FACULTY

FACULTY

  • PROGRESSING BALLET TECHNIQUE CERTIFIED

    A native of Nova Scotia, Alexandra is a singer, actor, dancer and choreographer. She began her first dance class at age 3 and has studied ballet, jazz, modern, tap and hip hop. She has studied at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Los Angeles; The Banff Centre, Banff; Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Winnipeg; National Ballet School, Toronto and Dance Zone and Coastal Dance in Nova Scotia. She has also taken workshops with internationally renowned choreographer Mia Michaels in Contemporary Dance.

    Alex has been a competitive dancer traveling to New York City and she has performed at Disney World in Florida. She has performed with Lenny De La Pena of DoDat Entertainment, Hali’s Angels, Coastal Theatre and Neptune Theatre in Nova Scotia. She was also a dancer in the Disney movie, “Camp Rock 2-The Final Jam”.

    Alex not only has a passion for performing, but has enjoyed instructing dance from a young age. At sixteen she was teaching at multiple dance schools in Nova Scotia and has continued to teach since becoming a Torontonian.

    Alex is passionate about the growth and development of young dance artists, and she provides an inviting environment that allows dancers to discover their creativity. She wants her young dancers to build confidence and have enjoyment while experiencing different dance forms.

    Alex joined Charb Arts in 2013 and quickly fell in love with the artistic environment Lori had created. She found her home here and continues to be excited by such dynamic and promising talent that walk through the doors of CAS.

    “Dance is music made visible.” — George Balanchine

  • INTELLIDANCE® CERTIFIED

    Crista is a native Bostonian and started her dance training at the RDS performing Arts Centre. She holds a BFA in dance from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and is a graduate of the DTCB dance education training course. While in Boston she performed with the Harvard summer dance repertory program and soon after had the opportunity to study with the Bella Lewitzky dance company in Los Angeles. For the next decade she would call New York City home where the amazing energy of the city kept her in a creative epicentre helping to build her unique skills as a freelance teacher and performer. Her love of travel, spirituality and people brought her around the world to Europe, Australia and the South Pacific, as well as spending considerable time in Central America.

    Her next steps would then take her to Toronto where she would soon start carving out her space as a popular pre-school dance teacher. Over the next few years she created a unique “Kinder-dance curriculum” for the The Beez Kneez Nursery Schools and successfully implemented that program throughout their 4 locations.

    Crista is a proud Mom, wife, daughter, sister and friend. Her gentle nature and playful humour help to establish a trusting bond with her young students. Her main goal as an educator is to build self-confidence and independence through music and movement.

    “Enjoy Life. This is not a dress rehearsal.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

  • Naja Pereira is an emerging filmmaker based in Toronto. Her directorial work aims to centre Blackness while showcasing the range, complexity, and beauty of Black experiences. With an intention to give voice and visibility to underrepresented groups through the film medium, she also works as a creative producer, guiding other filmmakers through project development. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Image Arts. In 2019, she was honoured with the Image Arts Roger McTair Award, presented to a Black filmmaker who displays exceptional creative spirit. In 2020, she produced the short film Counterfeit which was selected by the Next Wave Program at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    With her love for the creative arts starting in theatre, she is an alumnus of Soulpepper Theatre’s 2020 Solo Show Creation Intensive and Curtain Up Program in both 2014 and 2015.

    Naja has also worked in equity spaces, serving as the Vice-President of Equity at the Image Arts Course Union and TMU Students' Union in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Applying the expanded knowledge of equity concepts learned in these roles, she led the development of Charb Arts Studios’ equity policies and community guidelines, hoping to make each class a dancer enters a safer space.

    Naja applies many of her skills in theatre and film to CAS’ live performances and digital presence. She often photographs, films, or operates lighting and music at shows. If you see a video or image from CAS, chances are she captured or edited it!

    Naja joined the CAS Team in 2017 and has enjoyed contributing to the studio's blossoming as a recognized pillar of the Toronto youth and dance community.

    “Don't try to lessen yourself for the world; let the world catch up to you.” — Beyoncé

INSTRUCTORS

INSTRUCTORS

  • Justin David grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia and moved to Toronto at the age of 19 to pursue his career in dance. In his youth, Justin began as a self-taught dancer and was the captain of his high school dance team. Demonstrating drive and passion, he was pushed into the leadership role where his natural ability to choreograph and stage fellow students was discovered.

    Over the past 13 years, Justin has been working with the top professionals in the entertainment industry, including renowned choreographers throughout Canada and the United States. His training includes hip hop, African, stepping, street jazz, Caribbean, and South American styles of dance.

    Justin has been in countless music videos, commercials, movies, and award shows. He most recently appeared on the Emmy-Award-winning Netflix series, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. He has had the pleasure of working with major recording artists including Drake, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Shawn Mendes, and Meghan Trainor. Dance has led Justin across Canada and throughout the World including China, Cuba, Mexico, Los Angeles, and New York City; performing in Times Square.

    As a multidisciplinary creative, Justin has been fortunate to lend his skills as an instructor and choreographer all over Canada. He has choreographed live shows, music videos, and is currently working behind the camera as a Creative Director with his company 20x20media. Most recently, he has begun working as an editor on short-form video content.

    Justin has worked as an instructor throughout his dance career, teaching students ranging from ages 5 to 50. In 2019, he was a resident instructor of the dance program at Seneca College. Justin’s upbeat and high-energy dance style has pushed him to succeed in his own career while helping guide his students along in their own training.

  • AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE® CERTIFIED

    PROGRESSING BALLET TECHNIQUE CERTIFIED

    Trained originally in the RAD technique, Honour has completed up to her Advanced 1 Vocational Ballet Examination and began transitioning her studies to the ABT® method in 2018. Honour is a graduate of the ABT® Teaching Intensive and has successfully obtained her certification in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

    While Honour’s main focus is classical ballet, she is also well versed in contemporary, jazz, fosse, modern, and Latin dance, all of which have taken her to international stages during her years as a competitive dancer. In the Professional world, Honour has toured with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen, the 3 6 9 Dance Collective, and has completed Pre-Professional training with the Toronto Dance Theatre.

    Honour strives to create a positive environment wherever she goes that nurtures growth, compassion, and artistry amongst her peers, colleagues, and students. She is pleased to be joining Charb Arts in their mission to share the arts with the next generation.

    “Not only is [Honour] talented and highly proficient in many dance genres, she is also an amazingly intuitive performer and a compassionate and kind student mentor.”

    M. Grierson — Former Teacher

  • Kyle Kass is an actor, dancer songwriter and performer. He can be seen in film, television, commercial, web series and live performances. Most recently, Kyle has appeared in the Disney film, SPIN, television series, Mary Kills People, and Man Seeking Woman with Jay Baruchel. Prior to that, he had a lead role in MTV’s Made… The Movie.

    Kyle’s career began at the tender age of 3 when he appeared in print ads and television commercials which satisfied his natural desire to perform. By 8 years old, Kyle landed a series regular as “DJ” on a TVO television series, Noddy. By age 12 he was juggling 3 movies, Sons of Mistletoe with Roma Downey, Conviction with Omar Epps and They Call Me Sirr with Michael Clarke Duncan. Kyle’s outstanding performance as “Sirr” earned him a nomination for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie or Special. He then worked with Lindsey Lohan in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. His acting career continued to evolve as he simultaneously had reoccurring roles in two television series, Zack Files and Super Rupert. Kyle landed another series regular role as “Owen Anthony” in Naturally Sadie on Family Channel.

    He is also a proficient dancer/instructor, songwriter and entertainer. His musical talents have provided him the fortune of showcasing his own original music across Canada and performing and DJing overseas in Asia. In addition, his dance career includes being a backup dancer for Danny Fernandez, Jessie Reyez, Blake McGrath and Buster Rhymes.

    Kyle was born in Toronto, Canada but his background is as diverse as his talents, his mother is of Jamaican descent and his father is Armenian from Lebanon. He is committed to teaching dance to all ages. He is also an active volunteer in his community.

  • Romisa is an experienced dancer and choreographer born and raised in Thornhill, Ontario.

    Romisa began dancing at the age of 3 and has had a growing passion for the art ever since. Her passion only grew deeper after extensively training at a competitive level with Vlad's Dance Company. She excels in many different dance disciplines including, ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, ballroom, modern, partnering and improvisation to name a few.

    Romisa also instructs classes of all ages and levels in two of Canada’s most popular cities (Toronto and Vancouver), is a certified Acrobatic Arts instructor and an adjudicator at numerous dance competitions.

    Eager to bring her very best as an artist and educator, Romisa furthered her experience, completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours in Dance, at York University, in June 2022 - where she majored in the Choreography/Performance Stream. After excelling in her University Anatomy of Fine Arts and Dance Kinesiology courses, she decided that she wanted to share her personal experience and education of the positive and crucial correlation between dance and fitness with other dancers, in hopes that it could benefit them as much as it benefited her - the start of her project: Infinite Dance and Fitness.

    Romisa is excited to continue pursuing her career as an artist and sharing her knowledge and passion for dance and fitness with young dancers.

  • Eden Sage started her dance career at Charb Arts Studios when she was only two years old. Growing up in the studio, Eden Sage volunteered over 300 hours assisting in dance classes, summer camps, and as a choreographer. During her time as an elite competitive dancer and as a student at Alexander Mackenzie’s Performing Arts Program, she was awarded numerous excellencies and recognitions including the Excellence in Performance Award, and Leadership Award in Dance 2023. Moreover, she has been recognized for outstanding solo and group routines across various dance competitions and festivals.

    Eden Sage has had the pleasure of training under notable instructors: Ian Parsons, Kim Butler, Jasmyn Fyffe, and Mikhail Ilyin in Jazz, Modern, Hip Hop and Ballet. She has also completed level 2 and 3 in the ABT® exams.

    In her senior years of arts and dance training at Alexander Mackenzie’s, Eden had the opportunity to hone her choreography and composition skills, creating a number of dances that were showcased in the school’s annual performance Dance Expressions. Her work has also appeared at CAS’ very own recital showcasings and has been executed by Ignite Company Members 2022/23. In summer 2023, Eden began her Developing Teacher Certification from International Dance Teaching Standards and is beyond excited to start a new chapter at Charb Arts Studios for the upcoming 2023/2024 year.

    “You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams.”

    — Gene Kelly

  • Cassey grew up near Sudbury, Ontario, and began dancing at the age of three. She quickly fell in love with the art form, which led her to seek training from multiple studios and professionals.

    After dancing competitively for many years, Cassey obtained her certificate of teaching in Acrobatic Arts: a comprehensive training program for dance educators to safely teach AcroDance. Developed with input from over 100 experts in related fields, Acrobatic Arts is the most well-researched program in the acrobatics industry. Cassey is excited to bring this technique to Charb Arts Studios for the 2023/24 season.

    Cassey is also committed to helping students build their strength and flexibility, so they can put their strongest selves forward. She is thrilled to be motivating youth to move their bodies in new ways, learn new skills, and have fun.

LIVE ACCOMPANIST

LIVE ACCOMPANIST

  • MUSICAL ACCOMPANIST, PIANO

    Farida Amirhanova was born in the Soviet Union and received an excellent education as a musician at a School for Gifted Kids, Music College and a State Music Conservatory. She worked as a teacher of music disciplines, a choir conductor, and an accompanist in opera, ballet and sports (Olympic Gymnastics Team).

    In 2002, Farida moved to Toronto and began working for the Oakville School of Classical Ballet, the Sean Boutilier Academy of Dance, Performing Dance Art Inc., Metro Movement, Ballet Jörgen, University of Toronto, the National Ballet of Canada and many other ballet schools and companies in and around Toronto.

    As a guest pianist, she worked at the National Ballet School, Alberta Ballet, Cecchetti Society of Canada, playing for exams in many ballet schools in Ontario and Toronto and "Youth America Grand Prix".

    Farida has worked with famous ballet teachers, such as Glenn Gilmour, Jane Wooding, Tatiana Chernova, Amanda Paterson, Christina Richardson, Franco De Vita (USA), Adam Sklute, (USA), Charla Genn (USA) and other great talents.

    She has also done the very important and interesting work of accompanying Master Classes with great ballet dancers - Evan McKie, Greta Hodgkinson, Harrison James, Heather Ogden, Tanya Howard, Alejandra Perez-Gomes, Alejandra MacDonald, Chelsy Meiss, Giorgio Galli, Calley Skalnic and many others.

    Farida considers herself very fortunate to love her job and to work with talented people who also love what they do.