Gilly Chaplin was born in San Francisco and received her early training at The Royal Academy of Dance in London, England. In 1976, she received a full scholarship to study at the renowned National Academy of Dance in Illinois. By 1980, she moved to New York to continue her professional dance training at American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem. She later returned to Illinois to dance with The National Ballet of Illinois. She has also performed with The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Pennsylvania Ballet Company.

Her energy, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit lead to the founding of The Woodbridge School of Dance (WSD) (formerly The Ballet School of Woodbridge) in 1983. The school, now in its 4th decade, is known within the dance and business community for its high standard of excellence in the teaching and training of young people in an array of dance forms. She holds her advanced teacher certificate with the Society of Russian Ballet and is a member of its national executive committee. Ms. Chaplin also serves on the Program Advisory Committee of George Brown Dance and the partnership between George Brown College and Canada’s Ballet Jörgen.

Previously, The Woodbridge School of Dance received the Vaughan Business Achievement Award for Product Quality and Quality of Service. As a thriving innovative and core cultural centre in Vaughan, WSD is widely regarded for its commitment and dedication to its students, parents and the art of dance. WSD also takes great pride in its professional and courteous customer services while maintaining a warm and nurturing work environment. The school continues to live up to its promise of excellence in the field of dance training and dance program creation.”

Deandra Filippo is an Ontario Kinesiologist, CSEP- Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist and a Yoga and Pilates instructor. She began her early dance training in 1995 with The Woodbridge School of Dance (formerly The Ballet School of Woodbridge) studying in various disciplines of dance including Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Musical Theatre and Hip Hop in the Intensive and Pre-Professional training programs. After graduating Deandra stayed close to the school continuing on as a rehearsal assistant, supply teacher and director of sets and props. Being involved in dance and sport at a young age she quickly developed a passion and curiosity for movement, naturally leading her to pursue an education in the study of human movement.

During her post secondary education at York University in Kinesiology and Health Sciences, some of her course studies included dance Kinesiology, Ballet, and the prevention and care of dance injuries. In addition to her undergraduate studies Deandra was involved with the York University competitive dance team as a dancer and choreographer, performing Contemporary, Jazz and Hip Hop styles. As a result of her personal experience and education Deandra values the importance of building healthy habits at a young age and encourages youth in adopting healthy, active lifestyles. This further led her to pursue a Certification in Fitness Assessment and Exercise Counselling, and a Masters of Science Degree where she worked with young athletes with Type 1 Diabetes. Along with her being dedicated and immersed in her education, Deandra continued to dance recreationally as well as professionally alongside her sister, Olivia, with TDC Entertainment.

Deandra is an experienced fitness professional having had the opportunity of working with a diverse population. Her professional experience includes working at The Hospital for Sick Children in their Physiological Research Unit, running an exercise rehabilitation program for the North York Family Health Team, as well as working with NHL Professional and Entry Draft Combine athletes, and Ontario First Responders.

Deandra is committed to life-long learning, actively continues to be a student of movement, and recognizes the importance of high quality recreational programs for youth.

Olivia began her dance career at the young age of four with the Woodbridge School of Dance (formerly The Ballet School of Woodbridge) where she studied Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Musical Theatre in their Intensive and Pre-Professional training programs. While attending the school she was a Teaching Assistant and also completed her Junior Teacher Certification with The Society of Russian Ballet. After graduating from WSD Olivia continued her passion for dance studying at Concordia University in Montreal and graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance.

Throughout her post secondary degree Olivia was involved in a variety of dance creations, workshops, and festivals in the city including Bouge d’ici and Studio 7. The Concordia dance program was heavily focused on choreography and the creative process providing Olivia the opportunity to choreograph and perform in many pieces for the program. While in Montreal she also studied with Ballet Divertimento and École de danse contemporaine de Montréal. To compliment her dance studies Olivia began her personal journey in health and wellness and started studying disciplines in yoga and pilates.

Upon returning to Toronto Olivia continued her dance studies with the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. She interned with Ballet Jorgen at George Brown College and went on to work alongside Artistic Director Deborah Lundmark at the School of Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre as their School Administrator. She also began dancing professionally with TDC Entertainment, formerly The Dance Company, where she has performed, rehearsal directed, and choreographed for numerous shows across Toronto and the GTA. She performed in Illuminite, the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Yonge and Dundas Square as well as the 2018 Nu Skin Gala in Niagara Falls. Olivia continues to be a core company dancer with TDC and is also a certified Yoga & Pilates instructor. Her interest in yoga led her to a career at lululemon where she developed into a Key Leader role and had the opportunity to organize multiple community events including Camp Ivivva for young girls.

Elizabeth began dancing at the Woodbridge School of Dance at the age of 4 and graduated from both the Advanced Pre-Professional Program and Teaching Assistant Program in 2016. Throughout her dance training, she studied in a variety of dance disciplines including Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, and Acro. Her Ballet training included both Cecchetti and Vagonava methods, and she has successfully completed Society of Classical Ballet Major Level examinations. Elizabeth attended Masterclasses throughout her years of training, and was awarded a scholarship at The Pulse Dance Convention in 2012 by Cris Judd. Elizabeth has performed in productions such as Michael Jackson, Cats the Musical and Thumbelina.

Elizabeth holds a degree from Ryerson University in Marketing Management. While pursuing her University degree, she continued her dance education and guest taught at a number of dance programs in the GTA. As an assistant choreographer to Gina Kim, she has contributed to WSD productions of Jai Ho and Motown. She has lead rehearsals with Katarina Rajkovic in several Hip Hop and Contemporary productions.

Elizabeth has been an integral part of the administrative and teaching faculty at WSD since 2016. She is furthering her Teaching Education at Niagara University as she aspires to pursue blending her passion for business, education and dance.

Sharon Lindsay has been teaching and choreographing at The Woodbridge School of Dance since 1999. She received her formal dance training in Toronto, studying Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Acrobatics and Musical Theatre under the direction of Susan Spring, and has successfully completed both R.A.D and B.A.T.D exams.

Sharon has had the opportunity to compete in many local and North American dance competitions as part of an award winning company, and continues to attend workshops and master classes. Ms. Lindsay holds a teaching membership with the British Association of Teachers of Dance, in which she received the highest distinction on her exam.

Ms. Lindsay is a highly respected choreographer and has prepared such projects as the Canadian production of “Pinkalicious the Musical”, and “Ricky’s Room”, a PBS children’s show. Sharon is the choreographer of the popular “Judy and David Presents” musical productions, which are touring all over Ontario in association with Education Arts Canada. She continues her association with City Youth Players in Vaughan, where she has most notably choreographed “Chicago” and “Into the Woods”. Other favourites have included the smash Broadway hit “A Chorus Line” and “Legally Blonde: The Musical”, which she choreographed with Charactors Theatre Troupe. For WSD, Ms. Lindsay has been responsible for choreographing many well–known and popular stage musicals, among them “Cats”, “Mamma Mia”, “Grease”, “High School Musical” and “Seussical the Musical.”

Sharon continues to strive to share her passion for dance and theatre with each and every one of her students.

Sonia Franco de Batres has a great amount of experience teaching, choreographing and directing in diverse learning environments. After being trained at the National School of Dance of El Salvador, she went on to teach ballet at San Francisco Conservatory of Ballet in California. In 1991, she was appointed Artistic Director of the Youth Ballet Company of Saskatchewan where she was dedicated to share and inspire students to discover the art of dance. Through her years as a dance teacher, she taught ballet and creative dance for different levels, including teaching the company dancers at the George Brown campus in 2018.

Sonia is deeply motivated by the belief that everybody can enjoy dance. As a dancer she was nominated as the artistic promise of the year in El Salvador, and was invited to the Choreographer’s workshop at the American Dance Festival. She then was invited as a choreographer for the International Women in Dance Festival in Quito, Ecuador.

Sonia has strong mentoring ability and an appropriate disciplinary measure of being kind and empathetic when educating her students. She prides herself on her creative lesson planning and teaching methods and uses her excellent leadership skills. She is self-motivated and holds a positive relationship and passion for the art of dance.

Taylor Bullock is a passionate performer who was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. While in Vancouver she had the opportunity to train in various styles of dance and worked under well-known choreographers such as Rachael Poirier and Liz Tookey to name a couple.

Growing up she competed across Canada and the United States and performed in places such as Las Vegas, San Fransisco, Los Angeles and Portland. Following her time in Vancouver she moved to Toronto, Ontario to further her training with the The Conteur Academy.

While a student of The Conteur Academy, Taylor has had the chance to work with choreographers such as; Eryn Waltman , Dani Matte , Sheona Bell , Julia Cratchley , Ryan Lee , Kelly Shaw , Scott McDonald and Colleen Snell. Her high energy and flexibility have the tendency to grab attention as a performer and she exudes vibrancy. Taylor’s upbeat personality coupled with her honest nature keeps her always focused on details and evolving as a performer and teacher.

Raquel is a dedicated educator, choreographer, and creative based in the Greater Toronto Area. Raquel has explored and trained under a variety of disciplines, with a professional focus in contemporary and modern techniques. Raquel has also worked and assisted choreographers from across Canada and the United States, including Andrea and Stephanie Viola, Tiffany McLachlan, Eryn Waltman, Julia Cratchley and Peter Chu of “chuthis. dance company.” With a passion for education, Raquel completed a 2-year contemporary training program at The Conteur Academy in 2014, received an undergraduate degree in Sociology at Ryerson University in 2016, and graduated with a Bachelors of Education in early 2022. As a performer, she took part in Conteur Academy’s inaugural school performances (2013 and 2014), Rapidly Descending at “APAP: Peridance” in New York City (2016) choreographed by Blake Krapels (BalletX), and Transcendance Project’s “eve of St. George” (2015, 2016, 2017). Guided by her core values of inclusivity and integrity, Raquel continues to teach and inspire students within the Toronto dance community.

Adriana Cecatini is an emerging dance artist in Toronto, Ontario. She began dancing at the age of four at The Woodbridge School of Dance and graduated from the Advanced Pre-Professional Program. She has trained in numerous dance disciplines including Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Contemporary, and Acrobatics. Adriana has studied both the Cecchetti and Vaganova Ballet methods, successfully completing Society of Classical Ballet (Vaganova Method) Major Level examinations, and has been a part of WSD’s Teaching Assistant Program. She has been privileged enough to train under renowned dance educators such as Gilly Chaplin, Desirée Champion, Nancy Greyeyes, Sonia Franco de Batres, Sharon Lindsay, George Absi, and Lisa Robinson. Adriana has performed in a number of Classical Ballet productions including, Études and as a soloist in Les Sylphides and Who Cares. She has choreographed and performed her own work as part of WSD’s Inaugural Choreographic Workshop.

Adriana is continuing her professional training in York University’s dance program specializing in performance and choreography. She attends annual teacher training seminars with The Society of Classical Ballet (Vaganova Method). She has successfully achieved her Acrobatic Arts certification in Module One, Aerial and Back Handspring, and Module Two, completed with Distinction. Adriana is also a professional performer with TDC Entertainment, where she shows her energetic performance side through multiple disciplines. She currently teaches young dancers across the GTA and aspires to continue sharing her passion for dance through choreographing, teaching, and performing.

Colleen Dingeldein graduated from York University having earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours, specializing in Choreography and Performance. Prior to her University dance career, Colleen trained in Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary and Hip-Hop. She has achieved her R.A.D. Ballet examinations and successfully completed her Royal Academy of Dance Tap and Jazz examinations with honors.

During Colleen’s years at York University she co-founded the York Lions Dance Energy Competitive dance team. In addition to performing and choreographing for the York University Department of Dance, productions Colleen has performed in include the Bazaar Dance Showcase, Ray-Dance Choreographer’s Ball and the Ignition Choreographer’s showcase. In the past year, Colleen has worked closely with Echo Dance Company, an upcoming Urban/Contemporary dance company in Toronto as a performer and assistant stage manager for their productions. In the past, Colleen has participated in various master classes and trained with professional dance artists and choreographers such as Linda Garneau, Greta Hodgkinson, Mia Michaels, Abby Lee Miller, Twitch and Alex Wong.

Colleen continues to learn and grow as a dance artist and choreographer and is excited to share and explore her love and passion for the art of dance with her students.

Madeline Feist is a dance artist, instructor and choreographer located in Toronto, Ontario. She began her dance training in Leduc, Alberta where she studied ballet, jazz, Irish, contemporary, hip hop, tap and acrobatics. She followed her passion for dance to York University where she holds a BFA in dance and a second degree in kinesiology. Madeline has been fortunate enough to train throughout Alberta, including the Alberta Ballet School’s Summer Intensive, as well as taking classes in New York and Toronto. She has been privileged enough to learn from dance artists such as Tracey Norman, Syreeta Hector, Jennifer Bolt, John Ottmann, Alyssa Martin (Rock Bottom Movement) and Julia Sasso. Her certifications include Acrobatic Arts and FLX Conditioning. She has performed through York University as well as in emerging choreographer Alexis Burling’s 2019 work 2:14 am at the Winchester Street Theatre. Madeline is passionate about integrating her anatomical and biomechanical knowledge into dance instruction and has extensive training in dance-specific conditioning and technical training. She is passionate about sharing her love of dance with all students and helping them reach their full potential.

Ekaterina was educated at the Vaganova Academy of Ballet in Moscow and Academy of Classical and Character Dance in Voronezh, Russia. She began her teaching career in Moscow in 1997, while dancing with the Professional Dance Company “Rhythms of Planet.”

Ekaterina received her professional teaching education from the Teacher Training Program at Canada’s National Ballet School. She also holds her Registered Teaching Status with the Royal Academy of Dance as well as an Associate Qualification in National Dance with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, London England.

Ekaterina has more then 20 years of teaching experience with students of different ages, abilities and levels in both professional and recreational levels. She is passionate about teaching ballet and guiding each student on a path of growth to reach their full capabilities.

Ekaterina’s philosophy on dance is “never stop learning and improving.”

Alessia L’Europa received her dance training at the Woodbridge School of Dance, starting at age 3 and graduating from the school’s Senior Division. While at WSD, she studied a variety of dance disciplines, including Ballet, Contemporary, Tap, Musical Theatre, and Hip Hop. She has trained under Desirée Champion, Sharon Lindsay, Jessica Mogentale, Gina Kim and Katerina Rajkovic-Corbic. During her time at the school, Alessia was also a part of WSD’s Teaching Assistant Program.

Upon graduating, Alessia continued her tap studies at the Tap Dance Centre in Mississauga under Artistic Director, Kim Chalovich as well as Jessica Westermann and Elisa Schembre. She became part of the Tap Dance Centre’s Advanced Performing Company, and had the opportunity to dance alongside the Steel City Rovers band live in concert. Additionally, Alessia has had the unique opportunity of performing in the production of Red’s in the Hood with Education Arts Canada for young audiences across the country, as well as performing in Ballet Jörgen’s production of Swan Lake.

Alessia is excited to share her passion for performance and dance with her students.

Simona Todaro is an emerging dance artist in Toronto, Ontario. She began her early dance training at the age of two with The Woodbridge School of Dance, where she studied multiple disciplines including Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, and Hip Hop. During her time at the school, Simona was a dedicated Teaching Assistant, joining the program in 2014. She graduated from the Advanced Pre-Professional Program, studying both the Cechetti and Vagonova ballet methods, and successfully completed Society of Classical Ballet Major Level examinations. She has been privileged enough to learn from educators such as Gilly Chaplin, Desirée Champion, Nancy Greyeyes, Sonia Franco de Batres, Lisa Robinson, and Chan Hon Goh.

Simona has performed in a number of classical ballet productions including Études, and as a soloist in Les Sylphides and Who Cares. She has also had the unique opportunity of performing in the productions of Red’s in the Hood & Beanstalk with Education Arts Canada for young audiences across the country. She has choreographed and performed her own work as part of WSD’s Inaugural Choreographic Workshop. She has attended summer ballet training programs at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy and on scholarship at the Goh Ballet in Toronto. Simona is continuing her professional training in York University’s dance program and with The Society of Classical Ballet (Vaganova Method). She is passionate about expressing herself through the art of dance and strives to share that passion with her students.

Sierra Vallescura received her dance training at the Woodbridge School of Dance, beginning at the age of four and graduating from the Advanced Pre-Professional Program in 2017. She studied many different disciplines including Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Musical Theatre. During her time at WSD, she performed in productions such as Cats the Musical and Newsies. Sierra is a graduate student of St. Elizabeth’s Regional Arts Program, and since then has received her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and Health Science from York University. She is currently studying Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy at Humber College. Sierra has been teaching and choreographing for five years with experience teaching students pre- kindergarten to adults. Sierra could not be more excited to join the team of wonderful teachers at WSD and share her love for dance with her students.

Portia Wade graduated from Etobicoke School of the Arts and is an alumna of Canada’s National Ballet School teacher training program. Ms. Wade taught RAD ballet classes at numerous schools in Toronto including Randolph Academy, Interplay Ballet, TDSB, Havergal College, BSS, Branksome Hall and Bialik Hebrew School.

Ms. Wade is a certified ABT® teacher who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the National Training Curriculum. She attends ABT® workshops annually in New York to further her professional development and expertise.

Currently teaching at the Woodbridge School of Dance, Ms. Wade has guest taught at the National Ballet of Canada’s In Studio, Sean Boutillier School of Ballet, and has toured in Nairobi, Malaga, and Shenzhen. She led the ABT® ballet faculty as interim ballet director in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at Studio 360 School of Dance both in-person and online training staff and students. Ms. Wade continues to run classes online as well as advise, mentor, and guest teach in Iowa. She also serves as a ballet examiner for schools throughout the GTA including The Nine and Dance District.

Shenel Williams began exploring dance at the age of 7. Growing up she trained in Hip-Hop, Ballroom, African/Afro, Dancehall and numerous other disciplines. She was a very active member of Downsview Secondary School’s Arts Advantage Program in dance, music, and drama. She was the captain of the Downsview Dance Company in her senior years, where she performed at various events such as tdsbCREATES and collaborations with JustBGraphic. Through JustBGraphic, Shenel was featured in the Unplugged festival: Middle School Tour in 2015 with artists such as Mike Black and Danny Fernandes. Shenel took on a variety of choreographic leadership roles during her time in the program.

Shenel is a graduate of the York University Dance Program, fulfilling her goal of becoming a professional dance artist. Shenel is an active choreographer and performer in the Toronto dance scene. She recently choreographed a set for a program called “ArtstartTO,” which debuted at Scarborough Civic Centre. She was recently invited to perform at Jean Augustine’s Black History Month Celebration at the Assembly Hall. Shenel continues to dance and inspire others with her movement.

Winnie began her ballet training in Hong Kong, and later moved to Canada studying under Cristina Pora, former ballerina of the National Opera Bucharest, Romania, and Sergiu Stefanski, former principal of the National Ballet of Canada. After graduating with a Master’s and Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Physical Therapy at Western University, she continued to dance while practicing physiotherapy in Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong. She went on to complete her Grade 8 and Advanced 2 ballet exams with the Royal Academy of Dance, as well as attain her teaching status under the RAD syllabus (UK), and CSTD syllabus (Australia). With her physiotherapist background and her training with the Progressive Ballet Technique and Pilates under Dance Medicine Australia, she is particularly aware of safety in the training of ballet students.

In 2006, Winnie started her own ballet school in Hong Kong. and trained students ages from 3 to adult, from mentally challenged to recreational to vocational level. She has also arranged dance exchange programs for her students, enabling them to gain experience dancing with students in China, Malaysia, Korea and Japan. She has coached students in preparation for local as well as international competition such as the Taiwan International Grand Prix. She also loves staging ballet productions, and produced work such as La Fille mal Gardee, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, and Swan Lake. She believes it is important to provide her students with as much experience as possible that they can treasure for life.

Although Winnie has always been classically trained, she has recently taken up tap, contemporary, lyrical and jazz lessons recreationally. She is dedicated to teaching her students by example the beauty of “life-long learning” and that “the more you try, the more versatile and powerful you could be”.