Artistic Director/Contemporary, Horton, Ballet and Adaptive Dance

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. ​ Marcia is a founding director of Connection Dance Works, a professional contemporary dance company. She assists in achieving the company's mandate to increase the regional audience for contemporary dance and offer more collaborative opportunities for artists. The company is a recipient of a Saint John Original award for excellence in dance. ​ Marcia is an advocate for arts education and its accessibility to all. 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.

Director of Intermediate and Senior Ballet Schools

Sarah is director of the Intermediate and Senior Ballet School at First City. She has been working as an independent dance artist and teacher since graduating from the Dance Performance Program at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2001. She is the artistic director of Connection Dance Works, the company she co-founded in 2010. Her classical teaching accreditations include Associate Teacher with Cecchetti Canada and teacher certification with The American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum. 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.

Guest Ballet Teacher (2025-2026)

Frank Augustyn trained at the prestigious National Ballet School of Canada and was invited to join the National Ballet Company of Canada in 1970. He became Canada’s most renowned male ballet dancer of the 20th century. In 1973, he and Karen Kain won a special award for the best pas de deux at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow. Augustyn has performed as a principal dancer globally, including Boston Ballet, Berlin Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Shanghai Ballet, Beijing Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Talin Ballet and Dutch National Ballet among others. He has toured globally with the National Ballet Company of Canada dancing on nearly every major stage around the world including The Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Covent Garden, England and Caracalla Teatro, Italy to name a few. He has been decorated with three honorary degrees and in 1979 was bestowed the most distinguished title of Canada, Officer, Order of Canada (O.C.). He co-produced and hosted the television series, "Footnotes, The Classics of Ballet", first aired on Bravo Television and authored the accompanying book, "Footnotes, The World's Best Loved Ballets". From 2000 to 2024 Frank Augustyn was a tenured Associate Professor at Adelphi University, NY where he led the Department of Dance as Chair. In November 2024 he was inducted in the Canada’s Dance Hall of Fame, Danse Collection Dance. Currently, he is co-producing arts events, teaching, adjudicating and consulting. In 2024 he returned to Canada and resides in Saint John, New Brunswick, with his wife.

Adult Contemporary & Improvisation

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.

Guest Ballet Teacher (2025-2026)

Carolyn Zettel-Augustyn has dedicated nearly four decades to her extensive career as a ballet educator, director, examiner, adjudicator, and consultant. She commenced her distinguished teaching journey in 1982 with the establishment and leadership of the Academy of Dance in Waterloo, Ontario. Over the subsequent 25 years, her Academy gained a reputation for providing exceptional dance training. Ms. Zettel-Augustyn is an ABT® Affiliate Teacher for levels ranging from Pre-Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, along with serving as an ABT® National Training Curriculum Examiner. Her choreography has garnered numerous awards, and she holds an esteemed ABT Fellowship. Recognized for her expertise, she has been frequently invited to guest teach in the USA and Canada. In addition to her ballet accomplishments, Ms. Zettel-Augustyn is a certified teacher with the Canadian Dance Teachers' Association (CDTA) and has been honoured with status as Life-Time Member. During her association with CDTA, she held the position of Chair of the Ballet Division and contributed as a member of the Examiner Syllabus Committee. She is a Certified Yoga® Teacher and Music Together Teacher. In 2011, Ms. Zettel-Augustyn founded the Classical School of Ballet LI, NY, where she served and held the position of Director until 2024. She continues to maintain a strong connection with the school, holding the title of Director and Founder, Emerita. Presently, Carolyn Zettel-Augustyn continues to impart her knowledge by teaching and consulting for ballet schools in both Canada and the USA.

Resident Choreographer

Chris Van Green is a Canadian-based dancer who excels in performing, choreographing, and teaching. He collaborates with peers and aims to inspire the next generation of artists. Chris's adaptability and willingness to push himself led him to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre and Dance Performance from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). Throughout his studies, he received recognition for his remarkable growth and passion for dance, which ultimately earned him the prestigious Kenny Pearl Award. During his time at TMU, he dedicated himself to honing his skills in ballet, contemporary/modern, jazz, and urban floor work. He also delved deeper into his creative process, exploring new avenues of artistic expression. Since graduating, Chris has had the privilege of collaborating with a diverse range of dancers, choreographers, and esteemed dance companies. Notable collaborations include Connection Dance Works, David Earle, Hannah Kiel, James Kudelka, Ballet Jorgen, and Fernando Melo. Furthermore, he serves as a founding director of Blurred Bodies Dance Projects., a prominent Contemporary dance company based out of Truro, Nova Scotia. Additionally, he has co-founded EXPRESS Dance, an exciting troupe specializing in captivating performances encompassing cabaret, jazz, and burlesque genres. Driven by his passion for movement, he has established CVG Fitness, a personal training business. Through this venture, he frequently trains dancers to enhance their strength and mobility. Chris leverages his experience in both the dance and fitness realms to guide artists in considering not only their time in the studio but also how to supplement, cross-train, and maintain a nourishing diet to support the longevity of their careers.

Lyrical & Hip Hop

Amanda is a B.Ed graduate (2014) and has been teaching middle school ever since. She began dancing at the young age of two and spent most of her dancing years dancing with DancEast (Moncton NB), and the Academy of Classical Ballet (Moncton NB). Amanda had the privilege of competing at Dance Worlds in Orlando, Florida with her university dance team in 2012 and since then, has continued to immerse herself in the dance community by teaching and attending adult classes. Upon moving to the Saint John area in 2015, Amanda began teaching Musical Theatre and Dance for KidSing Performance School until the arrival of her first child. Amanda is excited to start her new chapter: teaching at FSCD and can’t wait to watch her dancers grow!

Primary/Junior Ballet & Jazz & Toddler Moves & Grooves

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 and is working on completing her Masters in Education.

Adult Tap and Jazz

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.

Junior Ballet & Jazz

Norah's love for dance began 15 years ago and has only grown since. She began her training at age three at Port City Ballet and eventually transferred to Rothesay Ballet School. There, she completed up to grade 6 and Intermediate Foundation of the RAD exams and continued to train through to grade 8 and Advanced Foundation. During this time, she gained experience not only in Ballet, but Contemporary and Jazz as well. She was a performer in The Nutcracker for seven years and was a choreographer for her high school’s production of Beauty and the Beast. She's participated in workshops with Ballet Kelowna and EYAS Dance Project as well as a four-day development weekend in Truro hosted by Cobequid Dance Academy. She is a member of FCSD Young Company. Outside of the dance world, she has four years of experience working with children as a counsellor at Camp Glenburn and a year of experience teaching swimming lessons at the YMCA of Greater Saint John. Additionally, she is a third year UNB student taking a Bachelor of Arts. She hopes to be able to continue to grow as a dancer while simultaneously sharing her passion and knowledge as a teacher.

Adaptive Dance & Creative Movement

 Kate is an elementary school teacher and recently completed her Bachelor of Education degree from UNB Fredericton. She started dance at the age of 2 with Rothesay Ballet School and continued until she graduated high school. Kate completed exams from the Royal Academy of Dance up to grade 8, as well as her Intermediate exam, while also taking contemporary classes. After taking a break from dance, she began taking the adult summer classes with FCSD and remembered why she loved dance so much growing up. Kate is ecstatic to be working with FCSD again this year. She has recently completed the Boston Ballet Company’s Adaptive Dance Program and cannot wait to put what she has learned into practice this year. Kate has always worked with children, from being a camp counsellor to working at daycares, and is extremely thankful and so excited continue working with all the wonderful faculty members at FCSD this year.

Children’s Tap & Primary Hip Hop

Jocelyn has been dancing since she was 5 years old. Her initial training was with Eileen McGrath School of Dance where she completed the Al Gilbert tap technique exams and was a part of a competitive troupe that performed in tap, jazz, and lyrical styles. Jocelyn has always had a love of music and percussion and has explored that through music lessons over the years (piano and drums) as well as through her love of tap and more recently hip hop. She continues to develop her own dance repertoire through adult classes with First City School of Dance, her role on a competitive hip hop team with A-Krew Dance, and workshops in various styles, having taken class with the likes of Raoul Wilke, The Rockwell Family, Matt Marr, & Mackenzie Greenwall. She has recently lived a tap dream of performing as a Chimney Sweep in SJTC’s Mary Poppins. Jocelyn has a Masters in Education, with 16 years of experience working with both Elementary students and teachers in Anglophone South as a classroom teacher and Literacy Coach.

Primary/Junior Ballet & Creative Movement

Ashley began dancing at two years old at Rothesay Ballet School taking ballet, contemporary, jazz as well as assisting with classes . She completed the RAD ballet exams up to grade 8 as well as her intermediate exam in the vocational program. She participated in the school’s Nutcracker’s and played various roles including Clara and Dew Drop. Ashley also participated in KVHS's musicals during her time at the school and had the opportunity to perform in Saint John Theatre Company’s production of 9-5 in 2023 Aside from dance, Ashley graduated from her final year of the BA/BEd concurrent program at UNBSJ where she is majored and French and minored in psychology. She has worked with children in various areas and is thrilled to be teaching with FCSD for the third year. Ashley dreamt of being a dance teacher growing up and is honoured to be once again working alongside the amazing staff at FSCD!

Hip Hop

Angelina is a seasoned Hip Hop dance instructor, choreographer, and street dance advocate with over 10 years of experience leading in the urban dance scene. She is the founder of A-KREW, a vibrant Hip Hop collective built to inspire and uplift dancers in the Saint John area. As the prior director of the only street dance-focused school in the Saint John area, Angelina provides high-energy, foundation-driven training rooted in musicality, freestyle, and true Hip Hop expression. Angelina also leads and choreographs for local Hip Hop showcases, providing performance opportunities and spotlighting raw talent across her community. A respected competitive coach and choreographer, Angelina is known for her bold movement style, creative vision, and uplifting approach to teaching. Beyond the studio, she is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of instructors, helping them develop their leadership, voice, and presence as educators in the dance community.

Salsa & Bachata

Andrea holds a BMus from Western University and MMus and MEd from University of Victoria. She has training a variety of dance styles including contemporary, salsa, classical ballet and jazz receiving her foundational instruction from Andrea Scott a The Studio. She is continuing her contemporary dance training under the tutelage of Marcia Dysart at First City School of Dance and continues ballet training with Robert McCollum through National Ballet School’s online program. Andrea continues to remind her salsa training through annual conference in Toronto (Canda Salsa Congress) and New York (NT International Slasa Congress). Andrea has performed in many artistic projects including the Funny Frine Festival, Saint John Theatre Company, and Spark Call Productions. In additions to onstage performances, Andrea works as a choreographer and movement coach. She is thrilled to be joining Spark Call as an associate producer, choreographer, and ensemble member for their production of RENT in March 2025. Andrea’s prior credits include eight seasons with Pacific Opera Victoria, Nunsense (2021), Anna (2022), Confessions (2022), Downton Hamlet (2022(), The Score (2022) 9-5 (2023) in the role of Dole Parton, and Firebringer (20254), in the role of Emberly. When Andrea is not on stage, you can find her teaching English Literature and French - or dancing First City, of course!

Hip Hop

Amanda is a passionate dancer specializing in Hip-hop, and Urban Heels. She also brings a background of teaching Zumba, and GROOV3. A true highlight of her dance journey has been teaching kids Hiphop- so full of energy and heart! With a lifelong foundation in movement, Amanda began as a competitive Figure Skater, where she had the privilege of competing at Nationals. She spent 2 decades on the ice through competitions, ice shows, synchronized skating, coaching, and completing all her gold-level tests. A little late to the dance world, she discovered a creative outlet through Akrew, where her journey took her to a new purpose— igniting a fire that’s never stopped burning. A space that made her stage dreams to come true. Amanda trains and competes with Akrew’s competitive teams in Hip-hop and Heels. Grateful for mentorships from artists Angelina Cyr, and breakdancing with Terry Du. In addition to performing, Amanda brings over 10 years experience in Education, and is passionate about helping children with disabilities. Her teaching blends technical skill with empathy. Fostering a safe, positive, and empowering space for all ages to explore. Driven by a desire to keep the dance culture growing, and uplifting others —especially the next generation of dancers. Whether on stage, in the studio, or cheering from the sidelines, she’s committed to building community, confidence, and creativity through dance.

Acro Arts & Jazz

Riley is a recent graduate of UNBSJ’s Bachelor of Health program, completing the Biomedical Sciences in Health degree. Riley is an Acrobatic Arts certified teacher. Riley began dancing at 7 years old with KidSing Performance School and has been with them ever since. Riley was a member of their competitive team until she graduated high school, competing at various competitions in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Growing up, she also performed in multiple musicals with the KV players community theatre. Outside of dance, Riley has been involved in all-star cheerleading. After years of being an athlete, Riley began coaching which sparked her interest in choreography and creation. She expanded this interest to dance and started teaching the elementary competitive troupe, along with musical theatre and acrobatics classes at KidSing Performance School. Most recently, Riley has enjoyed getting back into dancing herself through the adult classes at FCSD and now looks forward to continuing classes and joining the amazing faculty and staff this year!