Our Team
Our Dance Instructors

Celina has over 24 years of experience as a dancer with training in all genres including jazz, ballet, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, modern, musical theatre and tap. She graduated from Langley Fine Arts School as a dance major, 2011 and completed the Kill The Lights Company Pre-Professional training program. Celina provides a vast knowledge of different techniques and skill sets and is well equipped to provide high quality training to her students in many different genres of dance. You can also catch Celina as a principal dancer in the film Puppystar Christmas that was released on Netflix.

Kara began dancing at age 4 and began teaching at The Arts Connection in 2008. She has trained in ballet, jazz, tap, musical theatre, lyrical, and modern. Kara participated in the transfer program between York University and Canada’s National Ballet School’s Teacher Training Program where she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and her NBS TTP Diploma and Royal Academy of Dance Registered Teacher qualifications. Kara has invested over a decade into building the dance program into what it is today and continues to love watching students grow and develop year after year. As a teacher, she is firm, fair, fun. Kara believes that a strong foundation of the basics allows for creativity and freedom in each student’s dance journey. Her goal is to work to connect with each student and help them see their own potential and feel joy in each dance class knowing that working hard can be fun!

Krista is an amazing Dance Instructor who we’re fortunate to call our teammate! She has been dancing since the age of 3 and has had a passion for it ever since. Her mother owned a dance studio in Summerland, BC where she trained in ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, and musical theatre and gained the opportunity to begin teaching. She was actively involved in her high school musicals and after graduation attended the Dance Centre Pre-Professional program in Mission where she furthered her ballet and pointe training as well as her teaching career. Krista took her education to new heights by attending the Canadian College of Performing Arts where she continued to develop her acting, singing, and dancing skills. Krista received an Enriched Performing Arts Diploma from this program. After graduating, she continued to perform on stage with the Pacific Opera Victoria in productions such as La Traviata and Countess Maritza as well as many other musical productions in Victoria. Now that she has moved to Richmond, Krista looks forward to further developing her teaching career and to share her passion with others. Her hope is to light a spark in each student’s imagination and share her love of dance with everyone!

Sabra has worked for 13 years as a professional dancer and choreographer with credits including Pacific National Exhibition, Simon Fraser University, Fuze Entertainment, Disney, and many more. She was trained at Lux and follow the Company Pre-Professional Training Program and Professional Company Program. It is important to Sabra to foster a positive learning environment for all types of students and believes that dance can and should be accessible to everyone. Sabra strives for excellence in dance but, more importantly, values training that is safe and is rooted in an understanding of anatomy. She wants to help young artists to cultivate a relationship with dance that is sustainable.

Accolades and awards: 

• • Langley Fine Arts School Dance Department Valedictorian, 
  • Great Canadian Dance Challenge Most Innovative Choreography, 
  • Star Talent Choreography Award, 
  • Peak Invitational Choreography Award

Vanessa started dancing at the age of 6 and has trained in jazz, tap, ballet & pointe, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, and stage. She became inspired to teach through her experience as a class assistant as a teenager. After high school, Vanessa joined the Harbour Dance Centres Intensive Training Program which included training with Vancouver Circus School, taking singing lessons, acting sessions, and dance classes. She is a Sugarfoot Therapy certified teacher and also holds a certification in Progressing Ballet Technique and followed a pre-professional intensive training program(2017/2018.)

Some of her notable performances include:

• Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) various events and drive through experiences
• Opening Ceremony at the 2016 World’s Women’s Softball Championship
• Background dancer at the Sound Wave Concert in 2018 for Warren Flandez