Faculty

Our Faculty

Our internationally and nationally qualified teachers have brought renowned syllabi to HSD so that our dancers are able to succeed on a provincial, national and international level. Whether your child wishes to take dance for fun or to become the next prima ballerina, our qualified faculty is here to provide a safe, dynamic, fun and rewarding experience!

Tanya Strandlund

Miss Tanya

Artistic Director Hinton School of Dance; Exam pedagogue; Alberta Rep. for Cecchetti Canada.

Qualifications:

Accredited Pedagogue & Adjudicator in Dance
A.ISTD Theatre Faculty; Cecchetti
ACDTA, Ballet
Licentiate LCC - CICB
Advanced 2 CICB Cecchetti Classical Ballet
Graduate of Cecchetti Dance Theatre
Hanne Livingstone (FISTD, FCSC Cecchetti International)
IADA & ADA Acro International Dance Adjudicator
Acrobatic Arts Certified in Back Handspring, Aerial, & Contortion
PBT Certified (all three levels)

Achievements: Tanya is a fully registered teacher with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) in London, England. She holds a Licentiate level certification with Cecchetti Canada and Cecchetti International. Tanya has achieved the prestigious Advanced ‘2’ diploma in Cecchetti Classical Ballet and is an internationally certified dance adjudicator. Additionally, she is certified in the globally recognized Acrobatic Arts teacher program and has completed courses in Back Handspring, Aerial, and Contortion. She is also certified in the Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) Syllabus and has completed the ADA Acro Adjudicating Course, becoming a certified ADA International adjudicator. Tanya is currently focused on her Enrico Cecchetti Diploma studies and has recently completed two years of intensive study with Alberta Ballet, the National Ballet of Washington, and Ottawa School of Dance.

History: Tanya's early dance training took place in Eastern Canada, including Toronto, Quebec, St. John’s, and Winnipeg, where she concentrated on Classical Ballet, Jazz, Modern/Contemporary, and Tap. Her teaching and studies also covered Irish National Dance, Musical Theatre, Show Choir, and Hip Hop. Tanya has performed internationally and accumulated over 20 years of experience in teaching and exam pedagogy. She continues to travel annually for training, teaching, and adjudicating across North America. Tanya served as the Vice Representative of the Cecchetti Society of Canada for Alberta for five years, which included a brief role as the historical information coordinator for Canada. She began teaching under the guidance of a childhood mentor in St. John’s, NL, and later founded the Alberta West Dance Company, which she operated for 12 years before closing in 2004 to focus on family and teaching. Many of Tanya's former students have pursued careers in performance, commercial dance, and teaching.

Performance & Choreographic Achievements:

Soloist at Expo '86 Canadian Pavilion in "Cats"
Top Choreography Award at the Show Choir Competition in New York, 1990
Solo performer with Co. 21 Show Choir for seven years
Choreographer for “Etcetera,” an annual sold-out musical featuring casts of over 100 dancers
2nd Place duo PDTA Dance Competition, New York 1991
Annual choreographer for “Stars of Hope,” a charity concert at the Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton for the Kids with Cancer Society
Choreographer for the Alberta Winter Games Opening Ceremonies, 2005
Choreography featured in an Alberta tourism commercial, 2011
Staging for Citie Ballet’s tour of "The Doll Maker’s Dream" at the Roxy Theatre
Recognized for strong pointe and classical ballet pedagogy
Earned several competitive top event awards for Classical Pointe/Ballet , Jazz & Contemporary choreography over the past decade
Focused on enhancing the programming quality at the Hinton School of Dance

2019-2024 Personal Studies: Tanya believes that continuous learning is essential for personal and professional growth. Over the past two years, she has pursued various courses, including:

Private studies at Alberta Ballet (September 2019 - March 2020)
Cecchetti Canada Summer Teaching Intensive, White Rock, BC, 2019
Cecchetti Canada Weekend Workshops in Alberta, BC, Ontario, and Quebec
Advanced 2 Diploma Studies with the Cecchetti Institute (Cara Drower, Pamala Moore) September 2020 - May 2021
Licentiate Study Group (Cecchetti Canada) with Deborah Bowes of the NBS January 2021 - Present
Enrico Cecchetti Diploma Studies (School of Dance, S. Plante) January 2021 - June 2022
Study of Port De Bras (Dianne Van Schoor)
Cecchetti Teacher Conference & Intensive, Toronto 2022
Enrolled in the Alberta Ballet Pedagogical Training Program (September 2021 - June 2022)
July 2024 Cecchetti International Classical Ballet Teachers Course and Competition, awarded the Margaret Saul Scholarship for Enrico Cecchetti Diploma studies

The pandemic shift to online learning allowed Tanya to study with renowned masters from England, Washington, Toronto, Ottawa, and South Africa. Tanya remains dedicated to a lifelong career of learning and understanding the prestigious Enrico Cecchetti Diploma work. She is known for her fair, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic approach to teaching and adjudicating, always striving to inspire and demand each dancer's personal best. Tanya is committed to fostering a balance between clean technique and passionate artistry in her students and continues to impart her love and expertise in dance.

Marissa Rhodes

Miss Marissa

Associate - CC-CICB

CDTA Licentiate - Tap

Marissa’s passion for movement began at a young age when she started taking dance classes in her hometown of Hinton, Alberta, where she attended both Alberta West Dance Company and Hinton School of Dance. She began assisting classes at Hinton School of Dance as a teenager, and later went on to teach her own classes after obtaining her Cecchetti Advanced 1 examination (2013) and her ESB Junior Grades teaching certificate (2012).

Marissa’s primary studies have been in Classical Ballet (Cecchetti and RAD), Tap (ISTD, Al Gilbert and CDTA), Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, and Acrobatics. Throughout her studies as a child and throughout post-secondary, she has also trained in Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, Cheer, Irish and other National dance styles.

After obtaining her Cecchetti Advanced 1 examination and her Junior Grades Teaching Certificate, Marissa went on to train at both the Alberta Ballet - Edmonton Division and the Edmonton School of Ballet. In addition to being a fully qualified Cecchetti ballet teacher, she has her Licentiate CDTA qualification in Tap (2024) and is also an iTap Certified Tap Teacher (2024), also having obtained her Al Gilbert Grade 7 tap examination (2018). Marissa is an Acrobatic Arts Module 1 certified teacher (2017), and also holds her Progressing Ballet Technique certification (2019).

In addition to traditional dance styles, Marissa thoroughly enjoys taking and teaching classes in aerial arts. She has studied aerial hoop, aerial silks and hammock, pole fitness, and contortion. She is currently a certified aerial hoop teacher through Aerial Arts by Acrobatic Arts (2021).

Marissa is looking forward to another great season of sharing her love for dance with her students!

Ariel Lissel

Miss Ariel

Ariel started dancing at 6 years old, just taking Jazz. Since then she has also trained in Cecchetti Classical Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Lyrical and Musical Theatre.

Ariel acquired her Advanced 1 Classical Ballet at the School of Alberta Ballet, and danced professionally for Artists Elite in Calgary, Alberta, performing in several shows, openings, and parades.

Ariel moved back to Hinton in 2005 and began training to be an instructor in Jazz with the CDTA. She continued to train at the Edmonton School of Ballet, acquiring her Junior Teachers Certificate, and she also began more Hip Hop training at the Harbour Dance Centre in Vancouver, BC.

After acquiring her Associate Member Certificate with the CDTA in Jazz and Acro, Ariel trained with Acrobatic Arts, receiving both modules 1 and 2. She trained with the Alixa Flexibility program, completing modules 1, 2 and 3.

Ariel has been teaching children in Hinton for over 15 years, and hopes to continue for many more!

Laura Clarke

Miss Laura

Miss Laura’s passion for dance was ignited at a very young age. Growing up in central Ontario, she attended classes at a local studio. Excelling in Ballet, she was often invited to attend supplemental classes with the National Ballet of Canada located in Toronto, Ontario.

Miss Laura also studied and competed in Jazz, Acro, Modern, Lyrical and Contemporary, travelling to Quebec and New York for competitive invitationals. She studied under several teachers and choreographers with assorted experience in theories, accomplishing levels in Cecchetti and Russian. Furthermore, Miss Laura partook in summer workshop sessions in Musical Theatre, Cheerleading, African, Booty Barre, Pilates, Pilates Reformer, Zumba and Irish.

To complement her growth she also started assistant teaching in her junior and senior years to eventually become a faculty member of her home studio while studying at post-secondary. In 2012, Miss Laura made the move out to the mountains. Since making Hinton her home, Miss Laura has completed her Acrobatic Arts Module 1, is certified in the Alixa Flexibility Module 1 and is ADAPT certified in Tap and Jazz.

Leanne Su

Miss Leanne

Leanne started dancing at the age of 4, taking her first ballet class at the Hinton School of Dance, before expanding her training to include pointe, contemporary, jazz, hiphop, tap, and acro.

Overtime at the studio, Leanne was given the opportunity to become an assistant teacher, eventually progressing to teaching her own classes after achieving her Cecchetti Intermediate Exam. During the summer, Leanne took on the role of a dance camp counsellor, where she shared her passion of dance to young dancers. She also attended many conventions, dance camps, and workshops to further improve her training in dance.

Within her next two years of being at HSD, she plans to complete her Cecchetti Advanced 1 Exam and undertake additional courses to further improve her technicality and qualifications.

Leanne is excited for the upcoming season and delighted to start teaching!

Lily Davy

Miss Lily

Kenzie Christensen

Miss Kenzie

Kenzie first started dancing at the age of 3 at the Hinton School of Dance, where she trained in Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Acro and Hip Hop.

During her time at HSD she completed her Cecchetti Ballet Intermediate exam and was an Assistant Teacher. Kenzie thoroughly enjoyed travelling for different dance intensives and classes, broadening her range as a dancer.

Kenzie is currently an undergraduate student at the MacEwan University and working towards a career in Psychology. She is in the honor's program conducting research in the area of dance psychology. She plans to integrate mental health awareness and confidence building into her philosophy as a dance instructor, alongside technique and quality of movement.

Kenzie is a pre-associate member of the Canadian Dance Teachers Association, through which she is working towards completing credentials in Tap and Jazz. Kenzie is also obtaining her AcroDance Pre School Certification through the Acrobatic Arts Teacher Program. She has also completed the ‘Full Time Dance Teacher’ Teacher Training Intensive.

Kenzie is eager to expand her knowledge and credentials, and she is absolutely thrilled to be teaching this season!

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