Meet Our Amazing Dance Teachers
Our highly trained, professional instructors encourage our dancers to improve their technique during every class.
LEA CRESWELL
Director
Lea Creswell is a seasoned dancer, choreographer, and educator with a rich background in theatre, film, and television. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s (formerly Ryerson’s) prestigious Dance Program, Lea has showcased her talents in productions like Touch of Broadway and Blues Brothers 2000, and has brought her expertise in both dance and choreo to the screen in projects such as the Gemini Awards, Rita McNeil Show, the YTV Achievement Awards and the Juno Awards. She also choreographed and danced with acclaimed musicians Shania Twain, The Hanson Brothers, and most notably Cyndi Lauper. Her work spans various genres, demonstrating her versatility and passion for the performing arts.
In 2007, Lea channeled her extensive experience into founding Creswell Dance Academy (CDA). With a mission to instill mindfulness, respect, and an appreciation for the traditions of dance and theatre, Lea began with only 7 students. Her commitment to nurturing talent and fostering a love for the arts resonated deeply with the Beaches community, and by the end of the first season, CDA had quickly grown to over 35 students.
Lea is a certified dance teacher under the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD) and has been teaching dance and theatre for over 30 years. Lea’s teaching is marked by her dedication to each student’s growth, offering a supportive and inspiring environment that encourages creativity and discipline. Under her guidance, CDA continues to thrive, shaping the next generation of dancers with the same passion and excellence that have defined her own career.
BAILEY ALLEMS
Acro, Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical
Bailey Allems is a Toronto based dance artist and teacher. Growing up she trained as a competitive dancer at Creswell Dance Academy, as well as completing her high school education in the dance program at Etobicoke School of the Arts. She later earned her BFA in performance dance from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson), under the direction of Vicki St. Denys.
Bailey has also had many opportunities to travel for dance, including traveling to Spain with World Performers Canada in 2018 as a part of their team representing Canada.
Whenever possible she also loves to further her own dance education by attending intensives and programs with a variety of companies such as the Precision Dance Collective and Joffery Ballet school in New York City and the Rubberband Company in Montreal.
Bailey is looking forward to another amazing season working with the recreational and competitive dancers at CDA!
LISA AUGUSTE
Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical
Lisa Auguste is a multi-faceted performer working in Toronto. She is a highly sought after professional dancer specializing in Ballet to Hip Hop, Latin to Breakdance (and everything in between).
Lisa can be seen on T.V in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, What We Do in the Shadows, The Boys, Shadow Hunters, The Expanse, Disney’s Sneakerella, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Remake). She acted in feature films including, Silent Hill 2, Jean of the Joneses, and Shall We Dance starring Richard Gere.
Lisa was honoured to be a finalist in the first season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada, after gracing the Mirvish stage as Cheetah in The Lion King.
She has shown her prowess dancing in music videos for Katy Perry, Janelle Monae, Jully Black, Kreesha Turner, Shawn Desman and more. She has performed at the PanAm Games Ceremonies in Guadalajara and Toronto. She took to the Four Seasons Stage in Nixon in China and Aida for the Canadian Opera Company. When she is not performing, Lisa is teaching, working, choreographing and adjudicating across Canada.
GRACE BUTLER
Jazz, Musical Theatre
Grace began her dance training at the age of 2 and has been dancing for 19 years in Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Modern, Acro, Contemporary and Tap.
Grace has competed regionally, nationally and internationally over the past 14 years, and continues to do so with the University of Toronto Varsity Dance Team. Grace represented Canada with the Canadian National Tap Team in 2017 at the International Tap Dance Championships in Riesa, Germany, as well as with World Performers Canada at the Dance World Cup in Spain in 2022.
Grace has successfully completed examinations with the CDTA and R.A.D in ballet, tap, jazz and acro, as well as associate tap teacher training with the British Academy of Teachers of Dance. Grace has 6 years of teaching experience, working with dancers between the ages of 2 to 25 at both recreational and competitive levels.
As a teacher, Grace emphasizes that athleticism and artistry are synonymous, and values how important it is for her students to feel confident, motivated and excited to be in class!
DEBBIE KNOWELS
Ballet, Acro, Lyrical, Contemporary, Jazz, Musical Theatre
Debbie is extremely happy to reconnect with her lifelong friend Lea and become a part of the Creswell Dance family, to share her lifetime of experiences and love of dance to the upcoming generations.
HAILEY LEDUC
Acro, Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Musical Theatre, Tap
Hailey Leduc has been dancing recreationally and then competitively since the age of 3.
She studied for 5 years in the Centre d’Excellence Artistique de l’Ontario dance program, graduating in 2023. She has trained and performed with various established artists across Ontario and Quebec
Hailey has trained in many different styles of dance including tap, jazz, ballet, acro and contemporary.
She is studying at the Toronto Metropolitan University Creative School earning a Bachelor of Arts.
Hailey is excited to share her passion for dance with the next generation and to guide them to reach their full potential.
KIRSTEN LEDUC
Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Ballet, Tap
Kirsten Leduc is a Toronto-based dance artist, teacher and choreographer. She began her dance journey in New Brunswick at the age of 3 and continued as a competitive dancer at Forward Dance Academy while growing up in Ottawa.
Kirsten studied for 4 years at the Centre d’Excellence Artisique de l’Ontario and graduated in 2021. During her competitive dance career, she was selected as a member of Team Canada, representing Canada internationally and competing in Belgium.
She has trained in many styles of dance including Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Acro and both RAD and Vaganova Ballet. Kirsten has trained with renowned teachers and choreographers both in Canada and internationally, including training opportunities in New York City. She has performed in shows such as The Nutcracker and Swan Lake at the National Arts Centre and has worked with many renowned teachers and choreographers in the dance community.
Kirsten holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Industries from Toronto Metropolitan University, with a focus on Music and Dance. She continues to pursue her passion for dance through teaching, choreography and her work within the dance community.
SARAH NELSON
Acro, Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical, Musical Theatre, Pointe, Tap
Sarah Nelson is a Toronto-based dance artist and educator originally from Vancouver, BC. She holds a BFA in Performance Dance from Toronto Metropolitan University, where she trained in ballet, jazz, and modern techniques.
Sarah has studied under respected instructors including Kenny Pearl (Graham technique), Kate Hilliard (improvisation), Louis Laberge-Côté (contemporary), and Allen Kaeja (partnering). She is certified in ADAPT, DiscoverDance’s Foundations course, and Acrobatic Arts Module One, Aerial & Backhandspring and Module Two.
Her performance experience includes works by Hanna Kiel, Jera Wolfe, Ben Landsberg, Tori Mehaffey, Roberto Campanella, and Charles Moulton, as well as appearances at ProArte Danza’s summer intensive and Fall for Dance North. She also participated in Juntos Collective’s community outreach in Guatemala (2019) and the Dance Steward Program at dance: made in Canada (2021).
Sarah brings care, creativity, and curiosity to her teaching, encouraging students to explore movement and grow with confidence.
KRISTIN MCCARNEY
Jazz, RAD Ballet, Pointe
Kristin McCarney is a passionate dance educator and choreographer. She is an alumni and dance teacher at Canada’s National Ballet School, where she trained intensely in multiple methods of ballet: Vaganova, RAD, and Cecchetti.
She holds a Registered Teaching Status with the Royal Academy of Dance, as well as her associates with the ISTD.
After graduating from both the Teacher’s Training Program at Canada’s National Ballet School, and with honours from the York University Dance program, Kristin continued to expand her professional development by working with the Mark Morris Dance Company, Dance for Dementia at Baycrest hospital, Boston Ballet, and The American Ballet Theatre.
Kristin strives to instill confidence and a love for dance in her students, while focusing on technique.
CHI LE
Ballet, Contemporary, Pointe
Chi Le is a dedicated dance artist with six years of professional Vaganova classical
ballet training and experience with the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet. Passionate
educator with over five years of experience teaching diverse age groups in both
Vietnam and Canada. Committed to safe, inclusive dance education and eager to
deepen her pedagogical practice through Canada’s National Ballet School Teacher
Training Program.
MALCOM MESSADO
Hip Hop
Malcolm is a professional choreographer, dance instructor, and dancer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada’s top city for the Entertainment Industry.
Malcolm has worked as a dancer for Artists such as En Vogue, Arianna Grande, Usher, Avril Lavigne, July Talk, Karan Aujla , AP Dhillon, Skales, Smith, Thugli, Cascada, and Audio Playground as well as TV/Film projects for Disney, YTV, Lifetime, Much Music/M3, CTV, Raptors, Rogers, Spotify, and TIFF. His choreography has been featured in shows like Really Big World by ANU Productions, fever after Dark, Choreographers ball, OIP’s the ring, World Of Dance, Monsters of Hip-Hop, and The Bazaar as well as well as choreography for music videos for artists like Karan Aujla and Bhalwaan.
Malcolm has taught any various dance studios across Ontario including but not limited to Studio North Toronto, Run the flex, Dancelife X, Millennium Dance Complex Toronto. The Underground Dance Centre and more. He is also the head Hip Hop Choreographer/Teacher At A New Daei’s DAEI Elite program. As a teacher, he instructs both recreational and competitive classes and through many competitions, he received many awards and praise for his choreography.
Malcolm currently resides in Toronto where he continues to grow and be inspired as a choreographer & Dancer while at the same time aiming to inspire other dancers around him.
RO JOLY
Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Tap, Hip Hop, Pointe, Contemporary, Acro, and Musical Theatre.
Ro Joly is a young Canadian aspiring artist, who takes pride in their wide variety of dance, choreography, and teaching styles including ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical, tap, hip hop, pointe, contemporary, acro, vocals, and musical theatre. They are currently exploring the creative world by working towards a diploma at George Brown Polytechnic Dance P105 program, after graduating from Harbour Dance Studios Pre-Professional day time program (2019-2024).Ro not only performs on stage 8–12 events each year, showcasing all styles in both solo and group settings, they also have spent much of their training dedicated to completing all RAD ballet exams, from Pre-Primary at age 6, all the way to Advanced 2 (March 2025) with high merit. They have also completed every level of CDTA exams in both tap and jazz with honors. Although Ro has a passion for performing, they also have grown a love for teaching their own students. Starting as assistant faculty, then graduating with 7 successful classes of various styles ranging between the ages of 2-13. Their students have all shown their love for Teacher Ro, as Ro guided them through on stage performances as well as exams. In December of 2024, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Ballet School hired them as assistant manager for the local student
performers involved in the Nutcracker rehearsals and shows with backstage passes to every performance.
Ro ensures that their regular training throughout the past 12 school years is
always extended into the summer to maintain strength and stamina in the off
season. They have travelled through Canada, from British Columbia, Alberta, and
Ontario, as well as Europe to attend prestigious pre-professional level Summer
Intensives. For example, they attended English National Ballet School Classical
Ballet SI (August 2024), and was accepted into the Post-Secondary Senior School
at ENBS after being invited to audition in NYC (October 2025). They have also
been accepted into summer programs in the United States such as Joffrey NYC Classical Ballet SI.
CHARLOTTE YEUNG
RAD BALLET, POINTE
Charlotte is an experienced ballet instructor and professional dancer with a strong background in ballet performance, choreography, recital planning, performance management, and dance education. She graduated from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) Degree in Dance, majoring in Ballet, with First Class Honours. Following her graduation, she joined Chongqing Ballet as a professional dancer.
Charlotte has completed the RAD Advanced 2 examination with Distinction and holds the RAD Certificate of Ballet Teaching, as well as being a registered RAD teacher. She has participated in various local and international ballet competitions, achieving recognition including a Gold Medal at the 44th Open Dance Competition, 5th Place at the 8th Taipei International Ballet Grand Prix, and 2nd Place at the 2017 Asian Elite Dance Competition. She also participated in The Genée 2014.
Passionate about dance education, Charlotte is dedicated to nurturing a love of dance in children while developing strong technique, musicality, coordination, and physical strength. She also has experience in choreography and performance preparation. In choreography, Charlotte was awarded Session Best Choreography at the Inspire Dance Challenge 2025.
DYLAN NADEL
Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Acro, Musical Theatre
Dylan began dancing at the age of 3 and started competing at just 5 years old. She has trained at Creswell Dance Academy, where she developed a strong foundation and passion for dance.