Heather Kirkland has been teaching dance in the Vancouver and Burnaby districts since 2003. Her early training included the Royal Acadaemy of Dance ballet technique and examinations and later Cecchetti technique and modern dance at Arts Umbrella. She graduated from the Performance Intensive program at Maindance and then moved to Toronto where she completed the training program at the school of Toronto Dance theatre. Later she studied as a dance/ theatre apprentice with Jumpstart Performance Company. Before discovering teaching Heather could be found on stage in Toronto and Vancouver in productions such as 12 min max, Dancing on the edge and The Kiss Project. Now she is thoroughly enjoying sharing her love of dance through teaching and choreography in both ballet and modern dance forms. In her classes Heather encourages artistic expression and musicality while working with students on good healthy alignment and technique. She aims to cultivate a supportive environment where creativity can flourish regardless of your level of experience.
Professional Dance Coach, Choreographer, Motivator, Entertainer, Actor, stage Producer and Director, with 25 years of extensive experienced in Dance, Musical Theatre and TV & Film. His dance styles include: Jazz, Hip-Hop, Funk, Swing, Ballroom and Latin.
Gustavo’s training began in San Francisco California at the City College arts program and then to Calgary, Alberta with the Young Canadians school of Performing arts. He is the creator of Latin Funk Dance®, a popular fun, high energy dance program he brought to Vancouver in 96, becoming the first and the most popular Latin Fusion dance program in the city. Recently Gustavo has created a new exciting dance program called” Groovazon” a Funky groove Jazzy dance style.
Gustavo was one the Dancers featured in the 2010 Olympic opening ceremonies and has appeared in numerous television and radio shows as well as newspaper and magazine articles. Gustavo created and appeared in his own morning TV dance fitness show on Vancouver’s Channel 8 televised all over Canada, USA and Europe. Gustavo also created an instructional Latin Funk Dance DVD sold in North America and Europe. He is the Director and Choreographer of his own dance company called The Corazon Dancers.
Gustavo has appeared in numerous TV commercials for “Boost”, “Coke zero” and “Corona” as a principal dancer and TV shows like “Beyond” and “Legion” as an Actor.
Cora began her dance training at the Coast Academy of Dance at the age of three. She has trained extensively in ballet, tap, modern, jazz, contemporary, and hip-hop. She has completed numerous examinations in the Imperial Society of Teacher’s of Dance (ISTD) syllabi in Tap and Ballet. Cora has also completed all the ISTD Modern Theatre exams from Grade 1 to Advanced 2, receiving a mark of distinction at each level.
Not only have Cora’s performance qualities and technical skills been recognized in numerous awards, but also her kindness and generosity of character. She has been the recipient of multiple dance awards and scholarships including the Sunshine Coast Dance Society’s Lois Smith Ballet Award, the Baris Foundation’s Award for Modern Dance, and the Baris Foundation’s Dance Discipline Scholarship.
At 17, Cora graduated from the Coast Academy of Dance’s three-year Pre-Professional Program, culminating in the receival of her ISTD Associate in Modern Theatre. She was hired for the 2017/2018 season as the studio’s youngest instructor, enabling her to share her love for dance with preschoolers, teens, and adults.
Cora’s foundational ballet technique quickly led her to fall in love with barre fitness. Only a year after trying her first class, Cora received the International Ballet Barre Fitness Association’s (IBBFA) Barre Certification – Fundamentals of Barre Technique and is now a qualified instructor.
Cora’s classes are energetic and light-hearted, with a focus on performance, encouraging her students to develop their individual style in an inclusive, supportive, and fun-loving environment.