Our Instructors and Staff
Jill Wright
Office Manager & Bookkeeper
Jill grew up in Saskatchewan and moved to the Island in 2012. As a young girl, she loved to dance, play piano and volleyball. Since moving west, she has pursued a few of her passions including Architecture and Interior Design courses, as well as, a degree in Accounting with a minor in Finance at Camosun College. She’s never lost her love of dancing and fit right in when she started working with Adage in January 2017.
Emily McQueen
Office Assistant, Acro, Fitness, musical theatre & Costume Alterations
Born in Victoria BC, raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Emily grew up with a passion for gymnastics and competitive cheerleading. After graduation she moved back to the Island to start a family. In 2018, she became an integral part of the Adage team and in the spring of 2020, successfully completed the Acrobatic Arts teacher certification program. She is now certified to teach Acro levels 1 – 6.
Candace Ammerman
ballet, pointe, pilates & Solos
Candace has had the privilege of studying ballet and modern dance under leading artists in both disciplines: Alan Howard, a principal dancer with the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo; Dimitri Romanoff, regisseur (reconstructing the classic ballets) for American Ballet Theater and Cliff Keuter & Elina Mooney, my mentors in modern dance, who directed companies in NY and on the West coast.
Christine Shaw
BALLET, POINTE, LYRICAL, CONTEMPORARY, JAZZ, PBT, musical movement & Solos
Christine began taking ballet at Kirkwood Academy in Nanaimo, B.C. at the age of 4. As her love for dance grew, she ventured into Tap, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, Song and Dance, and Hip Hop. She then sampled Flamenco, Yoga, Salsa and Contact Improv.
Jeremy Miton
Tap, Jazz, Jazz Tech, Modern Stage, Musical Theatre & solos
BC born and bred, there has never been a time when Jeremy wasn’t dancing. Studying all forms of dance, his training led him all over the world. On top of competing across Canada, the US and Europe, Jeremy was part of the original touring company, Tap Co. with the Vancouver Tap Society.
Tiffany Miton
Ballet, POINTE, acro & Solos
Born and raised in England, Tiffany has been dancing since the age of 2. With a passion to further herself, she was accepted to Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in the UK, training in all genres while taking exams in RAD, Cecchetti and ISTD.
Tiernan Schneider
Hip Hop Crew, Hip Hop & solos
Tiernan is a Hip Hop dancer and instructor from Victoria, BC. Dance has always been her passion from the time she was able to walk. Tiernan has had the opportunity to dance with crews and companies such as GTX and TwoFourSeven. Some of her biggest accomplishments include being a part of Team Canada in 2015 and representing her country on an international level, as well as fulfilling her dreams of dancing at renowned competitions such as Vibe and World of Dance.
Trista Knight
jazz, jazz tech, contemporary & Solos
Bio coming soon
Brenna Bazinet
Academy facilitator & musical Theatre
Brenna Bazinet is a dedicated vocalist, performer, teacher, and director born and raised in the Cowichan Valley. Her love for the arts started as a young child on the stage, participating in musicals, solo performances, and Irish dance. The arts have always felt like a second home where Brenna could grow, shine, and find belonging and loves that she can instil this joy in the students at Adage and the Academy.
Michelle Rhode
academy dance & wellness
Michelle Rhode is a contemporary dance teacher, Registered Massage Therapist, farmer and mother to three exuberant and physical children. Originally trained in classical ballet, Michelle enjoyed a long career in professional contemporary dance. As an independent dancer, she worked with many of Canada’s renowned choreographers, performing across Canada.
Kaiya Boudreau
contemporary & Jazz
Kaiya started dancing at the age of 1 and has been training at Adage Studio for the past 14 years. Kaiya has participated in the Adage Studio teacher training program and has been assisting various classes for the past 5 years. Kaiya has trained in all styles of dance and was selected as the Provincial Alternate in 2018. During the Spring of 2020, Kaiya successfully auditioned for the Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive.
Sydney Johnson
ballet & jazz
Bio coming soon
Zentaya Ellis
hip hop
Bio coming soon
Roslyn Pringle
Latin Dance
Roslyn was born in the Caribbean on the island of Trinidad. She moved to Canada when she was six years old and then moved with her family to the Bahamas between the ages of 9 and 13. She started dancing Jazz at age 12 and continued when she moved back to Canada until she was 18 years old.
Robyn Fortunat
Piano, Voice, Pop Choir & Musical Theatre
Robyn started her musical learning journey at 1 years old. She has been drawn to the stage since the age of 5, after her very first dance recital. Since then, she has looked for every opportunity to perform and learn as much as she can in numerous disciplines.
Ryland Racicot
Tap, musical Theatre & Solos
What do you get when you mix a passion for dance with an unquenchable thirst for all things theater? The answer is Ryland Racicot! Performing ever since he was 3 years old, there’s never been a time in his life where he hasn’t enjoyed being on stage. His love of musicals has led him to being selected for roles in multiple shows, including Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, Matilda, Mamma Mia, Shrek, and Legally Blonde.
Tanya Gillespie
Drums, Songwriting, Guitar & Piano
Accompanist Tanya’s training began with piano in the Suzuki Method and later with the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music. Here she graduated with First Class Honors in piano, theory and harmony and from that foundation, went on to become a multi-instrumentalist with her focus being teaching others in guitar, drums/percussion, piano and song writing/coaching.
Robyn Anderson
solos
Robyn began dancing at age 3 and since then has trained and competed extensively in various styles of dance including jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary and musical theatre. Robyn started her training in Winnipeg, Manitoba where she has had the opportunity to perform and train with very talented dancers.
Owen Hogg
Contemporary & Solos
Owen trained at Adage Studio in Modern, Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Contemporary, and Acro and has had great success with all styles. Owen began choreographing while still a student and won awards for his outstanding choreography. His love of performing lead him to being selected for roles in multiple musicals including Beauty and the Beast, How to Succeed, Matilda, Aladdin and more. He has been awarded many scholarships and been accepted for dance programs including The Joffrey Ballet and The Victoria Ballet Academy. After graduation, Owen accepted a contract with Royal Caribbean Cruises. We are excited to have him back!
Lisa Metz
Solos
Creating an environment of freedom so that we can share our voices, Lisa’s diverse passion for Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary and Hip Hop compose the ground work for her career and unique vision. Based in Vancouver BC, Lisa has vast experience ranging from television and music videos to performing on stage in New York and LA.
Timothy Allen
Solos
Timothy has been tap dancing for 9 years now, and is constantly expanding his rhythmical vocabulary. Timothy grew up learning tap dance from his teacher Lynda Allen, who gave him the love for the dance.