We believe at Studio III, that for what ever reason you love to dance, whether it be for scocial, physical or career reasons, every student receives the same highly skilled teachers and will benefit from all of the teachers years of being involved in the dance community. We strive to have the best instructors for our dance and music students, and this season we will be outdoing ourselves by bringing our dance instruction to the next level for all of our students.
Dance Instructors
Artistic Director - Virginia Williams
Virginia has over 30 years of music and dance experience. She is a graduate of the Canadian College of Dance, Ryerson University and a Full Member of the Royal Academy of Dance. She has an Associate Teaching Certification from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in both the National and Modern Dance Branch and has successfully completed the Advanced 1 Ballet exam in both R.A.D and Cecchetti Methods. She is also a member of SoCan and Dance Ontario and holds a Grade 8 piano certificate from the Royal Conservatory of Music as well as a Level 2 Theory. Not only does Ms Williams have the arts background but she also takes into play her experience in the financial business world for 13 years and being a mother of 4 children who have been or are currently involved in AAA Hockey, Junior and University Hockey, Competitive Gymnastics and Dance Performance. She knows the challenges involved in running a household with 4 very busy children and takes that into consideration when organizing the studio business. Right from arranging schedules to suit family needs, to picking children up for dance class when a parent cannot, keeping the price of costumes and dancewear reasonable and hiring staff that are qualified people who have the best interest of the students in mind. Ms Williams also regularly attends workshops and conferences in dance instruction and studio business operations to keep Studio III Dance current in the ever changing world of the Arts. The studio has a data base that has a customer portal for parents to see billing, e-mails, class information and where it is fast and convenient to register on-line without leaving your home.
Lindsay Baker
Lindsay Baker has been a competitive dancer for over 15 years with Deborah Thompson School of Dance. She has competed all over Canada and the U.S.A winning many awards in that time. Lindsay is a contortionist and is currently training to eventually audition for Cirque De Soleil. She has been teaching students of all ages in the Georgetown and Brampton areas. Lindsay has recently been to Talent Rock (run by Lou Pearlman) in Florida and then again in Las Vegas where she danced with award winning choreographers Glenn Douglas Packard and Chris Judd. She has also done many workshops with choreographers like Bob Rizzo to expand her horizons in all aspects of dance. Lindsay has danced for many Charity Benefits including the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay For Life and the Miss Brampton Pageant 2004. Lindsays’ recent workshops have been with dancers such as Wynn Holmes, who is the choreographer for Celine Dion and Mary J. Blige and Nico Archambault, winner of SYTYCD. Lindsay also has to her accredation, a Full Membership with the Performing Arts Educators of Canada in Acrobatics. Lindsay loves to blend the two passions of her life, children and dance.
Robin Launspach
Miss Robin began her performing career at the young age of 2. She began with modelling for Pampers, Sears, The Bay and other department stores throughout Canada and the U.S.A. Miss Robin slowly started doing commercials and extra work for movies and T.V series such as Road to Avonlea. Miss Robin has been dancing since the age of 7. She trained in various styles of dance including ballet, jazz, tap, acro, lyrical, hip hop, modern and musical theatre. Miss Robin has danced recreationally and competitively all over Canada and the Unite States. Robin has completed her Associate Teaching Certificate with the British Association of Teachers of Dancing and is a Full Member of the B.A.T.D. Miss Launspach attended Mayfield Secondary School of the Performing Arts majoring in dance, studying Cecchetti, RAD and Russian Ballet as well as Limon and Graham Techniques in Modern dance. Ms Robin continued her training at York University studying dance as a Major, which involved the history of dance and kinesiology training. Since attending York, Robin has been passing on her love of dance to students for over 10 years and continues to attend workshops and classes in New York City to keep herself up to date with the new styles and teaching techniques in dance. Miss Robin has taken class from amazing instructors such as Savion Glover, Peggy Baker, Robert Derosier, Danny Grossman, Jodi Woodside, Holly Small and many others. Robin is not only a teacher but an adjudicator of dance competitions held across Canada.
Kristina Udegbunam
Kristina graduated from the professional Training Program at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. The curriculum at the school is Graham – based technique, music, anatomy, dance history, contemporary barre, ballet, repertoire, creative process, contact improvisation, Horton, Limon and Bouffon source work. While attending the school Ms Udegbunam was asked to perform in many works choreographed by Peggy Baker, Rosemary James, Darryl Tracy, and Danny Grossman, to name a few. Kristina’s dance training did not stop there. She has trained in Circus Arts, Moksha Yoga, Whacking and Vogueing with Archie Urnette, and House dance with Bill T Jones. Ms Kristina is a model for Andre Stein, dance photographer, a member of the Aya Dance Collective, Cirque Sublime, Stand Up Dance and Dance Transition Resource Centre. Since becoming a Semi-Finalist in the International House Dance competition in New York, 2009, Kristina has performed at the LG Fashion Week, Casino Rama, Dance Ontario Weekend, Inside Out Film Festival, Vogue Evolution and the London Fringe Festival. Ms Krisitina feels the more she performs the more of an inspiration she can be to her students. She can bring new and exciting styles of dance to her classes being involved with companies like the Upside Down Circus that creates performances in physical theatre, circus and dance. Kristina is very excited about teaching a House Dance class in Orangeville and the first ever circus Training class. Ms Udegbunam also teaches the Ministry of Ontario’s Dance and Drama Curriculum in schools across the GTA.
Katie Dopp
Katie Dopp joined the staff of Studio III Dance in 2009 and has brought Tap at the studio to a higher level. Ms Dopp began her training at Anne Marie’s Dance Academy right here in Orangeville 20 years ago. She not only took tap lessons, she was trained in Jazz, Ballet, Acro, Lyrical and Modern techniques. Katie had spent a great deal of time training as she was a member of the competition team. During her training years she attended the M.L.D.M.A North Masters of America Dance pageant, competing for the title of Petite Miss Dance, Junior Miss Dance and Miss Dance of America. Ms Dopps’ dancing took her throughout Canada, the United States and to Riesa, Germany. She represented Canada on the Canadian National Tap Team and the Canadian National Show Dance Team bringing home 2 Gold Medals from Germany. Katie has not just focused on Tap as she has completed RAD Ballet exams up to Intermediate and has also completed Jazz and Tap exams. Katie’s love of teaching is not just in the dance world. She holds her Ontario Teaching Certificate and she is also an Early Childhood Educator. Ms Dopp has been taking tap classes with Everette Smith at Tap Dance Centre and is a tap performer with his professional tap dance company B.T.B.
Kaitlynn Williams
Ms Williams has been dancing since the young age of 3. She has competed with success in ballet, jazz, hip hop and musical theatre bringing home many medals. Ms Kaitlynn has also been exposed to competitive gymnastics, where she was trained at Twisters Gymnastics Club. While dancing many hours a week, she was also training for Regional Gymnastics Meets. After winning many awards through gymnastics, Ms Kaitlynn decided dance was her passion. Kaitlynn has attended many training sessions and workshops with Ryan Foley, Rosemary James, Franco DeVita and Raymond Lukens of the American Ballet Theatre, Angela D’Valda Sirico; chairperson for the tri state panel of the Royal Academy of Dance and Shelly Masenoir; choreographer for Disney’s High School Musical. Kaitlynn is looking forward to attending the National Ballets’ Teacher course and working towards the Associates Certificate in Ballet through the Performing Arts Educators of Canada. When she is not teaching, she works for a commercial photographer creating ad campaigns for large corporations, television specialty shows and musicians’ promotional work and album covers. In her spare time, she has a modelling contract with a world renowned agency.
Shonaugh Campbell
Shonaugh has been involved within the dance community for over 20 years. She has danced and taught competitively and recreationally in many styles; ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballroom, Latin, and modern to name a few. She has completed B.A.T.D and R.A.D exams in both ballet and jazz. Shonaugh is a graduate of the Mayfield Regional Arts program. While at Mayfield she had the pleasure of working with wonderful teachers and dancers, such as: Robert Derosiers, Danny Grossman, Peggy Baker, and Toronto Dance Theatre. While continuing her education at Brock University, studying History and Geography, Shonaugh participated as a dancer and a teacher for Brock Dance. As a dancer with the club she was a member of the hip hop team that competed and placed 2nd at O.U.C.H- the Ontario University Hip-Hop Competition. Shonaugh has taken workshops through the club with Mike Cota, and Everette Smith. She has also performed in the Niagara Festival for the Arts as a member of a ballroom group, expanding her dance vocabulary beyond what a dance studio could offer. While at Brock she not only taught for the club, danced in the club, but also stage managed their year- end recitals. Shonaugh continues to take class at Art and Soul Dance Company, and when she is not teaching Shonaugh works for an insurance company. Shonaugh is very grateful and is excited about bringing her love of dance to Studio 3.
Ms. Lisa Frias - BFA Honours Dance, TTP (Dip) – NBS, A.R.A.D R.T.S, A.I.S.T.D (National Branch)
Lisa Frias' dance career began at Deborah Thomson School of Dance in Brampton, Ontario where she trained in Ballet, Jazz, Acrobatics, Lyrical and Hip Hop. After 11 years of dance training and teacher assisting, Ms. Frias realized her dream and attended York University where she obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. During her time at York, she taught students at Deborah Thomson both in the recreational and competitive program, performed and choreographed at York University. Since receiving her degree, she has attended Canada's National Ballet School's Teacher Teaching Program where she not only received her Advanced Registered Teachers Status with Royal Academy of Dance but also the Associate Teacher Status with the National Dance Branch of Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. In the past year Ms. Frias has taught in studios across the GTA helping students achieve respectable results with Ballet examinations and awards at competitions. Not only is Ms. Frias an accredited teacher, she also holds a Solo Seal Award with the RAD which is the highest Ballet exam you can accomplish, an award of Highly Commended for the Advanced II Cecchetti Ballet exam and an award of Honours for the National Dance Advanced I. Ms Frias is not only fully qualified to teach very advanced ballet dancers, she is also fully qualified to teach pre-school children as she has been fully trained in the new Pre-Primary and Primary In Dance syllabus with the Royal Academy of Dance implemented in 2009. During the summer of 2011 Ms. Frias will be attending the ADAPT (Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers) Teacher's Training School yearly for three consecutive years in hopes of receiving a teaching certification in Jazz and Tap Dance Techniques.