Richelle studied theatre and dance at Ryerson for 2 years before moving on to the National Ballet School. She has been trained by many of Canada's Cecchetti Ballet examiners and is a member of The Cecchetti Society Classical Ballet Faculty (AISTD). A certified jazz educator for the ADAPT method of dance, Richelle completed her 3rd year in their teacher training school.

In 2000, she founded The Dance Collective Company, a small group of dancers heading towards a professional career through performances in the school system. She has won many choreography awards and has continued to dance and choreograph in the dance industry where her style still remains cutting edge.

Janet Venn-Jackson

Janet is an experienced and “in-demand” adjudicator, teacher
and choreographer.
Janet ran her own studio, the Creative Dance Arts Academy located in Oshawa, Ontario offering classes in Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Acrobatics and Musical Theatre for 27 very successful seasons.
Professionally, Ms. Venn-Jackson has danced for the C.B.C., Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa,
JUNO Awards ,and the ACTRA awards.
She has choreographed for the N.F.L., Quaker Oats commercials and many Canadian and U.S. based musical theatre productions.
These shows include Les Mis, Cabaret, West Side Story, Kiss Me Kate, Oliver, South Pacific and Guys and Dolls.
Her dance students have won many National and International competitive awards including Miss Dance of Canada and
Teen Mr. Dance of America.
Students of Janet’s have appeared in many professional venues including the Broadway shows: Beauty and the Beast, Cats, Crazy For You, Oliver!, Hello Dolly, Oklahoma and Cruise lines such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean.
Janet is also a fully certified A.D.A.P.T. dance examiner, only one of four in Canada. She is also on faculty at the annual ADAPT Teacher’s Training Program in Moosejaw, Saskatchewan.

Gillian Leask

Gillian is a triple threat. She has trained intensively in jazz and tap (ADAPT), ballet (RAD), lyrical/contemporary, hip hop, musical theatre, and modern. She has also studied classical voice with the Royal Conservatory of Music and trained at the Randolf Academy of Performing Arts (Toronto), as well as The Performing Arts Institute (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania). She has also traveled to Alaska, the Caribbean and South America working as a production dancer with Celebrity Cruises.

In addition, she has worked extensively as a dance instructor in studios, schools, day camps and the City of Oshawa community centers. She has earned awards for her innovative choreography and brings a fresh youthful vibe with her to the studio.

Yvette Bazarin-Ulett, BA Honours Dance (York University). Teacher of Contemporary Modern & Hip Hop.

Yvette has been a faculty member of Island Dance Studio since 1999 and calls the studio her "second home". Yvette's high energy and creativity is always apparent in her class. She has over 18 years of combined training in Modern, Acro, Jazz and Gymnastics. In addition to choreographing for the competitive students, Yvette has choreographed the York University Youth Ensemble and the Scugog Dance Collective where her work was recognized with several awards.

Yvette has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance and Kinesiology from York University. She is, also, a registered Maassage Therapist who uses her extensive knowledge in body mechanics and rehabilitation to educate the students and faculty in the importance of proper technique and injury prevention.

Tracy Smith, PACE. Teacher of Lyrical, Jazz, Tap, & Hip Hop.

Tracy began her dancing at the young age of 3 and began competing at the age of 8. Winning 5th overall at Canadian Nationals in 1997 and 2nd runner up for Miss Dance of Canada in 2000.

Tracy's love of the stage shows with her vast experience on stage. She has received her level 1 gymnastic certification and joined the 'Performing Arts Educators of Canada' in July 2006.

Stephannie Jarrett

Stephannie started dancing at the age of 3 and never stopped. She is a member of the BATD (British Association of Teachers of Dance)1987, the CDTA (Canadian Dance Teachers Association)1991, and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours Degree in Dance from York University(1993) where she was in the performance and choreography stream. Her performance and competitive background has taken her throughout the United States. Stephannie has worked within the music industry in the past with various recording artists from Universal and EMI Records preparing them for live performances and video shoots. She has worked on choreography projects in live theatre such as 'Cabaret', and also for Silicon Graphics Canadian Conference show in San Francisco. Stephannie was the recipient of the DEA (Dance Educators of America) Choreographer's Award in 2000 (New York) and 2002 (Las Vegas). She has taught dance workshops in the Durham and Toronto School Board for many years, and has also adjudicated the CNE Rising Star competition for the past 12 years. When she's not teaching dance, Stephannie works as a Fitness Instructor specializing in spin and sculpt classes at Impulse, Roo's, and Women's Club. Her certifications are with OFC (Ontario Fitness Council), and CAIN (Canadian Aerobics Instructors Network). In her spare time, she enjoys her dog and cottage life. Stephannie is pleased to be on the faculty of the Island Dance Studio.

Kim Corrigan-Oliver

For as long as Kim can remember she has been dancing. Having been a successful competitive dancer she is now a very sought after dance teacher. Kim is a certified A.D.A.P.T. teacher and has been teaching under the A.D.A.P.T. syllabus for 20 years guiding students to very successful results in their A.D.A.P.T. tap and jazz exams. Her competitive choreography has received many accolades at competitions across North America, receiving many overall awards, and scholarships.

Kim has a passion for dance, and her greatest pleasure as a teacher is passing on this passion to her students.

Besides dance, Kim also has a passion for health and wellness. She is a certified holistic nutritionist and her business Your Green Baby specializes in nutrition for mom, baby, toddler and family.  She is a successful runner, competing in 5km, 10km, half marathon distances, and is an accomplished triathlete competing at the Ironman distance. Kim is a sought after speaker for The Running Room, Team In Training, local fitness facilities and sports teams, presenting information to athletes on stretching, recovery techniques, mental preparation, sports nutrition, motivation and goal setting.

Kim is excited to be a part of Island Dance Studio and looks forward to getting to know each and every dancer and helping them to be the best they can be!