OUR TEAM
Co-DIRECTOR/CO-OWNER
Irene Booth
Irene has spent over 30 years studying and teaching dance. Born and raised on Vancouver Island BC, where she initially received her dance training in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, musical theatre, modern/contemporary, modern stage and character dance. In 1991, Irene received a degree in Dance Teacher Training, a Diploma in Dance, an honorarium scholarship and graduated at the top of her class with Distinction from Grant MacEwan College.
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Irene holds a certificate and Diploma in Dance as a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance and is an acting certified mentor in which she continues to train dancers to become certified instructors. Irene is also a member of the Performing Arts Educators of Canada and the Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association. Irene currently serves as a certified Ballet and Modern examiner with the Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association BC Branch, and is serving on the Executive Board of the CDTA, BC Branch as the BC CDTA Modern Chairperson.
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In 1993, Irene established Tempo Dance Academy in Nanaimo BC, and runs the school as the Owner/Founder and Artistic Director. In 2017, Irene and Lina Lewis (a former pupil), launched Elevate Dance Centre, and are excited to be taking dance to the next level on the Westshore!
Lina Lewis
Co-DIRECTOR/CO-OWNER
Dance has been a defining force in Lina Lewis’ life from the very beginning. Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Lina began dancing at the age of three and quickly found her home in the studio. Her early training included ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary/modern, and musical theatre, and her love of movement and learning took her to the University of British Columbia before earning her Bachelor of Science from the University of Waterloo.
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In 2003, Lina followed a dream and founded Bella Dance Academy in Yellowknife, where she taught and directed for more than a decade. Now back on the west coast, she is the co-founder and operator of Elevate Dance Centre, where she combines her extensive experience, entrepreneurial spirit, and passion for mentorship to create an empowering space for dancers of all ages.
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Lina is a certified Youth Resilience & Well-Being Coach through The Youth Coaching Institute, a Youth Mental Health First Aid provider, and a registered instructor with both Acrobatic Arts and the Acro Dance Teachers Association (ADTA). She is also an Associate Member of the Canadian Dance Teachers Association in Ballet, Modern, and Stage (Jazz, Tap, and Acrobatic Dance), and a certified Yoga Instructor.
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Beyond the studio, Lina is a passionate educator and coach who loves working with youth and collaborating with fellow dance studio owners across the globe. She is a dedicated community-builder who believes deeply in connection, collaboration, and the power of dance to develop confidence, character, and creativity in young people.
Forever grateful to the mentors, teachers, and dancers who have shaped her journey, Lina brings heart, professionalism, and purpose to everything she does. Her goal is for every student to leave the studio not only with stronger technique—but with a deeper love for who they are and the courage to shine in every area of life.
instructor
Amberlee Allen
Amberlee Allen-Mann is a BFA graduate in Dance from Simon Fraser University. She is a well versatile dancer, teacher, and choreographer who has studied with the best of the best within Graham, Cunningham, Limón techniques and Improvisation. Amberlee has spent lots of time in the studio but also on the NCAA court as SFU Athletics Dance Teams Captain for three years.
Growing up her training was focused in RAD and ISTD with successful exam results up to Intermediate Ballet and Advanced 1 Modern.
In addition to teaching and producing her own pieces Amberlee worked interdisciplinary with film, theatre, production and composers making her an asset in any theatre environment. Her passion for dance and the therapeutic value it offers has pushed her to further her training and knowledge and has certification for Dance for Parkinson’s classes. Amberlee is a full-time dance instructor holding her CDTA Licentiate membership in Modern Dance and Associate memberships in Ballet, Tap and Jazz.
This is Miss Amberlee's 7th season with EDC and we are thrilled to be dancing with her again
instructor
Lauren Blair
Lauren was born and raised in the small town of McLean, Saskatchewan and began dancing at the age of four. She performed her very first jazz solo to Hillary Duff’s, “What Dreams Are Made Of” at age six and has spent nearly every day in the dance studio since then.
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Lauren has trained in various styles including: Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Ballet, Contemporary, Musical Theatre and Production. She grew up performing in many competitions and conventions across the prairies and received numerous awards and scholarships as a competitive dancer. Her studio training included studying under the C.D.T.A and she completed both her Advanced Jazz and Advanced Tap exams. One of her favourite memories as a dancer was travelling to New York to attend classes with the Steps On Broadway and Broadway Dance Centre Faculty.
Lauren found her love for teaching when she was given the opportunity at 13 years old. She enjoyed 10 years as an instructor / choreographer in Saskatchewan before making the move to BC and has spent the last 3 seasons working on the lower mainland.
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Her favourite genres to teach are Jazz and Tap and she loves to incorporate her passion for conditioning and fitness into all of her classes. She has previously had the opportunity to teach Barre Fitness in studio as well as Off-Ice Technical Dance Training for Figure Skate Canada.
Alongside dancing, Lauren studied Certified Dental Assisting in university and graduated from Saskatchewan Polytechnic in 2017. She has since gone on to complete many continuing education courses in her practice and recently completed her Sedation and Anesthesia module. When she’s not at the studio, she can be found caring for the sweetest little patients at the pediatric dental clinic.
instructor
Paige Cameron
Paige took her first ballet class at the age of 2 and her love for dance only grew from there. She went on to train in various styles such as jazz, modern, contemporary, ballet, hip hop and tap. Early on Paige was introduced to the competitive dance world, where she competed several times a year and travelled often to train with well known choreographers. Teaching and working with competitive dance teams holds a special place in Paiges heart as she loves the drive and determination it instills in young dancers, along with the amazing performance opportunities competitions provide.Paige is thrilled to be spending another season teaching at Elevate, alongside working towards her Bachelor of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria. She cannot wait to jump in and see what this season holds!
instructor
Ally Curtis
Ally started her dance journey at Bella Dance Academy in Yellowknife, NT at a very young age. She walked into her first Ballet class, timid as can be, at the age of 4 and she quickly fell in love. In her early teenage years she found herself dancing and spending countless of hours at the studio. Ally most enjoyed Ballet growing up though she trained in many styles including Tap, Jazz, Pointe, Contemporary, Modern, and Hip Hop. She also began her love of teaching at Bella Dance Academy. She taught all ages from 3-17 in different styles and often created choreography for her dance team!
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Ally had many opportunities to dance and train around North America in cities such as Winnipeg, Vancouver, Los Angeles, and New York City. During high school, Ally also attended numerous competitions in BC, placing well alongside her teammates.
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Her post-secondary studies have brought her here to the island and she is currently working towards a bachelors degree in Kinesiology at the University of Victoria. Ally is very excited to be joining the Elevate Dance Centre Team for her third season and can not wait to share her love of dance.
instructor
Daniel Knapp
Growing up immersed in the performing arts, Daniel started his dance training at Tempo Dance Academy in Nanaimo at the age of 4. He trained in various styles such as tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical jazz, modern/contemporary and hip hop. Upon completion of his training, Daniel attended the Canadian College of Performing Arts, graduating with his 2 year performing arts diploma in 2019.
Daniel is very excited to further pursue his love of dance in the years to come. He hopes to assist young dancers to follow their dreams and ignite their passion for dance.
instructor
Chelsea MacEwan
Chelsea is a local dance instructor/theatre artist from Sidney, BC. She danced for 17 years at Saanich dance studio, Allegro Performing Arts Centre, where she trained in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, modern/contemporary, lyrical, and musical theatre. She graduated with her diploma in Performing Arts from The Canadian College of Performing Arts' “Company C” program in 2020. It was at CCPA that she found her own artistic voice which has led her to create many artistic works of her own; including two mini-musicals. She has worked and danced across BC, most notably in the Kootenays performing in a historical can-can show with Rossland's Gold Fever Follies. She has also danced in Seattle, Portland, and Disneyland.
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Chelsea is passionate about encouraging young dancers to find their own artistic voice and gain life skills through their dance training. She is so excited for her third season with Elevate and can’t wait to see what this season has in store!
instructor
Hailey Mahy
Hailey was born and raised in and Comox Valley. Throughout her early childhood, her parents allowed her to experiment in various extracurriculars such as baseball, soccer and horses. Finally, she landed on tap dance and her love for dance began to flourish. Over the years, Hailey has participated in several summer camps, festival workshops with prestigious choreographers, as well as AIDT tap and modern exams. In her early teens, Hailey fell in love with the rawness of modern and contemporary dance. While Hailey loved the excitement and atmosphere of competitions, her comfort was (and still is) found in the studio, learning and laughing with peers. In 2020, Hailey’s senior year was cut short. When the opportunity of jumping back into the dance world came to her, she knew she had to go after it. During her time teaching, Hailey has discovered a passion she never thought possible. With a supportive and encourage teaching style, she finds purpose and pride in observing dancers shine bright.
Angelica Miller
Biography coming soon!
We are very excited to welcome Angelica to the EDC team — we can’t wait for you to meet her!
instructor
Melissa Ng
Melissa began dancing at the age of three in Coquitlam, BC. She grew up competing in various styles, including jazz, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical, tap, ballet, and musical theatre. Throughout high school, she spent most weekends traveling to conventions and earned numerous scholarships and awards from competitions.
Recently, Melissa graduated from the University of Victoria with a combined major in Biology and Psychology. During her time at UVic, she was an active member of the university's dance company, acting as Co-President in her final year. Her involvement with the team allowed her to discover a passion for choreography and teaching, as she choreographed several pieces each season.
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Melissa is thrilled to share her love of dance during her first season at Elevate Dance Centre.
instructor
Bailey Rae
Bailey began dancing at the age of 10 and quickly developed a passion for the art. Bailey has danced all genres including Ballet, Pointe, Acrobatics, Jazz, Musical theatre & Song and Dance, Modern, Contemporary, and Lyrical. Bailey is unable to pick a favourite style as she loves them all in their own way! In her teenage years, Bailey would complete 6+ solos at each competition as she could never pick a genre and loved the stage. Bailey has been choreographing solos since the age of 12 and had the opportunity to choreograph solos for her fellow teammates. In high school, Bailey’s student choreography solos (modern) won her highest student choreography marks for 2 years in a row and won her the Overall Senior Recipient of the Pacific Northwest Musical Festival (2018). In addition, a fellow teammates solo she choreographed took home highest modern solo mark.
Bailey is currently completing a BSc in Kinesiology with a minor in Psychology at the University of Victoria (UVIC). For the last four years Bailey has been heavily involved with the UVIC dance team and will be taking the role of President this coming season (2023-2024). While completing her studies Bailey has also obtained a Certified Personal Trainers Certificate.
Bailey is so excited for her first season at Elevate and is looking forward to meeting everyone!
Marissa Sabyan
Marissa started dancing at the age of 3 and performing has been a big part of her life ever since. Growing up Marissa participated in every style that her studio, Allegro Performing Arts Centre, offered while also pursuing musical theatre both in school and professionally. While dancing with Allegro, Marissa enjoyed competing at dance festivals. Marissa took a break to complete her university degree at VIU, but never stopped dancing in the kitchen.
Upon return to Victoria, Marissa started dancing with Passion and Performance and has danced continuously there since 2018 while also taking teaching opportunities. She currently takes multiple classes in different genres, and performs in at least five shows per year. She has also explored dancing for film, background work in film and music videos, and modelling. Marissa looks forward to igniting a passion for dance and performing in young dancers, and providing a safe space for their self-confidence, teamwork, and self-expression to grow.
instructor
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Jessica Wood
As a passionate dance educator and an experienced choreographer, Jessica is dedicated to nurturing the artistry and technical excellence of young dancers. With 15 years of experience, she has had the privilege of guiding students of all ages and skill levels on their journey through the world of dance.
Jessica’s teaching philosophy is rooted in creating a positive and inspiring learning environment where each student's unique abilities are recognized and celebrated. She believes in fostering a strong foundation in technique while encouraging creativity, self-expression, and a deep love for dance. Her goal is to empower students with the skills and confidence they need to excel both on and off the dance floor.
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Trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern and contemporary from a young age, Jessica obtained her B.F.A. from Simon Fraser University with a major in dance where she studied with well renowned teachers and worked with many professional choreographers in Vancouver. Jessica also holds her certificate as a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance and has had many successes with her students in their examinations.
Her teaching approach combines a deep understanding of dance anatomy and mechanics with an emphasis on individualized instruction. She is committed to helping students refine their technique, enhance their performance quality, and expand their dance vocabulary.
Whether a student is pursuing a professional dance career or dancing for pure enjoyment, she is dedicated to guiding them on their path of growth and discovery. She is excited to continue sharing her knowledge, creativity and love for dance at Elevate Dance Centre!
instructor
Lexy Young
Lexy is a performing arts veteran having started her dance training at the early age of two, right here on Vancouver Island. She loves to strut her stuff on stage, be it dancing, musical theatre, or singing. Lexy is also experienced in film and tv, and has been signed with a talent agency since the age of five.
As a graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts, Lexy’s love of performing and traveling has taken her across the world to Italy where she had a contract teaching musical theatre. She has since happily returned back home and is excited to share her passion of performing with the next generation!