Our Team
Talia belzil - ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, AIDT JAZZ TECH EXAMS, JAZZ, BALLET
SONJA JENSEN - ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, BALLET, CONTEMPORARY
Miss Sonja and Miss Talia grew up as great friends through dance. They both have an extensive background in RAD and Vaganova Ballet. Their love of dance brought them both to careers in performing and instructing. Miss Sonja took the classical ballet route enrolling in the teacher’s training program at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and furthering her studies with the Royal Academy of Dancing curriculum. Miss Sonja’s innovative choreography was recognized with many awards and scholarships throughout the years, giving her the opportunity to study with the renowned Judith Marcusse and David Earl.
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Miss Talia decided to focus on jazz and entered into the Association of International Dance Teachers instructor qualification program and graduated with Honours with Distinction. Miss Talia looks forward to furthering her education by training for the AIDT Membership exam. Miss Talia has had the pleasure of watching several of her accomplished students successfully compete at provincial and national levels. Highlights of Miss Talia’s dance education have been studying with the late Ellen Andrews and Al Gilbert.
Having both studied and instructed at Victoria’s Ballet School it was only natural for them to purchase the studio when the opportunity presented itself. They were not new to working together, having joined forces on past productions and events. However their first collaboration came in January 2005. After seeing the devastation in Southeast Asia's earthquake and subsequent tsunami, they decided to rally the dance community for support and put together a dance concert to benefit those who had lost so much. Bringing together over 25 local dance studios and hundreds of dancers, an incredible display of local talent was presented and over $7500 was raised and donated to the tsunami victims.
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Miss Sonja and Miss Talia are excited about the future of Essence of Dance, and bring that enthusiasm with them to the studio everyday. They have created a fun family like atmosphere at the studio where it is common to see interaction between the senior students and beginners. Miss Talia and Miss Sonja love giving their students the opportunity to grow as dancers. What better way to experience this than travel. Miss Talia and Miss Sonja have arranged for dancers to take classes at the Cuban National Ballet School in Havana, The Hawaii State Ballet School, The Edge Performing Arts Centre in Hollywood, The Martha Graham Studio of Contemporary Dance in New York City, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York City and Broadway's Dance Centre in New York City. Miss Talia and Miss Sonja have arranged workshops with the Cast Members of Broadways Lion King both in New York City and at Essence, with some of Disney's top choreographers in Disneylands Magic Kingdom, the Cast Members from Wicked and some of So You Think You Can Dance's All Stars. Performance wise Miss Talia and Miss Sonja have taken Essence Dancers to perform on Cruise Ships, in Disneyland and in Cuba.
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They hope to install a passion and love of dance that will last a lifetime. Miss Talia and Miss Sonja continue to study and upgrade their training in order to give their students the best possible instruction for their advancement in dance.
julia colton - pre professional half day program, ballet, pointe
Miss Julia began dancing at the age of 3 and her training includes ballet, modern, neo classical, lyrical jazz and flamenco. With the completion of all major R.A.D. examinations, Julia continued on to receive her Solo Seal Award. Her summers were spent in Seattle on scholarship, attending The Pacific Northwest Ballet School Summer Intensives studying the Balanchine Technique. A strong passion for dance led Julia to Toronto where she graduated from The National Ballet School of Canada’s post secondary program. While there, she had the pleasure of working with known choreographers James Kedelka, Lindsay Fischer and the late Rudi van Dantzig. Julia’s professional career has taken her all over the world including Beijing and Shanghai China, where she performed Esmeralda and Don Quixote grande pas de deux. In Canada, Julia danced with the National Ballet of Canada, The Ottmann Viennese Dance Ensemble and the Vancouver Goh Ballet Youth Company. Most recently she performed as a Soloist with "Move: the company" touring and performing throughout BC and at the Bangkok International Festival of Dance and Music in Bangkok, Thailand.
reid colton - ballet, point, PAS DE DEUX
Mr. Reid is currently residing in Langley and teaches at various studios in the lower mainland area. Reid specializes in teaching Mens/Womens Ballet Technique, Men’s Variations and pas de deux.
Reid began training with Philip Fuller in Los Angeles at the age of 8. As a student at the Idyllwild Arts Academy, he attended summer sessions on scholarship with ABT, San Francisco Ballet and the Royal Ballet. He received a scholarship to the post secondary program of Canada’s National Ballet School, where he studied with Lindsay Fischer and had a brand new work choreographed on him by James Kudelka. Reid represented NBS in an international showcase, dancing the late Rudi van Danzig’s "Third Song" at the Stuttgart Ballet.
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Upon graduating from the post secondary dance program, Reid joined Ballet West and performed ballets such as "Giselle", "Sleeping Beauty" and Balanchine’s "Stars and Stripes". In 2008, Reid joined The Orlando Ballet and danced roles in Fernando Bujones’ "Don Quixote", and Robert Hill’s "Le Corsaire".
christina hebner - AIDT JAZZ TECH EXAMS, JAZZ, LYRICAL, MUSICAL THEATRE
Christina has had a passion for dance since the very young age of three. From her very first dance class at CentreStage, who would have thought Christina would have gone from jumping around as tigger in "Winnie the Pooh" to dancing professionally on a cruise ship sailing around the Caribbean. During her 18 years of dance, Christina has enjoyed learning ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, modern, and hip hop from CentreStage Dance, Harbour Dance Centre, and numerous conventions, such as Mr. Yuval Beck’s tap and jazz workshops, Triple Threat, and LA Danceforce, where she won her first scholarship at the age of 12. Christina has shown a wonderful flare for the Performing Arts over the past years at competitions all around the Lower Mainland.
Christina has completed her Advanced AIDT exams in both jazz and tap with high marks. She recently completed her Advanced Associates in the jazz teachers program receiving Honours with Distinction.
Over the past 14 years Christina has successfully attended many auditions and performed for numerous choreographers from around the world. Dancing for the Vancouver Ravens was her first professional job and she stayed with them during their 2002 and 2003 seasons, in which she performed for a T.V. special on MTV Canada. Christina then went on to dance for the BC Lions Dance team, and on The Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines where she worked with renowned choreographers Jeremy Plumber (LA) and Sarah Davies (England). Over the past few years Christina has dedicated her time to her students all over the lower mainland. Her routines have done extremely well in competitions and festivals, receiving "high score" and "choreography" awards.
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Christina continues to share her talents with all her students that she enjoys working with so much.
HEATHER DAVIES - VAGANOVA BALLET EXAMS, POINTE
Miss Heather, originally a resident of Surrey B.C., spent 8 years pursuing her passion for dance in Ontario. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts (Honours) focusing on choreography and dance education from York University as well as her Bachelors of Education from the University of Ottawa. She worked as a ballet teacher and choreographer while in Ottawa and taught recreational and competitive classes for all ages. Heather’s choreography varies from classical to contemporary and meets her student’s technical needs and skill levels. Her dancers have received top marks and special awards at competitions and dance exams.
Heather’s knowledge of ballet is diverse and includes training in Vaganova, Cecchetti and R.A.D. methods as well as training in kinesiology and dance injury prevention. She is always eager to upgrade her skills and continues to train as a dancer and certified Vaganova ballet teacher (The Society of Russian Ballet). Since returning to B.C. in 2013 Heather has been teaching at various locations in the lower mainland, to children of all ages, where she focuses on training strong, healthy dancers.
sarah keen - jazz, tap, lyrical, musical theatre
Miss Sarah has had the passion and drive for dance since the age of 6. She started with tap and progressed into adding jazz, ballet, musical theatre, lyrical, hip hop and modern. Sarah has completed her AIDT tap and jazz exams, finishing both with Honors with Distinction.
Throughout her dance training, Sarah competed in many competition and dance festivals. She has competed all throughout the lower mainland and in Los Angeles, receiving numerous high score medals in solos, duos and groups. Sarah has attended many dance conventions in BC learning from top choreographers from around the world. In 2001, she received a scholarship for her hard work and performance ability. A year later, at the same convention, she was selected out of hundreds of dancers and awarded for her outstanding abilities.
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Over the past few years, Sarah has dedicated her time to her students all over the lower mainland. Her choreography has done extremely well in competitions and festivals, receiving "High Score" and "Choreography" awards.
For the 2010 Opening Olympic Ceremonies, Sarah was one of the talented dancers chosen to perform in the opening tap number! Sarah has taken in the experiences and opportunities given to her and is excited to share them with her students.
kaylie nelson - ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern/contemporary
Miss Kaylie began her dancing career at the young age of 3 years old. When she joined Victoria’s Ballet School, now known as Essence of Dance, she was thrilled to have found a place to not only receive excellent training - but a place to call home. Miss Kaylie has been trained in many forms of dance including ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern/contemporary, hip hop, and musical theatre. She has also completed her AIDT Jazz exams and received Honours with Distinction.
Miss Kaylie was accepted into Essence of Dance’s first junior performing group and competed in many events throughout the Lower Mainland and the United States. In these competitions she received high score medals in her solo’s, duos and groups - one of which won $5000! She has also been fortunate to dance in many conventions, such as Triple Threat and Coastal Dance Rage, which allowed her to work with amazing and well known choreographers. Her greatest accomplishment as a dancer was when she was selected from hundreds of dancers around the world to dance with the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City and train with their Jazz/Contemporary program.
Since graduation, Miss Kaylie has been earning a degree in Psychology and Criminology at Simon Fraser University where she earned a full scholarship. She has continued her training in dance, and is looking forward to coming full circle to share her knowledge and passion with the students of
Essence of Dance.
paula mattusch - ballet, pointe, modern/contemporary, jazz, lyrical
Paula grew up in Langley BC where she began her dance training at the age of 6 years old. She has extensive training in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical and Modern, as well as Traditional Ukrainian dancing. She is also well versed in conditioning and improvisation for dancers. Receiving the award “Most Promising Jazz Choreographer” from Surrey Festival of dance at the young age of 13, Paula continued to and has been choreographing and teaching since then receiving numerous awards from festivals and competitions. Paula's choreography can been seen on the TV hit show “Supergirl”. She has trained throughout BC, and Ontario, at such schools as York University, and Toronto School of Dance.
As education is very important to Paula, she continues to educate herself on a regular basis taking workshops and teacher intensives. Most recently Paula graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance CBTS program and she attained her Registered Teachers status. She also has completed her level one and two in the International Dance Teaching Studies, as well as became certified in Marie Walton-Mahons Progressing Ballet Technique program.
Paula’s passion for dance really shines through in her teaching and she is very concerned with the health, happiness, and positive learning experience of the individual dancers and helps them strive to be the best they can be.
chelsea schurko - acro
Chelsea was born and raised in Vancouver, BC and has been performing and teaching professionally for 10 years. She has had over 20 years of extensive training in Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Modern, Acrobatics and Hip Hop.
As a dancer Chelsea was crowned Miss Teen Canada Global in 2003, continuing on to place runner-up in the Miss Teen Global pageant. In both pageants Chelsea won top talent for her lyrical routine “I’m OK”. Other awards include multiple Dancer of the Year titles, Provincial Representative for Ballet, as well as many bursaries and scholarships awarded throughout Chelsea’s career. In 2005 Chelsea was chosen to compete at the IDO World Dance Championships as a soloist for Showdance and as a group member of the Western Canadian tap team.
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Chelsea’s performing credits include the Girlesque performing group “Magic Box”, the movie “The Cleaner”, and multiple guest performances for local events and conventions.
Chelsea has completed many teacher training programs to hone her skills as a teacher including AIDT Jazz exams (Junior levels), Acrobatique in association with ADAPT (Junior levels), the Edmonton Ballet Syllabus for Young Children, as well as many teacher training conventions throughout North America.
Throughout her years of teaching Chelsea has had the pleasure of creating many award-winning routines as well as being recognized for outstanding choreography. She continues to cultivate her passion and love of dance into each and every student.
AISLYN MCCUBBIN - BALLET, TAP, JAZZ, LYRICAL, MUSICAL THEATRE,
MODERN/CONTEMPORARY
Aislyn began her dance journey by taking Ballet classes at the age of three and fell completely in love with dance ever since. Dance came to be a strong influence in Aislyn’s life, teaching her many lessons, enriching her life and helping her grow as a person.
Through the years of training, Aislyn diversified herself by exploring more styles of dance such as Jazz, Contemporary, Tap, Acro, Musical Theatre, and Pointe. She consistently receives top marks in her yearly Cecchetti Ballet, Vaganova Ballet, and Association of International Dance Teachers (AIDT) exams, Modern. Aislyn’s dedication to training led to success in numerous dance competitions and festivals, receiving numerous high scores, as well as multiple scholarships to dance conventions and dance studios.
Aislyn uses summers away from the regular dance season productively, attending the Joffrey School of Ballet on scholarship and partaking of intensive training courses in New York, San Francisco, and Italy. Aislyn has also received the opportunity to take classes at many prestigious studios such as the Alvin Ailey and Martha Graham studios in New York, as well as the tutelage of veteran dancers from multiple Broadway shows such as Chicago, The Lion King, and Aladdin.
As she continues to train and refine her technique, Aislyn has begun to work on her teaching qualifications and has become a certified instructor, achieving her Society of Russian Ballet Student Teacher Certificate in both Vaganova Russian Ballet Exams as well as Acrobatic Arts. Now as an instructor at the Essence of Dance, Aislyn is so excited to continue sharing her passion for dance with all of her EOD students!
HAYLEY WILLIAMS - ACRO
Hayley first started to love dance throughout her competitive gymnastics training. She was a competitive gymnast for over 10 years upon retiring at 16 years old as a National Level Gymnast and Western Canada’s reigning champion. Hayley’s love for dance continued as she continued to train with her gymnastics facilities dance instructor. During this time, Hayley was involved in many sports ranging from two different World Champion Cheer teams to Acrobatics, but she always felt a special place while dancing on the stage!
At the age of 15, Hayley started teaching dance at The Little Gym where she soon advanced to teaching all the gymnastics classes as well for children age ranges 6 months — 12 year olds, following The Little Gyms Certification Structure. Hayley’s passion for dance and performing is what led her to pursue training in Long Beach, California attending various dance, acting and stunting workshops held at California State University before returning back to BC to teach.
Hayley’s varied training and diversified background is what secured her many Special Ability and Stunt work roles for the entertainment industry, including playing a cheerleader for the hit CW show “HellCats”. Hayley’s most recent work includes working with Disney Director Kenny Ortega and Choreographer Paul Decker, who is known for the High School Musical trilogy, in the Disney feature musical “Descendants” as well as working along side “So You Think You Can Dance” star ‘Twitch’ in “Step Up 5”.
Hayley is a BCDEA member and her teaching credentials include completing the Acrobatic Arts Certification and following the Cirque Du Soleil acclaimed Acrobatic Arts Syllabus, and IDTS certifications. Hayley now has over a decade of teaching experience, teaching various styles and disciplines of dance in multiple dance studios all over the Lower Mainland.
Miss Hayley’s dedication to athletic wellness is what led her to the lifestyle she leads today, including becoming a Nutritionist in 2015. Hayley went on to complete her Natural Nutrition Science diploma and clinical practicum having graduated at the top of her class to gain her R.H.N designation as a Board Certified & Licensed Natural Health Practitioner.
Hayley is also an accredited Holistic Culinary Chef as well as an accredited Food Stylist and Photographer. Hayley loves to diversify herself in all aspects of health and wellness and believes it is the foundation for all aspects of success. During the day you can find her running her private practice, developing recipes for health magazines and blogs, hosting a health seminar/ workshop, or staging and photographing food whether for her own content or for an elegant new restaurants menu downtown. Hayley has been co-owner of “Commodity Juicery” since 2016 and continues to be the company’s Nutritionist and Product Developer.
It brings Miss Hayley immense joy to be a value add in the healthy development of a child. The most rewarding work within her own practice being pediatrics. Miss Hayley’s main goal as a teacher is to spread her well rounded, accredited knowledge
and help build happy, healthy and strong dancers for a long lasting future in the sport of dance.
ZAC VRAN - HIP HOP
Zac Vran is a passionate Choreographer, Dancer, Actor, and Director based in Vancouver, Canada. He began training at an early age across multiple disciplines where he discovered his deep love for dance.
In his late teens, Zac landed the role of Hunter, a series regular on Family Channel’s hit dance drama The Next Step. This breakout opportunity launched his career in film and television.
Zac now works across Canada and internationally, choreographing for music videos, dance conventions, studios, and major TV and film productions. His credits include Riverdale, Wild Cards (CW), See (Apple TV), Descendants 3 (Disney), Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC), and Monster High 2 (Nickelodeon). He served as the dance double for Sonic in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and portrayed the recurring role of Irving in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Paramount+). His choreographic contributions can also be seen in To All the Boys: Always and Forever (Netflix) and Amazon’s upcoming release Elle. You can also catch Zac in Descendants 5: Wicked Wonderland (Disney), with both projects premiering in summer 2026.
Expanding his craft, Zac recently stepped behind the camera, directing two short films that are currently making the rounds on the festival circuit—both earning multiple selections and awards.
Zac loves working with hardworking dancers and always looks forward to sharing his passion.
LOLA CLARE - MODERN/CONTEMPORARY,JAZZ, LYRICAL
Lola clare is a passionate and dedicated dancer, actor, choreographer, and dance educator with over five years of teaching experience. Trained in a wide range of styles—including contemporary, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, modern, tap, and musical theatre—she blends strong technical foundations with expressive artistry to create dynamic and inspiring classes.
Lola is a graduate of the Intensive Training Program (ITP) at Harbour Dance Centre, where she trained with top industry professionals and built valuable connections within the commercial dance world. This experience not only sharpened her skills but also deepened her understanding of the professional dance and acting landscape.
In addition to her teaching, Lola has worked professionally as a dancer and actor in film and television, with credits including Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, School Spirits, Sideline, and Riverdale. Her on-screen experience brings an industry-informed perspective to her classes, preparing students with the tools they need to succeed both on stage and in front of the camera.
As an instructor, Lola is known for fostering a supportive, engaging, and empowering environment for dancers of all levels. She especially loves working with kids of all ages and finds deep joy in helping them grow—both as dancers and as people. Her teaching style emphasizes creativity, confidence, and strong foundational technique—qualities that have helped her students thrive. Many of her choreographed groups have gone on to achieve outstanding results at regional dance competitions.
Lola’s commitment to the art of dance and her genuine love for teaching continue to leave a lasting impact on every dancer she works with.
annabelle wong - ballet, modern/contemporary
Annabelle was born and raised in Richmond, B.C., where she graduated from The Richmond Academy of Dance’s Professional Program. Annabelle trained in classical ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary, Pilates, and the RAD syllabus, through to becoming an Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance. During her years at Richmond Academy, Annabelle had the privilege of learning from internationally acclaimed pedagogues such as Susan Toumine, Joshua Beamish, Simone Orlando, and Curtis Foley. She performed corps de ballet roles in classical repetoire including Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Paquita, and Raymonda.
Annabelle graduated from Simon Fraser University in 2020 with a BFA, Hons. in Dance. Her passion for movement exploration has driven her to work with some of the world’s most esteemed classical and contemporary artists at international intensives and workshops. This includes Alonzo King Lines Ballet, World Dance of Movement (Italy), and Arts Umbrella in Vancouver. Annabelle is passionate about performing dance and hopes to share this love of dance with her students. She believes in hard work, commitment, and most of all, having fun.
DANIA GRANT - modern/contemporarY, Lyrical, Jazz, Ballet
Dania began dancing at Essence of Dance from a young age. She grew up dancing in the competitive and pre-professional programs in the styles of jazz, contemporary, lyrical, ballet, pointe, and hip hop. She also completed all of her AIDT Modern Examinations, receiving top marks, as well as her Intermediate and Advanced 1 Cecchetti Examinations.
Since graduating, Dania joined Lamondance, a contemporary training program where she worked with many local artists, including Davi Rodrigues, Margarida Macieira, CAMP Collective, Sidney Chuckas, Anya Saugstad, and more. After 3 years at this program, Dania has now moved into Lamon’s professional company and is working as an artist there. She has also created her own work which has been shared at the Dance Centre as part of their 12 Minutes Max program.
She is looking forward to sharing what she has learned and connecting with the next generation of dancers!
MILISSA ROESSLER-BALLET, TAP, ACRO, MUSICAL THEATRE, JAZZ, MODERN/CONTEMPORARY
Milissa began dancing at the age of three and quickly discovered her lifelong passion. She grew up training at Essence of Dance in all styles. Throughout high school, she was part of the studio’s elite competition team as well as the pre-professional half-day ballet program. Her dedication and passion for dance earned her top marks in exams, numerous overall awards at competitions, and the chance to further her training in New York and Los Angeles.
After graduating, Milissa trained with Harbour Dance Centre’s Intensive Training Program under the direction of Moe Brody. She then continued her training with Source Dance Company’s two-year program, directed by Joanne Pesusich. These dance companies gave her the opportunity to work closely with world-renowned teachers and choreographers, perform in professional productions, and further her knowledge of the dance industry. She was also selected as a featured soloist in both programs. Soon after graduating from Source, Milissa was offered a contract with Disney Cruise Line, where she spent a year travelling and sharing her love of dance with audiences around the world.
Milissa has appeared in several commercials, live performances, concept videos, and film/TV projects. Most recently, she performed in a Macy’s commercial and worked as a motion capture artist for EA Games. Currently, Milissa continues to further her dance training while studying psychology and early childhood education at UBC.
Her passion for teaching began at the age of 13, when she assisted her first dance class and quickly realized how rewarding it was to share her love of movement with others. Since then, Milissa has gained extensive experience teaching students of all ages. She takes pride in creating an encouraging, energetic, and supportive environment where every dancer can grow and thrive. Milissa looks forward to continuing to share her knowledge, creativity, and love of dance with every class she teaches."
COLE NEUMEIER - TAP, HIP HOP
Cole Neumeier was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He began dancing at the age of nine at his mother’s dance studio. Throughout his training years, he won multiple regional titles at competitions across Saskatchewan and Alberta, making his mark as a promising young professional.
After high school, Cole moved to Vancouver to fully immerse himself in the entertainment industry. During his first year, he was accepted into the Intensive Training Program at Harbour Dance Centre, led by director Moe Brody. He also began training with the hip hop company TwoFourSeven and remained with the group for six years (choreographing for two), training and performing at competitions across Canada and the United States.
Cole was fortunate to book two films in his first year of auditioning Freaky Friday and Descendants 3, both for Disney, as a dancer and stunt performer. His favorite credits include Descendants: Wicked Wonderland (Netflix) and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Paramount+), where he played the recurring role of Bill, showcasing all of his triple-threat talents.
Cole teaches dance across Canada and continues to train as an actor in Vancouver, BC. He remains passionate about exploring all kinds of creative ventures and looks forward to many more exciting years in film, television, and dance!