Erin Cusack, M.C.D.T.A.; Advanced 1 R.A.D. - Artistic Director
Erin began her dance training at the age of four in Fall River, NS. As a child, she received a diverse background in ballet, jazz, and tap dance. At the age of 12, Erin began training at DDA where she added contemporary and hip-hop dance to her training under the direction of Jacqueline Wright and Lisa Hart. Erin’s post-secondary pursuit of dance took place at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts (MCPA) upon acceptance in to the Dance Teacher Training Program. Erin graduated the Teacher Training Program with honours and full teaching qualifications from the CDTA. Erin is active in the dance community as a full-time dance teacher to DDA, the Footsteps Dance Team and the Maritime Conservatory of the Performing Arts. Erin shares her love of dance with her students through her energetic teaching style.

Mandy Burgess
Mandy began dancing at the age of three and has since then never stopped dancing through life. After extensive training in gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and dance, she discovered that dance was her true passion and pre-sued it with vengeance beginning with Coastal Dance in ballet, jazz and hip hop. Mandy then discovered her love of competition through the Footsteps Competitive Dance Team, dancing in competitions such as CanDance and Millennium. Her need for movement extended beyond Nova Scotia when she moved to New Brunswick to receive her degree from Mount Allison University with a double major in Psychology and Commerce and became the Vice-President and Treasurer of the Mount Allison Dance Society. While with the society, Mandy taught the advanced lyrical classes and choreographed many pieces. She is now thrilled to be joining the team and cannot wait to share her love of dance and movement with others.

Email Miss Mandy at alburgess@mta.ca

Dawn Halpin
Dawn began her dance training as a child in Germany under the ISTD British syllabus. Returning to Canada, she joined Dartmouth Dance Academy at 12 years of age and continued her training under the direction of Jacqueline Wright. She attained her Associate Teaching Certificate in the Stage Division of the CDTA in 1991, her CDTA Member level in 1994, and now has her CDTA Associate Ballet and her CDTA Acro Associate.

Continuing to dance and teach for DDA. Edgett International Dance and the Royal Conservatory, she co-directed and performed with Footsteps Dance Performing Company locally in Halifax and she was involved in performing with the Nova Scotia Tattoo on an annual basis.

Moving to Ottawa in 1995 after graduating with a BScN from Dalhousie University, she taught, choreographed and performed for Vanessa Plettell and The Dance Studio, as well as for Le Jazz Hot Performing Company from 1995 to 2000. Her competition students performed in Dance Dance Canada competitions within Ontario and received many high-level awards, especially in Tap. She has trained in many syllabuses including the CDTA, BATD, RAD and ISTD and added to her knowledge base while in Ottawa by pursuing Hip Hop, Contemporary and Modern dance.

Dawn relocated back to Dartmouth in 2000 and resumed a teaching position at DDA. She has been teaching dance since 1984 and is experienced in all ages from three years to adult, and especially enjoys teaching children. Her nursing degree and extensive dance training, combined with having four children of her own, give her much insight into child development, anatomy and dance history. Dawn brings enthusiasm, devotion and passion to her classes.

Email Miss Dawn at missdawn@dartmouthdance.ca

Claire Jeans
Claire began dancing at the age of three at Dartmouth Dance Academy. She is trained in ballet, jazz, tap and modern dance. Claire was also a member of Footsteps Competitive Dance team for several years. After graduating from high school she moved to Newfoundland where she graduated from Memorial University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual), where she combined her love of dance with her passion for photography. While in Newfoundland she continued her dance training at Dance Studio West where she began her teaching career and also trained in hip hop and beginner ballroom. She has danced in The Rocky Horror Picture Show with the Off Broadway Players as well as a Bye Bye Birdie production with Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador. She is excited to return to Dartmouth Dance Academy to continue teaching and to share her love of dance with others!

Email Miss Claire at claire_332@hotmail.com

Laurel MacNeil
Laurel comes to Nova Scotia after having competed her M.A. in Dance at York University (2007). Prior to her M/A., she completed her BSc in Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan. Laurel spent her years training in the dance forms of ballet, jazz, tap and hip hop; and more recently has been exposed to modern dance and many different cultural forms through her time at York University. Besides her regular dance training, Laurel has taught at a private school in Saskatoon and has taught with the University of Saskatchewan Dance School. Laurel has also had the opportunity to attend the Dance Olympus Conference in Minneapolis on two separate occasions. She is now looking to settle into the dance community within Nova Scotia and to continue learning and growing in all areas of dance.

Email Miss Laurel at misslaurel@dartmouthdance.ca

Raven Marshall
Raven is a second-generation dancer and teacher with 20 years experience. The family-owned and operated dance studio was her second home. In later years, she was studio and the performing company’s co-director and creative advisor. Miss Raven has studied with Dance Masters of America and at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is certified by the Dance Masters of America Inc. in classical ballet and modern dance. She has also studies with the Philadanco’s Peaches and Holly Wright and has worked with Chuck Davis’ American Dance Ensemble and The Moscow State Ballet. Miss Raven’s choreography and dancing have won many awards and titles in the US and she has been a professional judge for several national dance competitions. Miss Raven has an uncanny ability to work with dancers of all ages, always keeping structure, technique and “fun” in mind. She has recently relocated to Canada and we are delighted to have her experience, talent and enthusiastic contribution to our program.

Email Miss Raven at missraven@dartmouthdance.ca

Chris Pelrine
Chris returned to Halifax after graduating Cum Laude from Oklahoma City University with a degree in Dance Management. He has performed professionally with Freezone Dance Co., Synergy Dance Co., and The American Spirit Dance Co. Chris has worked as Costume Shop Foreman for OCU, where he got the chance to choreograph for The American Spirit Dance Co. With 20 years of dance experience Chris is well versed in Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Ballroom, Ballet and Hip Hop.

Email Chris at chrispelrine@hotmail.com

Merika Poirier
Merika Poirier began her dance career in Cape Breton Nova Scotia, spending her first thirteen years with the Doris MacDonald Dance Academy. There she started her dance training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, musical theater and modern dance. While with the DMDA she was trained in the British Association of Teachers of Dancing syllabus and spent 7 years dancing competitively and choreographing.

Merika made the move to Halifax in 2003; she quickly joined the Dartmouth Dance Academy, where she is being trained in the Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association syllabus. During her time with the DDA Merika became a teacher for the school, teaching Creative dance to advanced students. Merika has continued her competitive dancing with the Footsteps Dance Team. She has also spent time as a choreographer and competition coach since joining them. To continue her dancing career while studying to become an associate member of the CDTA, Merika spent time with the FUNKtion dance Company, a professional dance team based out of Halifax. With them she broadened her performing horizons learning new styles such as contemporary and Hip-hop.

Merika is very passionate about the art of movement; her main aspiration is to pass this excitement along to her students on the Footsteps Dance Team.

Email Miss Merika at merika_Poirier@hotmail.com

Rebecka Smith
Rebecka began her training in dance at age 9 in classical Jazz and won numerous gold and silver medals and high mark trophy's at many dance festivals throughout her younger years. During her final year in high school, Rebecka’s dance instructor handed over the school to her and she has grown it tremendously to 2 dance locations with over 300 students annually and a very successful competitive dance program.

In 2004, Rebecka attended Winter Dance Fest at Broadway Dance Center in New York City where she danced with LA hip hop sensation Chris Moss, (assistant choreographer for the Disney movie "Hot Chicks" and was a dancer on the Jessica Simpson Dream Chaser world tour) and dance legend Frank Hatchett who has worked with Britney Spears, N-Sync & Janet Jackson. While there, she also was a part of an off Broadway Dance Show at Martin Luther King High School!

The following year, she travelled back to New Jersey to once again take part in the Pulse workshop where she danced with Mia Michaels, Brian Friedman, Wade Robson and Dave Scott. The following year, she took 10 of her dancers for a week to New York City and studied again with these amazing choreographers where she also received her teacher training program from Broadway Dance Center as well as a recognition award from Dance Teacher Magazine!

In March 2010, Rebecka took 14 of her dancers to Disney World and performed in Downtown Disney for hundreds of people as well as participated in an exciting Disney Magic Music Days workshop where her students got to learn real dances and choreography used in some of Disney’s amazing shows throughout the parks! An amazing dance venture to Hawaii is already in the works for her Dance Company as well as NYC for 2012!

Over the last 10 years as a competitive choreographer, Rebecka has won numerous dance titles including 2006 Eastern Canadian Modern Champions and Millennium Cup Gold Medal Winner for her well known choreography "Hide & Seek", 2 Eastern Canadian Dance titles for 2007 and won placings at the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Millennium Cup Finals in Dartmouth at one of Atlantic Canada’s Largest Competitions. Her dancers have won titles allowing them to travel to World Cup Finals in both British Columbia and Florida! Along with these titles, Rebecka has received over 700 choreographic awards to date.

Her newest venture is turning her competitive dance program within the Annapolis Valley into a Non- Profit Dance Company which will house a recreational program run and taught soley by her student teachers, a full and part time competitive program and a performance company where she plans on choreographing and producing large dance productions to take on tour throughout Atlantic Canada. Her company houses 30 members this season with over 70 pieces to showcase. This upcoming season, Rebecka will be debuting 6 choreographic pieces within her Performance Company.

Rebecka is a member of Dance Nova Scotia, The Canadian Dance Assembly, Perform NS and is a faculty member of the Music Department at Acadia University in Wolfville where she teaches movement. She is also a faculty member of Dartmouth Dance Academy’s Footsteps Dance Team in Dartmouth, and has somehow found time to travel and adjudicate dance competitions all over Atlantic Canada!

A married mother of 2 boys aged 11 and 16, Rebecka strives herself on her continuing education not only for herself, but for her students and her teachers and believes her reputation for inspiring young people to be the best dancers they can be is one of the primary reasons for the success of her and her school. This July, she will begin her 3 year dance study in the ADAPT dance syllabus which she hopes will take her dancers technique and training to a whole, new level. She will be travelling to Toronto for 1 week over the next 3 years to take teaching classes in ballet, jazz, tap, modern and many others in hopes to further advance her own personal knowledge and teaching abilities as a dance teacher.

She feels a teacher's influence on the future of a student extends far beyond the obvious physical benefits and that an education in dance benefits the body, mind and soul. In addition, Rebecka strives to develop confidence, self-esteem and self-discipline. Her teaching philosophy is based on instilling passion for dance while nurturing creativity as well as encouraging teamwork and teaching life skills that will help students succeed in other aspects of their lives.

Email Miss Rebecka at precisiondance@live.ca