Kimberly Stevenson has dreamed of running her own dance school since she was a young student in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. She has been the founder and instructor of The Happening Dance Studio since 2013 starting off in a small live/work space just off Main Street on Scotia and 4th ave. The Happening now has expanded to two studios adjacent to each other, has twelve employees, and over 500 students that come in and out of the doors 7 days a week.

Kimberly trained and studied for three years to become a certified & qualified ADAPT jazz and tap instructor, and soon moved away from Saskatchewan to pursue her formal studies in dance performance and choreography. Kimberly earned a diploma from Alberta’s Grant MacEwan College and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from British Columbia’s Simon Fraser University.

Kimberly is not only a qualified dance instructor, but also a professional dance artist who continues to seek performance opportunities. She has trained under Hofesh Shechter Company in London England and under Batsheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv Israel participating in extensive workshops involving training in Gaga technique and learning company repertoire. Kimberly has had the honour to perform professionally for Serge Bennathan, Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg, Kate Franklin, Gail Lotenberg, Daisy Thompson, Katie DeVries, Kokoro Dance Theatre, Rob Kitsos, Shauna Elton, and Deanna Peters. She has also been the choreographer for the East Van Panto: Snow White & The Seven Dwarves (2017/2018) and for The Vancouver Canadians well known grounds crew for the 2017/2018/2019 & 2022 Seasons.

Kimberly along with her husband Juan Sotelo Morales absolutely loves living in the Mount Pleasant area and the community that surrounds us. Kim is loving her newest role of being a mom to Yani and Mateo Sotelo!

Born and raised in West Kelowna, Nicole started training in gymnastics at four years old. After competing in gymnastics for several years she chose to shift her time and energy towards dance, using gymnastics as a foundation for her movement. She trained at Lake Country School of Dance studying jazz, ballet, contemporary, tap, hip hop, and lyrical with mentors Heather Dotto, Paul Otterbien, Sabrina Phillips, Liz Tookey, Loretta Lachner, and Vicki View. In 2017, Nicole performed with Team Canada Hip Hop and was a soloist at the IDO World Championships. Overtime, her interest in contemporary dance expanded, leading her to train with Modus Operandi (under the direction of Tiffany Tregarthen, David Raymond, and Kate Franklin) in Vancouver BC. Nicole is in her graduating year of Modus Operandi and has successfully been awarded two Training Scholarships from BC Arts Council. Through her education, Nicole has had the opportunity to learn from choreographers Vanessa Goodman, Idan Cohen, Billy Marchenski, Josh Beamish, Shay Kuebler, and many other artists from the dance community. Nicole has performed works by Alanna Kraajeveld, Company 605, Out Innerspace Dance Theatre, Kate Franklin, and Justine Chambers through Modus Operandi. Nicole is now a company member with Radical System Art and has performed internationally as a company member.

Lexi Vajda is an independent dance artist who has the privilege of living and working on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Lexi's interest in movement, imagination and sensation culminates in a practice of making performances, installations and film as well as interpreting the works of other artists. She has worked with companies and choreographers such as Shay Kuebler RSA, Animals of Distinction, the response., Out Innerspace Dance theatre, Action at a Distance, Theatre Replacement, Company 605, Kinesis Dance Somatheatro, plastic orchid factory, The Party, Delia Brett, Cindy Mochizuki, Tanz&Kunst Konigsfelden, Sasha Kleinplatz and Emmalena Frederiksson. She has also taught contemporary movement, improvisation and ballet to both young and adult humans for over 12 years throughout the Lower Mainland.

Originally from the UK, Fran has trained in different communities globally, including London, New York and LA. She has been teaching for over 8 years both in the UK and now Vancouver and is passionate about making dance accessible to anyone at any level. She has experience in the majority of foundational street dance styles, but has focused her training in House and Hip Hop. She places value on the importance of street dance culture/history and foundational movement which helps to shape her choreography. Fran believes in the power of dance as a tool for personal development. She continues to train and seek knowledge in order to be a better dancer and teacher.

Vanessa Goodman holds a BFA from Simon Fraser University and is the artistic director of Action at a Distance Dance Society. Vanessa is attracted to art that has a weight and meaning beyond the purely aesthetic and uses her choreography as an opportunity to explore the human condition. Her choreographic practice is driven by weaving generative movement and sonic systems into performative environments. Her work creates a sense of intimacy between our surroundings and the body. She has received several awards and honours, including The Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award (2013); The Yulanda M. Faris Scholarship (2017/18); The Chrystal Dance Prize (2019); The Schultz Endowment from Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (2019); and the "Space to Fail" program (2019/20) in New Zealand, Australia and Vancouver. Vanessa's work has been presented all over Canada, as well as Seattle, Portland, Brooklyn, New York, Romania, Hungary, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, and Brazil. This season's collaborations include works with artists Scott Morgan (Loscil); Caroline Shaw (USA); and Simona Deaconescu (Romania). Upcoming touring this fall includes Mexico City, Sweden, Montreal and Quebec City.

Danielle Brokopp fell in love with dance and the performing arts at a very young age. Starting at age six she has been trained in various styles such as ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, hip hop, lyrical and musical theatre.

In 2012 she moved to Vancouver, BC from her hometown of Winnipeg, MB to further her dance training and pursue her career. She has been a member of The Source Dance Company, KTL Co., and Illustrative Society. Danielle has had the opportunity to train in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Atlanta and Las Vegas.

Danielle has been a dancer featured in TV/films such as “Descendants 3″ (Disney), “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” (NBC), “Riverdale” (The CW), “Legends of Tomorrow” (The CW), “Grease - Rise of the Pink Ladies” (Paramount+), “Bring it on - Halloween” (Scream Squad Inc.), “Charmed” (the CW), “Freaky Friday” (Disney), “The Flash” (The CW), “Lucifer” (The CW), “To All The Boys 3″ (Netflix), “Motherland” (BBC), “Death of a Cheerleader” (Lifetime) and “Bravetown” (Entertainment One). Live performances include Janet Jackson’s world tour in Vancouver and Air Canada Vacations.

Danielle has been fortunate to have worked closely with choreographers Brian Friedman, Gil Duldulao, Mandy Moore, Jillian Meyers, Bobby Newberry, Jamal Sims, Zach Woodlee, Heather Laura Gray, John Carrafa, Kelly Konno, Louise Hradsky, Jeffrey Mortensen, and Stacey Tookey.

Roberta Bierman is a passionate instructor, choreographer and performer based in Vancouver, Canada. Roberta has studied many different genres of dance but once introduced to Hip-Hop & Street styles, it quickly became her main focus. Roberta continues to train in multiple Street styles with a non-stop growing passion for the culture of Hip Hop.

Roberta is one of the most sought after choreographers and teachers in Western Canada however it doesn’t stop there! Her crews and choreography are continually recognized at competitions and festivals on an international level.

Roberta is a member and choreographer for the elite, all female dance crew, Diamonds in the Rough and Director of RUFFNECKS crew. She is also a Director and Choreographer for the reputable Canadian mega crew, TwoFourSeven Company who are the Body Rock 2017 1st Place Champions, World of Dance 2018 Los Angeles 1st Place Champions, Release 2019 Champions; and the list goes on.

Roberta is known for teaching memorable classes filled with high energy and education that goes beyond just the ‘the steps’. She has had the opportunity to travel and teach around the world.

Aside from teaching, Roberta strives to find ways to give back and create opportunities for the dance community. Roberta is the Co-Founder of Canadian dance studio and production company, A3 District, as well as Co-Producer for Summer Knock-Out Street Dance Competition and Elements Dance Competition.

Adrian Vendiola, an internationally awarded choreographer is the co-director of the world renowned crew, Brotherhood. Their most notable achievements include winning various, highly acclaimed competitions multiple times including Hip Hop International, World of Dance, Body Rock, and Vibe.

Adrian is currently a co-director of Northside, Studio North Vancouver’s elite mega crew team. Adrian has choreographed for various K-Pop artists such as NCT127 and has travelled internationally to teach and share his love for dance in places all over North and South America, Asia, and Europe.

Julia Bose is a passionate dancer, choreographer, and teacher, born and raised in Victoria, BC, Canada. Throughout her childhood, she explored many different dance disciplines, but fell in love with Tap and Street Styles. Today, she specializes in Hip hop and choreography, which have taken her to new heights both locally and internationally. Over the years, Julia has had opportunities to perform in Las Vegas, New York, San Diego, Los Angeles, Mexico, New Zealand, Italy, Toronto and Montreal, winning numerous competitions with her teams, and performing on both America’s Got Talent (with TwoFourSeven) and Canada’s Got Talent (with A3 District Ryderz). Currently, Julia is focusing on her work in commercials, tv / film, and live performances, as well as sharing her knowledge full time with students of all ages and levels. Her magnetic and nurturing teaching style, coupled with her knowledge of Hop Hop foundation and history, musicality, and performance, has made her a sought after instructor in the Vancouver area and beyond.

This group of ARTISTS.. Not AFRO dancers.. ARTISTS are here to bring you their take on African based technical dance and social dance through choreography.. with a vision to constantly encourage new ideas or approaches to choreography - performance and education. With hopes of continuing to push the community to expand on their understanding and appreciation of the music/dance genres that are most commonly utilized as inspiration or source throughout this moment in time while bringing together multiple styles within the African Diaspora.. AFRO CONNECT

Diamonds in the Rough is an all-female Street Dance crew based out of Vancouver, Canada. Established in 2009 by Natasha Gorrie, the crew was brought together to collaborate like-minded women in the community.

Diamonds strive to train in multiple Street Dance styles, all bringing knowledge and individual strengths back to the crew. The Diamond ladies have a strong presence in the choreography world, industry, and freestyle community.

This sisterhood of powerful women represents more than just a dance crew. Utilizing Street dance as a vessel, Diamonds in the Rough are passionate about uplifting youth in the community. They are mothers, community builders, business owners and curators.

The ongoing legacy of Diamonds in The Rough represents a support system of shared passion for dance, creativity, expression and raising youth in our community.

Cristina Bucci is a dance artist, educator, and mentor who has danced works by Tentacle Tribe, Alexandra Spiceya Landé, and RubberLegz and has worked on film and TV projects, such as Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Riverdale, Lululemon, and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.

In 2019, she received the choreography award at the New York Youth America Grand Prix Finals alongside choreographic partner Maiko Miyauchi. Together, they have developed an international dance program, TRACE, production company MUCCI, and have worked for Jayda G, Destroyer, JJ Adrian, and Yarita Yu Ballet Company in Tokyo.

Cristina is also the managing director of OURO Collective, which was formed in 2014 to advance the public’s appreciation of street dance culture. When not dancing, she works as a registered holistic nutritionist, presenting her “Nutrition for Dancers” seminars to dancers of all ages. She is grateful for the opportunity to present her work-in-progress solo, Sisu, at EMBARK!

Christian Lagasse is a Choreographer, Motion Capture Performer, Actor, and Movement Specialist with over 24 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Having appeared in and worked on over 250 projects, for companies including Disney, 20th Century Fox, and Netflix, Christian's work has been seen by audiences around the world. His credits include Alien: ORE, Honor Society, New Tales From The Borderlands, Disney's Descendants 1 & 2, The Edge Of Seventeen, Riverdale, Lords Mobile, The Art Of Racing In The Rain, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow, as well as many others. His greatest joy comes from entertaining people, whether on screen, in a volume, or on stage, by doing what he loves.

Justine A. Chambers is an artist and educator living and working on the unceded Coast Salish territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Her movement based practice considers how choreography can be an empathic practice rooted in collaborative creation, close observation, and the body as a site of a cumulative embodied archive. Privileging what is felt over what is seen, she works with dances that are already there – the choreographies present in the everyday. Her work has been hosted by galleries, theatres and festivals locally, nationally and internationally including Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver), Libby Leshgold Gallery (ECUAD), Sophiensaele (Berlin), Hong Kong Arts Festival, National Arts Centre (Ottawa), Agora de la Danse (Montreal), The Dance Centre (Vancouver), Art Museum (Toronto), Western Front (Vancouver), and Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery (Haverford College, PA). She is Max Tyler-Hite’s mother.

Jay Musodi is an Artist who’s been involved in the Canadian Dance community for over a decade.His recent credits: Disney +, LuluLemon, Nickelodeon, Netflix, Lifetime, Showtime, NBC, CW, Redbull, Uniqlo and Holt Renfrew. Aside from industry work Jay dedicates his time teaching in-school Cultural dance residency programs to schools Canada Wide and programs internationally. He does so with the sole purpose of spreading the infectious Social dance practices that help teach the importance of respect, self love and appreciation for our differences.