Howe Sound Dance Academy




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	SHALIMAR BLANCHARD LRAD, ARAD, RAD RTS, AISTD
		Director of Howe Sound Dance Academy Ballet, Competitive Jazz Miss Blanchard started dancing at the age of four years in North Vancouver, BC. She focussed on ballet but also studied tap, jazz, and hip hop. At the age 17 she was admitted to the 3 year Teacher Training Program at the Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) in London England. There, in addition to ballet she also studied Latin American, character, contemporary, modern national, flamenco, and Irish dancing. She was awarded her teaching diploma in 1995 and she returned to Vancouver and began teaching. Since returning to Vancouver she has earned associates in modern and national dance branches of the International Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). She also completed her RAD advanced 2 examination as well as advanced 2 examinations in ballet and modern dance from the ISTD. In 1998 Miss Blanchard started the Howe Sound Dance Academy in Squamish, BC where she continues to teach as well as making guest teaching appearances in the Lower Mainland.
	DONNA KIRKHAM RAD, RTS
		Pre School, Ballet & AIDT Jazz Donna started to dance at the age of four with the Vivian Briggs and Wynne Shaw Studios in Victoria B.C. Her love of dance has done nothing but grow stronger from that time. While living in Victoria she competed in festivals, challenged RAD exams and performed in many recitals. While expanding her repertoire to include jazz, tap & modern dance, she passed both the Elementary and Intermediate RAD exams in the same session. She took advantage of her experience in dance and dramatic training while performing with the Bastion Theatre and Jerry Gosley's Butchart Gardens Productions. Among the lead roles she played were Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Cleopatra, and the millers daughter in Rumplestiltskin. Donna and her husband relocated throughout BC on several occasions. Each time she could not resist taking classes, teaching, or starting a small school in places like Victoria, Port Hardy, and Penticton. In 1998 she relocated to Squamish BC. It was in looking for classes for her daughter that she was introduced to Lynette Kelly ( children's and major's examiner for the RAD) and started teaching once again. Her approach to dance has been a life long learning program, including attendance at the Banff School of Fine Arts, Oregon Summer School of Dance, and many seminars in Toronto and Vancouver. Donna is a qualified instructor of ballet with the Royal Academy of Dance, having been awarded the Registered Teachers Certificate. She is also accredited with the Association of International Dance Teachers as an instructor of Modern Jazz. More inspiring for Donna than her love of dance is the joy that her students bring to her on a daily basis.
	KYLIE RAILTON
		Hip Hop Miss Railton is new to Howe Sound Dance Academy, and we are very excited to have her teaching hip hop and jazz. She started dancing in North Vancouver at the age of 3. She has studied ballet, jazz, hip hop, modern dance and tap. She has taught at various dance studios for the past 8 years, as well as guest teaching on Vancouver Island. While teaching Kylie has also been busy as principal dancer with C-Force, a choreographer and principal dancer for Fashion Jam and principal dancer for Joico and Clairol. This summer you can see her at BC Place as a BC lions Felion. Kylie loves to teach students that love to dance and bring as much energy to her classes as she does.