Mission Dance Company

Angel began dancing at the age of three with Centre Stage Dance Studio in New Hamburg, Ontario. Under the instruction of Donna Bender and Michelle Harlock she studied jazz and tap before adding ballet studies at the age of seven.
At a young age Angel was encouraged to audition for The National Ballet School in Toronto and at the age of ten was accepted into the full time program. While at The National Ballet School Angel studied ballet, character, modern and chinese folk dancing. She had the honour of being taught by some of the finest in the world: Carol Chadwick, Mavis Staines, Laurel Toto, Peggy Baker, Deborah Bowes, Rosalie Brake, Carina Bomers, Eva Draw, and Deborah Hess. After four years at The National Ballet School Angel moved back home and immersed herself in many different styles of dance.

Back at Centre Stage Dance Studio she studied ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical and hip hop as well as studying voice with Amy Clements-Cortes at Notes By Amy in Kitchener, Ontario. Throughout her high school years she competed in numerous competitions throughout Canada and the United States winning many awards and scholarships. In 2000 Angel was honoured as Dance Spirit Magazine’s “Future Star Award” after competing at the Starbound competition in Atlantic City, NJ. She was pictured in the December 2000 issue of the magazine. In 2001 Angel was honoured with the Nesta Toumine Memorial Award for “outstanding technical merit and exceptional artistic development in the Vaganova style.” (www.societyofrussianballet.org)

After high school Angel was accepted into Ryerson Universtiy’s Dance Degree program where she attended for one year. In search of further opportunities in dance Angel was accepted into Ballet British Columbia’s Mentorship Program for the 2003-2004 season. There in Vancouver Angel studied intensively with Marquita Lester and had the joy of working with Lina Fitzner, Helen Walkley, Acacia Schacte and Mark Godden. During this time she had the joy of performing works by Serge Bennathan and Dominique Dumais.

After an open audition in Vancouver Angel was offered a contract with Ballet Kelowna in Kelowna, British Columbia. Over Angel’s four years with Ballet Kelowna she has worked with Brian MacDonald, Annette AvPaul, Simone Orlando, Joe Laughlin, D.A. Hoskins, and Josh Beamish and premiered four original Canadian works. She has also performed and premiered many original works by Ballet Kelowna’s Artistic Director David LaHay. Some of her most notable work with Ballet Kelowna includes D.A. Hoskins Affairs of the Heart in which she premiered the leading role, the Don Quixote Pas de Deux, Black Swan Pas de Deux and Star-Crossed Pas de Deux by internationally respected and renowned Brian MacDonald.

Angel is thrilled to be dancing as a Soloist with Mission Dance Company. She is honoured to have been commissioned by the company to create her first choreographic work for a professional company and will be premiering it at the company’s November 22, 2008 performance, “Dance Fortissimo,” at the Kelowna Community Theatre. With Mission Dance Company, Angel is responsible for costume design and construction and her work will be seen on stage for the November 22 performance as well. Angel is also teaching jazz classes at the Canadian School of Ballet for children age 10-17 as well as teaching drop-in ballet, jazz and lyrical classes at Oranj Dance & Fitness. This is Angel’s first season with Mission Dance Company.

Sarah’s dance training began in Kelowna and continued later in Vancouver, but has also included the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Milwaukee Ballet and the University of Oklahoma. Sarah was a member of the Oklahoma Festival Ballet, where she danced many principal, soloist and corps de ballet roles: her favourite being the Flower Festival in Genzano Pas de Deux. She has been the recipient of Richmond Arts Council Scholarships, the Frieda Bambas Award from the University of Oklahoma and has also been the Provincial Ballet Champion. Sarah is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance, as well as a registered RAD teacher. This is Sarah’s first season with Mission Dance Company.

Joanna began her dance training at age six with the Canadian School of Ballet. There she studied ballet, jazz, and modern, attaining her Royal Academy of Dancing Advanced 2 level. After numerous summer intensive studies with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, the Banff Centre for the Arts, and performances at the B.C. Festival of the Arts; she decided to further her training at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre’s professional training program. As a scholarship student working primarily in the Graham technique of modern dance, she was also exposed to other styles including: Limon, contact improvisation, Cunningham, African dance, Pilates, Alexander technique, release technique, anatomy, and Bouffan. After graduation in 2002 she moved back to Kelowna and performed with the Velocity Dance Company for 2 seasons in conjunction with teaching at the Canadian School of Ballet. After taking a year off in 2005 to travel through New Zealand, Australia, China, Taiwan, and Thailand she returned to Kelowna and married in 2006. She began teaching at Creator’s Art Centre in the fall of 2006. Always seeking to learn more, she attended Decidedly Jazz Danceworks summer intensive program 2007, and performed at Shambahla with Prairie Girl/ Jam Dance Productions in 2008. Joanna absolutely loves getting outside and being active. She is an avid rock climber, trail runner, bike commuter, and cross country skier. It is this love of nature that keeps her inspired, connected, and growing in her movement vocabulary. This is her first season with the Mission Dance Company.

Love of music and expression are all the inspiration of dance! In order to keep this mode of expression alive, Katie has taken and loved doing dance classes and performing since childhood. Beginning her dance education at the Canadian School of Ballet, she began learning the basics of ballet, tap and jazz and did Highland dancing competitively. Loving the friendships and common ground dance provides, she continues to gain knowledge and participate in dance more seriously with Tanya Bakala. After spending two years with another semi-professional dance company called “Velocity,” she joined the Mission Dance Company four years ago. This company has provided the stepping stones she has needed to fulfill life long goals and ambitions.

This company explores modern ballet and fuses all styles in a unique way that is both beautiful and original. The incorporation of the best of many styles is creating the ground-work for a record breaking and amazing company. Katie is thankful to be a part of something that is both just blossoming creatively, but also drawing and upholding traditional ballet and cultural dances. Keep the motion going and imagine new possibilities for yourself every day.

Kayla was born in Vancouver, BC. By age 3 her family had moved to Kelowna, BC, where she started attending school and discovering her creative side. Her artistic, athletic and musical abilities were clear at a very young age and she also loved to perform. It wasn’t until she was 13, however, that she discovered a love of dance. Kayla had a few friends who attended the Canadian School of Ballet in Kelowna and encouraged her to sign up for jazz lessons. She thoroughly enjoyed these classes, but didn’t have any interest in ballet until watching the school’s annual Nutcracker performance. She was inspired to start ballet and within half a year of training Lisette Salgado, a former principle dancer (Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Joffrey Ballet NY) had discovered Kayla’s natural talent and started working with her one on one. Kayla progressed very quickly and when she was 14 she attended Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s professional summer intensive program.

At the age of 15, Kayla began private ballet lessons with Tanya Bakala in Kelowna before attending the summer intensive programme at the Quinte Ballet School of Canada in Ontario. Kayla was accepted into the full time programme and moved out east at the age of 16. Kayla continued to excel and perform with the school as they toured throughout Ontario. As well, she completed her Intermediate and Advanced 1 Levels of Classical Ballet in the Cecchetti Method with honours by the end of Grade 12. Her lessons at QBS included Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Flamenco.

After Graduation from High School Kayla took time off from ballet and enrolled in an outdoor adventure program close to Vancouver for 8 months. She took a few ballet lessons, but spent more time socializing with friends and discovering her “sense of adventure”. Pursuing an interest in business studies, the next fall Kayla enrolled in the Event Planning and Promotions Management program at the Vancouver Arts and Technology Centre in Vancouver.

Kayla decided to move back to Kelowna in 2007, where she met her now husband, Steve Lockhart. Kayla returned to dancing with Tanya Bakala after their wedding, which took place in June, 2008. This is Kayla’s first season with the Mission Dance Company.

Laura Pethrick is pleased to be entering her second season with the Mission Dance Company. After spending her formative years training under the RAD syllabus, she switched to modern with Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, a Limon-influenced school. She trained in both the Junior and Senior Professional Programs (1999-2004). During her time with the WCD, she was fortunate enough to dance under the mentorship of nationally and internationally renowned choreographers such as Stephanie Ballard, Gaile Peturrson-Hiley, Brent Lott, Faye Thompson, Odette Heyn-Penner, Marc Boivin, Bill Evans, Paul-Andre Fortier, Christina Medina, Ruth Cansfield, and Tom Stroud. In addition to her modern training, she has also studied ballet, tap, hip-hop, and belly dancing. Laura has recently come out as a choreographer and producer, with her first independent contemporary dance contract for the Shambhala Music Festival (in collaboration with Melanie Newell and JAMDance Productions). This is Laura’s seond year performing with the Mission Dance Company.

Nicole completed her dance education as a contemporary dancer at the Zurich Dance Theatre School in Zurich in 2001. During that time, she performed in Switzerland and Germany, in a variety of dance styles: ballet, modern, flamenco, tap, salsa, lindy hop.

Nicole had the pleasure of studying ballet under Lesli Wiesner and Laura Atwood, and she received her flamenco training from Marianna Lacina, Elena Vicini and Cristina Haas as well as Bruno Argenta, Chiqui de Jerez and Bettina Castano.

Focusing on her flamenco career, Nicole went to Sevilla, Spain, where she intensely studied flamenco. Back in Switzerland, she performed with “Grupo Flamenco Alhaja” and started teaching flamenco and ballet.

Nicole came to Canada in April 2008 and joined the Mission Dance Company in July 2008.

At the Mission Dance Centre, Nicole currently teaches ballet for adults and children and is Head of the Flamenco Department. Her goal is to build up a strong flamenco Troupe within the next two years to perform at company events, birthday parties, weddings and anywhere else a Flamenco Troupe may be needed. Nicole loves teaching, encouraging her students to believe in themselves and to enjoy the music and the movements while keepig in mind clean work and basic tecnique.

Nicole is very happy to be a part of the Mission Dance Company and looks forward to an exciting future! This is Nicole’s first season with Mission Dance Company.