INSTRUCTORS

Instructors: Image

INTRODUCING OUR TEAM

ALSD is excited to introduce our team for the 2021/2022dance season!

ALI RICARD

Principal, Director, Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary and Conditioning

Miss Ali Ricard started dancing at very young age at the Alison Lamont School of Dance and has
accumulated over 25 years of dance experience, having been trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical,
Hip Hop, and Contemporary. As a young student, Ali achieved high marks in RAD Ballet and
CDTA Tap exams. Her love for ballet became evident as she had the honor of being chosen to
attend summer programs at prestigious ballet schools such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the
National Ballet of Canada and the Banff Centre of Arts. Auditioning for these institutes and
surrounding herself with likeminded young performers, Ali quickly learned the importance of
having ballet training as the foundation for her dance career. After graduating high school, Ali
chose to spend time furthering her dance education in Toronto by taking classes with
established choreographers and later moved to Vancouver where she had the opportunity to
attend the Intensive Training Program at Harbor Dance Center. Extending her time in
Vancouver, Ali continued with her dance training and auditioning. This was a very exciting time
for Ali as she learned to connect with the professional world of dance. She landed a part in a
music video for Marianas Trench, along with other performances and video projects. During
these years, Ali found time to become a RMT (Registered Massage Therapist - 2200 Hour
Advanced Therapy Program). As an RMT, she has a better insight into a dancer’s body
mechanics giving her a greater understanding for technique and body awareness. Ali moved
back to Lloydminster and has been teaching dance along with being an RMT, for the past five
years. Ali continues to learn and look for the innovative ways to apply new ideas to her
teaching style. She has attained certification for the ADAPT syllabus and recently received
certification for the PBT (Progressive Ballet Technique) program. Most recently, Ali received her Module 1 Certification with the Acrobatic Arts.
Ali is excited for her next opportunity and to pursue one of her dreams, by taking on the
ownership role at ALSD. Her roots are strong at ALSD, where she is humbled to be able to pass
on her knowledge to dancers, young and old alike, and encourage their artistic ability.

EILA MILLER

Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Acro and Conditoning

Miss Eila grew up studying dance at the Alison Lamont School of Dance and has been teaching at ALSD for the past 14 years. Eila has her teaching certification with the Canadian Dance Teachers Association (CDTA) and numerous years of dance and teaching experience in Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical and Acro. Her passion for gymnastics outside of the studio has allowed her to receive certification in NCCP Level 2 Gymnastics (WAG) which pairs nicely with her love for teaching Acro and has given her a further understanding of athletic developmental skills. Eila has many years teaching experience in dance and gymnastics, teaching various places within Saskatchewan and Alberta as well as a season in Melbourne Australia. Most recently, Eila has furthered her education and received certification for the Acrobatic Arts and received her PBT (Progressive Ballet Technique). Your child will love Miss Eila and her warm, friendly, and creative approach to teaching. We are so blessed to have this award winning choreographer and creative teacher as part of our team.

BRONWYN POLLOCK

Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Pilates

Miss Bronwyn began dancing at Alison Lamont School of Dance at the age of three. Where she had dance training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Contemporary and Conditioning. During her time at ALSD she successfully completed her RAD Graded Ballet Exams, her RAD Vocational Ballet Exams up to and including Advanced I and her CDTA Tap exams up to and including the Intermediate Level. She also performed in two ALSD Productions on cruise ships during her years as a student.

After high school Miss Bronwyn moved to Vancouver, BC, to study Contemporary and Ballet at Simon Fraser University. Miss Bronwyn graduated in June 2021 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from SFU. During her time in BC she worked with many Vancouver based dance artists through her program at SFU. She also has experience in dance styles including Cunningham, Graham, Limón and Gaga technique.

Miss Bronwyn is a member of the Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association (CDTA) and has taken CDTA Tap, Jazz and Modern courses Preliminary through Grade 3. She is also a certified PBT (Progessive Ballet Technique) Instructor as of July 2020. In August 2021 Miss Bronwyn received her Module 1 certificate with the Acrobatic Arts. Miss Bronwyn is currently working on becoming a certified STOTT Pilates Instructor and writes her exams this fall.

As a performer, Miss Bronwyn's passions are ballet and contemporary, though she loves teaching and performing many different styles! Miss Bronwyn is excited to share her love and knowledge of dance with people of all ages. As an instructor, she aims to teach proper technique and placement, as well as a passion for dance, movement and artistry.

KIRSTIN STRANG

Tap, Acro and Conditioning

Miss Kirstin Strang has over 20 years of dance experience – having trained primarily in the disciplines of jazz, tap, ballet, and voice. After taking a leave from dance to earn her BSc. in Human Sciences (Great Distinction), Miss Kirstin returned to dancing in the Fall of 2011 and became a member of the Canadian Dance Teachers Association’s Stage Division (Member – Tap, Associate Member – Jazz & Acro). She takes pride in being an active member with the CDTA and is currently serving as the Vice-President of the Alberta Branch. Miss Kirstin is a certified Intermediate ADTA and Acrobatic Arts Module I & II instructor and holds teaching credentials with KinderMusik, Zumba, Alixa Flexibility, Spectacle Blue, and TRX. She believes the best teachers never stop learning and her recent focus has been on furthering her acrobatic and aerial arts education. She is currently completing her Circus Arts Instructor diploma through Montreal’s prestigious Ecole National de Cirque.
As a performer, Miss Kirstin’s passion is tap dancing and in 2014, she auditioned for the American Tap Dance Foundation’s “Tap City” and was selected to perform in two productions “Tap Future” and “Tap It Out” at the New York City Tap Dance Festival. She completed a week-long residency under tap dancing legend, Brenda Bufalino and ATDF Artistic Director, Tony Waag.
Miss Kirstin’s students are inspired in her classes and challenged through her innovative choreography. Her degree in Human Sciences provides her with a special understanding of the human body and the mechanics of movement. As a teacher, her intention is to challenge and educate dancers; focusing on placement, correct technique, strength and agility.

Miss Kirstin is on maternity leave spending quality time with her family. We hope to see her in and around the studio substituting and visiting ALSD occasionally.

Instructors: Dance Company

JODI GOULD

Hip-Hop

Jodi’s roots are in rural Alberta where she began dancing at the age of nine. Her dance interests included Ballet, Tap Jazz, Musical Theatre and Hip Hop. Jodi’s passion for hip hop has grown over time and she has accumulated over ten years of experience instructing hip hop. Starting her professional training in Vancouver, she trained and taught at Harbour Dance Centre and Drive Dance Centre. She also trained, performed, and choreographed for groups such as, Bucky Top Dancehall Crew and Kill The Lights Dance Company. Jodi’s professional career has seen her perform and appear in Final Destination 3, RV, opening for Jabbawockeez and various other dance competitions, TV shows and movies. Jodi’s dancing then took her to London, England, to live and travel for two years. While in the UK, she trained at studios such as, Pineapple Dance Studios, Studio 68, Danceworks, and Husky Studios. During this time, she also taught Hip Hop, Dancehall, and Hip Hop in heels, at Alter Ego Dance Studio, City Academy, Danceworks, and Husky Studios. After taking a few years off to start her family, Jodi’s love and passion for dance has her very excited to be back and doing what she loves. We are honored to have Jodi joining our ALSD team this year.

Miss Jodi is on maternity leave spending quality time with her family. We hope to see her in and around the studio substituting and visiting ALSD occasionally.

JODI GOULD

Hip-Hop

Miss Jodi is on maternity leave spending quality time with her family. We hope to see her in and around the studio substituting and visiting ALSD occasionally.

MARAH HOEGL

Introductory Ballet (Mom and Tot)

Miss Marah has danced at ALSD for 21 years. She has trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical and Hip Hop and has successfully completed her CDTA Advanced Tap and Grade 7 RAD Ballet examinations. She also has 5 years of gymnastics training and 10 years of piano. As a student at ALSD, Marah spent 4 yrs student teaching and assisting Beginner Ballet and Tap. She also ran her own dance classes out of the Hillmond Hall for 2 seasons. She has performed on 3 Royal Caribbean cruises, as well as many festivals, competitions and local events over the years.
Miss Marah's biggest dream was to become a mother. After attending hair school at MC College in Saskatoon and having 4 children of her own, Miss Marah is ready to teach dance once again. She knew one day she would come back to teaching once my own kids were old enough to join. She is excited to be on the ALSD team and the ALSD Team is just as excited to have her return!

DANIELLE GUENET

Introductory Ballet, Hip-Hop, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical and Conditioning

Miss Danielle grew up in Lloydminster and trained at the Alison Lamont School of Dance for 13 years in various disciplines including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and hip hop. She has successfully completed Grade 8 RAD Ballet Exam and Elementary CDTA Tap Exam. She was a student teacher in tap and hip hop disciplines with classes of all ages, during her time at ALSD. Danielle has competed in many local competitions, attended workshops across Canada, choreographed for the Canadian Olympic Torch Relay ceremonies and performed on two Royal Caribbean cruises.

Danielle was on the University of Alberta Dance Team for 4 years during her time at the U of A, performing for home basketball games, local dance competitions and fundraisers. She attended classes with the team in New York City, Las Vegas, Chicago and Seattle. She was the Head Coach and President of the Dance Team for 2 years, organizing and running practices, workouts, choreography and administration for the team.

Danielle was happy to return to ALSD in 2018 after moving back to Lloydminster to begin her career as an optometrist at Violet Eyes Optometry. Danielle enjoys teaching younger dancers and developing strong technique to take them to the next level of their dance training. ALSD is proud to have miss Danielle and her outgoing personality on the team to inspire young minds.

BROOKE THIESSEN

Beginner Tap and Beginner Jazz

Miss Brooke started dancing at the age of five years old. She trained as a young dancer at Seiben’s School of Dance in Kerrobert and Hanson School of Dance in Kindersley. Brooke successfully completed Grade 8 RAD Ballet, as well as CDTA and Adapt examinations. During this time she competed in several competitions yearly in lyrical, jazz, ballet, hip hop, and tap. As she focused on dance during her youth, she was eager to participate as a student teacher in jazz and tap classes and has since achieved a passion for teaching and creating a unique bond with young artists.
After high school, Brooke danced at Dance Elements in Saskatoon to further her training and fuel her dance passion. She joined the Abiding Lines Dance Company who performed productions in Saskatoon and Prince Albert. Brooke was also a part of the University of Saskatchewan Cheer Team for two years, with whom she competed in Toronto and Vancouver.
Brooke has finished University and is now working for an Engineering firm in Lloydminster. She continues to enjoy dancing and is looking forward to teaching at ALSD. We welcome Brooke to the ALSD team and look forward to the addition her kind spirit and tenacity this season.

COURTNEY SMITH

Tap, Acro and Contemporary

Miss Courtney is from Unity, Saskatchewan where she started dancing at the age of 4 years old. Courtney has completed high levels of training in Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, and Contemporary throughout her dancing career. She began assisting dance classes at the age of 14 and since then has made teaching dance a passion. Courtney also successfully completed her Advanced 1 Vocational ballet exam in March of 2018, with the Royal Academy of Dance, and her Advanced tap exam in December of 2018 with the Canadian Dance Teachers Association. She has also recently been certified at the Junior level with ADTA for acrobatics and is working on receiving certification at the intermediate level. Courtney aspires to one day achieve teacher's status with the Royal Academy of Dance and continue teaching for many years. Miss Courtney has a very deep love for dance and cannot wait to continue to share her passion with her students in the upcoming dance season. We are thrilled to have Miss Courtney at ALSD this Fall to share her passion for dance with students and establish exciting new skills in her classes.

Instructors: Dance Company

ALISON LAMONT

Ballet

Alison Lamont has 46 years of teaching experience, 40 in Lloydminster and 6 in other
areas of the world. She has trained in dance for most of her life in places such as
Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Banff School of Fine Arts, Los Angeles,
Saskatoon, Regina and her hometown studio in Moose Jaw.
She has had the privilege of training under some of the best in the world including Eva
Von Gency, Peter George (the founder of Les Ballet Jazz Montreal), Arnold Spore of the
Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Glenn Gilmore of the National Ballet, Sonya Chamberlain, John
Marshall, Maisie McPhee, Brian and Faye Foley and 3 years with Flora Lejakova of the
Kirov Ballet.
She is a graduate of the Canadian College of Dance, Ryerson Theatre department in
Toronto, a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dancing and a Life Member of
Canadian Dance Teachers Association, a member of Dance Masters of America and
Associate CDTA Ballet Modern. She has extensive training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz,
Lyrical, Highland, Modern and National Dance.
Alison has been the Principal of ALSD for 40 years and will continue to mentor and
oversee the goings on at ALSD. ALSD is lucky to have Alison as a part of our dance
family.