Faculty

JO-ANN BRYSON-KO M.B.A.T.D.
OWNER, MARKHAM

Jo-Ann has been sharing her love of dance with students of all levels and ages for many years. She has owned KICKS DANCE STUDIO since 1984 and was recently presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for 35 years as a member of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing.

COURTNEY DRAKE A.B.A.T.D.
OWNER & DIRECTOR, MOUNT ALBERT
RECREATIONAL AND COMPETITIVE INSTRUCTOR

Courtney is an accomplished choreographer, performer, instructor and entrepreneur. She is a fully qualified member of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing and is the proud owner & director of KICKS Dance Studio, Mount Albert. Courtney recently had the honour of being presented with the "Woman in Business of the Year" Award and was also a finalist in the Pandemic Pivot Honour Roll category at the East Gwillimbury Spirit of Success Awards.

COURTNEY BURNATOWSKI
STUDIO DIRECTOR, MARKHAM
RECREATIONAL AND COMPETITIVE INSTRUCTOR

Courtney has been dancing since she was 2 years old and teaching since she was 15! A versatile instructor, she is well known for her outstanding choreography in lyrical, jazz, musical theatre, open, and hip hop. Throughout her career as a teacher & choreographer she has won several “Outstanding Choreography” awards for both her solo and group work. Her students continue to win many overall awards at very prestigious dance competitions.

MORGAN VALLEE-SCHOALES
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, MARKHAM
RECREATIONAL & COMPETITIVE INSTRUCTOR

Dancing and singing since the age of three, Morgan discovered her passion for the arts at an early age.

ANGELINA LEOFANTI
RECREATIONAL & COMPETITIVE INSTRUCTOR, ACROBATIC ARTS CERTIFIED

Angelina is a Toronto-based dance artist, choreographer, and instructor, whose passion for dance began at a young age at KICKS! She is technically trained in the various styles of Jazz, Tap, Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical, Ballet, and Hip-hop, and began teaching and training young dancers at the age of 15.

MEAGHAN HOUGHTON
RECREATIONAL & COMPETITIVE INSTRUCTOR

Meaghan’s love and passion for dance began at the age of 2. She trained extensively at KICKS Dance Studio in various styles such as; Contemporary, Lyrical, Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Acro and Hip Hop for 16 years.

ADRIANNE TONG, R.A.D.
BALLET INSTRUCTOR

Adrianne Tong began dancing at the age of seven at the School of Toronto City Ballet, where she achieved Distinction in her RAD Advanced 1 and 2 exams in classical ballet. Throughout her years of dancing, she has trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, modern and contemporary, and has experience in the RAD, Cecchetti and Vaganova ballet methods.

JORDAN ROBERTSON-REID
RECREATIONAL & COMPETITIVE INSTRUCTOR

Jordan is Toronto based Musical Theatre performer and choreographer. She discovered her passion for performing at an early age and excited to be back home at KICKS to inspire the next generation of young performers.

EMMA ROBERTSON-REID
BALLET INSTRUCTOR

Emma trained at KICKS Dance studio from the age of 3 to 11 before moving to Canada's National Ballet School in the professional ballet program. Emma trained until graduating from NBS in 2022.

NIA FROATS
RECREATIONAL INSTRUCTOR, ACROBATIC ARTS CERTIFIED

Nia has been dancing since the young age of 3, has been a member of the Competitive Dance Team at KICKS Mount Albert, and is now a fully certified Acrobatic Arts Instructor.

BELLA LEOFANTI
RECREATIONAL INSTRUCTOR

Bella has been dancing at KICKS since she was just 3 years old, and has been a member of our Competitive Team from the young age of 5!

ANNABELLA GULLIVER-AZEVEDO
RECREATIONAL INSTRUCTOR

Annabella began her dance training at KICKS Dance Studio at just 2 years old and has been a member of the competitive team since she was 6.

ELLIE GERMANO
RECREATIONAL & COMPETITIVE INSTRUCTOR

Ellie began her dance training at KICKS Dance Studio at age 3 and has been a member of the competitive team since she was 7.

FAITH LAW
RECREATIONAL INSTRUCTOR

Faith has been dancing at KICKS for over a decade! Training extensively in a variety of styles, Faith has been the recipient of many awards for both her skills as a dancer and for her character as a leader, and mentor.

KRISTEN CHOCORLAN-KIRLIN
KICKS OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

My name is Kristen Chocorlan-Kirlin and I am one of the KICKS Office Administrators and the Recital Back Stage Manager. I began dancing at the age of 3 at this very same studio and was a member of the competitive team throughout my 16 years of dance.