hamburg, Drayton Entertainment, The Stratford Shakespeare, and Sheridan College. Angela has also taught with the Guelph Youth Singers, Southampton Summer Music, and the Kincardine Summer Music Festival. When not on stage or behind the piano, Angela maintains a regular schedule teaching and practicing Ashtanga yoga.
Katie has had over a decade of extensive training in Irish dance. In addition to her training in Irish dance, Katie has been trained in several other forms of dance over the years. Before coming to IN.MOTION Katie experienced a highly successful competitive career with the performance troupe Celtic Dynamic. Katie has performed for several artists including Kettle's On, Spirit of the West and the Irish Descendents. Other credits include performances at the Brantford International Villages, the Fergus Highland Games, CKCO News, and Kidspark. Katie enjoys teaching the intermediate Irish dance class and her students have had great competitive success and performed at various venues around the city.
Jacqui started dancing at the age of 5 and ever since, has always had a passion for performing. She competed at a young age in dance competitions across Ontario, winning several awards and scholar ships. She also performed at local high schools, wedding shows, fundraisers, fashion shows, and even Disney Land. Right after she completed her training as a competitive dancer, she set her eyes on touring the world. With the help of Miss Lisa, she was hired as a Production Cast Dancer for the Celebrity Summit and enjoyed sharing her love for dance and travel with the thousands of guests aboard the ship. Jacqui has been choreographing and teaching in the area for 6 years. She attends multiple workshops to improve on her ability and keep up with the latest dance trends. Most recently attended the Dance Teacher Summit in New York City to further her knowledge as an instructor in the art. Jacqui has worked with Amanda at The Singers Theatre for 3 great years and is thrilled to be at In Motion School of Preforming Arts.
Josh received his dance training growing up in Winnipeg, Manitoba. At the age of seventeen, he trained at the EDGE Performing Arts Center as a member of the Dance WIth The Force Scholarship Program in Hollywood, California. Since then, some of his favourite credits include Performing in Arte Poetica (EDGE P.A.C.), Baby John at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, originating the role of Ti-Cul and Dance Captain of Le Bleu D’La Metropole in Montreal (Périphérie Productions), Benjamin in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat (Rainbow Stage) and filming the dance movie Sur La Rythme. Josh was recently on set dancing for Shawn Desman, Night Like This, Music video. He was also a featured performer on danceplug.com. In addition to teaching at various studios, Josh has also taught classes, workshops and choreography for various studios and schools and has been on faculty for a number of dance conventions, such as The Zone Dance Convention and SYNC: Hip Hop Convention.
Emily trained first as a competitive gymnast and then as a competitive dancer in her youth. She found her niche in acrobatic dance, also known as "acro". She has recently branched out to the related acrobatic sport of springboard diving, and competes provincially. Emily has been teaching acrobatic dance for over 8 years, building up her successful programs with input from national level gymnastics and diving coaches. She herself is certified as an NCCP level 1 coach in gymnastics, and NCCP level 2 coach in springboard diving. Emily has received several awards for her creative choreography over the years, and many of her routines have received overall awards at dance competitions. She takes a special interest in the health and safety of her dancer/athletes, as her "day" job is working for Waterloo Sports Medicine. Emily is passionate about both teaching and flipping about, which makes teaching acro a dream job!
Scott G. Kufske juggles the roles of teacher, choreographer, director, produce, and performer. But most of all he enjoys travelling across the country as a dance competition adjudicator, host, and administrator. He operated and owned his own Dance Studio of “Steps” in Waterloo, Ontario for 14 years that trained dancers to many Over-All National Titles and Scholarships from the most respected dance organizations. Students graduated from Scott’s Studio and currently are enjoying careers in theme parks, cruise lines, television, music videos, Broadway, and the teaching profession. Scott served as President for Chpt. #38 for Dance Masters of America and went on to become National Director for the Jr. Mr. Dance Scholarship Program for another 2 years. He loves to perform when he can and is a member of the Canadian Actors Equity Association with 28 shows to his credit. His choreography has been critically acclaimed and is he is highly respected for his contributions to the musical theatre industry across Ontario. Scott continues to inspire and educate dancers across North America as a workshop teacher and motivational speaker with his “Vibe”, “Choreo” and “Comp-Connection” seminars. He is a guest choreographer for several dance studios and organizations all over North America. In 2003 he completed the Artistic Director job for The Dare to Dance Program for Dance Saskatchewan. He has been the Director of many dance competitions over the years including Rhythm Dance, Starmaker Dance Festival, D-Force Productions, American Dance Awards Canadian Tour, and now Terpsichore Dance Celebration. Mr. Kufske is the Assistant Editor of Dance Canada Quarterly, Canada’s Dance Magazine.
Dave was first inspired by the movie “You Got Served” (2004). However, was not introduced to dance until 2007 by a close friend of his. Dave began dancing at Davenport Dance Project and progressed to dancing with Matt Cangiano at Blackout Dance Productions. Dancing at a studio was not enough for Dave and he later joined Ambitious Movement, a dance and entertainment company in Toronto run by Anthony Patrick Smith. Since then Dave has worked with some upcoming artists and made appearances in many places including “So You Think You Can Dance” Pre show, Family Channel, Toronto public health commercial, music videos etc. Dave is trained in all styles of hip-hop but trains intensively in waving, popping, tutting, breaking and house. He specializes in hip-hop, hip-hop technique and tricking. (An art form based on acrobatics and is where he received the name “Super Dave”) Dave loves to teach his kids all styles and slow things down with a nice R&B tune from time to time to teach control, passion and emotion. Dave says, “I dance because I was inspired and I dance to inspire. Hip-Hop is my lifestyle and I love what I do and do what I love.”
Holly is a professional dancer and teacher. Originally from Waterloo, Holly trained at the Waterloo Dance Centre and the Moree School of Dance where she completed her RAD Elementary ballet exam. Holly is trained in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop and partnering. Holly was a dancer and dance captain for International Entertainment (Regal Cruise Lines) and Jean Ann Ryan Productions (Norwegian Cruise Lines). Holly was a member of the 2003 World Bronze medal Canadian Showdance Team that competed in Dresden, Germany. She was also involved in a variety of Dance organizations and Non-profit dance companies such as DanceOntario and Ballet Creole (Toronto) where she organized membership and fundraising programs. In 2001, she graduated from King’s College at the University of Western Ontario with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in History. Holly then went on to graduate from the teacher training program at D’Youville College (Buffalo, NY) and is a certified dance, drama, history and guidance teacher with the Ontario College of Teachers. She has coached the Sir John A Macdonald S.S. dance team for 4 years, and is involved in Province-wide dance programs such as DanceFest and CODE. Currently, Holly is teaching dance as well as working as a guidance counsellor at Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Ontario. As well, Holly is completing her teaching certification for the ADAPT syllabus. She has won various choreography and overall awards at National and International competitions.
Gord and Fern, Lisa's parents, would like to welcome you to InMotion School of the Preforming Arts. After years of being dance and hockey parents and with careers in education and dentistry we are more than happy to able to share our experiences in support of our daughter. Fern looks forward to meeting you at the front desk or when she is knee deep in costumes and Gord is always around doing those odd jobs that need to be done. Welcome to In.Motion!!!!!