Acerca de

Artist Bios

​​

Gina Grant

Gina is a contemporary dancer, teacher and choreographer based in Saint John, New Brunswick. She completed her dance training with l'École de danse contemporaine de Montréal in 2017, and has since worked extensively with Montreal and New Brunswick based choreographers, musicians and visual artists. Most Recently, Gina had the pleasure of being featured in Created Here Magazine’s 19th Issue, “Bodies”. She performed her first solo work "The same, but not like before" at the 12th annual Saint John Contemporary Dance Festival as well as PERSPECTIVE 2022. Gina collaborates frequently with multidisciplinary artist Naomi Peters/NO[no] in a mutual interest of exploring relationships between camera, subject and nature. She is currently involved in Connection Dance Works's "New Music, New Dance" residency, choreographed by Sarah Power. Gina is in the process of completing her 200h yoga teacher training, as well as Stefan Crainic’s movement education course “Monkey Flow Acrobatics”.

​

Clair Ahearn

Swing dancer Claire Ahern is a dynamic performer, charismatic instructor, and passionate champion of swing dance in New Brunswick. Claire learned to swing dance in Halifax, NS, where she also began teaching and competing; she has since danced across Canada, the U.S., and Europe. In 2019, Ms. Ahern moved to Saint John NB, a city bereft of a swing dance scene. Claire quickly took matters into her own hands to create a swing dance community from scratch, and founded Saint John Swing Dance. Since then, she has hosted many swing events, a lesson series, live band and outdoor dances, and has taught hundreds of folks how to dance. A keen collaborator, Claire is thrilled to be teaching at the Adult Dance Conference!

​

Joelle Choueiri

Joelle is a licensed physical educator and dance instructor with more than 15 years of experience. She is a certified Zumba instructor with a wealth of teaching experience working with children and adults. Joelle worked as a teacher of physical education and dance in several schools in Lebanon. She has produced and presented various national television programs and starred in professional theatre acts for children's entertainment. In addition, She has hosted various events where she was involved with choreography, costume and music selections. Creative, dynamic and pedagogical, she produces fun and interesting content for everyone. Her goal as a trainer is to foster a positive and happy learning environment, for all, where fitness is fun!

​

Kirsten Farrow

Kirsten first fell in love with dance while growing up in small town Saskatchewan. She trained and completed exams in many disciplines, including Tap(CDTA), Jazz(CDTA), Ballet(RAD), and Musical Theatre. At the age of 17 Kirsten's passion for the arts propelled her from Saskatchewan to New York City, where she attended the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy(AMDA). Embracing the city's rich theatrical tapestry Kirsten learned to refine her skills, and add a new level of professionalism and versatility. Kirsten's latest adventure has her living and performing in Whitehorse, Yukon.

Her involvement with Velvet Antler Productions, a Cabaret/Burlesque entertainment company has allowed her to expand her dance horizons even further. Kirsten's current projects weave her dynamic dance background, with her immerging love for the sultry, twisty, funny, entertaining art form of burlesque! She believes it is a place where energy flows and ALL dance bodies are celebrated!

​

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.

​

Ian Gibson

Ian C. Gibson is the Percussion Teaching Artist for the Saint John Centre of Sistema New Brunswick. This internationally acclaimed program is operated by the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, Inc., across the Province.  With over twenty years of professional experience, Ian is able to provide students with the essential skills and knowledge to become outstanding percussionists. From 2005-2017, Ian was the Head of Percussion Studies at Cambrian College, Classical Percussion Instructor at Laurentian University and the Principal Percussionist/Timpanist of the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra.  Since moving to New Brunswick he has quickly established himself performing with Symphony New Brunswick and numerous musical theatre productions.  He is a member of the Tutta Musica Orchestra, and Percussion Coach of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra. Ian is currently a certified Remo HealthRHYTHMS Facilitator and a member of the Percussive Arts Society. He is also sponsored by Innovative Percussion, Pearl Drums & Adams Percussion.
Ian holds both a Bachelor and Master of Music Degree in Music Performance from the University of Toronto

Kristina Lemieux

Kristina Lemieux (she/her) is a contemporary dance artist, arts manager, and gardener. A relative newbie to Saint John, Kristina has danced and lived in Edmonton, Vancouver, and Toronto before settling near to the Kennebecasis River. Her dance practice is rooted in improvisation and the democratization of dance. One of the things she is most proud of in her dance career is Polymer Dance. She started Polymer Dance in 2012 with Miriam Esquitín in Vancouver. Polymer Dance is a contemporary dance performing group and class for non-professional adult dancers with the goal to provide a space for continuous training and to cultivate an improvisation collective. Often making use of natural space and performing in public venues, this work allowed artists and audiences to meet in unexpected places. She also works for arts organizations and performing artists coast to coast making ideas happen.  In all that she does, Kristina works to support artists across performing disciplines in finding ways to make art outside of the currently prescribed modes.

​

Jamie Mario

Originally from Indonesia, James started his dance training in 2014 upon moving to Canada for his post-secondary education. He had his start by taking hip-hop classes and workshops around many dance studios in Toronto. In 2015, James joined Foreal Dance Company (@torontoforeal) to train and compete in various post-collegiate dance competitions in Ontario. In time, he became one of Foreal Dance Company’s lead choreographers and proceeded to choreograph for showcases and competitions such as Hit The Floor and Final Stretch Dance Competition. As he continued to train, he also had the opportunity to teach drop-in classes and workshops in several dance studios and universities in Ontario.

Upon graduating from the University of Toronto in 2019, James moved to Saint John in 2020. Although James had his start in hip-hop, he eagerly explores many other styles and enjoys incorporating elements from different styles into his works. He is passionate about using dance as a medium for storytelling and introspection.

​

Bob McCollum (aka Ballet Bob)

Bob McCollum has been at GBTS since 1990 and enjoyed every minute of it. Working with talented students and an awesome faculty has been truly inspiring. As resident choreographer, he has had the chance to collaborate with incredible directors such as Sue Miner, Jimmy Simon, Allen MacInnis, Severn Thompson, Joe Zeigler, Mitchell Cushman, Brenda Bazinet, Jeannette Lambermont, David Storch and so many more (remember almost 30 years!). Outside GBST, Bob has choreographed several shows for Soulpepper and also for Theatre by the Bay, Pea Green Theatre Group, Canadian Children's Opera Company and more. He is a program director and teacher at Canada's National Ballet School (almost 25 Years!). Also as senior core faculty at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Bob is humbled and proud that he has taught so many recent nominees and winners in the dance section of the Dora Awards.

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. In 2015, Emma completed the Certificate of Ballet Teaching Studies with the Royal Academy of Dance, officially becoming a registered teacher with the RAD. 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 Arts department on productions of The King and I, Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Prom. Currently, Emma is the Front of House and Community Development Coordinator at Imperial Theatre. Emma is thrilled to be teaching at the Adult Dance Conference again this year!

​

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.

​

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.

​

Chris Van Green

Chris Van Green took his first class in jazz at 13 and ever since he was hooked. He started his dance training in Nova Scotia at Truro Dance Academy where he trained in Ballet, Jazz and Modern. Green decided to pursue dance further after high school and received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Theatre Dance Performance at Ryerson University in Toronto. He showed huge growth and outstanding passion and was rewarded the Kenny Pearl Award in his graduating year. 

Since Graduating he has worked and collaborated with many other dancers & choreographers. Performing in Dance Productions, Musicals, Flashmobs, Weddings, Galas, MMVAs, Television Shows and Music Videos to list a few. Working with choreographers & collaborators such as Hanna Kiel, Kenny Pearl, David Earle, Robert Glumbek, Darryl Tracy, James Kudelka, Andrea Penã, and Fernando Melo. Green continues to dance professionally and has expanded his styles of movement to not only Ballet, Jazz & Modern. He dabbles in most styles including Acro, Heels, Improv, Hip Hop, Urban, Cuban Contemporary, Swing, Salsa, Musical Theatre, Zumba and many outlets of Fitness. He also has been teaching full time for half a decade in all styles and all age demographics. Working hard to inspire and progress the development of the next generation of artists. He has taught workshops and Master Classes all over Canada and is excited to share his knowledge to inspire others.

​

Julia Whalley

Fredericton, New Brunswick born and raised, Julia has had passion and drive for dance, choreographing and sharing the art all her life. She set out to Toronto for 5 years to train under a multitude of styles and choreographers including companies Sensual Heeling (Kaela Faloon) and BOSS (Leah Totten). Since moving back to Fredericton she has opened SOLE Collective: a home for the dance and movement community, where she trains adult dancers of all levels in Heels and Commercial dance. She has recently formed two advanced level training and performance companies, soleBODY and soleACADEMY and presented their first show FROM THE SOLE in August of 2023, a first of a kind in Fredericton. Julia fuses together her training in hip hop, contemporary, jazz, heels and commercial dance and creates soulful, expressive pieces of work meant to grow versatile and passionate dancers.

​