MEET THE DIRECTOR
Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Emma began dancing at the age of three and quickly found her passion. Throughout her career, she has competed nationally across Canada and the U.S., completed RAD and Vaganova ballet exams, and performed in the On The Floor Gala for Sick Kids. Recently, she has been focusing on her love for education and choreography.
Emma holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Studies from Brock University, where she was a key member of the Edge Dance Team, choreographing and competing in university competitions across Ontario. Inspired by her experiences, she founded NEXT GEN Dance Intensive, a summer workshop connecting young dancers with emerging teachers and choreographers. Emma is also a proud member of the Professional Adjudicator's Alliance and will be judging at various competitions across Canada during the 2024/2025 dance season.
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Emma believes deeply in the power of young people and is passionate about inspiring and empowering the next generation of dancers to reach their full potential both on and off the dance floor.
lONDON Faculty
Lauren baseggio
Lauren’s love for dance started at a very young age. She trained at Burlington Dance Academy and continued her dance training throughout University. She joined Western’s HEAT Dance Team in her first year and was a captain in her fourth year. Lauren has graduated with distinction from Western University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Dance. She now attends Western University’s Faculty of Education. Lauren takes great pride in being a dance teacher at Dance Essence. She is thankful that both HEAT and Dance Essence have allowed her to grow as a choreographer with many of her pieces being recognized for excellence in choreography and going on to win overall awards and scholarships. Lauren danced in the Cumulo music video for SHEBAD, choreographed by The Normal People Collective. She was also a part of RAM, a 40 minute dance piece performed at the London Fringe Festival, choreographed by Alli Robb. Lauren hopes to continue to learn and grow as an artist, as well as help teach and inspire the next generation of dancers.
Zoe holliday
Zoë Holliday (she/her) is currently a student at Western University studying Medical Biophysics while completing a minor in Dance. Here, she is a part of HEAT Dance Team, where she not only continues to foster her love of dance performance, but has also developed an interest in choreography. In her work, she enjoys exploring the physics of movement and how external forces can shape the way we dance. This is evident in her upcoming pieces “Gravity Falls” and “Ur Magnetic“, as well as a recent paper regarding the implications of angular acceleration to turning in a dance setting. While choreography is now an emerging passion for Zoë, performance continues to be her greatest love. Having trained in a wide variety of styles from a young age at Jo Read Dance, where she now continues to teach, Zoë has performed on platforms ranging from a competitive stage to festivals, and even to film. Zoë has held the greatest fondness for contemporary dance, and has furthered her training through various intensives and workshops such as the RUBBERBAND Summer Intensive, Boundless Experience, Ignite Movement Lab, The Workshop Series Vol.2, and number of masterclasses where she has been exposed to Crystal Pite and Ballet Jazz Montréal repertoire. Moreover, she was lucky enough to be a part of the creation process of Emily Spearing’s “This Is A Lie” and has also performed in SPIRITBOX’s Ultraviolet music video. More recently, Zoë is grateful to have worked closely with incredible choreographers such as Tyler Hutchings in both his full-length show “Whole New World” and the “Solar Fusion Showcase”, where she also worked with Taylor Collis and Normal People Collective.
Amy is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer who began her dance journey at the age of 3. She started training competitively at 8 years old at Canadian Dance Unit, where she trained in a wide range of styles, including jazz, tap, ballet, hip hop, acro, contemporary, modern, lyrical, and ballroom. Amy’s passion for dance led her to join Western University’s top competitive team, Heat Dance Team, where she eventually had the opportunity to become one the team’s captain. During her time with Heat, Amy discovered a deep love for choreographing and has since received numerous choreography awards for her work from prestigious judges at highly regarded competitions. In addition, Amy teaches at multiple dance studios in London, where she trains competitive young dancers, many of whom have gained recognition at regional and national competitions. Amy has also had the opportunity to choreograph for London's professional basketball team’s dance squad and has participated in several professional-level dance performances. Having trained and worked alongside many renowned choreographers, Amy remains passionate about expanding her expertise and continuing to influence the dance community.
amy mccloskey
alice sutherland
Alice is a dancer and choreographer from Chatham, Ontario. She has been training and competing since the age of 5 and choreographing since age 14. Alice grew up at Pure Dance Academy training in ballet, tap, contemporary, jazz and hiphop. Throughout high school Alice was a dedicated member of the Chatham Kent Secondary School competitive dance team where she found her love for choreography. She was captain of the dance team and received numerous awards for her competitive performances and choreography, as well as for her commitment to leadership of the dance program. She returns to her high school multiple times a year as a guest artist to lead contemporary workshops for the curricular dance course students. Currently, Alice is completing her undergraduate degree in kinesiology at Brock University. She is a dedicated member of Edge Dance Team, becoming a captain this season. Alice collaborates with her lovely teammates to continue to dance, choreograph, and compete at the varsity level. Alice is beyond excited to share her love for dance at NEXT GEN! Watch her work here!
myranda richards
Myranda began her dance journey at the age of three, exploring a wide array of styles, including contemporary, jazz, lyrical, ballet, acro, open, and hip hop. Her competitive career took off at the age of seven, and she has been on this exciting path ever since. She developed a passion for choreography in high school, where she began creating pieces for her school’s dance showcase. This passion continued into her post-secondary dance journey, where she expanded her creative expression. Currently in her third year with This is London Dance Company, Myranda has had the privilege of choreographing a variety of pieces, ranging from small groups to extended lines, across multiple dance styles. She thrives in the creative process and is equally passionate about performing alongside talented dancers, continuously learning and growing from every experience. Throughout her career, she has been honored to receive choreography awards at several prestigious competitions. Myranda loves teaching combo classes, where she experiments with blending different genres to create dynamic and unique movement. She truly cherishes the opportunity to share her love for dance and collaborate with others. Her competition experience spans across Canada and the USA, and she has had the incredible opportunity to perform internationally in both England and France. Watch her work here!
BURLINGTON Faculty
HAILEY GOULART
Hailey, a 20-year-old Toronto based-dancer, began her dance training at the age of three, at the Ontario School of Ballet in the heart of Toronto. With expertise in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, and ballroom, Hailey has competed for over 18 years, earning recognition as a multi-title-winning dancer across Ontario. Currently serving as an assistant captain of the University of Toronto Varsity Dance Team for a second year, Hailey is both a dancer and a choreographer for the six-time award-winning team. Her choreography for groups, duets, trios, and solos, has won multiple awards at competitions across the GTA and has been featured at studios throughout the entirety of Ontario. Beyond competitive dance, Hailey has performed at Toronto’s Rogers Centre for Bollywood star Diljit Dosanjh’s Illumination Tour 2024 as a main dancer. She has also appeared as a background dancer for Toronto-based artist Quarterback Baby, in the music video Cheerleader. With additional experience as a model for several Toronto-based companies, Hailey combines her love for all arts, seeking to inspire audiences and young dancers with artistry and creativity. Watch her work here!
daija mason
Starting at the age of five, Daijahmar has trained in many styles of dance, including Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, and Ballet. Training at Canadian Dance Company, Daijahmar was able to broaden his dance experience through extensive competitive dance training with notable choreographers such as, Allain Lupien, Kirsten Russell, Jade Whitney, Andrew Insanally, Isaac Lupien, and more. Upon graduating in 2018, Daijahmar has since competed alongside Brock University's competitive dance team, acquiring multiple choreography and special awards. Daijahmar has now become an up and coming choreographer, teacher, and dancer that dances alongside the Raptors 905, while teaching around the GTA and Niagara Region. Daijahmar continues to strive towards his goal of a professional career in dance by continuing his training through various dance teams, drop in classes, and providing his dance knowledge to younger dancers. Watch his work here!
tatum armstrong
Bio coming soon!
julia araujo
Julia is an award winning dancer and choreographer, having danced competitively for over 15 years under a number of distinguished teachers across a variety of genres. Being able to diversify her training allowed for her to grow her passion, as well as lead her to continue to teach and dance post secondary at a high level. She began choreographing competitively at the young age of 16, and has been recognized for her innovative ideas. Julia graduated with a dance major from a Regional Arts Secondary Program, where she was class representative for a number of years. She was the recipient of the Choreographer Scholarship at graduation and received the Spirit of Dance Award throughout her time in high school. Post-secondary, Julia pursued her love for dance at Brock University, where she was a founder and captain of the EDGE Dance Team. In this leadership role, she choreographed and danced at the varsity level, continuing to share her passion among a group of talented dancers. Julia is very excited to share her love for dance with others, and continue to grow her passion. Watch her work here!
rian schure
Rian has been a dedicated and hardworking dancer since the age of 2. She is trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, lyrical, tap, hip hop, and improv, having completed her dance training at Pure Rhythm Dance Company. Now residing in Toronto, she is currently a member of the six-peat university winning team, University of Toronto Dance Team. She has had the opportunity to expand her choreography journey on this team, as well as being a guest choreographer at her home studio, being awarded choreography awards respectively. She also attended an audition based arts highschool, where she majored in dance. She had the opportunity to participate and choreograph in professional-level dance performances as well as musicals. She has worked with several professional choreographers, directors, and vocal instructors to expand her craft and training in the arts. Rian continues to train and hopes to motivate and inspire others, just as she is inspired by the talent surrounding her. Watch her work here!
paige kossel
Paige is a dancer and teacher who grew up in Mississauga, Ontario. Paige has been dancing since the age of two and trained competitively at Marie Ann Longlade School of Dance and learned jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary and lyrical. Paige has completed all levels of CDTA Tap, ballet and jazz exams. Paige has competed her whole life at competitions in Ontario as well as the United States receiving numerous awards and scholarships for her dancing. Paige graduated from secondary school with a dance major from the regional arts program. Paige continued her dancing in post-secondary and was one of the founders and captains of EDGE dance team at Brock University, where she competed at Canada-wide varsity level dance competitions. Paige is very grateful to continue dancing while at university and is excited to grow as a dancer and choreographer!
alex rechichi
Alex is a third year and captain on the McMaster competitive dance team. She loves exploring her own creativity through choreography. She loves lyrical and jazz and is super excited to be part of the NEXT GEN Dance Intensive! Watch her work here!
