ABOUT

Debra has an extensive background in dance. As Director, she oversees the development of all Ultimate Dance Company students. She opened Ultimate Dance Company, in Calgary, Alberta in 1996. Debra has a strong passion for dancing, teaching and choreographing and is trained in various segments of the art. In addition to attending summer intensives with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet school, Debra has trained in both the Cecchetti and Vaganova methods of ballet and has achieved a number of certifications in ballet, including credentials with the Royal Academy of Dance and British Association of Teachers in Dance. Debra is currently a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance and is a certified teacher with Progressing Ballet Technique. Debra also holds her Module 1 Certification with Acrobatic Arts. Debra has performed in Ballets such as Swan Lake, Coppelia, Les Sylphides, and Nutcracker to name a few. She has participated in several competitions throughout Calgary, Lethbridge and Red Deer, and performed in the opening ceremonies for the 1988 Olympics. Her Love and Passion for dance brought her to open up Ultimate Dance Company.

Amy began dancing at the age of 7 and trained extensively in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Tap and Hip Hop. Amy has studied and trained up to the Advanced 2 level with the Royal Academy of Dance. Over the years, Amy attended many dance conventions and competitions all across Canada, where she developed her love for Jazz, Lyrical and Contemporary. Amy has been teaching dance for 13 years, and has been teaching with UDC since 2011. Outside of the dance studio, Amy has a Bachelor of Kinesiology and a Bachelor of Commerce and is currently working in public relations. Amy is looking forward to another year of sharing her passion for dance with the students at Ultimate Dance Company.

Heather began dancing at the age of 6 and has loved it ever since. She started her training in Ballet, Jazz, and Tap then expanded her learning into Modern, Lyrical, Pointe and various styles of Hip Hop. In High School she completed the Performing and Visual Arts Dance Program at Central Memorial where she was able to continue learning other styles of dance from Contemporary to African, Irish and Latin. Heather also learned and instructed a wide variety of Ballroom Dance styles for 10 years which included Smooth (Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, and Viennese Waltz) and Rhythm (Rumba, Chacha, Mambo/Salsa, Swing, West Coast Swing, Hustle, Merengue, Bolero, and Batchatta) as well as Country Western (Two Step, Polka, etc). Heather has since expanded her training through certification with Acrobatic Arts and is excited to share this world with her students. Miss. Heather started sharing her love of dance with her students in 2007 with the hopes of being able to inspire others to pursue what they love. Joining the UDC Faculty in 2010 Heather has continued to strive to inspire and motivate her students and looks forward to each year that she gets to do so!

Hope began dance training at the age of 3, and has trained in Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap and Musical Theatre. Hope has competed in many competitions in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Phoenix, Seattle, and Las Vegas. She has attended several conventions including the Dance Awards and West Coast Dance Explosion, where she received numerous tap and hip hop scholarships. She has had the opportunity to work with many remarkable choreographers including Nick Lazzarini, Mia Michaels and Alexander Chung. Throughout her years of training, Hope has been apart of a few local productions of broadway classics Thoroughly Modern Millie, Fame jr and Cinderella. Hope is excited to share her love of dance with her students at Ultimate Dance Company.

Alex was born and raised in Surrey, BC where she started her dance training at Panorama School of Dance. Through high-caliber training, Alex accomplished her Royal Academy of Dance Solo Seal Examination. Continuing her passion for Ballet, Alex moved to Calgary, AB to train at the Alberta Ballet School in the Professional Graduate Program under the direction of Murray Kilgour. Performing in many classical ballets such as a soloist in the ballet “Paquita” and Contemporary original works by Edmund Stripe and Graham McKelvie. Alex also had the opportunity to work with Jean Grand-Maître as he immersed dancers into the Calgary Opera’s production of “Roméo and Juliette.” In 2018, Alex graduated from the Professional Graduate Program while being honored with the Most Improved Award and the Most Committed and Dedicated Award. To continue her passion for dance, Alex moved to Vancouver, BC to join the Arts Umbrella Performance Research Project to explore Contemporary dance under the direction of Lesley Telford. Alex worked with world-renowned choreographers such as Crystal Pite, Eric Beauchesne, James Kudelka, and many more. As an inspiring dance artist, Alex found a genuine passion for teaching younger dancers in Ballet, Lyrical, and Contemporary. She holds certification in Progressing Ballet Technique and Acrobatic Arts. Alex is continuously expanding her knowledge of dance through a variety of teaching programs to increase her knowledge to share with her students.

Lauren was born and raised in Calgary, AB, and began her dance training at Ultimate Dance Company at the age of three. She has trained in Tap, Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, Contemporary, Jazz, Acro, and Hip Hop. Though a multi-form dancer, Lauren built her foundation in ballet, completing up to her RAD Advanced 1 exam, and training in the summer intensive programs at the Alberta Ballet School and Jeunesse Classique Ballet Society in Calgary, as well as the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. As a tap dancer, in 2019 Lauren travelled to Germany to proudly compete as a member of Team Canada for the IDO World Tap Dance Championships and began training with the Tri-Tone Rhythm Ensemble under the direction of Tasha Lawson. She had the privilege of working with guest artists including Lisa LaTouche, Dianne Walker, Danny Nielson, and more. Lauren was later invited to train and perform with the Lawson Percussive Dance Arts Company, culminating in the 2023 production of “Play it Forward”, performed at the National Music Centre. In addition to teaching and completing her Biomedical Sciences degree at University of Calgary, Lauren is currently performing professionally across Western Canada with a tap company under the direction of Jordyn Lemire, performing in “Paying the Dues”. Lauren is very grateful for all of the inspiring artists she has had the privilege of working with, and is excited to be part of the Ultimate Dance Company Faculty to continue sharing her passion for tap dance with the next generation.

Alex is a highly gifted dancer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. His journey through the art of dance began at the age of 5 and has been non-stop ever since. Alex is trained in a variety of genres, including jazz, lyrical, contemporary, ballet, musical theatre, and acrobatics. Alex’s hard work and perseverance have earned him numerous awards and scholarships throughout the years. He has participated in prestigious conventions such as Jump, Radix, and Acrobatic Arts Accelerate Acro Convention. Alex has had the privilege of taking classes with world-renowned choreographers like Briar Nolet, Michael Dameski, Derek Piquette, and many more. In 2019, Alex was flown to Regina, Saskatchewan, by Acrobatic Arts to demonstrate for Acrobatic Arts modules 1 and 2. In 2022, he auditioned and was selected to compete with Team Canada Dance at the 2023 IDO Acrobatic World Championships in Monterrey, Mexico, where he earned 2 Gold medals and 1 Bronze for Canada. Alex was selected again to compete at the 2024 Worlds in Poland. Alex continues to train diligently, aiming to put Canada back on the podium.

Miss Arles began dancing at the age of 4 in Calgary. During those years she achieved an expansive dance education in Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Lyrical and Hip-Hop. She received exclusive training by experienced registered Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) teachers, preparing her to complete exams in Grades 1-8 and Vocational Syllabus and Advanced ADAPT Tap and Jazz. As an intensive dancer she has had eight years competitive dance experience in solos, duet and group dances and won scholarships to support her training. To broaden her education she attended enrichment programs such as Triple Threat Dance Convention, International School of Ballet Summer School of Excellence and ADAPT TTS led by renowned Brian Foley. Outside of training, Miss Arles has had the privilege to perform with Alberta Dance Theatre and prepare students to perform with Canmore Canada Day Parade and Disney Dance the Magic Show and Parade in California. She is passionate about giving back to her community. She began teaching through her home studio’s Student Teacher Education Program (STEP), whereby she felt called to teach her love of dance to children. Since then she has completed teaching certification and accreditation with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers (ADAPT), Acrobatic Arts and Performing Arts Education of Canada (PAEC). Embracing a philosophy of individualized and detailed technical training, complemented by a positive and fun learning environment. Miss Arles prides herself on creating a supportive teaching space based on principles of respect and inclusion. She wants all her students to feel valued. Individual attention and constructive feedback is provided, which helps to develop their confidence as dancers. Through a variety of volunteer roles in her local community, Arles has also developed extensive leadership skills with children, and teaches them that many of the skills learned in the dance classroom can translate into important skills for life. She is a trusted role model, offering young dancers mentorship, support and guidance. Miss Arles’ passion is to help students understand the differences between each dance genre and help them connect and transfer their knowledge of Ballet into Jazz, Tap and other disciplines. She believes that teaching correct technique is important to students' success together with developing positive personal characteristics. She strives to promote self-awareness, self-confidence, resilience, mutual respect and positive relationships in her students to help them develop healthy self-esteem and a strong sense of studio and community belonging. Miss Arles is looking forward to working with all the amazing and talented dancers at Ultimate Dance Company for the 2024/2025 Dance Season.

Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Taryn trained and graduated from Alberta Ballet School, and YYC Dance Project in 2021. Taryn has competed around North America at numerous Break the Floor Competitions as well as competing at both YAGP and YAGP Finals. In 2019 she was on World of Dance Season Three. Taryn is a certified teacher in both Progressive Ballet Technique and Progressive Contemporary Technique. Taryn has attended Rambert School in London, England and is currently training with Arts Umbrella in Vancouver and has had the opportunity to work with Crystal Pite, James Kedueka, Lukas Tiumulak and many more.

Paul is an internationally renowned choreographer based in Calgary, Alberta. With an impressive collection of 11 Canadian National Hip Hop International medals and 4 World Hip Hop Championship medals, Paul has traveled with his students to compete at the highest levels worldwide. From 2014 to 2017, Paul served as a Canadian National Choreographer. Under his guidance, the IDO/HHI teams competed at the World Hip Hop Championships in Germany, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Las Vegas, and Arizona. Paul’s teams have been ranked #1 in Canada six times, with his highest-ranked teams achieving #2 and #3 in the world (2015 IDO, 2017 HHI and IDO World rankings). Paul is passionate about creating, coaching, and watching his students grow into elite dancers and outstanding individuals.