WSD prides itself on the stellar professionally trained talent of its Faculty. Every student gains the benefit of dancing’s finest ambassadors. Here is a list of our Department Heads and Teaching Faculty.

BALLET
Desirée Champion
Department Head

As a former professional ballet dancer, Ms. Champion brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her teaching. She began her dance training at the CAPAD Ballet Company in South Africa, moved on to study at the National Ballet School, The Lois Smith School of Dance, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Banff School of Fine Arts and Randolph Dance Theatre.

Ms. Champion's professional career includes performances with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Banff Festival Ballet and as a principal dancer with Saskatchewan Theatre Ballet and The Alberta Ballet Company.

Formerly a member of the Canadian Actors' Equity Association, she has also appeared as a dancer in several of the Canadian Opera Company's productions. In addition to her career as a professional dancer and teacher, Ms. Champion has an extensive musical background which includes studies as a pianist at the Royal Conservatory of Music where she achieved first class honours, and as a talented ballet accompanist.

Over the years, Ms. Champion has been devoted to teaching dance at Marr MacDance and Theatre Arts, The Dance Studio, Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, The Canadian Academy of Music, Dance and Dramatic Arts, The Randolph School of the Arts and Dance Teq at the National Ballet of Canada.

In 1995, Ms. Champion joined the faculty at WSD. As Ballet Department Head, Ms. Champion choreographed many ballets including Hansel and Gretal, Pinocchio, Thumbelina, Sleeping Beauty, The Wizard of Oz, Snow White, Cinderalla with 1st soloist Etienne Lavigne of The National Ballet Company, restaged Études and restaged Act 2 of Swan Lake with principal dancers Chan Hon Goh and Guillaume Côté of The National Ballet Company as well as with principal dancers Greta Hodgkinson and Etienne Lavigne of The National Ballet Company.

Ms. Champion continues to motivate our students in the pursuit of excellence.

JAZZ, TAP, ACRO
Gina Kim
Department Head

Born in Edmonton Alberta, Gina Kim moved to Ontario and began her dance training under the watchful eyes of The Port Colborne Dance Academy, now formally known as Dance Expressions. Ms. Kim has diverse training in tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, lyrical, modern, musical theatre, hip-hop, National dance and Korean traditional folk dance. Ms. Kim received Honors in numerous C.D.T.A tap and jazz exams, Advanced Cecchetti ballet exams, Advanced RAD ballet exams and Advanced I.S.T.D National dance exams.

Ms. Kim is a certified adjudicator in association with I.A.D.A. Greater accomplished credentials include: Teaching Diploma and certificate from Canada's National Ballet School, Associates in The Cecchetti Society of Canada, Royal Academy of Dance, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, Dance Masters of America and Canadian Dance Teachers Association.

Ms. Kim has attended master classes and workshops in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Japan, Korea and Winnipeg. Her performance experience includes Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with Quinte Ballet School, The Nutcracker and Les Syphides with The National Ballet School, The Beach Boys, Guys N’ Dolls, Bye-Bye Birdie, Grease, Chicago and Westside Story. After graduating with her BFA Honors in Dance from York University, Ms. Kim furthered her education at Canada’s National Ballet School, and joined the teaching staff in the Associates Program in 2006.

Ms. Kim joined the teaching faculty in 2003 and is ecstatic to continue working with the talented staff and students..

MUSICAL THEATRE
Sharon Lindsay
Department Head

Sharon Lindsay has been teaching and choreographing at The Woodbridge School of Dance since 1999. She received her dance training in Toronto studying Jazz, Tap, Acrobatics and Ballet, and also holds a teaching membership with the British Association of Teachers of Dance.

Ms. Lindsay is a highly respected choreographer and has prepared such projects as Ricky’s Room, a PBS children’s show, as well as participating in a local youth theatre company. She has choreographed multiple musicals, including Honk, A Chorus Line and the smash Broadway hit Urinetown. For WSD, Ms. Lindsay has been responsible for choreographing many well–known and popular stage musicals, among them Mamma Mia, Grease, Bye Bye Birdie, High School Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Seussical, The Musical.

SOCIETY OF RUSSIAN BALLET EXAMINATIONS
Sharon Ralston
Department Head

Sharon Ralston received her progressive dance training at L’Ecole Superieur de Danse du Quebec, the affiliate school of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal. Her performing experience includes La Bayadere, Swan Lake Act II and La Sylphide.

Ms. Ralston has also taught at several Canadian arts schools, including L’Academie de Ballet Classique in Montreal, The City Ballet School in Vancouver and the Quesnel Arts and Recreation Centre in Quesnel, B.C.

Ms. Ralston, who has been with WSD since 1994, holds an impressive credit list as recipient of an Associate Teacher Certification from The Society of Russian Ballet, I.S.T.D. and C.D.T.A. exams, as well as a D.E.C. in Dance – Ballet. She is an active participant in the annual Society of Russian Ballet Seminars and is now working towards her advanced teacher standing with the SRB.

HIP HOP & CONTEMPORARY
Katarina Rajkovic-Corbic
Department Head

Katarina Rajkovic is considered at the forefront of Hip Hop dance training in Canada. A master in creative movement, she is Founder and Director of Dance Kraze Productions, DKOC Dance Kraze Open Classes and the Artistic Director/Choreographer of The HoneyKats performing Dance Company.

A graduate of York University with an honours degree in Fine Arts Dance, Ms. Rajkovic is a leading authority on modern dance, kinesiology, production and choreography. She has instructed hip hop and jazz classes at various workshops across North America and in Europe, and now in Toronto. DKOC recently hosted L.A.’s Finest Dancers’ Master Hip Hop and Jazz Funk Classes. The group has worked with some of the biggest artists in the world, including Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Usher and Beyonce.

Among her performance credits are: FIDA International Dance Festival Toronto, Dance Ontario Dance Weekend at the Premiere Dance Theatre and Casino Rama.

The Woodbridge School of Dance Teaching Faculty also boasts Canada’s finest gifted dance instructors in all genres. They are:

Alesandra Di Matteo
Angeliki Kourkounakis
Christina Zarkadoulas
Dane "Tall Up" Gulston
Jenni Linkson
Jessica Mogentale
Judy Rayman
Kristina Pielow
Veronica Cappadocia

Administrative Faculty

Kim Ferguson – Director of Operations
Missy Bartholomew – Director of Finance & Administration
Michelle Altieri - Administrator
Jaclyn Manteiga-Senior Administrative Assistant
Kathleen Evans – Senior Administrative Assistant
Veronica Cappadocia- Administrative Assistant