Katy Finlay is a dedicated advocate for the arts and the driving force behind Vancouver Performing Stars. A graduate of the Musical Theatre Diploma Program at The Randolph Academy in Toronto, she has honed her skills in various performing arts disciplines, including jazz, ballet, musical theatre performance, choral, and acting technique. Katy also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in French and Theatre from UBC, along with an Honours in Advanced R.A.D. Ballet. Her extensive experience includes credits in film and theatre, including performances at The Stratford Festival of Canada. Katy’s philosophy centers on instilling a solid foundational work ethic in her students, fostering confidence, and igniting a passion for the arts. She believes that every individual has the potential to shine and aims to inspire both students and fellow educators through her enthusiasm for performing arts. At Vancouver Performing Stars, Katy is committed to nurturing physical strength, theatricality, voice, and self-confidence, empowering the next generation of artists to express themselves boldly and authentically.

Rebecca is known for creating an inspiring and growth-focused environment for dancers of all ages and abilities. She holds teaching certification in ADAPT Tap & Jazz, Acrobatic Arts, and Alixa Flexibility, and is currently expanding her expertise through the iTap Teacher Certificate Program. Her well-rounded dance background includes performing with The Source Dance Company, Harbour Dance Centre’s Intensive Training Program, and with Team Canada at the World Tap Dance Championships in Germany. Rebecca is deeply passionate about nurturing both skill and confidence in her students and believes in dance as a powerful outlet for self-expression, discipline, and personal growth. She is proud to continue in her role as Director of Dance at Vancouver Performing Stars, where she oversees VPS’ competitive dance teams - now entering their fifth exciting season.

Eliza is music director, educator and performer hailing from Brisbane, Australia. Eliza always been an avid lover of the Performing Arts, growing up in choirs, music ensembles, theatre shows, and learning the piano and violin. Before moving to Vancouver, Eliza was the Queensland Music & Production co-ordinator of the Australian Girls Choir where she provided high-quality music education and performance opportunities to Brisbane’s finest young talent. Eliza has also travelled with the not-for-profit organisation Girls from Oz delivering music education programs to children in remote Indigenous communities around Australia. Eliza has been actively involved in the musical theatre space as a music director and performer, and her most recent credits include Spring Awakening (Millennial Productions), We Will Rock You (Ipswich Theatre Company), and Bring It On (PRIMA Org). Eliza has a strong enthusiasm for mentoring young performers and is delighted to be sharing her passion for theatre with the VPS community.

Originally from Alberta, Josie is a positive, passionate, and fun-loving dance instructor with a deep understanding of the body’s anatomy and has an attentive approach when it comes to dance. When she began her journey in Vancouver she trained with Harbour Dance Centres Intensive Training Program and then their Alumni Training Program. With a special passion for hip hop, she's performed and competed with competitive hip hop teams across North America (TwoFourSeven, E.P Ryderz) and she brings that same energy and commitment to their teaching.

Josie focuses on technique, injury prevention, and helping students of all levels build confidence while having fun. Her dynamic approach makes learning enjoyable and inspires students to reach their full potential.

Originally from Airdrie, Alberta, Ashlynn grew up training in jazz, ballet, lyrical, hip hop, contemporary, acro, tap, and musical theatre, and has proven herself to be a versatile dancer. She began her teaching career at Elements Dance Co, which is what ignited her spark and love for teaching.

Taking a big step forward, Ashlynn recently moved to Vancouver to further her professional dance education at The Source Dance Company. She has achieved milestones such as completing her Advanced ADAPT Jazz & Tap Exams, R.A.D. Advanced Foundation Ballet Exam, and the Business of Dance Program. This summer, Ashlynn embarked on the Hollywood Summer Tour, where she was able to further her training at major Los Angeles studios.

With a commitment to fostering a positive and uplifting atmosphere in her classes, Ashlynn cherishes the connections she forms with her students and peers. She is so excited to join the VPS family and can’t wait to share her passion and knowledge with everyone!

Lia Sieben, originally from Macklin, Saskatchewan, grew up training in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and acro. Lia attended Simon Fraser University, School for the Contemporary Arts, majoring in Dance, where she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts. She has also completed her CDTA advanced jazz and ballet examinations, alongside her elementary tap. 

Early on, Lia started teaching dance and working with children, which sparked her ongoing commitment to continue to share her love and passion for dance. Lia loves to perform and create work that incorporates her passions, interests, and skill sets. She strives to create a positive and supportive environment where her students can learn with confidence. Lia values the connections that she builds with her students and peers and looks forward to watching them learn and grow. She is thrilled to join the VPS team and is excited to share her passion and love for dance with everyone. 

Lucy Price grew up in Vancouver BC, she has been working with kids for about six years now and absolutely loves it! She grew up training at a local studio where she trained in jazz, contemporary,
acro, and ballet. She is currently working toward her BFA in dance at Simon Fraser University's School of Contemporary Arts, studying with many renowned artists. She has performed and competed widely and loves the stage. Her favourite thing about teaching dance is being able to share her passion and knowledge with young students. She is very inspired to see her students grow while developing their own styles and love for dance. On a smaller scale, she also loves to watch children advance their skills throughout the year.

Originally from Squamish B.C, Hannah is passionate about dance and the performing arts for youth. Hannah finds great joy in teaching children, aiding them in building lifelong skills that will inform them for many years. Currently working to complete a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance at Simon Fraser University's School of Contemporary Arts, Hannah strives to provide her students with strong technique while fostering joy, self confidence, and expression in the studio. With a passion for all styles of dance, Hannah grew up training in ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, lyrical, acro, and hip-hop. Previous to her university training, Hannah has competed over the lower mainland, simultaneously completing her Graded RAD Ballet exams, Vocational RAD Advanced Ballet Exams, AIDT Jazz exams and more. 

Dedicated to creating a supportive and encouraging environment in her classes, Hannah deeply appreciates the meaningful connections she forms with both her students and fellow educators. She’s absolutely thrilled to be a part of the VPS family and to continue sharing her passion for dance.

Emma began her performing journey as a star on the top of a Christmas tree in a pantomime long ago, and it all rolled down hill from there! Training in multiple disciplines until graduation, Emma has attended Sheridan College in Toronto and since then returned to Vancouver after years in the film industry to diversify her work. Emma had worked on multiple song and dance heavy shows such as Schmigadoon, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Noelle, and performed with ArtsClub Theatre Company. Some of her fondest memories in theatre were those early years attending camps with other theatre nerds, and hopes to in-still focus, tenacity, and joy.

Heather is a Vancouver-based musician, vocalist, composer, music-director, and actress with more than half a decade of experience teaching voice, vocal ensemble, and piano. She has a diploma from the Canadian College of Performing Arts' performance program as well as twelve years of RCM piano and music theory experience. Prior to post-secondary, Heather excelled as a competitive classical pianist, jazz ensemble pianist, and was a lead singer in a rock band. As a teacher, she specializes in teaching classical, musical theatre, pop, contemporary, jazz, and rock music. She hopes to inspire students young and old to develop their skills and passion for music just as she had when she was taking lessons at a young age.

Richard is a singer, actor, and theatre-maker originally from Cape Town, South Africa. Straight out of high school, he began his professional career touring Asia and New Zealand with 'The Sound of Music'. Since graduating from the University of Cape Town with a degree in Technical Theatre Management, Richard has worked as a performer, director, stage manager, lighting designer, and vocal coach. Most recently, he worked as a vocal captain and production vocalist for Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines. His teaching approach involves building technique, growing confidence, and having a lot of fun exploring the voice. 

Jessica O’Brien-Visbisky is an actress, dancer, and singer based in Vancouver, BC. She began dancing at the age of three and has over 15 years of intensive training and competitive experience in a wide range of styles, including jazz, lyrical, contemporary, ballet, tap, hip hop, and acro. Her love for storytelling soon expanded into acting, singing, choreographing, and directing, leading her to perform in various musicals, plays, films, and vocal ensembles with companies across the Lower Mainland. Jessica holds a Musical Theatre Diploma from Capilano University, where she performed and served as Dance Captain in multiple productions.

Jessica is passionate about sharing her love of storytelling through acting, movement, and song. She is dedicated to helping young performers discover their confidence and creativity while supporting them in reaching their full potential.

Markayla is a dancer from Brampton, Ontario and began her dance journey at her studio when she was three. At the age of eight she joined her studios competitive team and continued until graduation. She has been teaching for 2 years now and has taught and trained in styles Acro, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballet, Lyrical and Contemporary. Her training also includes R.A.D. from grade 1 to 8 and Intermediate Ballet Exams. Markayla is very excited about being a part of the VPS Team and elated to share her love of dance through dance education. One of her main goals is to create a studio space that is welcoming, creative, structured and supportive.

Zenna Cook started dancing at a very young age with the International School of Ballet in Calgary AB. Here she completed up to the Advanced Foundations RAD method ballet exams and danced in Jeunesse Classique Ballet’s productions of the Nutcracker, Giselle, and Peter Pan, among others. After moving to Vancouver Island she graduated with a diploma in dance from the Post-secondary Bridge Program at the Victoria Academy of Ballet and completed her Intermediate Foundation and Intermediate exams in the Cecchetti ballet method. Zenna then began working as a freelance dancer which brought her to Montreal, Italy, and Germany dancing in the Danzart Festival, the BIG BANG Contemporary Dance Program and working for Opéra Outside the Box and then returned to the Westcoast in 2024 to develop herself further with the Modus Operandi Contemporary Dance Program. Throughout her schooling and career she has worked with many artists such as Angela Mousseau, Alysa Pires, Alexia Quintin, Kate Franklin, David Raymond and Tiffany Tregarthen, and most recently with Ballet Vancouver as an apprentice in rehearsals for Joshua Beamish’s piece.

Zenna has a deep love and passion for dance and finds teaching such a beautiful way to share what she has learned and is discovering through her own artistic practice. She hopes to encourage self-expression, artistry and a positive, encouraging learning environment that builds a strong sense of self confidence. Zenna is very happy to be part of the VPS team and is already enjoying connecting with each of the students and watching them learn and grow.

Danica (she/her) is an award-winning professional theatre artist as well as an educator who is passionate about providing high-quality, accessible arts education to the next generation. She believes that children are smart, creative, and capable artists and encourages them to bring out those parts of themselves through performance. Her goal is for every student to leave feeling more confident and proud of themselves and what they've created, and most of all to have fun! Select credits include: Disney's Frozen (Arts Club Theatre Company); Oliver! and Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella (Gateway Theatre); Into the Woods (Studio 58); Matilda the Musical and Something Rotten! (Theatre Under the Stars). Upcoming: Assistant Choreographer for Something Rotten! (Studio 58); Jolene in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Chemainus Theatre Festival).

Marianna Cai began her dance journey at the ripe age of 3 when her mom signed her up for baby ballet classes. Eventually, Marianna expanded to other styles such as Chinese Dance, Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre, Contemporary, Ballet, and Hip Hop. After her first Hip Hop class, there was no doubt that it would become her forever passion. Marianna danced Hip Hop at many different studios, however the real training began when she took her first drop-in class at Studio North. Since then, she has competed with many competitive teams at the studio, bringing her the opportunity to have stepped foot onto multiple international stages such as Hip Hop International (Worlds and Canada), Vibe Jrs. and of course, the prestigious Vibe Dance Competition. Currently, Marianna is part of one of Vancouver’s top competitive teams, Northside.

Alongside her training, Marianna decided to take a teaching approach with dance as well. During high school, she led the Dance Club as one of the head executives for three consecutive years. She also assisted her acro teacher’s intermediate acro class, ages five to eight, allowing her to gain experience for working with a younger demographic. This year, however, Marianna accomplished a goal that she longed for achieving: Teaching her first drop-in class at Studio North. Since then, she has continuously gained experience and comfortability with teaching on her own. She is ecstatic about advancing her teaching journey this year with Vancouver Performing Stars and she is confident that she will learn just as much from her students as they will from herself.

Cassie Collis is an established actress and acting coach in the Vancouver TV and film industry with a strong passion for working with children. Alongside coaching actors of all ages, she brings years of experience supporting children in educational and creative spaces, informed by her background in psychology. She prioritizes warmth, compassion, and trust in her classes, helping each child feel empowered to show up authentically and enjoy the process of storytelling.

Description goes hereEvelyn is a dancer from Victoria BC with over a decade of experience. Beginning her journey at the age of six, Evelyn has kept a strong focus on ballet, whilst honing her skills in the world of contemporary, jazz, and character dance.

In 2021, Evelyn was accepted into Goh Ballet, a professional dance company located in Vancouver, BC. She has since performed in feature-length productions such as 'The Nutcracker' and 'Don Quixote '. Evelyn has developed her skills and gained her artistic confidence by working with Goh's world-renowned mentors, instructors, and choreographers.

Evelyn has been sharing her love of dance through teaching since 2019. She enjoys seeing her students grow and express themselves as they develop their dance technique. Evelyn is excited to share her knowledge and love of dance with VPS!

Tamlin (she/her) is a dance/theatre artist who is passionate about sharing her love of performing with her students. For the past twenty years, she has trained in a variety of dance styles including jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, and hip hop. She has also recently received her Bachelor of Fine Arts with distinction in theatre performance from Simon Fraser University. With over six years of teaching experience, Tamlin’s methods highlight the importance of musicality and the joy of movement. She is excited to help her students build their confidence while discovering their own strengths and styles.

Since graduating with an Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance Program from Sheridan College in 2022, Hailey has been working across Canada as a professional theatre artist. Most recently she performed in Elf: The Musical with The Arts Club Theatre Company! A highly trained actor, singer and dancer, Hailey has experience teaching all performance art disciplines to students of all ages. With over 7 years of teaching experience, she has developed a teaching style that is playful, collaborative and student-directed. She loves to find out what excites her students, help them to explore their interests, and build interpersonal skills and self confidence. As well as teaching and performing, Hailey also loves to choreograph and direct. She shares this passion with her students by inviting them into her creative process, and providing opportunities for students to utilize their own creativity.

Nico Pante is an actor and theatre maker from Vancouver, BC. Nico has been a storyteller since a very young age — putting on puppet shows, writing skits, and performing for his friends and family. Nico studied Acting at the University of British Columbia, where he graduated with his Bachelor of Fine Arts and an even bigger love for performing. With his skill set spanning acting, playwriting, directing, producing, and even clowning, Nico is delighted to share his passion with a new generation of performers. Growing up, Nico was inspired and supported by so many amazing artists — he’s grateful for the chance to share what he’s learned. Nico fosters environments where everyone’s ideas are valued and heard; a community where creativity and kindness lead the way.

Originally from France, Alice entered the world of ballet at the age of 7 and never looked back. Her passion for dance led her to join Central School of Ballet in London, UK, where she graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Art with Honours. Alice then joined the Royal Opera House to dance in the opera Death in Venice. In 2021, Alice moved to Vancouver to join Coastal City Ballet where she danced many roles for 4 seasons; performance highlights include the roles of Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. She also danced with the Candlelight Concerts in Vancouver and joined Ballet Ouest de Montréal in 2023 and 2024 for their annual tour of the Nutcracker.

Alice is passionate about sharing her knowledge to dancers of all ages. Having danced in multiple countries she has a strong interest in the various ballet techniques practiced throughout the world, which gives her a deeper understanding of the subtleties of this art form. Alice believes anyone can dance ballet and is passionate about igniting a love for this dance style in her younger students.