Faculty and Studio
Stacey Butterworth CDTA
Owner / Artistic Director / Instructor - Tap / Jazz / Lyrical / 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.
Chiara Ackerman RAD
Instructor - Ballet / Pointe / Modern / Lyrical / Jazz
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.
Kathryn McVittie RAD RTS
Instructor - Ballet / Pointe / Modern / Lyrical / Contemporary / Hip-Hop
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.
Jen Gray CDTA
Instructor - Ballet / Pointe / Modern / Jazz / Modern Stage / Lyrical
Jen instructs in ballet, pointe, modern, and jazz at Harbour Dancentre. Jen has danced for 17 years and has completed her ISTD Modern Advanced 1 and 2, RAD Intermediate Ballet, and her CDTA Associate Teachers certification in Jazz. Jen is going into her fifth year teaching at Harbour Dancentre and will graduate from Vancouver Island University this fall with a Major in Physical Education and a minor in Psychology. She will then continue studying to complete her teachers degree and looks forward to a career with children, both within and outside that dance world.
Tammy Galvin
Instructor - Tap / Jazz / Musical Theatre / 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. Back at home, she is currently working on her C.D.T.A for jazz and is ready to show a younger generation.
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.
Carl Butterworth
B.Sc.(Hons.Kin.) ~ 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 16 years and is currently completing his Masters in Business Administration at Vancouver Island University. He assists Stacey (yes, his wife) with business development, risk management, marketing, advertising, renovations, cleaning, and anything else Stacey tells him to do!
