Ballet is the technical foundation of all dance, which focuses on development of posture, turnout, articulation of the feet, extensions and overall body placement. Dancers learn to combine technical steps with grace and elegance. Ballet class is essential for any serious dancer, and is mandatory for dancers considering SDA’s competitive program.
Pointe classes are offered in addition to Ballet to our intermediate and senior dancers. Read more…
Contemporary/ Modern dance is all about movement and expression. It focuses on a strong technical base, but also allows for creativity and expression through movement. Techniques used include use of breath and gravity to convey a story or emotions. Read more…
Hip Hop is a high energy dance style, which takes influence from street styles of dance. Hip Hop is offered for ages 5 and up, and is perfect for young teens looking to enter the dance world without any prior formal training. Read more…
Jazz is an upbeat but highly technical style of dance, which helps to build both strength and flexibility. Dancers will work on cross-the-floor progressions, turns and leaps. Jazz is an excellent complement to any other dance training. Read more…
Tap dance is known for its distinctive sound. It is often referred to as the percussion of dance, because of the metal taps on the shoes which produce noise. Tap places emphasis on rhythm, clarity and dexterity of the feet. Dancers will learn musical timing, develop ankle and lower body strength, and improve balance and control. Read more…
This is a highly recommended class for our competitive dancers. Focus is on building and refining technique of turns (both ballet & jazz styles) , and increasing each dancer’s skill set . Time is also allotted to stretching to improve overall flexibility needed for competitive dance. Read more…
This is an innovative body conditioning program developed for students to understand the depth of training muscle memory in achieving their personal best. PBT is extremely helpful to improve students’ understanding of core stability, as it was developed by a ballet expert with input by a team of physiotherapists. Best results are in conjunction with traditional ballet technique classes. For our comp dancers level 3 and up, they will now have one Ballet technique and one PBT each week. Read more…
Denise Somerville Quinn founded Somerville Dance Academy in 1993. She completed her Honours BA in Dance, and has Full Membership certification in Acro, Ballet, Jazz, Modern/Contemporary & Tap with Performing Arts Educators of Canada (PAEC). She recently received Module Two certification with Acrobatic Arts. Denise is a founding member and examiner in Classical Ballet, Modern/Contemporary and Acrobatics with Performing Arts Educators of Canada and helped to create the syllabi for student exams.
She is also an executive member and Past President of PAEC. She has choreographed productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum , “Life Goes On – A Beatles Journey”, produced by D Major Productions. Her former students have furthered their dance education at the colleges and universities, and many have gone on to professional performing careers (the Rockettes, Disney Cruiseline, Stratford and Charlottetown festival).
Her creative approach to choreography has earned her a unique and well-respected reputation for integrating comedy with Musical Theatre competitive routines. She has given master classes in this particular discipline at multiple studios in Ontario. Denise is proud of the legacy that Somerville Dance Academy has created, donating proceeds from the annual recital to Sick Kids Hospital for over 20 years.
Theresa began her lifelong passion for dance at the age of 4, and studied Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Acrobatics, and Baton for over a decade. She has been instructing for over 29 years and is currently teaching Tap and Jazz and Ballet at Somerville Dance Academy. Many of her students have earned fine arts placements in dance at both Ryerson and York University and have moved on to professional careers.
In addition, Theresa’s students have successfully auditioned and performed with the Canadian National Tap Team for over 10 years. Theresa was a key contributor of the team which developed the Tap syllabus for Performing Arts Educators of Canada (PAEC). In 2006 and 2014, Theresa worked as the Rehearsal Director for Matthew Clarke and the National Tap Team while on tour in Germany.
Theresa choreographed and led the Children’s National Tap Team to a gold medal victory in 2015, and returned to choreograph in 2016. She has also been awarded Top Tap Choreographer and Best of Festival at many festivals throughout the years. Theresa is a proud Tap adjudicator for the IDO (International Dance Organization). Theresa is very excited to continue her work with the students at Somerville Dance Academy.
Amanda began dancing at the age of 5, and is a former graduate of Somerville Dance Academy. She continued her studies in dance and graduated from York University and the National Ballet School of Canada, receiving an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts and an N.B.S. Diploma with Distinction in 2008. Amanda obtained her RAD teaching qualifications, is a registered Full Member of Performing Arts Educators of Canada (PAEC) in Ballet and Jazz, and holds her Associate Membership in Modern/ Contemporary.
She is the Chair of the Ballet committee for PAEC, and is also an active member of the Jazz and Modern committees. Outside of Somerville, Amanda has taught the dance portion of the gym curriculum for grades 5 to 8 at The Country Day School, and worked with Olympic trampoline athletes to cross-train in Ballet. Amanda is proud to be co-captain of SDA’s Relay for Life team – Dancing for Life. The team has raised over $100,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society through events and the annual choreography showcase.
Since 2008, Amanda has taken on the role of SDA’s Competitive Communications Coordinator, providing a line of communication between competitive families and the studio. Amanda is excited to be sharing her knowledge and passion for dance with the dancers at Somerville Dance Academy!