Faculty and Studio

Stacey Butterworth CDTA

Owner and Artistic Director
Instructor, Daytime and Evening Program - Tap / Jazz / Lyrical / Modern Stage / Stretch and Strength

Stacey is the owner and artistic director of Harbour Dancentre. She has instructed dance full time for the past 16 years, has toured in performance companies, has directed and choreographed stage productions, and has adjudicated at festivals across Canada.

Growing up, Stacey trained extensively in ballet (R.A.D. and A.D.A.P.T.), jazz (C.D.T.A.), tap (C.D.T.A.), lyrical, and highland. Stacey has taught and performed in every discipline. When she first began teaching she focused on ballet but now she focuses her studio teaching time on tap, jazz, and lyrical. Stacey is a member of the Stage Division of the C.D.T.A in both tap and jazz and has served on the executive of this association in numerous capacities over the years. She was instrumental in setting the syllabus for the tap and jazz examinations. She is also a member of PAEC in tap and jazz.

Kathryn McVittie RAD RTS

Instructor, Daytime and Evening Program
Ballet / Pointe / Modern / Jazz / Contemporary

Kathryn has been involved in the dance world for 21 years and instructs primarily in ballet, but also in modern, contemporary, tap, jazz, musical theater, and hip-hop. Kathryn is a registered ballet teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance and has completed the CDTA Jazz syllabus. In addition to choreographing dance, skating, and productions, she has also had the lead roles in several musicals, has been the assistant coach for the VI Raiders Dance Team, and has adjudicated at dance competitions across Canada.

Jennifer Quibell ARAD AISTD NBS TTP

Instructor, Daytime and Evening Program
Ballet / Jazz / Modern / Pointe

Jennifer Quibell began her dance training at Kirkwood Academy of Performing Arts in Nanaimo studying Ballet(RAD), Jazz, Tap(CDTA) & Modern. During these early years she furthered her training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Summer Sessions and L’Ecole de Superieure de Danse in Montreal. In 2003, she graduated with Distinction from the 3 year Teacher Training Program at the National Ballet School in Toronto. Jennifer obtained her teaching qualifications in both the Royal Academy of Dance and Cecchetti syllabi and was the recipient of the Carol Chadwick Award.

Upon returning home to Nanaimo(2003 -2010), Jennifer taught at Kirkwood Academy as a full time dance teacher She was also the Ballet Mistress for Kirkwood Productions and the Co-Artistic Director and Choreographer of the Kirkwood Youth Dance Company for 5 years, touring with the company in LA (Disneyland Magic Music Days, on Royal Caribbean Cruise lines, The Edge and Millennium) and New York (Alvin Ailey, Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Centre)

Since 2010 Jennifer has worked at Arts Umbrella as the Professional and General Dance Program Liaison and full time Ballet teacher in the Professional and General program. She was also the Children’s Rehearsal Mistress for the Alberta Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” production in Vancouver at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for the past 2 years.

She is looking forward to returning to Nanaimo in the Fall of 2012 to join the dance faculty at Harbour Dancentre.

Chiara Ackerman RAD

Instructor, Evening and Saturday Program
Ballet / Pointe / Tap / Lyrical / Jazz / Modern Stage

Chiara began her dance training at the age of four through the Pat Cummings School of Dance in Port Alberni, BC. She studied several dance forms including RAD Ballet, Jazz, Tap and Modern. Chiara continued her post secondary dance education at the National Ballet School in Toronto where she graduated from the Teacher’s Training Program. She is a fully certified RAD ballet teacher and has also obtained her Associate Teaching Diploma (Cecchetti) and Associate Certificate in National Ethnic Dance. Chiara has spent the past decade teaching, choreographing, performing and taking workshops while living abroad in Norway, Australia and Bermuda. She’s thrilled to return to Vancouver Island to teach at Harbour Dancentre.

Sarah Devito

Instructor, Daytime Program
Modern / Jazz

Sarah began her training at the Parksville Ballet School. From a young age, she was enrolled in the Performing Arts Program and was a member of Vancouver Island Youth Dance Association. She privately trained under the mentorship of Beverly Aitchison as well as working closely with teachers such as Suzanne Ouellette and Artemis Gordon. She has performed selected works from Joe Laughlin, Judith Marcuse, Jean- Guy Cossette, and Bengt Yorgen. Training in a multi-displinary dance program that included Tap and Musical Theatre, Sarah went on to excel in Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Contemporary Dance. She furthered her dance training at the Goh Ballet Academy, Arts Umbrella and Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre seminar program. Sarah has been a teacher at the Parksville Ballet School for 11 years. She is currently the Artistic director of the Helix Dance Theatre Company, a pre-professional dance company, which she co-founded in 2009. Sarah continues to be recognized for her innovative choreography and her ability to highlight the skills of her dancers both technically and artistically. Sarah is excited to be joining the faculty at Harbour Dancentre.

Tammy Galvin CDTA

Instructor, Evening and Saturday Program
Tap / Jazz / Modern Stage / Hip Hop

Tammy has been in the dance studio since a wobbly toddler, following any set of tap shoes she could keep up with. She grew up with a ballet base and an interest in jazz that eventually evolved into a love for hip hop, modern, tap and musical theatre. Tammy did most of her training in Kamloops at the Acadamy of Performing Arts, she then migrated to Vancouver to train with Rachael Poirier at DanzMode Productions and Southern Strutt in South Carolina, teaching and choreographing along the way. Her most current inspiration came in Florida with Carnival Cruise Lines as a production dancer, she traveled all over the Caribbean showing a new audience everyday how much she loved to dance. She is a registered teacher for CDTA Jazz.

Justine Gregg

Instructor, Evening Program
Hip-Hop / Jazz

Justine, born and raised in Nanaimo started her passion for dancing at the age of seven. Dance classes quickly took up Justine’s schedule as she was training in Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap, Ballet, and Contemporary. As a dancer, Justine has had the opportunity to train and perform throughout B.C and has spent some time training in L.A with some of the world’s top Choreographers.

Recently Justine decided to move to Vancouver and take her dancing career to an even further level, when she decided to join the Drive Dance Scholarship Program and has found a new love for other styles including Ballroom, Salsa, and Circus training in silks and trapeze. Having danced for Tech n9ne, Terell Safadi, T-Pain, Carnival Cruise, a Disneyland Show and being a part of the 2010 Winter Olympic Torch lighting Ceremony, Justine is always looking for performances and opportunities to get her name out in the industry. Justine is always learning and growing as a dancer and welcomes each opportunity that comes her way.

Shelby Edwards

Instructor, Saturday Program
Ballet / Modern Stage / Jazz

Shelby first began dancing at a young age taking session ballet and tap classes through parks and rec. Her passion for dance came alive when she began hip-hop classes at Harbour Dancentre in 2004 and over the years, she found herself falling into more styles such as Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Contemporary, Ballet, and Pointe. She has performed and competed in festivals all over the island and Vancouver.

While attending high school, Shelby was involved with Bulldog Theatre performing in many shows and competed at the North Island Regional Drama Festival. She was also a large part of the John Barsby Dance Team, choreographing and performing in events such as Football halftime shows, Anti-bullying day, and Remembrance Day. She also choreographed a dance that the team took to Core Dance Festival for the first time where they placed second.

Shelby is a recent graduate of John Barsby, and will be attending VIU to do her BA in Physical Education. In addition, she is working towards her CDTA Jazz membership, and is very excited to be teaching in the studio she grew up in.

Linda Tomborello RAD Teaching Diploma

Guest Instructor
Ballet

Linda began her dance training studying the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus and later went on to win multiple ballet awards and scholarships to continue her professional training. These scholarships included studies in New York City with the Joffery Ballet School, School of American Ballet (the Balanchine’s Company Ballet School) and the Harkness House for Ballet Arts. She trained with well known teachers such as Robert Joffery, David Howard, Brian Macdonald, Stuart Hodes and Donald Saddler; to name a few. During her professional years as a dancer Linda performed with the Huntington Dance Ensemble, the Joffery Ballet Company, and the Harkness Ballet Company in New York City. As a teacher Linda holds a certified Teaching Diploma from the RAD. She has taught Ballet both in the United States and Canada and brings over 30 years of teaching, coaching, and choreography experience to students ranging from Primary to Advanced levels. Linda’s teaching goal is to pass on her passion, knowledge and love of ballet to all her students.

Laurie Dean BCRPA

Fitness Instructor

Laurie has always been involved in fitness; as an athlete, a coach and an instructor. Growing up on Vancouver Island Laurie played rep fastpitch, volleyball, cross-country running and cycling. As an adult she added swimming to her fitness regime and began coaching running, softball and teaching fitness classes. Through experience as an athlete Laurie has learned the importance of maintaining flexibility, strength and balance. She shares her knowledge of strength, endurance and flexibility workouts with dance students in order to enhance their dancing. Laurie substituted for the Stretch and Strength class at Harbour Dancentre last year and looks forward to working with the dancers on a full-time basis this coming year.

Julie Horwood

Certified Yoga Instructor / member of the Canadian Yoga Alliance / R. N., Bachelor of Nursing

Julie is excited to bring yoga to Harbour Dancentre this year. Travelling to India for training in early 2009, she began teaching yoga with Moksha, and now also teaches at Omtown in Nanaimo. Julie has since attended several other trainings and workshops learning different styles of yoga, including Hatha, Vinyasa and Yin yoga. Growing up Highland dancing and then working many years as a Registered nurse, Julie brings varied skills and experience to her teaching. She believes yoga will help dancers (and everyone who practices) through greater body, breath and mind awareness, not to mention, improve strength, flexibility and balance.

Dara Speer

B.Sc. (Hons. Biol. Chem), B.Ed. (Hons.)
Academic Daytime Program

Dara has not yet begun her dance training, but luckily is a certified math and science teacher! She earned her B.Sc. at VIU with a major in biology, focusing on cellular and molecular biology, and a minor in chemistry. During her science studies, she worked as a research assistant at the Center for Shellfish Research and at the Pacific Biological Station. She also worked at the VIU Math Learning Center tutoring math and sciences at a variety of secondary and post-secondary levels. This is where she discovered her passion for teaching. Dara is now a qualified teacher working with a variety of learners primarily on math and science studies, as well as reading and writing, from primary through grade 12. She is excited to join the dance studio and help the dancers achieve their academic potential.

Carl Butterworth

B.Sc.(Hons.Kin.) MBA
Co-owner / Instructor / Music / Admin

Carl has many hats at Harbour Dancentre (which helps to reduce the glare!) As a kinesiologist he brings 16 years of experience to his stretch, strength, balance, and stability classes which focus on injury prevention and performance enhancement. Carl also has a diverse background in musical theory and practice and edits all of Harbour Dancentre's music for competition and performance. Carl has owned and operated businesses in British Columbia for 18 years and has a Masters in Business Administration (Finance). He assists Stacey (yes, his wife) with business development, risk management, marketing, advertising, renovations, cleaning, and anything else Stacey tells him to do!