(M.A., A.I.S.T.D. (dip.))

Ms. Mendes holds her Advanced II certificates in both Imperial Ballet and National Dance and has extensive training in a wide range of dance styles. She was one of only two dancers selected to perform a work by Paul Andre Segal of Paris and has taken company class with the Limon Company in New York.

She is a recipient of the prestigious Mavador Scholarship for Excellence in Ballet Instruction from London, England, and has trained numerous dancers who now perform professionally across North America. Ms. Mendes has also served as an examiner for the International Progressions and Junior Grades Ballet Syllabus.

Ms. Mendes earned her Master of Arts in Physical Education with a specialization in Dance, as well as a Teaching Diploma from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. She has taught at the University of Alberta, MacEwan University, and the Vimy Ridge Professional Dance Program, delivering instruction across a variety of dance disciplines.

Her career highlights include adjudicating the World Track and Field Auditions (2000), working as a rehearsal assistant for the FIFA Opening Ceremonies (2015), and directing the halftime performance for the Edmonton Elks Cancer Awareness Night (2022). She also holds an Acrobatic Arts Judging Certificate and a Level Three Alixa Flexibility Certification and has judged competitions across Canada.

Recently, Ms. Mendes has been a faculty member for national dance conventions, including Plie Prep, Sol Dance Collective, and Terpsichore Dance Conventions.

(ARAD RTS, PBT Level 3)

Kylee is a seasoned dance educator, choreographer, and co-owner of SGSDance in Edmonton, Alberta. Originally from Grande Prairie, she began her formal training under the mentorship of Nancy-Marie Rigler and Lynette Kelley. She has completed all levels of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) vocational syllabus with Distinction.

Kylee’s commitment to her craft took her to prestigious summer intensives such as Ballet Austin,  and the Okanagan Summer Dance Intensive, and Sundance (Toronto) where she was awarded a scholarship for further training from the RAD. In post-secondary she joined the Goh Ballet Youth Company in Vancouver and later danced professionally with Ballet Edmonton, joining the company in 2014.

Her performance career includes works by acclaimed choreographers Wen Wei Wang, Alysa Pires, Joshua Beamish, and Gioconda Barbuto. She also appeared as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. In 2017, Kylee premiered her first professional choreographic work, FIVE.

Transitioning from stage to studio, Kylee has built an extensive teaching career. She is a Registered Teacher with the RAD, certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (Level 3), and a certified Pilates instructor. In 2021, she became co-owner of SGSDance, where she continues to mentor and inspire the next generation of dancers.

Her students have successfully competed at Youth America Grand Prix, The Dance Awards, and Radix and have achieved distinctions in RAD examinations. Kylee specializes in coaching elite-level dancers in both ballet and contemporary disciplines and is known for cultivating both technical excellence and artistic growth. She leads with compassion and believes in fostering a love for dance, encouraging her students to stay connected to their passion while pursuing high-level training.

Coming Soon!

With over 20 years of training in tap, jazz, lyrical and musical theatre, and 15 years of teaching, Sherri has enjoyed much success as a performer, teacher, choreographer, and adjudicator. Sherri, who now resides in Calgary, Alberta, has traveled across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe with her dance career. Sherri has enjoyed watching many of her students grow into outstanding professional dancers who could be found at the National Ballet of Canada, Royal Winnipeg Ballet Company, working at one of the many cruise lines, in professional dance companies, Las Vegas shows and for Disney. 

Mikki Koehler was born and raised in the Edmonton area and spent most her dance training under the tutelage and mentorship of SGSD Founder, Sandra Gray. Disciplined in jazz, ballet, lyrical, tap, and musical theatre, Mikki travelled extensively as a young dancer, performing in such places as Austria, Italy, Germany, Thailand, and Hong Kong. After graduating in 2003, Mikki has enjoyed many professional dance and choreography opportunities working with the Viva and Amresorts companies across North and South America from 2003-2006. Since returning home and joining the SGSD faculty in 2006, Mikki has taught and inspired hundreds of dancers through her positive and motivational teaching style. She has choreographed numerous award-winning dances, including the routine awarded top mark in Canada for the 2015 competitive season. Now a working professional and proud mom of two, Mikki remains committed to the growth and development of her dancers by encouraging hard work, accountability, perseverance, and authenticity. She is thrilled to be in her 14^th season as a dance educator and choreographer at SGSDance and looks forward to everything this season has to offer. 

Born and raised in Edmonton, Sam Buhr has been part of the SGSDance family since the age of 3 and has been a faculty member since 2004. Currently specializing in lyrical dance education and choreography, Sam has training in jazz, lyrical, Vaganova Ballet and Al Gilbert Tap.
Upon graduating high school, Sam worked 2 contracts with Carnival Cruise Lines as a chorus and soloist dancer in the Western Caribbean. After coming home to pursue her Post Secondary Education, she danced 3 seasons with the Edmonton Elks Dance Team and remained with the Elks Organization for another 3 seasons as a guest choreographer. Most recently she has worked with the Elks Alumni Dance Team in preparations for the 2023 and 2024 alumni game day performances.
In addition to being a dance educator, Sam is a Registered Nurse with a specialization in the Operating Room.

 

BIO COMING SOON…

Leanne began dancing when she was 3 years old. While competing in dance she began gymnastics around the age of 8 and began coaching gymnastics in March 1997. In 2007 she took over the head coach position with Fort Gymnastics and assisted in starting the acro program there in 2010 and coached the two advanced teams. Leanne began teaching acro dance in 2016 and carried on with both acro dance teaching and running the gymnastics club until April 2020 when she stopped coaching gymnastics to focus more time on her children and acro. She remains working with level 5 to national level students. Leanne is NCCP level 2 certified for women’s artistic gymnastics and has completed Level 3 technical and theory and is also certified in Acrobatic Arts.

ADCSC-CICB, RAD MRT, NBS Grad TTP (Dip.), AISTDMs Kristin is a graduate of The National Ballet School of Canada’s 3 year Teacher Training Program, and brings to SGSDance over 25 years of teaching expertise in Vagaonova, Cecchetti and RAD Ballet. She holds teaching qualifications with the ISTD National Branch, The Cecchetti Society of Canada, The Royal Academy of Dance, and has trained and entered hundreds of students into successful examinations from Primary through Advanced 2 levels. Past students include scholarship recipients to such prestigious schools as The National Ballet School, Royal Winnipeg Ballet School,  School of Alberta Ballet, The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre, Goh Ballet School, among others. She was honoured to be recently invited by the Royal Academy of Dance, to work as a mentor to teachers enrolled in the CBTS Teacher Training Program.

Lauren has been dancing at SGSDance since the age of four. Over her years of competition experience she has won many special awards, scholarships and titles. She won triple threat intermediate soloist at dance power competition, top teen soloist and top teen powerhouse soloist at Fever International Dance Championships as well as top 15 and 16 year old soloist at Peak Invitational. In the summer of 2018 Lauren went to USC for two weeks where she trained at Complexions dance intensive. Lauren has recently been a Pure Dance Convention Ambassador and iDance convention assistant. She has been a member of SGSDance Tour Co since 2017 where she has travelled throughout North America to take class and compete at Jump and Nuvo dance conventions. She received an almost perfect score at Jump dance convention for her self choreographed solo. In addition, she competed for Best Dancer at the Dance Awards for four years. Lauren has performed dances choreographed by Mandy Moore, Teddy Forance, Michelle Dawley, Allen Lupien, Sabrina Phillips, Lukas McFarllen, Danny Lawn and Nick Lazzarini. Her choreography has won awards throughout the open, contemporary and jazz categories.

Born and raised in Edmonton, Sophia Mendes has been a part of the SGSDance family since the age of three and joined the faculty in 2019. She is currently signed with Premiere Talent Management and is actively pursuing a professional dance career. Sophia primarily trains in New York, specializing in precision dance, and is a professional assistant with Terpsichore Dance Convention.

During her competitive years, Sophia consistently placed in overalls and earned numerous titles, including Senior Powerhouse Champion, Miss Candance Title Winner, and Runner-Up Senior Soloist at NUVO Dance Convention Alaska. She has also received multiple special awards and choreography accolades, recognized for her creative concepts and dynamic musicality.

Certified in Acrobatic Arts Module 1, Miss Sophia is qualified to teach AcroDance and safely spot students in class. With a strong passion for jazz, she is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of dancers and helping them build confidence through movement.

Taylor Kiryluik is a dynamic presence, known as a multi-disciplinary artist, educator, choreographer, and adjudicator based in the Greater Edmonton Area. With a diverse dance background spanning contemporary, jazz, tap, hip hop, lyrical, musical theatre and ballet, Taylor’s journey has taken her across Canada, the US, and France, enriching her craft and igniting her passion for dance.

A graduate of Victoria School for the Arts and the University of Alberta, Taylor’s career has been marked by many performances and outstanding choreography. Deepening her love and understanding of dance, she received a scholarship to train at the ‘Centre de Danse du Marais’ in Paris. As an original member of MOD Contemporary Dance Movement and a seasoned competitor with hip hop crews BBM and YEGrBombz, she has left a long lasting mark on the industry.

Her illustrious career has seen her share the stage with acclaimed hip hop artists such as KYLE, Kirko Bangz, Jadakiss, and Jay Sean, yet Taylor’s true passion lies in inspiring the next generation of dancers. As an educator and choreographer, she infuses her classes with fresh, innovative ideas, earning numerous accolades and scholarships for her choreography.

Taylor’s impact extends far beyond the studio walls, with many of her students going on to achieve success in the entertainment industry, landing roles in hit shows on Netflix, Disney +, and Paramount +, including Riverdale, Once Upon a Time, Motherland, and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies as well as on Celebrity and Princess Cruise Ships, showcasing the transformative power of dance on a global scale.

For over 13 years, Taylor has been a beacon of encouragement, infusing her classes with creativity, energy, and passion. As she continues to shape the next generation of dancers, her commitment to excellence remains unwavering, solidifying her legacy in the world of dance.

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Natalia has been dancing since the age of three and has competitively trained in the styles of tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, and contemporary. She has received multiple outstanding achievement awards in tap, jazz, and contemporary. Natalia has been fortunate to have the opportunity to train with many choreographers including Brock Jellison, Danny Nielsen, Julio Fuentes, Sarah Dolan, Brian Mueca, Joey Matt, and Travis Knights. She has also worked in Jenna Werhun’s professional show For the Arms That Have Held Me as a part of the contemporary ensemble. Natalia has trained with the Al Gilbert tap syllabus since the age of five and has achieved the highest grades in all her Al Gilbert tap exams. Natalia shares her love of dance with her students and strives for them to have the skills to achieve excellence inside and outside of the dance studio.

Caity found a love for dance at the age of 3 and has continued to pursue her passion competitively training in the styles of jazz, tap, ballet, acro, lyrical, and contemporary. She has received many special awards locally, as well as achievement awards in styles such as tap, jazz, and acro. She has trained with choreographers such as Sarah Dolan, Danny Neilsen, Joey Matt, Brian Mueca, Julio Fuentes, and Brock Jellison. Caity has also trained under the Al Gilbert Tap syllabus, completing numerous grades where she has achieved the highest grades of excellence. She was also a member of SGSDance Tour Co throughout 2022 and 2023, where she had the opportunity to attend regional conventions and participate at The Dance Awards in Las Vegas, receiving a scholarship. Caity looks forward to inspiring and encouraging her students throughout the dance season.

Raegan has been competitively dancing since the age of 7, and has been primarily trained in ballet, contemporary, modern, and jazz. She has had the opportunity to attend high level summer intensives at schools such as The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Alberta Ballet, and Boston Ballet. At these intensives, she was exposed to numerous disciplines of study including RAD, Cecchetti, Vaganova, and Balanchine. Raegan spent two years training at the Alberta Ballet School professional division in Calgary, where she completed her Intermediate and Advanced 1 Cecchetti exams. She also attended Vimy Ridge Academy/Edmonton School of Ballet, where she successfully completed her Advanced 2 Cecchetti examination. At Edmonton School of Ballet, Raegan also performed in numerous pieces of repertoire including numbers from Serenade, Don Quixote, and The Sleeping Beauty. 

More recently, Raegan graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science, where she continued her dancing with MOD Contemporary Dance Movement for 5 years. With MOD, Raegan was selected as a choreographer, and was elected by the executive team as Dance Captain for their 2022/23 season. Raegan is thrilled to be joining the SGSDance faculty and hopes to inspire her students to achieve excellence! 

Keanne graduated from Vimy Ridge Academy’s Pre-Professional Dance Program in 2018 where she completed both her RAD and Cecchetti Advanced 2 examinations. Over the summer months, Keanne continued her training at Arts Umbrella, Boston Ballet, and Ballet Austin, amongst many other international programs. After Graduating, she went on the study at the Brussels International Ballet, Alberta Ballet’s Post-Graduate Program, as well as the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Throughout her career, Keanne has taken particular interest in functional movement and cross-training for dancers including Pilates, running, and strength training. Keanne is currently continuing to explore the biomechanics of movement in her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology degree at the University of Alberta. In her classes, Keanne prioritizes the well-being of each dancer, and takes an individualized approach to teaching.

Shaelyn began dancing at the age of three and continued to dance competitively in a variety of styles. Over the years she has had the opportunity to attend many competitions and conventions including Nuvo, Jump, The Dance Awards, and Triple Threat. Through the convention experience, Shaelyn has taken classes with some of the most talented dancers in the industry and will continue to learn from these individuals. She has also been in pieces choreographed by Lukas McFarlane, Tyce Diorio, Michelle Dawley, Sabrina Phillips, Cora Kozaris, and Sarah Dolan. Regionally, at the age of fourteen Shaelyn received the triple threat title at dance power. In addition to many overall placements, she was also awarded the senior champion title at Summit Dance Challenge when she was seventeen. Through her many years of experience as a competitive dancer, Shaelyn is very passionate about dancing in a positive learning environment and cannot wait to share her love for dance.

COMING SOON

Sophie began her dance journey at the age of three, and joined the SGSDance team in 2019. Since then, she has not only competed but also assisted and taught at the studio, and is currently training at the Advanced 2 level. 

Sophie has trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, as well as tap and hip hop. Her dedication has earned her numerous awards and scholarships, including the Miss Teen Candance title and multiple top-five placements for her solos in various competitions.

She has attended prestigious dance conventions such as NUVO & RADIX and participated in summer intensives with Alberta Ballet, ProArteDanza in Toronto, MSA’s ‘The Camp’ in Los Angeles, and SGSD summer intensives. Additionally, she performed in Alberta Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” for two years.

Jaida had been dancing since the age of two years old. She also pursued rhythmic gymnastics until the age of 8, when she decided to switch to dance full-time. She has been a part of the SGSD team since 2018 and recently joined SGSD’s Tour Company in 2023. Jaida trains in all genres including Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, hip-hop, Pointe, Acro, and more. She is in the final stages of completing the entire RAD program from pre-primary to Advanced 2. 

Through her years of training, she has won many scholarships to conventions and ballet schools including Canada’s National Ballet School, Royal Winnipeg, GOH Ballet Vancouver, Alberta Ballet, NUVO, and Radix. She attended Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto for two consecutive summers and Alberta Ballet for one summer. 

Neyali has been training with SGSDance since she was three in multiple styles including jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, pointe, hip hop and musical theatre. Throughout her years of training she’s had the privilege of working with choreographers such as Danny Nielsen, Brock Jellison, Rebecca Zezik, and Sabrina Phillip.

Over the years she has been fortunate enough to attend NUVO where she received scholarships for tap in 2019, 2021, and 2023 as well as for ballet in 2018 and 2020. She was also able to attend Jump in 2021, online, where she was a VIP teen runner up finalist.

Neyali has trained under the Al Gilbert syllabus and has received high marks on her exams. She is training at an Advanced 2 level in the RAD syllabus and has been a teachers assistant since 2022. Neyali looks forward to sharing her love of dance and passion for tap with all her students.

Amelia began dancing at the age of three and joined the SGSDance team in 2022. She has trained competitively in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, and modern. She has been a teacher’s assistant since 2019 and is training at the Advanced 2 level. Amelia received her Acro Dance Teachers Association – Associate Teachers Training Program certificate in April 2021 and she completed her Red Cross Emergency First Aid CPR/AED Level C certificate in 2023. 

Amelia has been fortunate enough to have had opportunities to work with choreographers including Sabrina Phillip and Rebecca Zizek. She has also participated in Alberta Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” in 2018 and 2021. Alongside her SGSDance team, Amelia has performed in an Edmonton Elks CFL halftime show.

Andreanna has been dancing since the age of three and has been a member of the SGSDance Team since 2022. She has trained and competed in various styles including ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, modern, and hip hop and is currently training in the RAD syllabus at the Advanced 2 level.

She holds a Red Cross Emergency First Aid CPR/AED Level C certificate, since 2023, and a babysitting license, which she received in 2018. She has had the privilege of performing in pieces choreographed by Rebecca Zizek and Sabrina Phillip. Andreanna is deeply passionate about dance and continuously seeking opportunities to both inspire and be inspired.

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Mona has been competitively dancing since the age of four years old. She joined the SGSDance team in 2022, where she continues to hone her skills in a wide range of styles, including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, musical theatre, and pointe. She is currently training at the Advanced 2 level and has had the privilege of working with choreographers such as Sabrina Phillip, Rebecca Zizek, and Danny Nielsen. Since 2021, Mona has been a teacher’s assistant, and she is excited to continue to share her love of dance this season.

bio coming soon…