Instructors

Ms Alycia - Lead Instructor

Alycia is proud to call SDA home. She began with the program as a Creative Movement student at age 5 and from that day she knew sharing her passion for dance was what she wanted to do.

Through her studies she has completed Ballet exams in the Cecchetti syllabus as well as Jazz and Tap exams in the ADAPT syllabus. Alycia has completed her training and is proud to be an ADAPT certified instructor. Recently Alycia has expanded her studies in Ballet and is a certified Progressing Ballet Technique Instructor. Her choreography has been well received at both the Manitoba Provincial Dance Festival and Canadian National Dance Championships.

As often as she can, she attends conventions and workshops across Canada to keep her work current. Alycia has trained extensively at Edge School of Performing Arts in LA and Broadway Dance Center in New York City.

"DANCE IS THE HIDDEN LANGUAGE OF THE SOUL." -MARTHA GRAHAM

Miss Jessica

Jessica is proud to be a part of the SDA. She started with Selkirk Dance as a Jazz and Hip Hop dancer. Then soon after added Ballet and Lyrical to her list to genres. She has competed at Dance Manitoba in several genres and worked her way up to be an assistant and then teacher.

Her love of dance started with Creative Dance with the Contemporary School of Dance at age 4, and then continued her education with Ukrainian dancing and Jazz at Ken Peters Dance Express. From there she arrived at Selkirk Dance where she trained in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary and Hiphop. She has also competed in Dance Manitoba and CNDC along with showcasing pieces at these competitions. She has continued her dance education by learning Stilletos to broaden her range in a different genre and being a new style to the team.

Jessica believes that no matter what background you come from you always have a place to express yourself and feel confident in their own skin. She has the drive, ambition and love of dance which is the key to motivating dancers of all ages.

Miss Elena

Elena has been dancing since the age of 3. As Elena grew, so did her love for dance - from Creative Movement to competing on a National Stage. Elena has trained in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap, Musical Theatre, and Ukrainian Dance. She has received ISTD Ballet Exams and recognition for performances as a dancer (CNDC, Manitoba Dance Festival, 5,6,7,8 Dance Convention) and as a choreographer (CNDC, Manitoba Dance Festival, RFOTA). With 10 years of experience teaching dance to students Preschool age all the way to Adulthood, Elena has developed the ability to create relationships centred in respect, enthusiasm, compassion, and inside jokes.

She discovered a love of Musical Theatre and Acting at age 12 at a summer dance camp. It is a love that has sustained her through High School, University, and in present day performing in the community (Winnipeg Fringe Festival 2023) and teaching in the Interlake. Elena utilizes a mixture of community and University level training to lead her students through the process of writing, staging, directing, and choreographing original works of Musical Theatre that reflect the student’s interests.

Elena strongly believes that Art is an experience beneficial to everyone in every part of life. She aims to use her art to create and strengthen community, promote mental health awareness, and stretch other’s and her own capacity for joy and connection. Elena is devoted to creating diversified safe spaces in creative endeavours and is serious about the role that silliness plays in all art and vulnerability. She brings these perspectives to all her classes at SDA.

Miss Tazlyn

Tazlyn first discovered her love of dance at SDA at the age of 6. She has remained involved with the program ever since, and is now proud to be an instructor alongside many of her own teachers and teammates.

Tazlyn has trained in various genres including Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Ballet, Progressing Ballet Technique, Tap, and Aerial dance. She has also participated in competitions including Dance Manitoba, CNDC, and 5,6,7,8 Showtime. Tazlyn recently graduated from the ADAPT Teacher Training Program and is excited to integrate all that she has learned from this experience into her classes. In addition to teaching, she continues to take as many classes as possible to keep learning and supporting her own growth as a dancer.

Tazlyn aims to foster the same supportive, inclusive, and fun dance environment for her students that she has experienced over the years. She is grateful to be able to share her passion in this way and hopes to help her students find a creative outlet through dance.

Miss Isabella

Isabella has called SDA home since she was 3, starting with Creative movement and over the years she has added Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Acro, Hiphop, Contemporary, and Tap. Isabella has also taken part of SDA’s competition program since she was 8 until she was 22.

During her time with SDA Isabella has learnt many skills from her teachers (or mentors as she likes to call them) to apply in her teaching style as well as made many friends from her years who have become family to her.

Isabella has recently started her ADAPT TTS journey by completing her year 1, as well Isabella is an Acrobatics Arts certified teacher and has a certificate of degree in Community Support which allowed her to see each of her students needs with ease and help them learn in the best way for them.

Isabella hopes to continue the passion she has for dance as a student and translate it into her teacher and inspire her own students in their dance journey.

“Dancing with your feet is one thing… Dancing with your heart is another.” – Unknown

Miss Taylor

Taylor has been a part of the SDA family since she was 4. Ever since she has loved being able to dance and meet such an amazing community of people out of it that she gets to call her dance family. Taylor has been an assistant for the past 6 years and is so excited to join such an amazing group of Instructors.

Taylor has trained in Jazz, Lyrical, Ballet, Contemporary and Hip Hop. She has competed at Dance Manitoba, Canadian National Dance Championships and the Rockwood Festival of the Arts. She is excited to take all that she's learned throughout her dance years and share with her students the love of dance that she has become so fond of. From having amazing role models of instructors herself, she hopes to give dancers the same confidence and joy as they did for her.