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!

KEELY CHAUVIN
Musical Theatre

Keely has been dancing since the age of 9, competing ages 11 to 18, and has trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, musical theatre, lyrical, and contemporary.

The dance community has offered her many exciting opportunities such as playing the role of Elsa in The Listowel School of Dance’s Frozen. Throughout her time dancing, she has worked with choreographers such as Jordan Clarke, Briar Nolet, and Tiffany McLachlan.

Keely is active in local theatre, co-directing The Elephants Graveyard in 2022, which earned multiple awards.

For the last 5 years, Keely has been able to share her love of dance through teaching — an opportunity she is very grateful for. This is Keely’s second year on the CDA team, and she is so excited to be back!

BRONWYN HULL
RAD Ballet

Bronwyn Hull’s career as a dancer and educator spans over 3 decades. Bronwyn has performed with companies such as Dance Like Nobody’s Watching (DLNW) and Ballet Jorgen’s touring company for an across-North American tour. As a young dancer, Bronwyn was fortunate to have trained at the Quinte Ballet School, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and L’Ecole Superieure de Danse du Quebec, under the direction of some of Canada’s top ballet teachers.

Upon graduating with a performance and education diploma from George Brown College, Bronwyn completed her teaching certificate with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). Additionally, she studied kinesiology and child psychology as part of her teacher training, giving her a well rounded approach to dance. 

For over 13 years at Sue’s Dance Centre, followed by 8 years with Turning Pointe Academy of Dance, she coached and choreographed hundreds of passing exams and award winning competitive numbers in ballet and lyrical with her students. Throughout her time teaching, Bronwyn has successfully entered students up to and including the RAD Advanced 1 level and has won numerous awards for her choreography. 

She is most proud, however, of the numerous students who have gone on to pursue careers in performing and teaching. Bronwyn is very excited to be part of the Creswell Dance Academy family where she looks forward to continuing to instill a strong technique and love for dance in her students as well as helping them develop into confident, well rounded individuals ready to follow their dreams.

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, RAD 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.

She has trained in many styles of dance including Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Acro and both RAD and Vaganova Ballet. 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 is currently studying at Toronto Metropolitan University in Creative Industries with a focus on Music and Dance. She intends to continue her career in the dance industry and pursue her ongoing passion for dance.

TANYA LEMIEUX
Hip Hop, Jazz, Ballet

Tanya was born and raised in the Beaches. For high school, she attended Malvern Collegiate. There, she created the school’s first dance team, which still endures today. 

Tanya is a triple threat. She attended the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, and has also trained in all the formal genres of dance, as well as breakdance, bollywood, salsa, samba, belly dance, burlesque, and more. She credits this versatility and breadth of dance knowledge for her success as a professional dancer and choreographer.

Her credits include dozens of music videos ranging from Hip Hop, Contemporary Country and Pop from such artists as Wycelf Jean, Seal, Faber Drive and My Name Is Kay. She has performed at the Juno Awards, Much Music Awards and opened for Christina Aguilera at the ACC. Her commercial work includes Just Dance 3 where her dance group, Dance Lemieux Danse (DLD), were featured alongside Footloose star Kenny Wormald as well as the featured dancer in a popular Just Dance/Much Music commercial. She was also a principle dancer and choreographer for nightly shows at a major resort in Mexico. 

Tanya loves the exhilaration of performing in front of a live audience. Her Britney Spears tribute show singing and dancing live — complete with backup dancers — toured a range of malls, fairs and venues across Ontario. 

Tanya has a huge passion for teaching and understands the importance of what a good teacher can do for a student. She began teaching at 15 and has taught all over the GTA, including 5 years at the University of Toronto. Tanya also teaches dance for elementary school programs. She hopes through sharing her passion for teaching dance she can help get kids moving.

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. 

JOSH NITKIN
Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap

Josh Nitkin is a graduate of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts and holds certification with PAA (Professional Adjudicators Alliance), BATD (British Association of Teachers of Dancing) and PAEC (Performing Arts Educators of Canada) in Tap, Jazz and Urban with which he helped create the syllabus.

Josh has 30 years of training and performance in Tap, Jazz, Acro, Modern, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Musical Theatre and more.

With almost 20 years of teaching experience, Josh’s students have gone on to win numerous overall awards and have garnered choreography awards as well.

Josh is a sought after Adjudicator across Canada and the United States. He has adjudicated for Dance Masters of America (North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Houston, Great Lakes), American Dance Awards, Terpsichore Dance Celebration/Dance Starz, AmeriCup, Dance Xtreme Nationals, Millennium Productions Nationals, Peak Invitational and many others.

Josh is also a former dancer with Celebrity Cruise Lines and Corpus Dance Projects, having performed in Alaska, France, the UK, Belgium, Japan and all over Central and South America.

MICHAEL RAYSON
Contemporary

Michael Rayson is a professional dancer, choreographer, dance educator, adjudicator, and model based in Toronto.

From an early age, training and performance opportunities took Michael to various venues across North America, including Las Vegas, Florida, San Diego, Toronto, as well as internationally, in Poland.

Michael received his formal training at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre’s Professional Training Program,
a conservatory education with a concentration on studio work in Contemporary, Modern, and Ballet dance
styles. During his time at the School, he had the privilege of working with prominent educators and choreographers such as Kate Alton, Peggy Baker, Michael Caldwell, Roberto Campanella, Christopher House, and more.

Michael has presented his own choreographic work at SummerWorks Performance Festival, has had the pleasure of choreographing for World Performers Canada, and has most recently been awarded and completed a grant from The Ontario Arts Council for New Generation Artists.

Michael has had the pleasure of touring across Canada adjudicating for dance competitions, teach at conventions, as well as perform with various professional dance companies such as Opus Dance Collective, Tiger Princess Dance Projects, Kaeja d’Dance, Human Body Expression, and more.

Michael continues to train, research, and perform, deepening his movement practice while developing his artistic voice as a dance artist. Michael is thrilled to be on faculty at Creswell Dance Academy again this season, and looks forward to sharing his knowledge and passion for dance with each and every one of his students.

MADISON WILLIAMS
Contemporary, Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap