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• Connie Parsons, AISTD. ACDTA - Owner/Operator
• Andrea Young A.R.A.D. - Advanced Ballet
• Leslie Hammond, AISTD - Senior Teacher
• Ashley Penney - Senior Hip Hop
• Ashley Thorne - Ballet/Tap/Jazz
• Allison Robbins - Ballet/Children's Work
• Dave Gardiner - Breakdance
• Katie Breen - Hip Hop/Tap
• Emily Fardy - Children's Work
• Rebecca Harrell - Hip Hop
• Aislinn Dunn Dicks - Adult Ballet
Connie Parsons, AISTD. ACDTA - Owner/Operator
Owner/Artistic Director
Fully qualified and professionally trained dance instructor.
Associate member of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing.
| Associate Diploma Cecchetti Ballet
Associate Tap
Associate Modern Theatre |
Associate member of the Canadian Dance Teachers Association. Associate Ballroom(Latin American)
Certificates from the National Ballet School of Canada for completing teacher training seminars.
Certificates from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School for completing the seminar "The Art of Teaching."
Certificate from Broadway Dance Center, NYC for attending the 2009 annual Teacher's Workshop in conjunction with The PULSE.
Courses in Child Development and Psychology from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Advanced 2 Modern Theatre
Advanced 2 Tap
Advanced 1 Cecchetti Ballet
Intermediate National Dance
Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Newfoundland and Labrador (2000)
Connie stays up to date on the latest trends in dance in able to provide classes in current as well as classic styles. She believes strongly in continued learning and regularly attends courses to update class curriculum and inspire new ideas.
She has trained with some of the top dance pedagogues from around the world and is always eager to learn more.
During the summer of 2009, Connie attended the Broadway Dance Center's Teacher Workshop in New York City, held in conjunction with The PULSE on Tour. This experience provided the opportunity to study Tap, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet, and Theatre Dance with Tony winning Broadway stars and the faculty of the hit TV series "So You Think You Can Dance".
In August 2009 she once again attended the Cecchetti Ballet National Conference held at The National Ballet School in Toronto. In 2008, she travelled to Europe to attend the ISTD Modern and Tap summer school hosted by The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (London, England)
Connie Parsons has enjoyed a fun-filled performance career which has included guest appearances dancing live in concert with Great Big Sea, and The Irish Descendants as well as performances in various local musicals.
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Andrea Young A.R.A.D. - Advanced Ballet
Ms. Young is originally from the U.K. but now resides in St. John's, NL with her family. She has vast experience in the world of dance having taught and performed worldwide. She attained her teaching qualifications from the Royal Academy of Dance in London, England in 1994 after and extensive performance career with the London City Ballet Company. She attended London Contemporary Dance School and graduated from London Studio Centre in 1989. She has performed in various shows and music videos for many big stars including Freddie Mercury, Diana Ross and Elton John! Andrea is a lovely person and most importantly she is "really good with kids". She herself is the mother of four children. Andrea is returning for her fifth year of teaching at CPSOD.
Associate in RAD Classical Ballet
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Leslie Hammond, AISTD - Senior Teacher
Leslie Hammond has been a part of Connie Parsons School of Dance since the age of four. Now, at the age of 22, she has progressed from a dedicated student, to a conscientious teaching assistant, and finally a valuable and talented teacher at our school. Leslie has been trained through the ISTD examination program here at CPSOD and in May 2009 graduated through the required levels in tap having obtained her Associate teaching qualification. She has attended the official teacher's summer school for the ISTD in Chichester, England in both 2008 & 2010. Leslie excels in many areas of dance having studied ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, hip hop, latin jazz & modern. She started as a teaching assistant at CPSOD in 2003 and discovered a keen interest in teaching children and teaching dance. Leslie has invested a considerable amount of time into her dance education, she is currently working towards her Associate teaching qualification in the Cecchetti method of classical ballet. During the summer's of 2009 & 2010 Leslie travelled to New York City for Broadway Dance Center's teacher workshop in conjunction with 'The Pulse'. The highlight of this year's event was taking class with MIA MICHAELS from the hit TV show "So You Think You Can Dance". In 2009, she also attended the Cecchetti Ballet's National Conference at the National Ballet School, Toronto. Leslie has also been an avid performer for many years and was a featured dancer in many local musicals and shows including 'Footloose' (2003), ‘Our Diva’s do Christmas’ (2005,2006), 'Our Divas Do Broadway' (2008, 2009). She is thrilled to be a part of the teaching staff at CPSOD again this season.
Associate in Tap with ISTD
Advanced I Cecchetti Ballet
Advanced II Tap
'The Art of Teaching' summer course, Royal Winnipeg Ballet School (July 2006)
ISTD Summer School for Tap & modern Dance, Chichester, England (August 2008 & 2010)
Broadway Dance Center & The Pulse's Teacher Workshop, New York (July 2009, July 2010)
Cecchetti Ballet National Conference, Toronto (August 2009)
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Ashley Penney - Senior Hip Hop
Ashley Penney is now entering her third year as an instructor with CPSOD. Ashley has taught Hip Hop classes to students ages eight to adult as well as a very energetic boys Street Funk class. Her genuine passion for dance is infectious and the students are thrilled with her sense of style and unique flare she brings to her choreography. She is fun and funky and totally enthusiastic about teaching at CPSOD again this year.
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Ashley Thorne - Ballet/Tap/Jazz
We are very excited and proud to welcome back Ashley Thorne as a full time teacher at our studio again this season. Ashley has been dancing at CPSOD for the past 10 years and has always had a keen interest in dance having studied ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern & hip hop. Ashley has been a part of the examination program for 7 years taking exams in ISTD tap and Cecchetti classical ballet. In 2006 Ashley became a teaching assistant helping teach children age 3 to 11 yrs. In recent year's, she has filled in as a substitute teacher and her dedication and love for dance was obvious and shone through. During July 2009 Ashley attended Broadway Dance Center's Teacher Workshop held in Conjunction with 'The Pulse'in New York City to work with world-renowned choreographers such as Shane Sparks and Wade Robson. She is delighted to be a part of our teaching staff for the 2010-2011 dance season.
Advanced II Tap (ISTD) - 2010
Broadway Dance Center & The Pulse's Teacher Workshop, New York (July 2009)
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Allison Robbins - Ballet/Children's Work
Allison Robbins began dancing at Connie Parsons School of Dance in 1997. She has danced extensively throughout the years and is an active member of our exam program in both Cecchetti Ballet and ISTD Tap. In the summer of 2008, she performed in "Mermaids of Avalon" with Kittiwake Dance Theatre. Most recently, Allison participated in the Millenium Inspiration Tour 2009 and was taught by "So You Think You Can Dance" celebrities, along with top industry professionals from across Canada and the United States. Allison is a lovely, mature young woman with a keen interest in teaching dance to young children. She began as a teaching assistant at CPSOD for the past 3 years, and joined our staff in 2009 to teach part of the children's recreational ballet program. Allison looks forward to a full-time career in teaching dance and we are thrilled to welcome her return to our teaching team for the 2010-2011 season!
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Dave Gardiner - Breakdance
Dave Gardiner started B-Boying in 1998 and co-founded Atlantic Canada's longest running crew, the Lokdown Crew. Dave has been a member of East Rock Crew since 2006 and produced a Newfoundland tour for them in 2007. He has travelled to New York, Philadelphia, Montreal, and Ottawa, and participated in numerous master classes and workshops with some of the top B-Boys in North America. Dave is helping keep the B-Boy art form alive, by sharing his knowledge with the students of Connie Parsons School of Dance this dance season.
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Katie Breen - Hip Hop/Tap
Katie Breen has excelled in dancing since the day she began lessons at Connie Parsons School of Dance over 15 years ago. She is a born star, and stands out on stage as well as in the classroom. During the 2009-2010 dance season, Katie was a teaching assistant with the 3-4 year old pre-ballet program, substituted with junior and teen classes, taught the adult recreation tap session, and discovered her natural talent for teaching! Dance has always been a huge part of Kaite's life and she has been actively involved in the examination program here at CPSOD in both ballet and tap for may years. Last year, she completed all 9 levels of Tap having acheived top marks in her Advanced II ISTD Tap Dance exam. During the summer of 2010 Katie worked as a camp counselor with the City of St. John's Department of Recreation. Katie has an excellent raport with children and a natural drive to succeed. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to share her ideas and talent with the students of CPSOD this season.
Advanced II ISTD Tap -2010 (w/honors)
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Emily Fardy - Children's Work
For the past 7 years, Emily Fardy has been actively involved in many styles of dance and has performed in numerous shows. She began competitive gymnastics at a very young age but moved on to dance in 2003. Emily participated in the Millenium Inspiration Tour in 2009, a dance workshop taught by professionals from Canada and the United States. She has always had a keen interest in teaching and has coached gymnastics and youth soccer in addition to assisting classes at Connie Parsons School of Dance. Emily has been involved in the exam program of both Cecchetti Ballet and ISTD Tap at CPSOD. She is very excited about the upcoming year of dance instruction.
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Rebecca Harrell - Hip Hop
Rebecca Harrell began dancing in 1996 and since then has studied many different types of dance. Hip Hop remains her greatest passion. She became interested in teaching children's Hip Hop at the young age of 15. Rebecca has experience teaching and assisting Hip Hop to dancers ages 10 and up, and excels at choreographing dances that are both energetic and enjoyable. Rebecca has been involved in several local dance shows including "Do You Think You Can Dance". (2010) Throughout her years of dance, she had developed a great interest in both teaching & performing Hip Hop and is very excited to join the staff of Connie Parsons School of Dance for the 2010-2011 Dance Season.
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Aislinn Dunn Dicks - Adult Ballet
Aislinn has been a student of Connie Parsons School of Dance since she was a child and has excelled in both the ballet and tap examination programs. Her greatest assets are her musicality and natural facility. Aislinn is currently a student at Memorial University and is studying piano performance at MUN music school. Aislinn is thrilled to be teaching at CPSOD this year as it gives her the opportunity to share her love of the arts with her students.
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