FACULTY

From a young age, Jessica knew that dance would be one of the most influential aspects of her life. She began dancing at the age of 3 and has trained extensively in ballet, tap, jazz, acrobatics, lyrical, contemporary, modern, musical theatre, and national dance. One of her proudest accomplishments as a dancer was achieving candidacy for the prestigious Solo Seal Award through the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD).

Jessica is a graduate of the Teacher Training Program at Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) as part of a Joint Diploma/Degree Program with York University. This program allowed Jessica to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Honours in Dance Education, as well as an NBS Teaching Diploma and Registered Teacher Status with the RAD.

In addition, Jessica is a Member of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD) in Acrobatics/Gymnastics & Stage (Jazz & Tap) and is an Associate of the RAD. She is also Module Two certified with Acrobatic Arts and Alixa Flexibility and is a Level 2 certified teacher in C-I Training™ (conditioning-with-imagery). Moreover, Jessica has received training through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), through which she is a Level 2 trained coach in Trampoline and a Level 1 trained coach in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics.

Though passionate about teaching, Jessica also loves to perform and is becoming increasingly involved in the tap dance community. She is an original member of The Rhythm Ensemble, which is a pre-professional tap dance company run under the direction of Juliana Kelly. Being a part of this company has provided Jessica with valuable training, as well as numerous performance opportunities, including a full program entitled First Steps. She has also trained with the Toronto Rhythm Initiative, produced by Allison Toffan and Juliana Kelly, and has had the honour of performing pieces choreographed by Danny Nielsen, Joseph Wiggan, and Sarah Savelli. She also participated in Rhythm & Sound’s apprenticeship program under the direction of Johnathan Morin and Cori Giannotta and had the privilege of performing in their shows A Night Out and [Cinq]opation. Most recently, Jessica travelled to Valley Cottage, New York to participate in Heather Cornell’s Tap Labs with a focus on creating and composing in collaboration with guitarist Tony Romano. She has since continued to train with Heather Cornell online to learn Eddie Brown’s Lost Routines. Jessica is eager to continue learning, growing, and sharing in the tap dance community!

Jessica believes in fostering a safe learning environment where dancers can feel confident in expressing themselves through movement. She is proud to be a member of the Center Stage team and share her passion for dancing with her students.