Meet Our Faculty
Poise Dance Academy’s teaching staff are professionals who are passionate about high quality education in dance and performance as well as children’s well-being and personal development.
Linda Leowinata
Artistic Director
Known for her lyrical musicality as a dancer, choreographer and dance educator, Linda imbues her students with her love of dance and her life-long motto of “dancing with the heart”.
Using her strong ballet foundation Linda has choreographed several major ballets and experimental pieces in collaboration with other dancers and musicians of traditional and modern genres from Canada, USA, China, Japan, Singapore and her native Indonesia. Her full-length ballet choreographies include The Doll Shop; Lileo si Burung Kutilang (Lileo the Kutilang Bird); Fusion I and II; Peace in the New Century; Dancing Under the Stars; Ariel, Save the Sea; No Place Like Home; The Butterfly Friends; and The Jewels. Linda’s work has won numerous awards at dance festivals and competitions.
Linda holds ballet-teaching certificates from the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), London, England. Her students have consistently achieved high grades and honours in their RAD exams, and received prestigious recognitions for their dancing quality in performances and competitions since 1987. Many of them now dance and teach across Canada as well as in Australia, Indonesia, China, and the USA. Read more
Stella Leowinata
Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz Teacher
Katherine Olsen
Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theatre Teacher
Raffaele Brereton
Hip Hop Teacher
Emily Sugianto
Ballet, Acro, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Lyrical, Musical Theatre Teacher
Kaitlin Kawam
Acro, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Tap Teacher
Crystal Finn-Dunn
Hip Hop, Contemporary, Tap Teacher
Lorena Perez Sanchez
Jazz, Contemporary, Tap Teacher
Jia Brent
Ballet, Jazz Teacher
Kelsey Willmott
Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre, Hip Hop, Ballet Teacher
Jessica Sayde
Hip Hop Teacher
Georgi DiRocco
Acro, Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical Teacher
Shayla Vu
Jazz, Contemporary, Acro, Ballet, Hip Hop Teacher
LeShaun Bernett
Acro, Jazz, Lyrical Teacher
Lauren Whyte
Acro, Jazz, Contemporary Teacher
Nicole Robb
Acro, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical Teacher
Antonio Sardella
Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theatre Teacher
Ita Dwi Lestari
Studio Manager
Looking forward to have it back in July – August 2023
Summer Programs
Reserve your spot now in our popular summer programs!
Why 950+ Students Have Chosen Us
High Quality Training
Poise Dance Academy aims at the best possible learning outcomes for every student. All our teachers are highly committed to imparting their knowledge, skills, and experience to every student. With patience and thorough attention to details we ensure that our students have a complete understanding of what they need to do to learn and succeed. Poise Dance Academy continually motivates each student to progress and improve on a daily basis.
Individual Attention
Poise Dance Academy firmly believes that every child is special, and we do our utmost to ensure that every single student reaches their full potential. Each student receives personalized attention in our small-sized classes in a nurturing – albeit also challenging – environment that encourages them to grow and develop through the most rewarding way possible.
Professional Performance
Poise Dance Academy believes that the experience of performing on a stage enhances and completes the dance education experience. Showcasing the progress each student makes is rewarding after all the hard work and time students and parents invest in training. To make this moment as magical as possible, Poise Dance Academy creates a full-length dance production annually, on a stage with full lighting/set and costumes, with professional standards. This recital gives dancers the opportunity to perform in front of a large and welcoming audience.
Linda J. Leowinata
Artistic Director
Known for her lyrical musicality as a dancer, choreographer and dance educator, Linda imbues her students with her love of dance and her life-long motto of “dancing with the heart”.
Using her strong ballet foundation Linda has choreographed several major ballets and experimental pieces in collaboration with other dancers and musicians of traditional and modern genres from Canada, USA, China, Japan, Singapore and her native Indonesia. Her full-length ballet choreographies include The Doll Shop; Lileo si Burung Kutilang (Lileo the Kutilang Bird); Fusion I and II; Peace in the New Century; Dancing Under the Stars; Ariel, Save the Sea; No Place Like Home; The Butterfly Friends; and The Jewels. Linda’s work has won numerous awards at dance festivals and competitions.
Since starting Poise Dance in September 2013, Linda has consistently created and led nine successful ballet/dance productions: Cinderella (2022), Poise Dance Lockdown Diaries (2021), The Lorax Re-Imagined (2020), A Journey through the Silk Road (2019), Charlotte’s Web (2018), Our Home and Native Land (2017), Peter Pan (2016), The Ugly Duckling (2015), and The Flower Garden (2014), featuring hundreds of Poise dancers aged 2.5 years and up.
Linda holds ballet-teaching certificates from the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), London, England. Her students have consistently achieved high grades and honours in their RAD exams, and received prestigious recognitions for their dancing quality in performances and competitions since 1987. Many of them now dance and teach across Canada as well as in Australia, Indonesia, China, and the USA.
Linda maintains her lifelong passion for dance by continuously honing her skills with new developments. In July 2015, Linda added to her resume by becoming an Acrobatic Arts Certified teacher.
In 2016, Linda completed and received the certification of the Progressing Ballet Technique, an innovative program developed by Marie Walton-Mahon for students to understand the depth of training muscle memory in achieving their personal best in classical ballet.
Linda can be contacted directly at
[email protected]
Stella Leowinata
Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz Teacher
Stella Leowinata is a dance teacher and choreographer specializing in ballet, contemporary, and jazz.
She is a graduate of the full-time professional program at Canada’s National Ballet School and holds a BA (Honours) in Professional Dance and Performance from the University of Kent. Stella performed in the National Ballet of Canada’s The Nutcracker as the lead child role of Marie, in productions of Giselle and Sleeping Beauty as well as the Stephen Godfrey choreographic workshops at the ballet school, and in Central Ballet’s UK tour. Stella has also danced with Ballet Jorgen’s junior company, the Royal Danish Ballet School, and L’Ecole Superieure de Danse de Cannes.
With seven years of teaching experience, Stella is a certified teacher with the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum, Acrobatic Arts, and Progressing Ballet Technique. She is in the process of completing her teaching certification with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD).
Stella is also a graduate of the University of Toronto, earning a BSc (Honours) with a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology and a minor in Computer Science. She applies her knowledge of how the brain develops and learns, and how the body creates movement to her teaching approaches.
Katherine Olsen
Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theatre Teacher
Katherine began her intensive dance training in Panama, Central America where she studied at the Maruja Herrera Academia de la Danza. It was here that Katherine developed a deep love for ballet and the classical arts. In June of 2016, Katherine graduated with honours from the Teacher Training Program at Canada’s National Ballet School where she received the Sylvia McPhee Award for outstanding achievement and citizenship. She is a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance, an associate with the ISTD in folk dance, and has her Adaptive Dance teacher’s training. Katherine is also a recognized dancer and teacher within Toronto’s Lindy Hop and swing dance scenes.
Katherine enjoys working with dancers of all ages, abilities, and learning styles. In her teaching, she seeks to refine and strengthen classical foundations while fostering the development of individual expression, musicality, and performance artistry. Katherine is committed to inspiring her dancers to strive for their personal best, which she believes will give them the self confidence and discipline needed for a fulfilling life. As an educator, Katherine hopes to create an atmosphere of discipline, yet open-mindedness and joy, and believes that community, connection, and a healthy learning environment are the keys to every student’s success.
Raffaele Brereton
Hip Hop Teacher
“A born Canadian of Trinidadian and Jamaican descent, Raffaele has always been a lover of music and dance. His passion for dance enabled him to learn from and work with some of the leading choreographers in and around the GTA over his time; this in turn allowed him to pursue a career in the arts.
Raffaele, also known as Mr. GETMAD – an acronym for Get Educated Through Movement And Dance – continues to share his knowledge and passion for dance by teaching in competitive and recreations studios, schools, competitions, workshops and anywhere else the opportunities arise.
With over 12 years of teaching experience, he continues to push and motivate his students at all levels, encouraging their growth, understanding of movement and skill development.”
Emily Sugianto
Ballet, Acro, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Tap, Lyrical, Musical Theatre Teacher
Emily started dancing ballet at the age of 4 and eventually branched into jazz, tap, contemporary, modern, acro, and hip hop. She danced competitively for 4 years before attending the professional ballet program at Canada’s National Ballet School. While there, she performed multiple child roles in the National Ballet of Canada’s production of “The Nutcracker,” and choreographed and danced in the Stephen Godfrey Choreographic Workshops.
Kaitlin Kawam
Acro, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Tap Teacher
Growing up in Belleville, Ontario, Kaitlin began her dance training at the age of three at the Ireland Academy of Dance and has been dancing ever since. She has trained and competed in all styles of dance both nationally and internationally, winning multiple awards and titles. Kaitlin is now a Toronto-based dancer who has performed at many events around the city including the 6th Annual HUM Awards, Let the Elephants Dance, as an opening act in the “I Am Blake McGrath” Promo Tour, Escapade directed by Ryan Foley, and as a featured performer in Lianne Tammi’s productions Divulgence, Cabaret and I Am Here.
Kaitlin has been teaching all genres of dance recreationally and competitively to students of all ages for many years and is a certified Jazz, Tap and Ballet Associate with the BATD, and a certified Acro Instructor with the Acro Dance Teacher’s Association (ADTA) and Acrobatic Arts. Kaitlin has a Bachelor of Life Sciences from the University of Toronto where she graduated with high distinction. Currently, she is studying at Sheridan College, working towards a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Therapy. Kaitlin aspires to share her passion for dance with all of her students and help each and every one of them to grow and reach their fullest potential.
Crystal Finn-Dunn
Hip Hop, Contemporary, Tap Teacher
Crystal Star Finn-Dunn B.F.A. is a diverse, emerging dance artist. She has performed across Toronto in shows such as Ted Talks, the Pan-American Games, Nuit Blanche, Gadfly’s Urban Dance Symposium (TUDS), Breakin’ Convention, MonstrARTity, Funkbox NYC, Your Dance Fest and New Blue Dance Festival. Internationally, she has performed with Culture Shock Toronto (CSTO) in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, with Danny Fernandes on tour in China, and New York City at Ladies of Hip Hop with FlowHER House Collective. Her international TV performance debuted at the 8th Annual HUM Awards in July 2018.
Crystal has over 21 years of training through recreational and competitive studio practice in the styles of ballet, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, lyrical, acro, hip hop and musical theatre. Crystal is a graduate of York University specializing in ballet and modern, and performance and choreography, presenting her contemporary choreography on various stages at York.
Crystal’s classical and contemporary training has manifested into her practice of street styles hip hop, house, waacking, popping, and locking. Through battling in street dance she has placed in the selected brackets multiple times including Ladies of Hip Hop, Marquee Madness (San Jose) and made finals in the Urban Hip Hop Union’s battle DEVO for All-Styles, and Tap Water Jam (Montreal) for House. In 2017, she took the opportunity to train for five weeks throughout Europe practicing a wide range of techniques and learning from masters of said styles. In February 2018, she founded FlowHER House Collective, a women-based street dance collective focused in the style of house dance.
Lorena Perez Sanchez
Jazz, Contemporary, Tap Teacher
Born and raised in Costa Rica, Lorena Perez is a dancer, choreographer and passionate instructor, graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She acquired her MFA degree in dance with an em-phasis in performance and pedagogy. As a member of NYU’s Second Avenue Dance Company, she performed works such as “Grace” by choreographer Ronald K Brown and was one of the dancers selected to perform this piece at Radio City Music Hall. During her time as an MFA student, Lorena had the opportunity to teach at the NYU Future Dancers and Dancemakers program and choreographed for the SADC company and various concerts at the Jack Crystal Theater. After graduating from Tisch, Lorena performed in site specific performances by choreographer Kate Harpootlian and joined VALLETO dance company as a company member. During her time at NYC, working as a professional dancer, instructor and choreographer, Lorena was also part of the faculty at Ballet Hispánico (Emerging Teaching Artist).
Throughout her life as a dancer, Lorena has performed in a variety of national and international venues from television to non-profit events, such as Nigel Lythgoe’s Dizzy Feet Foundation in Los Angeles. Moreover, she has appeared in several opening numbers in the show Dancing with the Stars, Costa Rica and has acted and danced in episodes for Costa Rican T.V. Show Dele Viaje. In 2015, she landed the role of a ‘Jet Girl’ Minnie in West Side Story, which was the first Broadway musical in Costa Rica. Before obtaining her MFA in Dance, Lorena graduated from College, earning a BA degree with high honors in Business Administration from Universidad de Costa Rica.
Lorena has more than sixteen years of experience teaching tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, and ballet and has choreographed multiple works for various studios around her country Costa Rica, New York City and Toronto. During summer 2022, she will be choreographing for H2 Dance Company at Hope University Michigan. She will also travel to Guatemala as one of the guest teachers invited to teach at their summer intensive. Lorena feels thrilled and honoured to be part of Poise Dance Academy faculty for her 4th consecutive year.
Jia Brent
Ballet, Jazz Teacher
Beginning her dance career at the age of three, Jia Brent studied ballet, jazz, tap and lyrical. She began her competitive dance career at the age of seven. Jia trained at Creswell Dance Academy and that is where her spark for dance was ignited. Her love of ballet began at Canada’s National Ballet School Associates Program where she studied for three years. While at NBS, she had the opportunity to perform in their annual production of The Nutcracker where she played a mouse in her first year and a lamb for two years following.
Entering high school, Jia focused on her ballet training. Jia completed the RAD syllabus ending with RAD Advanced 2. In completing her Advanced 2, she earned her Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance (ARAD), indicating her level in excellence in ballet. In Canada, Jia has had the pleasure of working with Ian Parsons, Barbara Chonin, Cindy Fisher and Teresa Randall. All were excellent teachers who helped fine tune her dancing. Internationally, Jia was accepted into Alvin Ailey’s Summer Intensive. Jia also attended Camp Broadway in New York which gave her the opportunity to perform on Broadway stages and work with former Broadway performers.
In 2018 Jia began a Bachelor of Arts in Dance at York University. She hopes to graduate from York with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies in 2022. In addition to completing her undergraduate degree, Jia is also enrolled in the RAD Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies course in which she anticipates to complete in 2022.
Jia is excited to be on faculty at Poise Dance Academy. Her goal is to use her passion for dance to ignite her students’ passion with the same love for learning and performance that she has.
Kelsey Willmott
Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre, Hip Hop, Ballet Teacher
Kelsey was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta where she first started dancing at the tender age of three. Starting with Ballet, Jazz and Tap as her dance foundation, that lead to her training in various different styles of dance making her an overall versatile dancer.
Her first big performance experience was with The Young Canadians, where she trained for eleven years, and performed at the world famous Calgary Stampede. While with The Young Canadians she performed for The Queen of England Elizabeth II. Upon completion of her training there, she continued with her career dancing for Carnival Cruise Lines as an on board performer and entertainer.
Afterwards, Kelsey moved to Toronto, Ontario to allow her to further her career and has since had the opportunity to perform on stage with well known Korean recording artist PSY and Canadian rock band Headly at the Much Music Video Music Awards. She has performed for recording artist Craig Smart, along with appearing on screen in music videos and National commercials. Her career has allowed her to tour many places such as Doha; Qatar, Sharjah; UAE, Turks and Caicos, all over the Caribbean and across Canada.
Kelsey is grateful for this career which has allowed her to travel, to perform in various productions and countries to continue with her passion for dance and entertaining. Teaching dance has always been a passion as well. Bringing students into the art of dance holds a special place in her heart. Watching them learn and grow and find their own love in the movements is something truly special.
Jessica Sayde
Hip Hop Teacher
Jessica was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia and began teaching hip hop dance at age 16. She competed in several east coast dance competitions and performed with her local dance team all year round at charity events, concerts, schools and for musical artists. She was the choreographer of the dance troupe for a professional basketball team in Halifax and the choreographer for Canadian artists such as Carl Henry, Classified and Hedley.
Starting at the age of 20, she traveled to Los Angeles, CA every year to train with top choreographers and dancers in the industry.
Jessica moved to California to pursue dance as a career and continued to travel home to Canada to judge and teach at dance conventions/competitions. Jessica has resided in Toronto for 12 years and continues to teach, inspire, and mentor young dancers. She has experience teaching both recreational and competitive groups.
Georgi DiRocco
Acro, Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical Teacher
Georgi DiRocco is an emerging dance artist, teacher and choreographer based in Toronto, Ontario. Originally from Ottawa, Georgi grew up as a competitive dancer being recognized for her unique movement quality and clear passion for dance. After graduating from an arts high school, she began training at the Conteur Academy under the artistic direction of Eryn Waltman. Since then, she has had the great pleasure of working closely with prominent educators such as Ryan Lee, Kelly Shaw, Colleen Snell, Natasha Poon Woo, Wesley Ensminger, Kendra Epik, Hannah Kiel, Naomi Zahler, and Alysa Pires.
Georgi is honoured to have been a part of various company productions such as Nicole Paggiossi’s Release Dance Project, Julia Cratchley’s TranscenDance Project, Anisa Tejpar and Jennifer Nichol’s Hit and Run Productions, as well as Brandon Croisetiere’s works entitled “Wipe Your Feet first” performed at the Capezio ACE Awards. Throughout her years of performing,
Georgi has discovered a deep desire for choreographing and educating while establishing a repertoire of choreography and teaching techniques. Her piece “The Resistance in Which I Stand” performed in Kristin Gomez’s Young Creators Challenge, was awarded 1st place and was later featured in Hayley Paone’s InHayle Dance Company show, “SEViN”. Most recently, Georgi made her critically acclaimed debut with her full length piece “but people can be so impactful”, performed in a double bill show produced along side her partner, Jake Poloz, in the Hamilton Fringe Festival. Throughout her experiences as an artist, Georgi feels humbled while she continues to expand her purpose as an educator in efforts to support her students pursue their own love for dance.
Shayla Vu
Jazz, Contemporary, Acro, Ballet, Hip Hop Teacher
Shayla Vu began her dance journey in Toronto as a competitive dancer for many years where she was recognized for her passion, work ethic, and individual dance style. Shayla has had numerous years of teaching experience in various styles and ages. She places an emphasis on creating a welcoming safe space for all dancers and has shown this through her work with special needs students in the Rhythm Works program. Shayla has always had a deep love for teaching and choreographing. She draws inspiration from artists she has worked with such as Emily Spearing, Emily Gibson, Georgi DiRocco, Jessica Forde, and more.
Shayla works to expand her knowledge and skillsets as a dancer and artist as she enters the third year of her BFA in Dance at the Toronto Metropolitan University. Within the program, she has had the joy of learning from renowned educators such as Anisa Tejpar, Arsenio Andrade, Louis Laberge-Côté, Miha Matevzic, Robert Glumbeck, Ryan Lee, Tanya Evidente, Vicki St.Denys, and more. As a part of her BFA program, Shayla had the pleasure of partaking in many projects including Kaitlyn Seibold’s dance film “Escapists”.
Shayla is committed to continuing her growth in dance as she strives to discover her purpose as an artist and educator. She is honoured to be a part of the Poise team and hopes to share her passion and love for dance with her students.
Leshaun Bernett
Acro, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary Teacher
LeShaun Bernett, though a relatively young and new instructor, has been a member of the dance industry for over 18 years. He sets out to provide a positive approach in class that awards students with the confidence, encouragement, willingness, and desire to practice their dance skills.
Beginning his journey at the age of four, most of his life has revolved around the discipline of dance. Throughout his competitive days, he won numerous special awards, overall awards, and scholarships for his performances. LeShaun’s skills quickly extended from areas beyond the stage. At the age of 14, he became a teacher’s assistant, where he established his fondness for educating upcoming dancers and allowing them to discover their expression, poise, and passion. Later in life, he became a certified ballet instructor under the B.A.T.D syllabus.
More recently, LeShaun graduated from the University of Ottawa with an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences, and a minor in Psychology all taken with the French Immersion Stream. Throughout his university career, he assumed the role of Assistant Captain for uOttawa’s GeeGees Dance Team.
LeShaun’s creativity, musicality, and nurturing nature have established an approachable atmosphere for his students. He is excited to bestow his insight of the competitive world onto his students and is beyond elated to be a part of the Poise Dance Academy.
Nicole Robb
Acro, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical Teacher
Nicole Robb is an imaginative mover, choreographer and educator from Port Coquitlam, BC who grew up dancing competitively since she was a young girl. Since then, Nicole has worked with many influential artists including Joshua Beamish, Danielle Harvey, Christina Woodard, Tracey Norman, John Ottmann and Susan Lee, who have all shaped the way she moves and thinks.
She has trained in many styles such as ballet, jazz, contemporary/modern, acrobatics, aerial arts and hip-hop. She has had the opportunity to perform in Mikolajki, Poland with Team Canada in 2013 during the IDO World Championships and train in Paris on scholarship with the Paris Dance Tour in 2014. In 2018, Nicole graduated from York University with her BFA in Dance with Honours.
As a student, she was an integral member and choreographer of the York Lions Dance Energy competitive team, the York Dance Ensemble, a pre-professional company, and Bloom, a student-led choreography showcase. After 8 years of teaching dance, she has decided to continue her education, returning to York University for her Bachelors of Education this Fall.
Being an Acrobatic Arts certified teacher, Nicole has recently really enjoyed putting her energy into training dancers in tumbling and acrobatic skills to add a level of difficulty and dimension to routines. Nicole is excited to continue to inspire young dancers and share the love she has for dance with the youth in this city. She cannot wait to see what this upcoming dance season has to offer!
Lauren Whyte
Acro, Jazz, Contemporary Teacher
Well known for her extensive Acro knowledge and training, Lauren Whyte has been successfully training the next generation of dancers for the last 9 years. Lauren started her career as a gymnast at age two. In later years Lauren transferred these skills to the world of dance and never looked back.
Lauren is an accomplished choreographer, pilates instructor and movement facilitator. Her extensive knowledge and experience in the dance world makes her a highly valued and accredited competitive dance instructor. Not only is Lauren well versed in Acro she is also highly sought after for her Jazz, Lyrical and Stretch and Strength training.
Lauren had a very successful competitive dance career and has worked with renowned choreographers such as Talia Favia, Hani Abaza, Mia Micheals, Amanda Cleghorn and Paul Becker and more. Lauren has been well recognized by many competitions across Canada and the United States. Lauren was honoured with many awards and scholarships throughout her competitive career. Lauren was also acknowledged as a soloist for attaining highest scoring female soloist for multiple competitions in both Canada and the United States.
Lauren performed in the Pan Am Games in 2015 as a backup dancer for Serena Ryder in the closing ceremonies as well as choreographed many award winning numbers across Ontario. Lauren is constantly furthering her knowledge with continued education courses and is constantly building and improving her repertoire.
Antonio Sardella
Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theatre Teacher
Born in Italy and became a professional ballet dancer at 14. He booked his first professional job as a ballet soloist at the age of 16, he also worked on tv as a dancer/actor in Italy, did National Tours with a contemporary-acro/balancing-aerial arts company in Rome, traveled the World performing in musicals and dance/aerial shows with Royal Caribbean cruise line, and Holland America Line for 5 contracts. Later, he moved to NYC, and worked and performed in many different countries!
He taught masterclasses and workshops for professionals, competitive and recreational students in Italy, Japan, USA and Canada. He also performed as the lead dancer/aerialist in Tokyo Disney in Japan, as Peter Pan, and Snow White Prince.
Currently, he is working as a performer, teacher and choreographer of Ballroom, standard, rhythm and Latin-dances, and choreographer of shows, events, and weddings in Toronto.
He is also a freelance teacher for workshops/masterclasses, and I teach from recreational to competitive level, from an age range from 4 years old to adults.
Ita Dwi Lestari
Studio Manager
Ita Dwi Lestari graduated from the Faculty of Languages and Arts, Yogyakarta State University, Indonesia, majoring in the Department of Dance Education. In 2003, she moved to Canada to dedicate her time and skill to teach and promote the arts to people of all ages.
Ita has been teaching traditional Indonesian dances in Toronto for over 13 years. She also performs many of these dances in several cultural events across Ontario like Carassauga, Indonesian Street Festival, Nuit Blanche at the Ontario Science Centre and the Aga Khan Museum. She used dance as a medium for cultural appreciation and artistic expression and wishes to see more of this in the future generations.
Ita is committed to encouraging students to have a strong work ethic and discipline to give them that extra boost to do their best. Combine that with a fun and positive learning environment, she sees success within all students and teachers at Poise Dance Academy.
Bronwyn Roberts
Ballet Teacher
Bronwyn started dancing at the age of three in her home province of Prince Edward Island. She trained in RAD ballet, jazz and theatre dance and later moved on to training in contemporary and modern dance at Simon Fraser University.
Currently she is a Toronto based dancer and teacher entering her third year as a student at Canada’s National Ballet School in their Teacher Training program. She has had a passion for dance and arts education for many years working in both recreational and professional settings.
Bronwyn also has a passion for arts integration and has taught arts based programming at the science enrichment program SHAD. Her work has been recognized nationally and in 2017 Bronwyn was named a TD Scholar for her community leadership.
