Miss. Christine Slaymaker – Studio Owner
Miss. Christine is more than thrilled to be entering her sixth exciting season as the Owner of Dance Magic Studio. With over 22 years experience, Christine’s training has taken her throughout Alberta and Canada. She is Cecchetti Ballet certified up to and including the Advanced level and has spent summers training with the Alberta Ballet School and Banff Center for the Arts. Her professional experience includes Modern dance projects throughout Toronto and a season with Ballet British Columbia’s Mentor program in Vancouver, BC. Christine has also completed contracts with Jean Ann Ryan Productions, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Silver Sea Cruises where she performed as a dancer on cruise ships. In her free time, Christine also enjoys teaching and training as a Stott Certified Pilates instructor and is now entering her 7th year as a Certified instructor.
Christine was very excited to expand the studios locations last year to both South and North Red Deer. She is incredibly proud to be a part of such a dynamic and talented team of instructors and staff. The studio has become a place where families can come to nurture, grow and foster and child’s artistic development in both Dance and Music! ~ Dream It, Believe It, Achieve It!
I look forward to sharing another incredibly rewarding year with the dancers, musicians, teachers and parents of Dance Magic Studio.
Our Dance Instructors!
Miss. Mia Husted, Office Manager
Once again Miss Mia is very excited for this upcoming year of dance, there isn’t anything she would rather be doing! This will be her seventh year as a teacher and sixth year as the studio’s office manager. She has taken classes in Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Tap and Modern. She loves every one of the dancers and enjoys getting to know their families. When Miss Mia is not at the studio (which isn’t very often) she is pursuing her interest in photography and travel.
Miss. Jody Liptak
Jody has been a Red Deer resident for 34 years. She has trained competitively in the disciplines of Tap, Jazz, Highland, Lyrical and Musical Theatre. She was also a big part of “Kompany” professional dance in her years of training and performing in the Red Deer area. Miss Jody is very proud to be a part of Dance Magic for her 15th year and hopes to bring energy, love and enthusiasm to her students and their families.
Miss. Jennifer Pfaff
Jen has made dance a part of her life for 23 years. Growing up, she danced competitively in disciplines of tap, jazz, ballet and lyrical. As well as being a dance teacher, Jen is a full time school teacher. She teaches grade 4 in Sylvan Lake at C.P. Blakely Elementary School. For the past ten years Miss Jen has shared her love of dance with her students at Dance Magic. She and her husband Chris are very excited to be welcoming a new addition to her family this Fall.
Miss. Robin Rehill
This is Miss Robin’s ninth year with Dance Magic. She enjoys sharing her love of dance with her students and attending workshops and conventions to keep updated and current with all her dance techniques. Miss Robin choreographed the hip-hop number for the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Alberta Summer Games in Red Deer. She is looking forward to another wonderful year with Dance Magic Studio.
Miss. Janelle Sullivan
Janelle has been with Dance Magic for 15 years. Throughout that period she has taken part in jazz, hip hop, tap and musical theatre classes. She has been an assistant for 14 of her 15 years of dance and is extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with her wonderful dancers again this year. She is very proud to be a part of Dance Magic and is looking forward to another year of dance!
Miss. Ashlea Kooman
Miss Ashlea Loves to dance! Dance has been a part of her life for the past 21 years, offering opportunities to both compete and take part in performing companies. Ashlea has trained in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Lyrical, Tap and Hip Hop. She enjoys trying many new styles of dance, and sharing them with her students, be they young or old! Miss Ashlea hopes that she can pass on her passion and enthusiasm for dance, and encourage her students to explore their creativity. She currently resides in Red Deer, Alberta, with her husband and two boys.
Miss. Kaylah Gastrell
This dance season will be Kaylah’s 18th year at Dance Magic Studio. She has been teaching jazz for seven years and hip hop for six years. She has enjoyed dancing, assisting and teaching in jazz, jazz-ballet, all boys jazz funk, lyrical, hip hop, tap and musical theatre classes for thirteen years. Kaylah is a Registered Nurse working in a Rural Acute Care and Emergency setting as well as Public Health Nursing in Red Deer. She is very excited to be a part of Dance Magic studio again this year!
Miss. Angela Kozlowski
This is Miss Ang’s third year of teaching dance! She is very excited to be on board with Miss Christine and all the other amazing teachers at Dance Magic. She looks forward to getting to know her dancers and their families again this year. Miss Ang is passionate for dance and has been involved in tap and jazz since she was five years old. She thinks dancing is not only a great way to stay healthy and to make friends, but she also thinks that movin’ and groovin’ is a great way to express yourself! She hopes to learn and grow with all the students and teachers this year and can’t wait to meet you!
Miss. Lacey Sather
This is Miss Lacey’s third year teaching at Dance Magic. Lacey was in dance for 14 years and has experience both competitive and non competitive in many different styles of dance. She recently completed her Bachelor of Education and has been working as an elementary school teacher for the past year. Lacey is really looking forward to being a part of Dance Magic again this year!
Miss. Stacey Neisner
Stacey has been a Red Deer resident for the past year. She is excited and looking forward to her second year teaching with Dance Magic Studio. Stacey has been an instructor for the past 11 years and there is nothing she loves to do more! She began dancing at the age of 8 training in jazz, ballet, lyrical, tap, and hip hop. Stacey’s favorite part of teaching is getting to know her students and that special spark that makes each and every one of them unique!
Miss. Kayla Dean
This is Miss Kayla’s second year teaching with us. She is very excited to be part of the Dance Magic team! Growing up, she danced here at Dance Magic in tap, jazz, hip hop and lyrical. Tap has always been Miss Kayla’s favourite. Besides teaching dance this year, Miss Kayla is also a school teacher. This will be her fourth year teaching Grade 3 from Oriole Park School in Red Deer. Miss Kayla is very excited to get to know all of her dancers, and is looking forward to a wonderful year!
Miss. Kirstin Hansen
This is Miss Kirstin’s second year of teaching at Dance Magic and she is very excited to join the team! Growing up she trained in ballet and jazz andhas participated in many musical theater productions in her hometown of Saskatoon. As well as being a dance teacher, Kirstin is a part time French Immersion Kindergarten teacher at Mountview Elementary School and a mother to four beautiful children.
Miss. Amy Cozens
Miss Amy is excited to be entering her second year teaching with Dance Magic Studio and she cannot wait to get to know more of the wonderful dancers and parents of our program. With over 7 years of teaching experience in both competitive and recreational classes Miss Amy has been dancing since the very young age of 3 training in Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Lyrical. Miss Amy’s professional experience includes a year training with “Kompany” where she enjoyed the performance opportunities she was given and also the many ways she was able to grow as a dancer. When she is not at the studio, Miss Amy can be found spending time with her three year old daughter, often dancing and singing the day away!
Miss. Teneal Dutrisac
Miss Teneal has grown up and lived in Red Deer her whole life and is very proud to say she’s been dancing with Dance Magic since she was three years old! During her time with Dance Magic, she has practiced mostly jazz and hip hop, with contemporary following close behind, along with tap and musical theatre. She believes dance is not only a way to have fun and keep active, but to express emotions, character and most importantly, your true self! As a new member of the office team and spending the 2010-11 season as a junior instructor, Miss Teneal is very excited to continue working with Dance Magic for the 2011-12 dance year! Seeing both familiar faces and new ones from week to week is always the highlight of Miss Teneal’s day!
Miss. Anna Husted
Miss Anna fell in love with dance 14 years ago, when she started dancing at age three with Dance Magic Studio. Throughout these years, she has taken classes in Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Tap and Contemporary, and has enjoyed all of them. The dance studio has always been a place she loved to be, because of great friendships, inspiring instructors, and the thrill of dancing. She is extremely proud to have spent her last year as a part of the Dance Magic Team, and a Junior Teacher. Miss Anna is so excited for the upcoming year with all the enthusiastic new and returning dancers!
Miss. Jessica Samaroden
This is Miss Jessica’s second year teaching with Dance Magic Studio. She has been dancing for 7 years, training mainly in the areas of Hip Hop and Breakdancing. Jessica is also apart of the performing group called GX Canada. She feels fortunate to have the opportunity to perform and tour with the amazing dancers and individuals connected to the group. Jessica continues to further her skills as a dancer and instructor by attending workshops and B-boy/B-girl competitions (also known as break competitions). Miss Jessica is looking forward to sharing her passion for dance with the students and their families in this upcoming year at Dance Magic Studio.
Miss. Carlyn Lapointe
Miss. Carlyn has grown up and lived in Red Deer her entire life; dancing has been a part of her life since the age of three! She has danced competitively for 13 years including disciplines of Tap, Jazz, Ballet, and Hip Hop. Along with dance she also has a passion for cheerleading. She is currently a panel judge for the Alberta Cheerleading Association as well as a cheerleading and tumbling coach. She is currently in the Bachelor of Education program at RDC. Miss. Carlyn is incredibly excited to be teaching dance this year and looks forward to getting to know her students and families in the weeks ahead!
Miss Sonja Nome
Miss Sonja is very excabout to be joining the Dance Magic Team this year!! “It is so rewarding to see the dance students progress throughout the years. I always thought dance was just a hobby of mine but I’ve realized it has played a much bigger part in my life. Dance has been a way to meet life-long friends; grow personally through discipline; present yourself with confidence; convey emotion; and live a healthy lifestyle”. Sonja has studied nearly all forms of dance but some of her training highlights include; ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre, hip hop and lyrical. Following 14 years of competitive dancing, Sonja decided to begin teaching and three years later, she had to give up the “Miss Sonja” title in an effort to complete her degree in Commerce. Miss Sonja is very excited to be teaching again this year and can hardly wait to engagie with all of Dance Magics’ fun-loving and passionate students!
Miss Tanya Dmytryshyn
Miss Tanya is so excited to be joining the Dance Magic Team this year! She has been dancing competitively since the age of 2 1/2 in a variety of disciplines including Tap, Hip Hop, Jazz, Lyrical and Celtic. She has taught and performed competitive dance for the past 10 yrs. Miss Tanya attends regular workshops to ensure that she keeps her techniques up to date. She was one of the dancers chosen to dance in Alberta Summer Games in Red Deer in 2006 and also qualified for the Calgary Stampede Talent search for a number of years. She is so excited to share her love and enthusiasm for dance with all her students.
Our Music Teaching Staff!
Miss. Karen Kinley -Voice, Piano & Musical Magic
Karen Kinley is a singer/songwriter, who studied Music at Grant MacEwan
University, majoring in Comprehensive Voice. During her high school days, Karen taught voice and piano lessons, while singing in her church’s choir alongside her mom. Ms. Kinley’s musical gifts were passed down from both her parents’ sides of the family from a music teacher/choir director to a self taught banjo player. Karen’svoice matured from a children’s choir sound into a power house, giving her the nick name ‘pipes’. After Ms. Kinley graduated from the comprehensive music program at Grant
MacEwan, she moved back home, to Red Deer, to teach voice and piano lessons. Her passion for music and children are a perfect combination for her future goals.
Ms. Rhonda Pigott – Piano
As a piano teacher, Rhonda loves to teach students of all ages and at all stages. She strongly believes that music should always be fun while learning the skills and techniques with the high standards required to develop a lifelong love of music. Trained in piano in Vancouver, by Royal Conservatory of Music teachers, she has been teaching since 80’s and ran her own studio in the Okanagan for over 20 years. She has developed courses for pre-piano skills for preschoolers, a five lesson intro to music course and a fun way to teach theory. She is keen to work with young composers in private or group lessons. Rhonda has a history of working in all genres of piano.
In her spare time she can be found in a Tai Chi class, volunteering with various organizations, Scottish country dancing, or exploring the landscape with her camera around her neck. She is definitely an animal lover and over the years has raised miniature horses and large Bouviers.
Rhonda is looking forward to sharing her love of music with her students as part of the DANCE MAGIC STUDIO – Where Everyone’s A Star!.
Tyler Juell – Guitar
Music has been a part of Tyler’s life for the past 15 years. He started playing music and taking formal piano lessons at the age of 7, he later picked up the guitar and has now been playing for over 10 years. Tyler is originally from a small town in Saskatchewan called Maple Creek and has recently moved to Red Deer where he is attending Bible College at the Word of Life Centre. Tyler is also experienced in playing the drums, bass, and vocals. He believes in music education and therefore continues to study guitar under Cory Bitner of Calgary. His aspiration is to study guitar and music Composition at Grant Macewan University in Edmonton. Tyler has a desire for young musicians to excel in their musical giftings and is excited to teach students the fundamentals and beyond for acoustic, lead electric and Rhythm electric guitar.
Natalia Gorbunova – Guitar
Natalia has been a Canadian resident for the past three years and is happy to reside in Red Deer with her husband and two young boys. Natalia started playing guitar at the age of 12 when she began taking formal lessons at a local Musical School in Russia. Always fond of Classical Music, Natalia’s desire was to play the Classical Guitar. There she studied for 4 years until pursuing University to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher. While in school, she continued to study with privately in guitar lessons. She eventually expanded her repertoire to new styles of music by joining a local Rock Band. Natalia began teaching guitar lessons shortly after graduating from University. Together with some of the other school teachers Natalia organized a School Band where students and teachers could try themselves as musicians and singers, in turn taking part in various local performances. In her free time, Natalia also enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending quality time with her family and two young boys. Natalia is thrilled to be joining the Dance Magic team this year and is looking forward to meeting all of her students!
Chad Gillies – Guitar
Bio coming soon!
Debora Alexandre – Guitar & Piano (photo coming soon)
Music has always been of great importance to Debora. She began taking lessons in piano at a very young age and eventually took up Guitar lessons as a teen. Debora has completed her Royal Conservatory Exams in Guitar up to and including the Grade 7 level as well as Grade 10 in Piano RCM and nearly all of the ARCT. Debora has been teaching music lessons for the past 12 years and is excited to be joining the Dance Magic team this year. Her teaching experience includes all types of music including folk, rhythm, rock, heavy metal, bass guitar and classical guitar! Debora also has experience as a flutist in a Community Band, bass and snare drums in the RCR, pipes, banjo, ukulele and mandolin.
“I aspire to teach each and every student to the best of my abilities. My goal is to give each student the ability to play their instrument as well as instil in them a love of music and the desire to continue learning and growing as an artist”. – Debora Alexandre
