Creative Outlet - Our Faculty

Kara began dancing at the young age of 3 years old in Chilliwack. When she turned 7, Kara started her first year of tap dance, and immediately fell in love. Since then, she has been passionately tapping under the prestige instruction of Bonnie Jean Anderson.

In 2005 Kara became apart of the Canadian National Tap team, and began training in order to compete in the World Championships in Riesa, Germany. While in Germany, Kara’s team won a gold medal, earning her a ‘world champion’ title. Since 2005, Kara has travelled with Team Canada twice more to the compete at the world level both with her formation team, and her duo. Her and her team have performed for National Tap Dance Day, the Vancouver Tap Society festival, and many other events.

Over the past 2 years Kara has been alongside Bonnie Jean at Dance In Motion Studios in Abbotsford, where she has discovered her passion for teaching, and working with dancers of all ages. She loves helping young dancers learn, and grow, as well as sharing with them her love, and passion for dance.

Miss Ashley began dancing when she was three years old, taking ballet, jazz, and modern at Barry's School of Dance in Abbotsford. At 15, she transferred to Dance in Motion where she added lyrical, hip hop, tap and stage to her repertoire. After graduating from high school she moved to Vancouver where she trained at Harbour Dance Centre and danced with the Source Dance Company for two years. From there, Ashley moved to Cozumel, Mexico where she worked as a choreographer and dancer at the Wyndham Cozumel Resort and Spa. After three years submerged in Mexican culture, mastering the language and Latin dance rhythms, she decided to trade in her tacos and quesadillas for the open seas. She then worked for Carnival Cruise Lines as a dancer and featured performer, giving her the opportunity to perform and train all over the coast of North America, including extensive training at Broadway Dance Center in New York City.

Now, after a total of six years abroad, Ashley has decided to settle down and exchange her sea legs for solid ground. She is currently enrolled in the Certificate for Ballet Teaching Studies program with the Royal Academy of Dance, and is a certified Zumba instructor. Miss Ashley is thrilled to be joining the Creative Outlet team, and can't wait to convey her love of dance and passion for performing to her students.

Olivia Hudyma

Miss Olivia is a full time choreographer, dancer, and instructor. She will tell you, "Dance is my language, when words have failed me dance has become my main source to communicate.”

Growing up in Prince George, she spent her early years training in ballet, tap, jazz, and musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Ballet, the Odyssey Dance Studio and Full Gospel Musical Theatre. She found her natural Hip Hop groove and a quirky love for contemporary when she moved to

Kamloops to do a one year dance intensive and fell in love with both genres. She then moved to Langley in order to pursue training at a higher level at The Dance Barn Studio, and is now a graduate of their Mirror Dance Program (a four year full time dance intensive that includes training in Hip Hop, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Contemporary).
She performs with Raw Motion, a performing dance company that has toured across Canada and is a founding member of The Clutch Collective, a collaborative company whose main focus is connecting all the genres of art and together forming productions for

Vancouver's stages. She recently formed her own company, OH Dance, teaching and performing Hip Hop in various inner city schools in both Langley and Surrey.

Locally, Olivia has worked with The Dance Barn Studio, Everybody Dance Now Studio, Creative Outlet, Dance With Me Studio, and SFU kids camps. She has also volunteered her time teaching Hip Hop in Women's Correctional Facilities throughout the lower mainland, and the Samaritan Inn Recovery Home in Prince George.

Justine Kelso

Justine Kelso began her dancing at the age of nine, and since that first day of class her love for dance has continued to grow. Since 2005 she has been a member of “Northwest Dance Project” at the Dance In Motion studio in Abbotsford, training, performing and competing in various dance styles in Canada and the US.

Justine has always enjoyed working with children, and has found a new passion for teaching children how to dance. She has received “A” Honors throughout her years of school, graduating in 2009 from the french immersion program at Sardis Secondary.

Miss Coral Viljoen

Miss Coral has a passion and appreciation for the ballet. Ballet is a beautiful form to see performed, requiring dedication and commitment to study.
Coral has been trained in the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus under registered teachers including Carol Hart, Judi Kellet and Caroline Currey. She has obtained her Intermediate Level certificate and was accepted into the Teachers' Training program at the RAD.

While working towards her certification, Coral will be teaching the open ballet program as well as working with our youngest dancers in the Tiny, Teeny and Kinder Steps programs to share with them her love of dance and perhaps light a spark for ballerina's.. or ballet teachers... of the future.

Miss Kelsey Koller

Miss Kelsey is a returning Footsteps Dance program teacher.
She has been performing on stage since age seven, starting with ballet and after falling in love with dance, and progressed to different styles from there.
Miss Kelsey started competing at age ten with groups and a solo. She has competed in a wide variety of competitions in both Canada and the United States and received many trophies and awards. In the last three years of her amateur training, Kelsey was honoured to be a part of the Images Elite Team for three years training 12 hours per week. Being a part of the team instilled in her a lot about dedication and the importance of working together.
Over the years, she's grown into an accomplished dancer in ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap, musical theatre, song & dance, and hip hop, but has always listed tap as her favorite and in her words, is what she's best at.

Since working as an instructor with the Footsteps Dance program, Kelsey has recognized her growing passion for working with children, and will be pursuing a career as a school teacher… while continuing to be a dance instructor on the side of course!

Danielle Tingley

Born and Raised in Abbotsford, B.C Danielle has grown up in the life of dance. She began her training at a young age at local dance studios in Abbotsford then moved to train with Dance in Motion at the age of 15 and has gained knowledge in every style of dance. Danielle completed grades 1 thru 8 with the Royal Academy of Dance, and has 3 years of training in Cheerleading. She made a name for herself in the dance community right out of high school, winning awards for her fresh and innovative
choreography. Her reputation continues to build as she is now a sought-after teacher and choreographer with an exciting and busy schedule.

Danielle has attended various auditions, master classes and conventions; all being taught by well-known choreographers throughout Canada and the United States. She has won many scholarships / awards from Famous Choreographers and adjudicators. Danielle also took place in So You Think You Can Dance Canada's top 200 dancers in Toronto Finals (2010). She is currently a back-up dancer for Emily Harder, cast in several music videos and one of the original members of the Elevate Dance Crew.

Charlene Hart

Born and raised in Canada, Charlene Hart twinkled her toes into dance at the age of 3. She has been dancing for 22 strong years, and her career is only growing more substantial with every year. She has accomplished many dreams in such a short period of time, and continues to thrive for what she wants.

She most recently placed in the final top 5 girls of "So You Think You Can Dance Canada" Season 3, competing against thousands to make the Top 22. Since the completion and filming of SYTYCDC, Charlene has returned to BC where she is working hard and traveling the lower mainland teaching workshops, master classes, performing, and setting Choreography. Charlene has also appeared in shows such as: Carnival LA 2010, The Annual Sports BC Award Ceremonies 2011, Women's Resource Society Show against Abuse towards Women, Vancouver's Choreography and Talent Showcase '11, Song, Strings, and Steps, and Nickelodeon 'Rags' movie. Charlene also attended the SYTYCDC Season 4 audition tour, when it stopped in BC, where she and Danielle Gardner pumped up the new hopefuls, and spent the day filming and pampering with ETALK.

Her love for dance gained her her very first professional job just shy 2 weeks out of High School. Charlene ventured off to work with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines at the young age of 18. She spent 2 years traveling the World with the company, only to move her horizons to another Job. She then began to work for Holland America Cruise Lines, completing 2 years of contract, and was honoured with the role of Dance Captain. After dabbling in the creative side of dance, Charlene became a production assistant and choreographer for Stiletto Entertainment. Charlene was then inspired to move to New York City, to train with the best of the best. NYC opened up a new love of dance, and this is where she broke into the world of Ballroom, and Latin dance. Whilst digging into this new training, Charlene also continued to study hard in her true passion of Lyrical and Contemporary dance, and of course every other style that was available. Charlene has had some of the Worlds top training from teachers that are constantly sought after, and the world's top Choreographers such as: Stacey Tookey, Mia Michaels, Maria Torres, Blake McGrath, Luther Brown, Jean-Marc Genereux, Sergio Trujillo, Danny Arbour, Gustavo Vargas, ShowTyme, Melissa Williams, Bill T. Jones, Christiana Woodard, and the staff of Alvin Ailey to name a few.

When Charlene is not performing or studying, you can find her sharing her knowledge and love for dance throughout Canada. Charlene loves teaching and sharing her passion just as much as she loves to dance herself. She feels it is important to pass along everything she has absorbed, as that is the world of dance!

Miss Cassie Douglas

Miss Cassie began training in her home town of Mission BC, at the young age of 9, with classes in Ballet, Hip hop and Jazz. When her family moved to Northern BC Cassie had to leave her beloved lower mainland behind, but not her love for dance. She continued her dance training and studied tap, contemporary, pointe and acro. She has completed CDTA Acro Exams with Gold standing, RAD Intermediate and RAD Grade 7. Cassie returned to the Fraser Valley in her last year of high school. She joined Dance in Motion studios and became a member of the Northwest Dance Project, training, competiting and performing across the Lower Mainland and western US. Cassie continues her training at workshops and conventions, and as a member of the dance crew Elevate.

Cassie has been blessed with natural flexibility. This, combined with instruction from top instructors, has lead her to great acclaim as an acro dancer and contortionist. She is excited to join the Creative Outlet faculty and share her enthusiasm and expertise in this unique dance form.

DRAMA DEPARTMENT

MUSICAL THEATRE DEPARTMENT

Caroline Davies

Caroline has an extensive background in both musical theatre and classical voice. She has appeared in numerous musicals with Chilliwack Musical Theatre, The Chilliwack School of Performing Arts, and G.W. Graham School. This year, Caroline was recommended to the Provincial Music Festival for the fifth consecutive year, where she achieved first place in Intermediate Vocal Variety and runner-up in Intermediate Musical Theatre. She spent her summer teaching kids summer programs with the Chilliwack Arts Council, and is now taking theatre and language courses at UFV, before applying to the UBC opera program next year.

Emily Hamel

Emily has been singing since grade 4, when she started lessons with the esteemed Caroline Harder at the Chilliwack Academy of Music. While studying with Caroline Harder, she represented Chilliwack at the Provincial Festival of The Performoing Arts two times, and won several awards in the Chilliwack Lions Club Music & Dance Festival.
Since graduating from High School, she has studied at Rosebud School of the Arts with Tim Mallandaine (founder of the Alberta Arts Advocacy Association) and Bill Hamm.
Emily has also been involved with several choirs; including TWU's Chamber Choir (2001) where she had the oppertunity to sing at the Orphium with the CBC Radio orchestra in Verdi's Requiem and at The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts as part of a select four students from the choral program.
In her spare time, Emily sings, acts and directs for the Chilliwack Players Guild and is the founding member of Bootstrap Theatre, an offshoot of the Guild. Emily is also part of Midnight Sun, a local a capella group.

MAGIC

Damien Carriere

Damien Carriere brings a spark of mystery and illusion to the Creative Outlet, leading young and old through the magic courses. He is an accomplished young International Award winning Canadian magician who has performed around the world from North America to The Great Wall of China! He has performed as the featured act to sold out night clubs and theatres and has also had the privilege of being the opening act for the well known Canadian children’s entertainer Fred Penner. He has performed stage shows, close up acts, special events, parties, aboard trains and much more. His full stage Magic and Illusion Show has been a favorite for all audiences.

Damien has won International Awards for many of his own original tricks and routines including his Award Winning emotionally moving “rose routine”, his Gold Medal Winning comedic “practical magic” series, his Gold Medal Winning “Imagination Vacation” routine and his heart stopping handcuff, chains, rope and shrink-wrap “mummification escape”!

Damien believes magic is 80% acting and only 20% trick. He graduated with distinction from the Acting for Screen program at The Victoria Motion Picture School in May of 2002 and is represented by Energy Talent agency.

In addition, he holds a black belt in martial arts, writes and composes for the guitar, and has numerous hobbies one of which is of course enjoying time with his wife and their two young sons.

GUESTS

Creative Outlet dancers have had the opportunity to work in their studio
with the following guest teachers and choreographers...