Christine Shaw

Ballet, POINTE, LYRICAL, CONTEMPORARY, JAZZ AND PBT

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.

Christine had the pleasure of performing lead roles in many of the school’s ballet and musical theatre productions such as Swanhilda in Coppelia, Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Paquita.

Christine also enjoyed participating in various island music festivals, being chosen to compete as a provincial candidate for six consecutive years in a row, earning a runner-up for Senior Ballet. She spent summers away training at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Edmonton Ballet School, Stages in Victoria and Arts Umbrella in Vancouver.

Later, Christine began training at Parksville Ballet School and joined Dancestreams, a pre-professional performance company on Vancouver Island. It is here that she felt privileged to establish ties with renowned choreographers and dance professionals, expand her knowledge of dance and enjoy trips to Los Angeles and Boston and Montreal.

Upon graduation, Christine went on to further her education in dance completing both the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program and Ballet British Columbia’s mentor program. Major highlights of her time in Vancouver include performing with performing with Ballet B.C. and working for choreographer Wen Wei Wang to commemorate the opening of the Scotia Bank Dance Centre.

Christine’s interest in teaching began when she was living in Mexico for a number of years, returning home to Vancouver Island to raise a family. It seemed everywhere she went, the dance community continued to welcome her back into the studio and she came to the valley to begin what is now her 10th season teaching at Carlson’s Dance. During this time she also completed both Advanced 1 and 2 RAD ballet exams, became a certified teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance and directed the Cowichan Dance Collective.

Christine loves to teach and is loved in return. She has an eye for detail, and a passion for movement and love for classical music that is simply infectious. Her students shine with confidence, achieve excellent results in examinations, and go on to dance in both recreationally and in post-secondary settings. She is thrilled to join the dynamic team of teachers and welcoming community that Adage has created.”