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About DanceWorks Dance & Wellness Studio
DanceWorks was first established within the Elliot Lake community in 1989 by Studio Director, Christine Brunet. After being run under the name of Studio Dance Arts for the past 11 years, Christine and her team of teachers are reintroducing the DanceWorks name back into the community under
DanceWorks Dance & Wellness Studio.
With a focus on approachability, community, and discipline - DanceWorks offers classes for dancers of all ages and all experience levels.
Come dance with us today!
Faculty
Christine Brunet
Christine is no stranger to building and running a successful business. Not only is she currently one of the top real estate agents in the area, but she owned and operated DanceWorks from 1989 until 2009. Today she is back in the Directors chair as she reinvents the DanceWorks studio in the Elliot Lake community. Christine is a certified dance instructor under the CDTA and BATD, as well as a Dance Major graduate from the Claude Watson school performing arts in Toronto.
She doesn't just build great dancers - she has also viewed them as an adjudicator at competitions across North America. She takes pride in building a strong technical dance foundation and an atmosphere that inspires young dancers to be the best they can be!
"The body says what words cannot." - Martha Graham
Erin Guertin
Student > Alumni > Faculty.
Erin's career in dance started at the age of 6 when she registered at DanceWorks. Throughout the years she has taught and choreographed in all styles. While living in Toronto she continued to be a student of dance herself and brings new style offerings to the studio. Her focus and speciality lies within the Adult and Hip Hop programs, but she isn't afraid to throw her hair in a high bun and remind us of her technical training as well. If you want to let your hair down in an enthusiastic class that is built on both the technical and street dance styles, then Erin's classes are for you. As a full-time Content Strategist in her 9-5 career, her classes are fun, encouraging, well-structured and designed to help you grow and reach your goals.
"Feedback is the breakfast of champions" - Ken Blanchard
Brooke Patry
Brooke is DanceWorks' resident Jazz and Lyrical expert. Through her 13 year career as a dancer at DanceWorks, Studio Dance Arts and Western University's Heat Varsity Dance Team, Brooke has built an extensive technical foundation that she brings to her classes. She has developed a unique creativity that is reflected her choreography. She continues to challenge herself as much as she challenges her students in encouraging and competitive ways. Brooke's passion for dance doesn't go unnoticed as her proudest moment to date was seeing her choreography performed on stage for the first time. When Brooke isn't in the studio choreographing, you can find her at Cambrian College working towards her career as a Medical Radiation Tech.
"Where there are women, there is magic." - Ntozake Shange
Kelsey Patry
Meet Kelsey (and no, you are not mistaken - we have a dynamic sister team here at DanceWorks). Kelsey has trained with Christine as a competitive dancer for over 10 years at both DanceWorks and Studio Dance Arts. Her knack for Jazz was solidified when she continued to return home from competitions with 1st Overall Solos and Judge's Choice Awards. Despite her personal acknowledgements, her inclusivity and caring nature is reflected in her proudest dance moment "...performing with my favourite people and winning the highest mark of our competition with the senior team." This year, you can find Kelsey teaching, choreographing and continuing to compete with DanceWorks - can you say triple threat?
"Discipline is more powerful than motivation." - Unknown
Catharine Gear
Catharine a DanceWorks alumni and is a vital member of our team as she heads our Kinder and Preschool programs. As a mother of three who works within the education system, there is an irreplaceable quality that Catharine brings to her classes (and that is in addition to her high energy and huge imagination). Her personal dance career has seen her performing in New York City and auditioning for the National Ballet School at only 12 years old. Catharine's positive nature is one of the strongest qualities she brings to her classes and is reflected in her own memory of her NBS audition "...I didn't make it, but it took a lot of courage to audition."
"Everything happens for a reason." - Marilyn Monroe
Christina Ucci
Christina is a staple when it comes to DanceWorks alumni. She has exceeded any young girls dreams as a dancer with accolades such as 2006 DanceWorks Best All-Around Dancer, several overall high score merits and scholarships across the province. If you want to understand Christina as a person, the fact that her accomplishments as a dancer come in second to the value that she places on the friendships and bonds that dance have helped her create, highlight her genuine and caring nature. Teaching is in Christina's nature as she has been a full-time teacher in Elliot Lake for the past 7 years.
"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - Albus Dumbledore
Taylor Schell
As a current competitive dancer at DanceWorks, Taylor brings a true leadership and role model quality to her classes that can help encourage dancers to continue working towards their goals and to believe in themselves. Taylor practices all disciplines of dance and continues to grow in both her roles as a student and as a teacher.