Our Team

Miss Sam has an extensive background in the dance industry. She has trained at prestigious dance studios in Toronto, Hamilton and Burlington. She has completed all of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing exams in the Cecchetti method of ballet. Also achieving honors in her exams in jazz at the Canadian Dance Teachers Association. Additionally, Miss Sam is a certified Acro teacher as a member of Acrobatic Arts Association. Throughout her career she has received outstanding results for her performances and her choreography. Miss Sam also has an impressive background in the preforming acts.  She has appeared in Nationally Televised commercials, television shows and currently hosts a fashion segment with Style TV. Her passion for dance is an inspiration for many young dancers. Miss Sam continues to update her teaching techniques and knowledge by regularly attending workshops with Internationally acclaimed Choreographers. She has completed her training with Dance Educator’s of Canada and has over 10 years of experience teaching Recreational and she has experience in Competitive as well. Not only is Miss Sam an accomplished Dance Teacher, Choreographer, and actress, she has also had time to have three beautiful children. Miss Sam is currently a full member of Dance Ontario. Many of her students have been submitted into prestigious dance programs and have gone on to pursue successful careers in dance. Miss Sam ensures her choreography and knowledge of dance is always at the forefront. Her goal as a teacher/choreographer is to create an environment that results in continuous growth, improvement, and brings her students’ talents and abilities to new heights. She is excited to bring her dynamic personality to The Smithville Dance Academy  and also proud to provide inspirational and exceptional training to her students.

Mrs Faith began her dance career at the age of three moving to the competitive world at a very young age. She is well trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and hip-hop, competing and choreographing in all these styles. Mrs Faith has completed extensive levels of ballet exams with the Royal Academy of Dance, including grades 1 through 6, where she then advanced to the vocational syllabus successfully completing exams in Intermediate foundation, Intermediate, Advanced Foundation, and finally Advanced 1, which included components done in Pointe. She has successfully competed at national level competitions in Virginia, Chicago, and Orlando, and has attended various workshops and conventions at these locations. During her time as a competitive dancer, she was invited to audition for Canada’s National Tap Team, as well as performed as part of the Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble in the the Cuban National Ballet Nutcracker. Mrs Faith has a Bachelor of Bio mechanical Engineering, and is currently completing a Master of Teaching at the University of Toronto. She has been a member of her university’s competitive Hip-Hop and Tap teams. Mrs Faith is also a Certified Fitness Trainer, and is passionate about combining her love for movement to create stronger dancers. She has been teaching at Smithville Dance Academy since our doors have first opened, and has brought her passion, knowledge and excitement to our dancers. She has choregraphed numerous award-winning competitive routines, and has received chorography awards from competitions.

Ryleigh started her dance career at 2 years old and immediately fell head over heels for the world of dance. She’s endured 16 years preparing and contending in different styles (including Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Ballet, Acro, Pointe, Open and Musical Theatre) and has won various scholarships and awards across Canada. Over the course of her career, Ryleigh’s love of performing and dedication to her education led to her landing numerous stage roles in various plays and musicals. She has also had the opportunity to be Dance Captain for HWDSB’s Program of the Arts stage musicals of Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Newsies.

Ryleigh recently finished a professional dance contract in Greece and received valuable training that she is excited to share with her students. She is also a graduate as a Dance Major at HWDSB’s Audition-Based Program of the Arts. The Dance Performance program centers around developing movement as well as an artist’s innovative imaginative side. Focusing on terminology, anatomy and physiology, nutrition, career exploration, the elements of dance, choreography, and the historical, social, and cultural aspects of various dance forms. Ryleigh has improved her technical, critical, and choreographic skills through classroom, studio, and community performances. Now graduated she received a Certificate of Recognition in the Arts and has completed 1 Tap exam, 2 Ballet, and 2 Jazz exams.

She has won important awards, such as Overall Excellence in Dance, the Top Discipline Award in Contemporary at Star Beat Dance Champions as well as the Top Discipline Award in Ballet at Embrace Dance Challenge. She was the recipient of Most Potential Dancer at Stars “R” Us Dance Competition and has many more awards and accomplishments she is proud of. Ryleigh regularly participates in dance conventions and continues to expand her artistic horizons by attending a variety of workshops annually.

For the past 6 years, Ryleigh has been teaching and assisting in both the competitive and recreational stream. Students continue to be motivated and educated in a positive light by Ryleigh’s vibrant energy and deep passion for dance in order to produce dancers who are strong, confident, and empowered. Ryleigh is continuously inspired by her students and inconceivable group of co-instructors, companions, and is devoted to giving a protected and cheerful space for all individuals from the dance world to call ‘home’.

Miss Laura brings extensive experience in Human Resources, coupled with her involvement in the dance industry over the past several years. Her expertise in HR management ensures the smooth operation of the studio, fostering a positive and organized environment for both staff and dancers. With a passion for the arts and a commitment to excellence, Miss Laura plays a key role in supporting the studio’s vision, helping create a welcoming space where students can thrive both artistically and personally.

Miss Tina started dancing at the age of 3 then at the age of 8 she moved to the competitive team where she trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Acro, Modern and Hip Hop. During her years of competing Miss Tina won many special awards and overalls.
Miss Tina also spent 3 summers in the Las Vegas and New York with the “I Love Dance Sweethearts
and Heartthrobs” on their touring team and at the same time winning all Canadian and all Ontario 3 years in a row. Miss Tina also danced for The Toronto Raptors Dance Pac and The Hamilton Tiger Cats. Miss Tina can also be seen in the Bollywood movie “The Hero”.

After Miss Tina was done competing and performing she continued her studies in dances at Randolph Performing Arts Collage in Toronto. From there she went onto teaching and eventually opened and ran her own studio “TLC DANCERS” for 7years. Where her students won many awards and overalls and is proud to say some are even still in the dance industry teaching.
Miss Tina is very excited to be joining Smithville Dance Academy and can not wait to give all the knowledge to this generations up and coming dancers.

Miss Olivia has several years of experience as both a teacher and an assistant teacher, bringing her expertise in jazz, tap, lyrical, acro, ballet, hip-hop, and contemporary styles to her students. She has been dancing since the age of two, quickly excelling in the competitive world. As a choreographer, her students have achieved several awards and overall placements. Currently, she is completing her Acrobatic Arts certification, to expand on her expertise as an acrobatics instructor.

Miss Hannah is a proud graduate of the Smithville Dance Academy’s competitive program, trained in a wide range of styles, including ballet, tap, hip-hop, jazz, musical theatre, contemporary, and lyrical, brings a wealth of knowledge and creativity to her classes. Hannah focuses on the “fun”damentals of dance, aiming to inspire and challenge her students while nurturing their love for the art form. As a teacher she has earned choreography awards, and led her students to win various overalls. With a wealth of experience working with children, she knows how to connect with young dancers, making each class a positive and enriching experience. Beyond dance, Hannah is also an entrepreneur, owning and operating her own beauty and personal care company, Sunkissed Beauty, while also being a full-time university student.

Miss Ryann brings a wealth of experience from her years as a competitive gymnast and as a seasoned gymnastics coach. Her deep understanding of body mechanics, strength, and precision translates seamlessly into her dance teaching, where she focuses on developing strong, confident dancers. Miss Ryann is dedicated to helping her students excel by integrating her gymnastics expertise into her dance instruction, fostering an environment where athleticism meets artistry.

Miss Iza has been dancing since the age of two. She has extensive training in jazz, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, acro, tap and hip-hop. Miss Iza has attended many regional and national dance conventions to further her knowledge of dance, including Dance Masters of Canada, Dance Masters of America, VIP Intensive, Dance Attack and FRESH Dance Intensive. As a past competitive dancer, Miss Iza has won many overall solo awards as well as scholarships. She has held the title of Petite Miss Dance of Canada 2013, Junior Miss Dance of Canada 2015 and Junior Miss Dance of Canada 2017 for Dance Masters of Canada, Chapter #38.  She also placed 4th runner-up in the Dance Canada Pageant for Mini Miss Dance Canada in 2014. Miss Iza also completed multiple levels of ballet exams for the Royal Academy of Dance and had the opportunity to travel to Germany with the Canadian National Tap Team in 2016 where they won the bronze medal for Canada. Just in her first year as Competitive Director, Miss Iza’s choreography  won  a first place over-all soloist. Miss Iza now attends Brock University, in the Concurrent Education program, where she is a member of the University’s Competitive dance team known as Brock Dance Pak. Miss Iza looks forward to continue being apart of the Smithville Dance Academy family and sharing her passion of dance to her students.

Miss Charli has been dancing since she was 4 years old. Miss Charli is very sweet, caring and patient with all of her students, she has an incredible work ethic that shows in everything she does. Miss Charli currently trains at the studio as a competitive dancer, achieving several overall awards, and is excited to share her passion for dance with her students. She has earned several scholarships, including to the AMDA Conservatory. Miss Charli has been an assistant for several years now, and is currently under the direction of Miss Sam.

Miss Kaitlin began her dance career at the age of three years old in recreational dance. At the age of seven she began competitive and competed in all styles of dance including ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and hip hop. Once she was in her high school years she placed focus on her favourite styles being ballet and tap. She has completed numerous ballet exams in both The Royal Academy of Dance and Russian ballet up to the Advanced level. During these years, Miss Kaitlin was offered a spot at the National Ballet School for their summer program, the Hamilton Academy of Performing Arts Private school and a spot on Canada’s National Tap team to go to Germany and Canada’s National Ballet team to compete in Poland. She has also attended many national competitions winning various overalls and scholarships. Currently, she is a member of the Rhythm Ensemble, which is a pre professional tap dance company. Miss Kaitlin attended the University of Guelph for her undergraduate degree in Applied Science, majoring in Child, Youth and Family studies and just graduated in June 2022. Here, she managed, choreographed and was the captain of the Guelph Tap Pak, Guelph University’s competitive tap team. She is now attending McMaster University to complete her Masters of Child Life & Pediatric Psychosocial Care in hopes of becoming a Certified Child Life Specialist. Miss Kaitlin is very excited to be a part of the Smithville Dance Academy team again this year, where she hopes to bring her passion of working with children and her passion of dance together.