During those years of her extensive training she performed in many shows and musicals, took part in many competitions, and attended several conventions with some of the most remarkable choreographers across Canada and The United States.After many years of specialized training in technical genres of dance Haley decided to take part in ILLFX education to further her knowledge in dance and to learn more about Hip Hop. Haley has had the opportunity to compete at many prestigious competitions some including, Dancers Paradise in Mexico, Monsters of Hip Hop in California and Artists Emerge in Vancouver.

Haley has completed many Adapt and RAD exams over her years of training and has also completed her Acrobatic Arts Module 1 Course. In addition to being a competitive dancer she has also performed in musicals with the Calgary Dance Express. Haley has learned so much about dance over the years and has been so inspired by all the wonderful teachers and peers she has had the opportunity to work with. She is very passionate about dance and teaching and bellieves that anything is possible with hard work and dedication. Haley hopes to inspire her students to become the best dancers and people they can be.

Teacher

Miss Stephanie has a passion for creating safe and respectful learning environments where children, youth and their families can experience the joy and connection that dance brings!

She began her dance journey over 3 decades ago, focusing on both ballet (Vaganova), and Ukrainian dance. A lifelong learner, Miss Stephanie completed her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees at the University of Calgary. Social justice issues in education and human rights education have always been important to her philosophy as an educator. She has taught at various local public and private schools, both as a classroom teacher and in leadership roles. She completed her Master of Arts Degree in Educational Research in 2017 with a focus on social justice issues in education.  

Vanessa’s philosophy of teaching is what drives her both at the studio and as an educator. Vanessa is proud to be a Learning Leader, middle school dance specialist and humanities teacher with the Calgary Board of Education.  

When not at the studio Vanessa enjoys family time and has an adorable daughter and son who both love to “bust a move” with their mama!

Owner and Studio Director, Vanessa Wright is a dance educator, choreographer and life long learner.  Vanessa sought out dance at a young age and continues to be a dedicated ambassador for dance.

As a student of dance, she trained extensively in ballet (RAD, ISTD, Cecchetti, Vaganova) and modern dance techniques as well as studied lyrical, jazz, contemporary and more. Miss Vanessa completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance at the University of Calgary majoring in ballet through the School of Alberta Ballet.  

Miss Vanessa’s desire to share her enthusiasm of dance with others began as a young teaching assistant.  In 2008 she began teaching with a dance residency company, Three Left Feet Movement Creations, which connected her love for dance with education. After 2 years dancing with the company, Vanessa went back to school to obtain her Bachelor of Education at the University of Calgary.

Dance School Director & Owner

Dance School Director & Owner

Miss Vanessa (BA Dance, BEd.)

Miss Jenna (RN)

Office Manager

Guest Teacher

Miss Jenna has over 20 years of dance experience. She grew up dancing and competing in Calgary and has a vast knowledge of ballet, lyrical, and Ukrainian dance.

Miss Jenna has worked closely with children of all ages as a dance teacher, nanny, and day camp leader. She has been with ESD since its inception and has taken on many leadership roles as well as instructing students over the past few years.

When she is not in the office, you will find her delivering babies as a Labour & Delivery nurse at Foothills Medical Centre.

Throughout her dance life, Kyla has enjoyed teaching dancers of all ages. She is able to say that she has taught dancers from 6 weeks old (Mommy & Me right here at ESD) all the way up to professional company classes. While she enjoys the challenge and complexity of teaching senior level dancers, working with our youngest dancers and those just starting their dance journey is where Kyla really shines.

Another aspect of teaching that Kyla is passionate about, is fostering the joy of teaching in the next generation. Kyla has very much enjoys working with ESD’s INSPIRE program students in their journey to becoming dance teachers. Kyla is excited to be taking on the role as Inspire Program Lead going forward.

Kyla is proud to be a part of such an amazing dance studio that focuses on the whole dancer and really fosters a supportive environment. Not only that, she loves that her own son and daughter are able to dance here and experience the love and passion ESD has to offer!

Miss Kyla began her dance career with Highland dance at the age of 2. From there, she went on to add Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Tap and Musical Theatre. Knowing that dance was her passion, Kyla moved to Winnipeg for her post-secondary training. Attending the Professional Program of the School of Contemporary Dancers, in affiliation with the University of Winnipeg, Kyla earned her BA(Hons) in Dance. While in Winnipeg, Kyla danced professionally with several companies and performed throughout Canada and the United States for the better part of a decade.

Making the difficult decision to leave Winnipeg in search of new opportunities, Kyla moved to Calgary and immediately found a home at ESD! Since making Calgary her home, Kyla has taught at several studios around the city, as well as for the Calgary Board of Education, and both Youth and Professional Dance Companies.

Teacher

Miss Kyla (BA Dance)

Miss Stephanie

Stephanie began dancing at 4 yrs old with the former Hanson School of Dance in Kindersley, SK.  She achieved her ADAPT Advanced Jazz, RAD Intermediate Ballet, RAD Gr. 8 Ballet, CDTA Advanced Tap and CDTA Advanced Jazz.  She also studied voice and piano and achieved her RCM Gr. 8 Piano and RCM Gr. 7 Voice.Stephanie attended Grant MacEwan’s Theatre Arts program in Edmonton and received a Diploma in Musical Theatre studies.  After completing college she moved to Calgary to study for a year under the jazz style instruction of Decidedly Jazz Danceworks in their Pre-Professional Program.  After her training with DJD she went on to achieve her ADAPT Teachers Certification in Jazz and Tap.

Stephanie has had the joy of dancing and performing with many dance groups and events over the past few years in Calgary. Some of the groups she has performed with are En Corps Dance Collective, Wild Aces, Army of Sass and, Outriders - the Stampeders CFL Dance Cheer Team.

Stephanie hopes to share her passion of dance and performing with the students while they have fun learning.  She is proud to be part of the faculty at Evolutions School of Dance.

Sam is presently working on graduate studies in counselling psychology and certification as an intimacy director. Miss Sam is inspired by the creative curiosity that is innate in each student, and is delighted to be in her third year on faculty at Evolutions!

Originally from Amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (Edmonton), Miss Sam is an active artist, educator, and administrator with a deep passion for collaboration and community in Mohkinstsis (Calgary). After completing her BFA in Dance with Distinction from the University of Calgary in 2018, Sam has taken on many roles in the Calgary dance community. She has worked with organizations including Dancers' Studio West, Springboard Performance, W&M Physical Theatre, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, Maddox Dance Company, and her own company Untold Physical Theatre. Sam’s choreographic practice focuses on the body as a source of research and storytelling and collaborating with her students in the creative process.

After completing her Grade 9 Gilbert Tap exam with distinction, Sam followed her passion for tap dance to New York as an intern for the American Tap Dance Foundation's Tap City festival, where she performed at Symphony Space on Broadway and supported international icons including Brenda Bufalino, Jason Samuels Smith, and Michelle Dorrance. She has also studied gender, sexuality, social work, and mental skills for dance educators.

Teacher

Miss Sam (BFA, Dance)

Miss. Karissa began her dance training in Ukrainian dance, but expanded her focus to include ballet (both ISTD and Cecchetti), Jazz, Lyrical and Contemporary dance. She has since completed her Standard 6 and Senior Certificate Cecchetti examinations. Her love for teaching began when she joined the ESD Inspire Program and became a Junior Instructor at Evolutions. This program sparked her passion for teaching and learning and cultivated her love for education, exploration, and developmentally appropriate practices.

Miss Karissa is a recent graduate from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a Bachelor of Education degree with a concentration in early childhool eduaction.

Miss Karissa is excited and privileged to be able to be teaching in such an inspiring and enthusiastic studio that focuses on the whole child. She cannot wait to share her love and passion of dance with her students in the creative, caring, and educational environment of ESD!

When she is not in the office or in the studio with her students, you can find her in various areas of Calgary substitute teaching with the Calgary Board of Education!

Miss Karissa (BA, BEd.)

Miss. Melissa was born and raised in Invermere, British Columbia.Growing up she trained and competed in various styles of dance,specializing in; Jazz, Tap, and Ballet. After graduating high school in 2013,she travelled to Toronto to begin working on her Associated Dance Arts forProfessional Teachers Certification(ADAPT), which she graduated from inJuly 2015.

Melissa completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in dance with aconcentration in pedagogy in June of 2019. During her university career, sheperformed with the Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede, which led toa multitude of performance opportunities. She also trained with theUniversity of Calgary Cheerleaders, a competitive stunt team. Additionally,she has worked with, performed, and trained with dance companies inCalgary including; The Show Company, Illfx Education, and most recentlyFlomatk at Pulse studios.In recent years, Melissa has Melissa has had the opportunity to perform in music videos.Having the privilege to work with artist’s such as; Leaving Thomas, Souls inRhythm, and Mak London.

Teacher

Miss Melissa (BA Dance)

Natalka serves as a volunteer on the Alberta committee for Cecchetti Canada. Natalka’s students excel in their Cecchetti ballet examinations and many of them are working towards or are enjoying professional dance careers. Natalka has over 17 years of experience teaching dance.

Natalka has over a decade of professional experience in dance. She has performed as both a freelance artist and has also been a company member with several dance companies such as Corps Bara, Trip the Light Dance Company, Soulocentric, & Dancers Studio West. Natalka is the Artistic Director and founder of Trip the Light Dance Company which she formed in 2013.

Natalka is well known in the Calgary dance community for her work choreographing and performing for large events, theatre shows, corporate activations and industrials, creative projects, music videos, and productions. She has taught at prestigious institutions such as Alberta Ballet School & DJD Dance Centre. Natalka’s education in both the dance and mental health fields enriches her practices because of her keen knowledge of the physical, psychological and motor development of students, human anatomy & physiology, pedagogy, safe dance practices, anxiety/depression and other mental health concerns, etc. Her teaching methods are strengths-based, trauma-informed and play-based. Natalka was nominated for the 2020 ATB Financial’s Healing Through the Arts Leadership Award.  2020-21 will be Natalka’s 14th season with Evolutions!

Miss Natalka is a dance artist, educator, and choreographer based out of Calgary, AB. Natalka has an extensive background in ballet and contemporary dance; she has studied in depth the Cecchetti method, RAD, ISTD & Vaganova ballet, as well as modern dance techniques, contemporary,  jazz, lyrical, and more.  

Natalka has completed ballet & modern exams in Cecchetti, RAD and ISTD. She received her BA in Contemporary Dance & Ballet at the University of Calgary while simultaneously training in the School of Alberta Ballet’s professional division. She has completed her MA in Counselling Psychology, is a Canadian Certified Counsellor and is currently working towards registering as a psychologist.

She holds her Associate Diploma teaching qualifications granted by Cecchetti Canada and is working towards her Licentiate qualifications.

Ballet Director, Teacher

Miss Natalka (BA Dance, Associate Diploma CC-CICB, MA Counseling Psychology, PBT US)

Teacher

Miss Stephanie (BA, BEd., MA Educational Research)

Miss Grace

Born and raised in Calgary, Grace has been dancing for 15 years, many years of which were at Evolutions School of Dance! She competed on the Performance Division team, and completed many Cecchetti ballet exams, under the direction of Miss Natalka. She also was an Inspire Junior Teacher. She was a member of the Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede, as well as the Trip the Light Youth Company.

She has trained in ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, lyrical, tap, hip-hop, and acro. Most recently, she has completed a season with the MRU Cubs Dance Team.

Grace is entering her first year of BA Dance in Fall 2022, and is planning to continue her Cecchetti ballet exams. She is very excited to be teaching at ESD, and cannot wait for the year to start!

Miss Olivia

Born in Calgary, Miss Olivia began dancing at Evolutions School of Dance at a young age where she was introduced to many different styles of dance including ballet, jazz, contemporary, and Ukrainian. Miss Olivia’s love for ballet in particular lead her to complete multiple Cecchetti ballet examinations and her understanding of the Cecchetti method informs each class that she teaches.

Miss Olivia attends Mount Royal University and is working on her Bachelor of Education with a double minor in Indigenous Studies and English. Each child is unique and brings something special to dance class and Olivia is passionate about ensuring that each dancer feels respected, welcomed, and heard.

Miss Olivia is excited to share her love of dance with each person who enters the dance studio!

Teacher

Teacher

Miss Haley

Haley has been dancing for 18 years. She started off taking Tap and Ballet and very quickly discovered her passion for dance and started incorporating many other genres throughout her early years of training. Throughout the years Haley has had the opportunity to train in many genres including Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Acrobatics, Musical Theatre and Hip Hop. At the age of 8 Haley became a competitive dancer and attended competitions both locally and internationally. She has loved having the opportunity to train and compete. Haley is continuing her training and is always looking for ways to expand her knowledge as a dancer and teacher.

Haley realized that dance was something she wanted to pursue when she furthered her training at her former dance studio.

Teacher

Melissa’s teaching style focuses on foundational technique, with an emphasis on dance injury prevention. She always encourages students toexplore their own creativity. Melissa continues to grow as a performer andteacher. She will always continue to train and educate herself, providing thebest education for her students.

Miss Nicole (BKin)

Miss Nicole’s interest in movement began at an early age through exploration of the performing arts. She has been fortunate to learn many diverse styles as a student of Vancouver’s Modus Operandi Contemporary Program, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and a successful applicant of study within the Royal Academy of Dance and Al Gilbert Tap syllabus. She has also performed across Canada and travelled with WM Physical Theatre to Poland to present “The Mist”.  

She was drawn to yoga after leaving ballet school with an injury and grew more interested in its many facets to support the body, mind and soul. Merging her curiosity of yoga, movement and science, she completed a degree in Kinesiology with a dance minor from the University of Calgary.  

Nicole has taught yoga for the past 13 years and has received her Yoga Therapy Certification from Mandorla Yoga Institute. She instructs yoga teacher training

Teacher

programs with Mandorla Yoga Institute and Wymbin in Calgary, AB. Nicole opened Phases Yoga Movement & Craft at the start of the pandemic as a way to virtually share yoga offerings, foster community connection and work within clinics as a support to traditional therapy.  

All of Nicole’s teachings are shared in a trauma informed manner with care given to support each student’s confidence and creativity.  

She is a celebrated teacher and choreographer who has won many awards across various disciplines (Ballet, Contemporary, Lyrical) and has over 15 year of experience. Nicole continues to teach, choreograph, adjudicate and examine students across Canada.

Nicole is very excited to be joining Evolutions to share her love of ballet!

Miss Sabina is from Kazakhstan and received most of her education there. Sabina started ballet and professional cello education at a young age. She trained and performed with the Kazakh-Russian National Junior company with ballet and character repertoire. Academics was another passion of hers and she took time to earn her Bachelor's and Master’s degrees in English and Italian philology.

Sabina travelled to Ankara, Turkey, where she taught English at secondary and post secondary schools, and dancing with a contemporary ballet company.

Upon moving to Calgary, Sabina resumed performing (roles in Coppelia: Cardas soloist, Sleeping Beauty: white cat, and Nutcracker), teaching, while completing her Yoga certification.

As well as becoming certified teacher in Vaganova method with The Society of Classical Ballet (previously knows as Society of Russian Ballet). She also became

Miss Sabina (BA, MA)

Teacher

Teacher

Teacher

Miss Stephanie believes play and exploration are the foundation for skill building for the littlest dancers, and emphasizes the importance of a proper dance education that is age and developmentally appropriate. For this reason, she has researched, attended various professional development courses, and developed the "Play Inspired Framework for Teaching Preschool Dance", which truly makes the Preschool Dance Program at ESD unique from all other dance studios in the city of Calgary. It is her goal to create a dance school where all dancers feel valued, respected and safe.

Miss Stephanie is also a mom to 4 young children... some of them aspiring dancers!

Miss Leah (Associate Diploma CC - CICB, AISTD, TTP Dip (NBS), BFA Dance, PBT)

Teacher

Miss Leah began her dance career at a young age competing extensively in ballet and pointe. She completed all of the Advanced Cecchetti exams as well as advanced exams in RAD ballet and ISTD for National Dance. In 2015, Leah graduated from Canada’s National Ballet School’s Teacher Training Program in Toronto where she attained her teaching diploma, her Associate with Cecchetti Canada and her Associate with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. In 2016, Leah completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University where she specialized in dance education. As her Senior Project in her final year at York U, she completed a two hundred page booklet focusing on training elements that dancers require to successfully complete all of their Cecchetti examinations. Leah was a member of the Ontario Cecchetti Canada Committee for eight years before her move to Calgary.   Leah has spent the last fifteen years preparing her dancers to perform award winning ballet and pointe choreography at competitions across North America.