Meet CCDC
Our Story
Director Laurie Raymond's passion for teaching and her love of every form of dance shape everything we do. From our start in 2005 to where we are today, that passion has never changed.
At CCDC, dancers work hard and set goals so they can feel proud of their progress. Along the way, they have fun, build healthy bodies and discover a lifelong love of dance. We also provide opportunities for our dancers to experience live performances to inspire and inform their own artistry.
We are a non-competitive studio that welcomes everyone, no matter their level. Our experienced teachers create a safe, encouraging environment where children are free to explore their own artistic voice and express real emotion through creative movement.
What We Offer
We are pleased to offer three options for our non-competitive dance programs. Whether your dancer is looking for one class a week or a more intensive path, there's a program at CCDC built for them.
General Program
Fun and welcoming classes in ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop and more. Program is designed for every age and every stage.
Intensive Training Program (ITP)
For dancers ready for more of a challenge, with focused technique training across multiple styles. This program is by invite only.
Pre-Professional Program (PPP)
For serious dancers preparing for a future in dance, with advanced training and real performance opportunities. This program is by invite only.
Our Faculty
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A graduate of the Ryerson Theatre School Dance Program, Laurie Raymond has trained in Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, R.A.D. and Cecchetti ballet, modern dance and ISTD National.
Laurie performed professionally for many years, and has had the honour of dancing with Me’irim Dance Company, Dance Co.2, and tap performances with William Orlowski.
In 1991 Laurie founded PBJ Dance Projects, a professional contemporary dance company that toured and performed in a variety of theatres and festivals to great critical acclaim. Following in 1997, Laurie created a vibrant “young company” featuring youth dancers working with professional choreographers. The PBJ Young Company lives on as the Pre Professional Program, here at CCDC.
Laurie’s extensive experience and multi-disciplined training fuels her fresh, open-minded approach to teaching dance. Laurie not only directs the operations at CCDC, she teaches a full class schedule to all age ranges in tap and modern. She has taught jazz dance to the Music Theatre Majors, and Modern and Jazz to the dance majors at Etobicoke School of The Arts in the Toronto District School Board. Her past teaching experiences include numerous workshops at private studios and public schools throughout Ontario and the United States. As a choreographer, she has set works on students at Unionville Secondary School, Mayfield Secondary School, Etobicoke School of The Arts, Cardinal Carter, and Earl Haig Secondary School.
Finally, Laurie’s commitment to the children she teaches extends beyond the studio. Over CCDC’s 21 years of operation, she has pursued a community-focused plan whereby CCDC dancers can be found performing and volunteering at a variety of local community events, and her Pre Professional Program dancers have launched several community-positive fundraising initiatives to support their work at the studio. CCDC, previously located in the heart of dance in the Junction, now calls St. Clair West / The Stockyards its home.
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Joanna is thrilled to be teaching the vocal portion of the musical theatre classes! With a background in both professional performance and music education, her goal is to provide a joyful and empowering space for kids to explore their singing abilities.
Her classes focus on building a strong foundation in healthy vocal technique, improving pitch, and developing expressive stage presence. She guides students in diving into iconic songs from beloved musicals, helping each child build confidence, overcome stage fright, and discover the power of their own unique voice.
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Ruby is excited to be teaching hip-hop at CCDC this coming season. She has trained in jazz, tap, hip-hop, modern, acro, and ballet. Some of her favorite dance experiences include training at the Martha Graham School in NYC, the ProArte Danza summer intensive, and the CCDT Sundance Summer intensives.
Ruby has had the pleasure of working with a number of Toronto choreographers such as Rhonda Roberts, Alyssa Martin, Amelia Brown, Ryan Lee, Roberto Campanella, Colleen Friedman, and Gabby Kamino. Ruby is thrilled to share her passion for dance with all of her hip-hop students. Ruby will be attending TMU this coming season to extend her formal dance training as she continues to teach Contemporary and Hip Hop at CCDC.
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Valentina Polanco grew up in Colombia, where she began her dance training with a focus on ballet. Now based in Toronto, she has performed a variety of roles in both neoclassical works and classical ballets, including The Nutcracker, Giselle, Don Quixote, and Romeo & Juliet. Valentina was a finalist at the World Ballet Competition (USA) and an award winner at the Addicted 2 Dance Competition (Colombia).
A graduate of the Dance Performance program at George Brown College, Valentina has trained at Andrea Wolff Ballet in Colombia, as well as with Miami City Ballet, Ballet Austin, Joffrey Ballet School, and Ballet Hispánico in the United States. She was also part of the mentorship program with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen during the 2021–2022 season.
Currently, Valentina is completing a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Health Science while also pursuing a degree in Athletic Therapy at York University. She teaches ballet in the Intensive Training Program at CCDC, where she combines her professional ballet experience with her knowledge of the human body, injury prevention, and athletic therapy to help dancers develop strong technique, artistry, confidence, and lifelong healthy movement habits.
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Emma Lu Romerein’s extensive professional performance experience and formal ballet/contemporary dance training from Canada’s National Ballet School, Ryerson University (now TMU) and the School of Toronto Dance Theatre defines her expertise across a multitude of platforms. This dynamic skillset directly compliments her desire to teach, train and educate both children and adults alike ranging from Classical Ballet, Dance Based Conditioning, Contemporary and Performance Skills as well as being a celebrated and professionally recognized dancer with a passion for Choreography. Her cumulative talents and ideals continually create positive atmospheres within groups, building personal confidence and self awareness for people from all age groups to explore their passions for the fine art form of dance.
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Luke is a triple-threat performer and dance educator originally from Saskatchewan and a graduate of Randolph College for the Performing Arts. He began as a competitive dancer in Saskatoon, earning his CDTA Advanced Tap and RAD Advanced 2 Ballet certifications. He has extensive experience as both a performer and choreographer, and regularly works as a guest teacher and workshop instructor for studios across Canada. He is also a proud member of the Quick Ball Change roster.
Luke’s theatre credits span across the country, including productions with Drayton Entertainment (Elf, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin: The Panto, Anne of Green Gables, among others), Stage West Calgary (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), Theatre Aquarius (Elf the Musical), Harold Green Jewish Theatre/danCap (The Jazz Singer), Capitol Theatre (Beauty and the Beast), Breakaway Entertainment/NextStage Festival (Anatomy of a Dancer), and Theatre St. John’s (Mary Poppins).
Luke is excited to continue teaching Tap to our Pre-Professional Program dancers and looks forward to helping them strengthen their technique, artistry, and confidence throughout the season.
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Sheriauna is a mult-talented artist - dancer, actor, singer, and choreographer, Sheriauna has studied dance for over 15 years and is actively working as an actor and choreographer. Her areas of discipline include jazz, contemporary, hip hop, acro, ballet, and tap. As she moved into her pre-teen and teenage years her love for contemporary and hip hop grew and with dedication and the gift of her musicality, she has performed on stages in Canada and the United States. As an actor, Sheriauna has been featured in print and the Apple TV anthology series, Circuit Breakers, as Tess. Sheriauna was able to blend her love for dance and acting as a principal actor in the role of Adele, on Canada’s hit TV show, The Next Step (season 9 and 10), which was a dream come true. She was the first lead actor on the series with a visible disability. When Sheriauna is not in a dance studio or on a set, she is on the track training as an internationally classified para-athlete. She currently holds the Canadian national record for T47 Women’s 100m sprint. She earned two bronze medals at the 2023 Para Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile in the T47 Women’s 100m and 200m sprint categories. Sheriauna competed in her first Paralympic Games during the summer of 2024 in Paris, France and continues to compete both nationally and internationally in the T47 Women’s 100m and 200m sprint categories. She is a Youth Ambassador for Holland Bloorview Kid’s Rehabilitation Hospital and believes that every person deserves the opportunity to pursue their dreams and be accepted for who they are. She also most recently won a gold medal in the Para Olympics for the 100m at the Commonwealth games in Glasgow.
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As a young child with energy to spare, Yvonne’s mother decided to channel some of that energy into dance. This love of movement has since been present through her whole life; studying ballet, tap, jazz, and then concentrating mostly on Competitive Highland Dancing.
When she retired from competing, she joined two professional Scottish dance companies, The Tunnochbrae Ceilidh Dancers, which performed alongside the renowned 48th Highlanders of Canada Pipes and Drums and the Scottish Dance Company of Canada.
She continued to diversify her training and subsequently graduated from the The Professional Training Program of School of the Toronto Dance Theatre, the summer program of The Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre in New York City, and in 2015 received her BFA Hons in Dance from YORK University.
Professionally, she has enjoyed performing across North America as a Highland dancer in International Tattoos and stage productions, as a modern dancer in various performances, travelling across Canada as mascot performer, and as an aerialist with Gravityworks on hoop, silks and trapeze for festivals and corporate events.
One of Yvonne’s passions is her work with Famous PEOPLE Players, a black light theatre troupe in Toronto, where she collaborates with developmentally disabled adults. She directed and choreographed the production Bringing Life to Light in collaboration with the Ontario Science Centre for March Break 2014.
Yvonne has been teaching and choreographing for over 25 years in many capacities throughout Ontario; including various camps and schools, Parks and Recreation, Providence Healthcare, CHIRS, and continues to explore and create here at CCDC. She will be teaching pre-ballet, creative movement, and ballet/modern combo classes on Saturdays at CCDC.
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Heather trained at L’École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec, Le School of Dance, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division, Arts Umbrella (under the tutelage of Artemis Gordon, Mary Louise Albert, and Sylvain Brochu), the Artist in Residency Program at Main Dance Vancouver, and studied Laban/Bartenieff Fundamentals with Donna Redlick. She danced professionally in Vancouver, BC, and Whitehorse, YT, and was Co-Artistic Producer, choreographer, and dancer for the Brave New Works Performance Project in Whitehorse, YT.
Heather obtained her Cecchetti Ballet teaching qualifications through Canada’s National Ballet School’s Teacher Training Program, under the mentorship of Rosalie Deligioridis and Jane Wooding. She has been teaching ballet for 22 years. She believes that ballet is for everyone and that the art form must continue to evolve and be driven by diversity. Heather is a mother of three young children and brings a deep appreciation for each child’s unique strengths and development to her teaching approach.
At CCDC, Heather teaches Ballet to the Intensive Training Program dancers as well as Adult Ballet classes, sharing her ballet knowledge and experience with dancers of all ages and levels.
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Nicola Pantin is a dance instructor, choreographer, and dancer. Some selected teaching credits include TMU, Etobicoke School for the Arts, RHSA, Wexford Collegiate, Branksome Hall, Shakespeare summer school in Stratford, numerous TDSB schools, and private dance studios. Selected choreography credits include numerous dance and theatre productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (2004-2012) Charlottetown Festival, Shanghai Theatre Academy, Imusicals, George Brown Dance, Sheridan (Musical Theatre), La Jolla Playhouse, Harbourfront World Stage, Nuit Blanche, Summerworks, Springworks (Stratford ON), YPT, TNB, Citadel Theatre, Second City, Spark/Expect Theatre, Red Barn Theatre, Humber River Shakespeare, Shakespeare in the Rough, The Toronto Fringe, Ffida, and Theaturtle. She has received two Dora Mavor Moore awards for Outstanding Choreography (Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang, R/J Remixed) and a gold medal at Les Jeux de la Francophonie (Corpus). Selected film and video includes A Christmas Charade, Kitchen Dances, Mise En Scene (NFB), Stuck, Bare Knuckle Duet, Blues Brothers 2000, the Year of the Lion, the Table Dance, and various music videos. Nicola also performs as an independent dancer locally and internationally. She has worked with numerous choreographers such as Jenn Goodwin, Sylvie Bouchard, Laurie Raymond, Robert Desrosiers and Gabby Kamino. Nicola is co-artistic director for 3degrees, an independent dance theatre company in Toronto. Recent credits include choreography for Older and Reckless, Porchview Dances and 6 Trees at the Toronto Fringe. Nicola is currently on faculty at George Brown Dance and The Kimel Family Centre for Brain Health where she teaches older adults.
At CCDC, Nicola teaches Jazz to the Intensive Training Program dancers, sharing her extensive professional experience and passion for dance.
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Victoria Ellingham’s dance educator career began when she became an assistant teacher at the age of fifteen while living in the UK. Growing up Victoria studied both in Canada and the UK in the dance styles of ballet, tap, lyrical, gymnastics, hip-hop, and character, with a primary focus and interest in jazz.
Victoria continued her studies beyond high school into college, and after graduating from the dance program at George Brown in Toronto, Victoria continued her studies in England at the Cambridge Performing Arts College, graduating in 2009 with a National Diploma in Professional Dance. Victoria has also obtained her BA Hons from Middlesex University and has obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (Dance Teaching) through the Royal Academy of Dance and University of Bath graduating in 2018. Victoria is a certified Module Two Acrobatic Arts instructor, Module Six Alixia Flexibility instructor and registered 500-hour Yoga instructor with the Yoga
Alliance.
Victoria’s other achievements have included winning an award from Ukrainian Dance World magazine’s photo competition for her solo in Kalyna’s “Kozachok”, as well as participating in The Dance Current’s “Emerging Art Critics Programme”, producing two published articles with them. In Victoria’s spare time, she enjoys painting, circus classes such as Acrobatics, aerials (silks and hoops), hand balancing and playing with her toddler.
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Alexandra McChesney (she/her) is a dancer, teacher, and lifelong learner from Kingston, Ontario. McChesney is a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s BFA Performance Dance Major, and holds a Minor in Disability Studies. She is trained in a wide range of styles including Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, and Modern techniques, and is interested in creating and fostering movement within these styles. With a continued focus on contemporary-ballet, she has attended training opportunities at The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity led by Kirsten Wicklund (Ballet Edmonton, Ballet BC), Cyril Baldy (NDT, Forsythe), and Marie Gyselbrecht (Peeping Tom); The Fifth Intensive with Hanna Kiel and Jera Wolfe; the Colorado Conservatory of Dance: Movement Lab with acclaimed choreographer Dominic Walsh; and the Boston Ballet School.
McChesney has performed works by notable artists such as Kirsten Wicklund, Kiara Flavin, Hanna Kiel and Ryan Lee, Robert Stephen, Esie Mensah, and Alysa Pires. She was a member of Unapologetic Dance Company from 2021-2022, a dancer with The Garage dance collective for the 2025 season, and works annually at the Ground UP dance festival in Kingston, Ontario. McChesney continues to strive towards expanding her knowledge both academically, and in-studio, and thoroughly enjoys all aspects of performance including choreography, producing, production management, and community outreach. She is excited to further these pursuits through her teaching at CCDC this year!
Contact Us
Have more questions or looking for additional information? We are happy to help! Please email us at info@creativechildrensdancecentre.com or fill out the form below. We can’t wait to speak with you!
Visit our Studio!
You can find us at our beautifully renovated studio at 1980 St. Clair Ave W. in The Stockyards inside the Nations Experience. We offer free parking and accessible access to our studio.