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Educator Bios

Jerry Burchill

Jerry Burchill, born and raised Maritimer, is an emerging dance artist: dancer, choreographer & educator. His passion and purpose collide to provide Atlantic Canada artistic expression through movement, and develop core technique/ability through high-standard dance education. Whether it’s developing dancers, creating movement or hitting the stage, Jerry will guarantee to execute his artistry with flare & style. Jerry found his love for dance at the age of 8 years old, dancing competitively until the age of 17. Discovering dance was his passion he enrolled himself into 2 post-secondary dance programs at George Brown College in Toronto, ON. After receiving his certificate and diploma in dance, he danced his way into the Toronto commercial dance industry, performing and touring with Canadian dance companies such as: Artists in Motion, Cadence Ballet and The Dance Company in the GTA. As well as a nationally televised music video & performance for WE DAY at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre.  In 2015, he moved back to the Maritimes to share his gift in the land where he was created. Since being back home he has instructed at many local studios in the New Brunswick & Nova Scotia area including: Dynamic Academy of the Arts (NB), Dance Envy (NB), House of Eights (NS), Dartmouth Dance Academy (NS), Dance Zone Performing Arts Centre (NS) & Motion Dance Centre (NS). Offering performance and dance education in multiple styles of dance such as jazz, jazz funk, contemporary, heels, hip hop, ballet, pas de deux, improvisation and choreographic composition. 

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Marcia Dysart

Marcia is a dancer, choreographer, collaborator and educator with over 25 years teaching experience. She studied contemporary dance at McMaster University’s Centre for Dance Performance in Hamilton, ON and Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre’s summer intensives for teacher training. Currently a member of Artslink New Brunswick, she shares her passion for creation working collaboratively alongside musicians, visual artists, filmmakers and dancers. Marcia's work has received recognition by the New Brunswick Arts Board and Saint John Community Arts Funding Program and has been performed across Atlantic Canada. She’s developed curriculum for schools, delivering the content to both students and teachers and aids in the growth and support for arts education through her work on boards and juries. Marcia is an American Ballet Theater certified teacher and has a Bachelor of Education and Science. She is a graduate from Dance Education Canada and has certifications in Progressing Ballet Technique, Horton Technique and Boston Ballet School's Adaptive Dance program. 

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Melissa Feltus

Melissa has been tapping for over 4 decades. Her initial training was with Eileen McGrath School of Dance where she completed the Al Gilbert tap technique exams up to and including grade 6. Melissa taught the Sussex branch of this school for 2 years. Throughout university she continued to take tap lessons and was involved in choreographing high school and university musicals and various dance related events. She also has experience in Jazz, Irish hard and soft shoe, Highland and ballroom dancing. Melissa continues her tap training through workshops and classes from Shawn Byfield in Toronto and Steps on Broadway in New York as well as working through the intermediate advanced Tap syllabus offered by unitedtaps.com. She is currently looking into pursuing a CDTA certification in tap education. Melissa also teaches tap to the competitive groups at D.A.T.A. 

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Rebecca Gamble

Rebecca began ballet classes at the age of 5 in Kanata, Ontario. A family move brought her to Fredericton, N.B., at the age of 10, where she continued studying ballet at Dance Fredericton under Leslie Dell, Dede Gaston, and Julie Scriver. At the age of 12, Rebecca also discovered a love of jazz under Marcia Dysart, Nicole Blanchet and later Emily Caruso. In 1992 and 1993, Rebecca attended two summer sessions at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, one on full scholarship, and was also accepted into their year-long intensive training program. In 1998, Rebecca began teaching dance classes while continuing to take class for her own training and development. She has taught creative movement, ballet, and jazz to those aged 3 to adult at Dance Fredericton, Artemis Dance, X-treme Dance Studio, Cobequid Dance Academy and the Rothesay Ballet School. She has also attended a variety of workshops and teacher training seminars with various dance companies such as the RWB, NBS and l’Ecole Supérieur de Danse du Québec. Rebecca holds a bachelor of Arts and Education and is currently a full-time French Immersion teacher at Fairvale Elementary School.

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Gina Grant

Gina Grant is a professional contemporary dancer based in Rothesay, New Brunswick. After completing her formal training at l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, Gina had the pleasure of working with choreographers such as Castel Blast, Compagnie Ilotopie, As They Strike Collective, and 14 lieux. She has performed at the Fashion & Design Festival in Montreal as well as Ill-Abilities’s Tenth Anniversary Show founded by Luca “Lazylegs” Patuelli. She is currently in the process of completing a certification to teach dance movement classes to individuals with Parkinson’s disease, under the mentorship of Parkinson en mouvement. Gina is interested in using dance as a way of better knowing oneself, and is excited to share her practice with dancers in New Brunswick. 

Shelby Harnish

Shelby is a Canadian dancer, choreographer, performer, and certified yoga instructor from Fredericton, New Brunswick. Her focus is in Commercial Heels, Street Jazz, & Hip Hop; but, her training over the years has extended to several other styles of dance and movement. Shelby has been performing since the age of three, consistently using the art of dance as a form of expression. Her passion for dance is what drives her ambition and is what ultimately led her to start her dance company, Out of My Shel, encouraging those of all backgrounds to step out of their shells to discover their self-confidence through the power of dance.

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Emma McEvoy

Emma McEvoy began her dance training at Rothesay Ballet School in 2001, studying ballet, jazz, contemporary, and tap. Starting as a teaching assistant in the junior ballet program, she was promoted to teacher in 2012. Emma also trained as a contemporary assistant. ​In 2015, Emma completed the Certificate of Ballet Teaching Studies with the Royal Academy of Dance, officially becoming a registered teacher with the RAD. As well, Emma is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Communication Studies, and Duke University, completing the Digital Media and Marketing certificate program. ​Emma is also a graduate of the Enriched Performing Arts Diploma program at the Canadian College of Performing Arts. The two-year intensive program focused on dance technique, creation, and performance. While at CCPA, Emma had the opportunity to choreograph new works, act as a dance captain and rehearsal assistant and perform as both a dancer and actor in productions. Since moving back to Rothesay, Emma has worked with Saint John Theatre Company and worked with Rothesay Netherwood School’s productions of The King and I and Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.

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Sarah Power

Sarah has been working as an independent dance artist and teacher since graduating from the Dance Performance Program at Ryerson University in 2001. She is the artistic director of Connection Dance Works, the company she co-founded in 2010.Her classical teaching accreditations include Intermediate level R.A.D and Cecchetti Advanced 1exam certificates. Sarah’s teaching philosophy centres on creative movement, age-appropriate anatomical alignment, and healthy self-image.Her artistic career has included collaborations with musicians, dancers, filmmakers and visual artists from across Canada. She has received grants for Professional Development, Residencies and Creation projects through the Canada Council for the Arts and artsnb.Sarah continues to learn and develop work through her practice of Authentic Movement, a way of discovering movement inherent to the body. 

SalsaSJ

SalsaSJ was formed 6 years ago and grew organically out of a desire for more Latin dance in Saint John. Brett and Chelsea learned cuban salsa in a previous life in Australia from a Peruvian. A truly global experience. SalsaSJ is the result of a desire to build a community who loves this dance as much as we do.

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​Becky Steeves

Becky has been involved with dance in the greater Saint John area for over 25 years. She was trained at Step In Time Dance School under the direction of Jennifer and Jody Dubee where she gained interest in competing and becoming an instructor. She owned and operated her own studio, “Becky’s Dance School”, from 2005 - 2009 in Hampton, NB. Her dancers were trained in jazz, lyrical and primarily Hip Hop. Becky has had a love for Hip Hop from the beginning. Her dancers received multiple awards and recognitions for their performances. Over the years, Becky has taken many workshops from master instructors and choreographers to refine her technique. She is now a stay at home mom to her 3 busy boys (ages 14, 12 and 9). She still loves to teach and take classes when time presents itself.

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Darryl Tracy

Darryl Tracy is a Toronto-based independent dance artist: choreographer, interpreter, teacher, and producer. He was a senior faculty member and a Resident Choreographer at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre from 2003-2021 under Artistic Director Patricia Fraser. As a dancer, he has created roles by many of Canada’s leading choreographers. Tracy was a member of the company Sylvain Émard Danse in Montreal. He has created over 44 of his own works through commissions and self-produced events. Most recently, he has choreographed for Connection Dance Works (New Brunswick), L’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, Sawdon Dance (Winnipeg), and George Brown Dance (Toronto). He guest-teaches across Canada and in the United States. In September 2017, his new solo, All the Patsys, that he choreographed and performed (alongside Connection Dance Works’ with far arms), premiered as part of Saint John New Brunswick's Imperial Theatre season. Tracy teaches anatomy at the Teachers Training Program at The National Ballet School in Toronto. Tracy works part-time as a neuro-based rehabilitation physiotherapist at Alpha East Health Services and Lyndhurst Centre in Toronto.

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