Elisa LoCurto
September 1, 2010
Elisa has always made dance an important part of her life. At the age of twelve she made the decision to begin studying dance at Cardinal Carter Academy of the Arts where she received many awards including the Award of Excellence in Dance in her graduating year. She also trained with Anne Sprincis at Dansecore School of Dance in ballet and modern, studying RAD through both graded and vocational exams which she completed with High Distinction. She was also an avid member of the Dansecore Company and competitive team competing throughout the GTA and surrounding cities.
Elisa recently completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Dance at Ryerson University studying ballet, modern and jazz under the direction of Nadia Potts and other renowned teachers such as Vicki St Denys and Kenny Pearl. Here she had the opportunity to be a part of the creation of a new work with both William Yong for Ryerson Dances 2008 and Valerie Calam for Ryerson Dances 2009. She also choreographed and performed a contemporary piece, Follow the Fire, on her fellow graduates for Choreographic Works 2010. She has also had the opportunity to work with artists such as Evelyn Hart, Robert Glumbek, Johanna Bergfeldt, Derek Sangster, Linda Garneau, Kate Franklin, Tanya Evidente and Jerome Bobb.
Elisa is an active member of the dance world, doing intensive programs with Toronto-based contemporary ballet company, ProArteDanza, under the direction of Roberto Campanella and Robert Glumbek. Here she had the chance to work with choreographer Lacey Smith on the creation of a new work, Beneath the Veil in 2009. She very passionate about the dance world and is exited to be a member of Lindsay Ritter Productions.
Visit: http://www.lindsayritter.com/company-dancers/elisa-locurto/ for bookings and to leave a comment!
Kirklanne Lafferty
September 1, 2010
Kirklanne Lafferty
Kirklanne began dancing at the young age of 3 in Innisfil and continued her training in Barrie. During that time she completed exams in jazz and ballet, most recently receiving highly commended on her level 8 exam through the Society of Russian Ballet. She also competed all across Ontario in various dance competitions. Having trained in almost all areas of dance; ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, musical theatre and tap, Kirklanne now passes on her knowledge and skills to some of the younger students at a local dance studio in Barrie. Kirklanne enjoys attending master classes with The National Ballet School of Canada and workshops with teachers such as Blake McGrath, Nicco Archambault and Wynn Holmes just to name a few. Understanding the importance of the arts among teenagers, Kirklanne was heavily involved with dance at her high school. She was captain of the dance team and choreographed all of their liturgical dances which they performed for their school at their monthly liturgies. Also she took on the role of choreographer and performed various dances in St. Peters Catholic Secondary School’s musical version of Aladdin. This ultimately helped her build leadership skills. Most recently Kirklanne had the opportunity to perform in the 2009 Women in Dance benefit show held in Toronto. Having recently graduated from high school, Kirklanne has become a part of Jennifer Gibson’s new project in the Barrie area called ‘Kidz in Motion’, where she will be part of a team going to schools teaching fun dances to kids of all levels. Kirklanne is thrilled to be a part of Lindsay Ritter’s company and cannot wait to start dancing!
Visit: http://www.lindsayritter.com/company-dancers/kirklanne-lafferty/ for bookings and to leave a comment!
Kevi Katsuras
August 23, 2010
Kevi Katsuras
A young, creative, bold girl who has been dancing since the age of 3. Starting off with just ballet, by the time she was 5, she was not only into ballet, but tap and jazz as well. Approaching the age of 10, Kevi started getting into competitive dance and competed in tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, and pointe. Jazz/Contemporary, and Pointe being her favourite styles, really helped her decide that she wanted to pursue dance as a career later on in life. By the age of 12, Kevi realized that she wanted to be a performer and become something big in her later years to come. Also having acting skills in her background, this made Kevi even more of a performer and helped her really express herself more in dance.
Dance is Kevi’s greatest passion and she would love to do nothing else but dance, dance, dance. Her personal meaning of the word Dance, is that it is a way of feeling and expressing your inner emotions by the physical movement of the body. At the age of 15, Kevi started doing more and more dance auditions. Such as auditioning for the summer programs at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and the Quinte Ballet School of Canada. Getting accepted into both summer programs, it was a hard decision for her, but she decided to go with Quinte, and spent the month of July one summer in Belleville, Ontario, dancing 5 days a week, 9am-5pm. The following year, Kevi travelled to New York City to audition for the NYC Rockette Summer Intensive. With the acceptance into the summer intensive, Kevi took the plunge and spent a week living in NYC and being a Rockette for an entire week.
Since then, Kevi has been going to various auditions for many things hoping to push her way into the dance world! She recently auditioned to be a back up dancer for Katy Perry at the MMVA’s, sadly she didn’t make it but, what an experience!
She is starting the two-year dance program at George Brown College in September, 2010, and can’t wait to experience working and training even more there.
Kevi can not wait to work, and be a part of LR Productions, experiment, and grow from working with the wonderful Lindsay Ritter!
Visit: http://www.lindsayritter.com/company-dancers/kevi-katsuras/ for bookings and to leave a comment!
Stephanie Papaioannou
August 23, 2010
Stephanie Papaioannou
TTP (Dip)-NBS, R.A.D. RTS
Stephanie, originally from Calgary, Alberta grew up playing hockey, eventually finding dance as a
teenager. She then began to train intensively in a variety of styles including ballet, jazz, hip hop,
contemporary and tap. While dancing all over Canada and in New York City in various competitions and
workshops, Stephanie’s achievements include winning first place soloist at a national competition for
her first piece of choreography. Stephanie was a semi finalist in the Calgary Stampede’s Youth Talent
Showdown and was a recipient of the Tammy Lynn Powers and Jamie Hill Memorial Award for a dancer
who demonstrates commitment, talent and perseverance. She has completed her Advanced 1 RAD and
Cecchetti ballet exams, Advanced 1 National exam (ISTD) and her Advanced CDTA jazz exam (honours).
Stephanie is a recent graduate of the Teacher Training Program at Canada’s National Ballet School
where she received a diploma in teaching, as well as Registered Teacher’s Status with the Royal
Academy of Dance. During her time in the program she studied under such notables as Glenn Gilmour,
Jane Wooding, Richard Sias and Anuschka Roes. This year she will complete her Bachelor of Fine Arts in
Dance at York University where the faculty includes Susan Cash, Carol Anderson and Donna Krasnow.
After intensively training in ballet for the past two years, Stephanie is excited to be returning to the
world of jazz and is looking forward to performing with LR Productions.
Visit: http://www.lindsayritter.com/company-dancers/stephanie-papaioannou/ for bookings and to leave a comment!
Megan Oko
August 19, 2010
Megan Oko
Megan has had a remarkable passion for dance ever since she saw her first ballet, The Nutcracker as a child. She loves to express a story or style through her body while listening to inspirational music. She enjoys stylized dancing, jazz, contemporary and athletic dance and puts her own spin on pieces of choreography. She danced ballet, jazz and modern competetively for numerous years and also competed in various festivals around Canada. In Calgary during high school, she attended the pre professional program for a year at the Alberta Ballet School where she worked hard to improve her technique. It was there that she determined that a career in dance and the arts was what she wanted. Back home in Ontario for Grade 12, Megan began taking acting and singing seriously and performed in and choreographed musical numbers in plays such as West Side Story and Jesus Christ Superstar at the Grand Theatre in Kingston, Ontario. She went on to graduate from George Brown College in the two year dance program and trained with Karen Andrews, a Toronto performer turned Studio Director. There, she taught jazz dance and assisted with stretch and strength classes. Megan receives a lot of satisfaction from instructing children and youth in dance and is energized by their enthusiasm. She performed as a fosse dancer in numerous pieces in the Toronto Jazz Festival in 2009. Megan also trained at theatre school for a year and felt she became a more well- rounded performer. She continues to take numerous acting and dance classes to push her limits and perfect her technique. Megan is a proud Canadian artist, an excited new company member and cannot wait to shake things up with LR productions in the future!
Visit: http://www.lindsayritter.com/company-dancers/megan-oko/ for bookings and to leave a comment!
Christina Reitano
August 18, 2010
Christina Reitano
Christina’s passion for dance began in Ottawa, Ontario, where she trained at Extra Dance Academie in ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip hop and tap.
During high school, Christina had the privilege of being the leader of the school’s dance team, while also choreographing and organizing performances for her troupe.
From the age of 3 years old and on she danced her little heart out and followed her passion which led her to Toronto.
She is now a graduate of Ryerson University’s BFA program, Theatre performance Dance. Christina also took part of the Ryerson Rhythm Dance Pak Team. During her four years at Ryerson University she had the pleasure and opportunity of working with renowned teachers and choreographers such as Nadia Potts, Vicky St. Denys, Karen Duplesis, Kenny Pearl, Tanya Evidente, Holly Small, Robert Glumbek, Darryl Tracy, Derek Sangster and Linda Garneau. She has taken part in several productions of Ryerson Dances as well as Choreographic Works which presents student choreography.
As a graduate, she is consistently auditioning and taking classes throughout the city of Toronto. She is thrilled to be a part of Lindsay Ritter Productions and to embark on a new adventure.
Visit: http://www.lindsayritter.com/company-dancers/christina-reitano/ for bookings and to leave a comment!
Chrisanna Yan
August 16, 2010
Chrisanna Yan
Born in England and raised in the GTA with a family from Hong Kong, Chrisanna (chris-an-na) is
as unique as her name. Chrisanna is an award-winning gymnast and dancer who has trained and
competed throughout North America. But before putting the brakes on, she is also a full-time
student at U of T specializing in Accounting. Born to perform .. with talent and brains.
She was first recruited in summer camp for the competitive gymnastics program at the
renowned Gymnastics Mississauga. She was recognized for her natural grace and elegance and
has had floor routines that range from ballet, Spanish and jazz music which have given her a
sense of versatility in her dancing today. She helped Ontario win the Provincial Championship
and was the silver medalist All-Around Provincial Champion. Despite success, she turned to her
true passion. She was referred to a ballet teacher and began studying ballet under the Russian
method. She has completed her Intermediate examinations under the Society of Russian Ballet
with top results.
It didn’t take long before she was invited to perform as a dancer with Royal Opera Canada in the
infamous opera “Carmen”. She performed in a total of 16 shows at the Living Arts Centre and
the Toronto Centre for Performing Arts. Following this experience, she was named Captain of
her high school Dance Team for 3 consecutive years. Combining her experience in gymnastics
and ballet, she choreographed the team routines ranging from Ballet, Jazz and Lyrical as well
as all of her solos during high school which were awarded Top Soloist and Overall Scores at
numerous competitions. In her last year of high school, she was offered a scholarship to Los
Angeles to train in an intensive program at Millennium, The Edge and Debbie Reynolds. She also
performed at the Grover Dale Agency Showcase and came home to sign a contract with The
Dance Company.
Chrisanna takes advantage of international training to advance her versatility with
choreographers including Mia Michaels, Brian Friedman, Bobby Newberry as well as Shing
Mah from Hong Kong. Despite having an unusual background, it has kept her humble and is a
force in nature to remember her roots. Currently, she is a free-lance dancer and choreographer
under her company CC Productions for Artistic Gymnastics choreographing floor routines for
several gymnastics clubs in Ontario. Now, she is beyond thrilled to be joining LR Productions as a
company dancer and be part of the world of Commercial Jazz!
Visit: http://www.lindsayritter.com/company-dancers/chrisanna-yan/ for bookings and to leave a comment!
Tricia Hatch
August 7, 2010
Tricia Hatch
As little sister to three older brothers, Tricia’s passion for dance began at the young age
of five years old. Although Tricia participated in a wide variety of athletics the beauty
and artistry of dance was an escape from the cold hockey arenas and smelly sports
equipment. As Tricia’s enthusiasm for dance evolved she became a very successful
competitive jazz, tap, hip-hop, lyrical, musical theatre and ballet dancer in her hometown
of St. Catherines Ontario.
Since then Tricia has recently graduated from Ryerson University’s BFA program
majoring in Theatre Performance Dance. Tricia was trained by such renown artists
as; Nadia Potts, Vicki St. Denys, Karen Duplisea, Kenny Pearl, Derek Sangster,
Robert Glumback, Linda Garneau, Matjash Mrozewski, and Tanya Evidente. Tricia
Has also had the pleasure of working directly for William Yong and Darryl Tracey.
Tricia has completed RAD ballet exams and spent a month training with the very talented
modern dance artists and teachers at the Toronto Dance Theatre.
Currently Tricia is instructing Akhanda Yoga at the University of Toronto and private
prenatal and back care classes.
Tricia Is absolutely thrilled with the opportunity to be working with Lindsay Ritter and
excited to bring her passionate enthusiasm, love for performance, and compassionate
nature to the LR Production team.
Visit: http://www.lindsayritter.com/company-dancers/tricia-hatch/ for bookings and to leave a comment!
Teaghan Dixie
June 28, 2010
Teaghan Dixie
Teaghan is a dancer of comparable skill and style. Teaghan started dancing at the age of 3 and was asked to join the competitive team at the age of 5. She has trained extensively in contemporary, commercial jazz, ballet, hip hop and tap. Teaghan has over 8 years of experience teaching for studios, dance/theatre camps, schools, and various workshops. She was a vital part of Thrill Dancers’ recreational program where she taught dancers from the ages of 2.5 - 25. She is currently an instructor at Tandem Studios teaching all ages and skill levels. Teaghan is an experienced teacher and choreographer in Jazz and Hip Hop, and is an avid strength and conditioning coach.
Teaghan’s love of dance and keen performance style, has led her to win many Highest Overall Marks for her dancing in both groups and solos. Awards of note include The Ultimate Shine Award (Highest Group Mark of the competition) at Shine Dance Gatineau, and Top Soloist.
Teaghan continues to hone her craft taking classes and various workshops with some of the greatest choreographers and dancers around, Blake McGrath, Mia Michaels, Tyce Diorio and Wade Robson to name a few.
Teaghan is a graduate of George Brown College with an Advanced Diploma in Fitness and Lifestyle Management leading her to becoming the Fitness Lab Technologist for the program as well as a Certified Personal Trainer and Group Instructor.
Since moving to Toronto, Teaghan has joined LR Productions which as lead her to perform in shows and special events such as Women in Dance, Dances of Offering, and R4 Fashion Show and most recently, Talent Defined. She is thrilled to be a member of the company and can’t wait to experience more of the commercial jazz world and share her unique and captivating performance.
Visit: http://www.lindsayritter.com/company-dancers/teaghan-dixie/ for bookings and to leave a comment!
Marta Sobiesiak
June 3, 2010
Marta Sobiesiak
A fresh face on the Toronto dance scene, Marta Sobiesiak began dancing ballet at the age of three and by the age of eight had expanded her repertoire to include jazz and modern. She found her niche in the world of competitive dance at the age of nine and has traveled all over North America to places such as New Orleans, Orlando, Ocean City, and New York for national and international competitions, winning countless awards and titles in the following nine years in dance styles ranging from ballet, to jazz, to modern, to tap. At age 11, she was the youngest dancer invited to join her studio’s senior dance troupe, and she hasn’t slowed down since.
She began training in the Cecchetti method of ballet at age 11 under the instruction of the National Ballet of Canada’s Ms. Jean Spear (F.I.S.T.D. and Examiner, Diploma Certified; life member of the Cecchetti society). She has won full scholarships from both the Canadian Dance Teachers Association (C.D.T.A.) and Cecchetti organizations, with the latter being awarded to her by Mr. Glenn Gilmour (F.I.S.T.D. and Examiner; senior teacher at the National Ballet of Canada).
Marta was also the youngest dancer chosen to join the McGill Contemporary Dance Ensemble (MOSAICA) in 2003 in Montreal. From 2003 to 2007 she was an active member, performing in and choreographing dances each year for the Montreal ensemble’s two-hour shows in styles ranging from contemporary, to jazz, to musical theatre. Now an experienced and passionate choreographer, she is inspired by the choreography of Tessandra Chavez, Mia Michaels, and James Kudelka of the National Ballet of Canada.
Since moving to Toronto in 2008, she has been a part of DanceKraze Productions’ dance company, the Honeykats, who have performed her original pieces in Toronto, and she is currently a member of LR Productions as well as the first teacher of contemporary/lyrical classes for LR Dance (www.lindsayritter.com) at Toronto’s OIP Dance Centre.
Visit: http://www.lindsayritter.com/company-dancers/marta-sobiesiak/ for bookings and to leave a comment!