Instructor Biographies
Meet our Faculty!
Caroleen Harding: ARAD – Studio Owner/ Director
Caroleen began dancing at the age of 10. During her years as a dancer, Caroleen trained in many styles including: Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre, Acrobatics, Lyrical and Contemporary. During these years, Caroleen studied under the C.D.T.A, R.A.D, and A.D.A.P.T syllabi and completed several examinations, including the R.A.D Advanced 2.
As a dancer, Caroleen achieved many awards at both Regional and National events, including overall high score placements, regional titles of Americas Dancer Of The Year and Miss CanDance, and she also competed in the invitational Dance Canada Pageant. Caroleen has been successful as a choreographer, being awarded the “Young Choreographer” award on many occasions in both Regional and National events and was recognized with a 1st place award for “Young Choreographer” at Nationals. Caroleen has attended several dance and teaching conventions which has allowed her to experience many different dance styles, as well as teaching styles. Attending these conventions has helped Caroleen to stay inspired and motivated and helps to bring fresh ideas into her teaching. Over the years, Caroleen’s students have been very successful in their dance exams as well as on stage at dance competitions winning many high score awards, overall placements and titles at both Regional and National events.
As a Dance Teacher, Caroleen feels that it is important for her students to feel confident, motivated and inspired at all times and that they are growing in an environment they feel comfortable in. Caroleen wants to see her students succeed, be proud of their accomplishments and enjoy all of the hard work and dedication they put into their craft.
Meghan Oliver: ARAD, OCT Certified – Instructor (Recreational Programs and Office Manager)
Meaghan began dancing at the age of 7 and since that time has studied ballet, jazz, tap, musical theatre, lyrical and contemporary. She began competing at age 12 at both regional and national competitions. During her time as a competitive dancer she earned many overall scores as both a soloist and a group dancer. She has taken place in the Alberta Ballet Nutcracker, Dance Canada Pageants, and was awarded a regional title of Miss CanDance. Meaghan has trained under the R.A.D and A.D.A.P.T syllabi successfully completing numerous ballet, jazz, and tap exams, including her R.A.D. Advanced Two.
Meaghan’s love for education began at the age of 14 while assisting her first dance class. Since this time, she has taught both recreational and competitive dancers at four studios in the Ottawa area, and has worked as a Senior Counsellor leading the Dance Program at Five Star Camps. Her students have successfully completed exams with the R.A.D, and the B.A.T.D, and have won many overall scores and title positions at both regional and national competitions including positions.
Meaghan completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2013, as well as her Bachelor of Education degree in 2017. She now works for the Ottawa Catholic School Board as a primary and junior teacher. Meaghan enjoys the passion and freedom which dance provides her with and she aims to share this passion with her students while helping them to grow in a comforting and encouraging environment.
Kim Chiarelli- A.D.A.P.T. certified OCT certified
Miss Kim has been dancing since the age of 2.5 and competed across Canada and the United States beginning at the age of 7 and has completed her ADAPT exam levels as a dancer in both Jazz & Tap. She has been teaching for the past 14 years both recreationally and competitively, and has recently sold her dance studio after 11 years. Miss Kim has also attended the TTS program completing her ADAPT teaching certification for both Jazz & Tap for beginner to advanced levels and has trained many students over the years in successfully completing their ADAPT exams, many of who have also received the medal of merit at various levels. Over the years, Miss Kim’s students have competed successfully at both the Regional and National levels. She is also a certified School teacher. Miss Kim is very passionate about dance and teaching. She enjoys sharing her passion for dance with her students.
Deanna Cormier- Registered RAD Teacher and Accredited A.D.A.P.T. TeacherDeanna’s dance education started in 1989 when she took her first ballet class. Since then, she has pursued training opportunities to achieve mastery in dance and in 2003 made the decision to share her passion and expertise with others. She is a highly experienced and creative dance educator, adjudicator, and choreographer with years of experience working with dancers of all abilities. For 12 years she was a professor of dance with the Musical Theatre department at St. Lawrence College.
Deanna teaches students of all ages and abilities at local dance studios and academies. She has completed certification through the Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers (ADAPT) Teachers Training School in Jazz and Tap and the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies (CBTS). She is a mentor for teachers completing the RAD CBTS program and the Acro Dance Teachers Association (ADTA) program. Deanna has also received her ADTA Acro certification, Benesh Movement Notation certification (RAD), Silver Swans certification (RAD), Progressive Ballet Technique certification, Acro Dance Adjudication certification and 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training.
Deanna holds a Master of Education degree from the University of Prince Edward Island with a focus on 21st Century teaching and learning.
In 2019 Deanna started working with the nonprofit organization, MindLeaps – which works in developing countries to improve school performance and create positive livelihoods for at-risk youth. In December 2019, Deanna travelled to Guinea (West Africa) to teach dance to vulnerable youth. She feels it was by far the most inspiring and empowering experience of her life and is privileged to continue the outreach program both here at home and in Africa.
Deanna choreographed for the movie “Christmas Stray”, released December 2021 on the Oprah Network. She also choreographed the music video for the song “Broken By You”, by Jessica Pearson and the East Wind Band. Deanna was a member of the Ottawa Renegades Dance Team and performed with the Black Eyed Peas during the Grey Cup.
With a passion for creativity, Deanna also runs a successful dance photography company (www.dcphoto.ca). She finds beauty in movement and self-expression, and enjoys bringing these moments to life through her art.
Sydney Anderson: OCT Certified – Instructor
Sydney began dancing at the age of 3. Since then, she has extensively trained in several styles including ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, tap, musical theatre and hip hop. Sydney excelled in A.D.A.P.T Jazz and Tap exams, and all graded and vocational R.A.D. Ballet exams. During Sydney’s competitive dance career, she attended many regional and national dance competitions where she won several overall high score awards. Over the years, Sydney also explored dance opportunities outside of her home studio. This included choreographing and performing in a school musical for which she received a Canada’s Capital Cappie Award, and performing with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet in their productions of The Nutcracker.
Sydney completed her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biology and her Bachelor of Education at Queen’s University. Throughout university, Sydney continued dancing while connecting her passion for dance with community outreach through several clubs. She is now certified with the Ontario College of Teachers and is a Secondary Science and Dance teacher in the Ottawa Catholic School Board.
In 2009, Sydney began assisting dance classes and she started teaching dance in 2012. Sydney always aims to create an environment where dancers feel safe, valued, free to explore new things, and empowered to express themselves creatively. She is thrilled to share her love of dance with CEDA and work with her students to develop their technique, build their self-confidence, and encourage their artistic expression!
Kaitlyn Jorssen- Instructor (Acrobatic Arts M1 Certified)
Angel Kirton- Instructor
Angel’s journey in dance began in Ottawa, Ontario, where she immersed herself in a competitive dance environment. Throughout her formative years, she received rigorous training across various styles including ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, acrobatics, and lyrical/contemporary. Angel furthered her expertise by successfully completing ballet and jazz examinations under the B.A.T.D certification.
Her dedication to dance was evident as she participated in numerous regional and national competitions, achieving multiple overall high score awards and earning recognition forher stage presence and persistence. Concurrently balancing academics with her passion for dance, Angel aspired to excel further in her craft.
In 2016, at just 15 years old, Angel was chosen to represent Team Canada Hip Hop at the IDO World Championships in Graz, Austria, under the guidance of Jerome Bobb and Andrew Insanally. Her debut on the international stage resulted in a commendable 12th place ranking in the women’s category. Over the next two years, she continued to proudly represent Team Canada alongside renowned mentors Leon Blackwood and Breanna Willis. In addition to her competitive achievements, Angel showcased her talent on prominent platforms such as ME to WE, sharing stages with well known artists like Paula Abdul, Lilly Singh, and Kardinal Offishall.
As a dance educator, Angel considers herself fortunate to have mentored numerous students across Ontario. She is dedicated to creating innovative training methods and crafting captivating choreography that is known for its attention to detail, dynamic flair, and precision. Her choreography has earned her numerous accomplishments, while many of her students have gone on to excel in prestigious competitions.
Angel’s dedication to her students is unwavering, and she is committed to advancing her expertise within the dance community. Looking ahead, she aims to further develop and share her knowledge as a teacher/choreographer and mentor at Creative Edge Dance Academy.
Hailey Smith- Instructor (ARAD/ CPR and First Aid)
Hailey began her dance journey at the age of ten. Throughout her dance career she trained in a multitude of styles which includes but does not limit: ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, acrobatics, hip hop, partnering, modern, musical theatre, tap, and ballroom. Within these styles she has competed in regional and national competitions achieving a variety of awards and titles. She recently achieved the national title of fourth runner up for Senior Ms Candance 2024 and placed in the top 24 for a prestigious ballet competition in Toronto, The Youth America Grand Prix.
Hailey has successfully trained under the R.A.D syllabus and completed her Advanced 2 ballet exam with distinction which provided her with the opportunity to go for her solo seal. Hailey also trained briefly within the A.D.A.P.T syllabus and completed various jazz exams. She was also provided the opportunity to train with a ballet company throughout Covid which then provided her an opportunity to participate in the Goh Ballet Academy summer intensive in Toronto.
Hailey’s passion for teaching began at the age of 12. She began assisting multiple classes such as mini Acro, ballet, jazz, and tap classes. After a couple years assisting she branched out and began doing private lessons for those who wanted to train in specific styles. Following that she decided to start experiencing with choreography which has since achieved various special awards and placement standings for the dancers who have performed it. Hailey has worked with a large range of students, from recreational dancers to competitive dancers at multiple studios across the Ottawa area. Hailey even created a dance club for an elementary school during her coop placement, which allowed students who were unable to participate in after school activities had the opportunity to participate and learn various styles of dance. She also likes to bring attention to injury prevention and proper recovery for all dancers, ensuring the proper safety precautions are taken, allowing them to continue training in a safe environment.
After graduating high school, she intends to continue her dance training by participating in the Carleton University dance team and by working towards her solo seal certification. Hailey hopes to further continue her education in hopes to pursue a degree in Cognitive Sciences.
Mac
kenzie Todd- Instructor
Mackenzie began dancing at the age of 3 and began dancing competitively at the age of 8. Throughout her dancing career she has trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop and musical theatre. She has competed at many regional and national competitions across Canada and the United States, winning multiple high score awards. Mackenzie has trained under both Cecchetti and R.A.D syllabi successfully completing numerous ballet exams.
She began assisting classes at the age of 12 and teaching recreational classes at the age of 16. Mackenzie recently graduated from All Saints Catholic High School. In her senior year, she assisted with the dance program and was one of four students who ran the dance club.
Mackenzie’s love for teaching dance led to a desire to pursue a career in teaching. She will be studying Early Childhood Education at Algonquin College in the fall, with future plans to attend Teacher’s College.
Mackenzie loves to share her passion for dance with her students and encourages them to succeed in all that they do
Lauren Heer- Instructor
Lauren’s dance career started at a very young age of 5years old when learning mini ballet. As she continued to grow as a dancer she trained in many different styles such as jazz, musical theater, contemporary and acro, but found her passion in hip hop. Along the way she has had many incredible opportunities to learn from professional hip hop dancers and train with multiple creative troops and studios to master the style. Lauren is a dedicated and hardworking student who hopes to go into education or pediatric nursing once she graduates. Lauren is continuing her love of dance and is going into her 10th year of competing in national and regional competitions. Throughout the years of training and competing Lauren has won many different awards including a scholarship to dance on Broadway in New York City with the cast of Aladdin. Lauren began assisting dance classes at the age of 13 and thoroughly enjoys being able to teach students how to dance, in hopes that her students can find that same love and passion that she found at their age.
Kaily Gauthier- Instructor (Acrobatic Arts M1 Certified)
Kaily’s passion for dance began at the age of 12, with a primary focus on acrobatics. Since then she has trained in various styles such as ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, tap, hip hop and musical theatre. She trained in ballet under the RAD syllabus, successfully completing the Intermediate Foundations exam. After graduating high school, she continued her dance training with circus and aerial acrobatics like hoop, silks, straps and more! She graduated from AlgonquinCollege receiving a certificate in Pre-Health studies, and is now pursuing a degree in Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa, with aspirations of becoming a physiotherapist.
Kaily’s teaching journey began at 15 as an assistant and progressed to teaching recreational dance classes at the age of 17. She has completed her Module 1 Acrobatic Arts certification and is a M1 certified acrobatics instructor. She is eager to further advance her certifications with Acrobatic Arts, continuing to share her love of dance and acrobatics with her students.
Halle Doxsee- Instructor (Bio coming soon)
Georgia McCarthy- Bio Coming Soon
Amanda Divet- Bio Coming Soon
Jenna Carter- Bio Coming Soon
Noella Price- Bio Coming Soon