RCBS Faculty - Teachers

Theresa Ramsarup

Theresa has always felt that dancing is a way to lose yourself, just to find yourself.
She has been dancing for 26 years in all dance styles: Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Lyrical, Modern, Heels, Salsa and so much more. Theresa has always enjoyed and admired the art of dance and being able to watch others fall in love with the art. Growing up in Ottawa ON, Theresa attended a well established dance studio and successfully completed many examinations over the years, including distinction in Grade 8 Ballet examinations.

After graduating, Theresa began school with Carleton University, but her love for dance never subsided. She continued her experiences with music videos, conventions and workshops around Canada and the United States. Over the years, she has gained much experience and knowledge even moving to Texas for her masters degree in business. Now, theresa is a Regional Manager for a home healthcare agency and releases her joy for dance by teaching the younger generation everything she has learned over the years. She looks forward to showing others, what falling in love with the dance is like.

Emma Reid

Miss Emma has been dancing with RCBS since 2015.

She is currently studying the Advanced Foundation level of the RAD and recently passed her Intermediate exam in June 2024.

Miss Emma has been assisting with classes and camps for several years and started her teaching journey last year! She is very excited to get to know her students.

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Lina D'Iorio

Miss Lina is thrilled to join the RCBS teaching staff this summer to share her love of dance and passion for expression through movement. Miss Lina had been dancing since she was 2.5 years old and earned her associate ballet teaching certificate with the British Association of Teachers of Dancing at 17 years old. She has trained in many styles of dance over the years, learning in the RAD and BATD styles of ballet, as well as tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, and hip hop. For her grade 12 school year, she joined the full-year professional dance training program with the Victoria Academy of Ballet in Victoria, British Columbia, training in ballet, modern, jazz, and improv dance. Miss Lina completed her Advanced 1, Advanced Repertoire and Grade 8 Award RAD ballet levels while training at the Cumbrae School of Dancing in Orleans before starting the professional training program with the Victoria Academy of Ballet. Throughout her years of dancing Miss Lina has had the privilege of being trained by many distinguished dance instructors and choreographers at various summer intensive training programs throughout Canada and the United States, including the Rock School of Dance Education in Philadelphia, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Alberta Ballet School, the National Ballet of Canada, Quinte Ballet School, and Canada’s Ballet Jorgen. Miss Lina also performed as a local participant in several productions of The Nutcracker (with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, and Canada’s Ballet Jorgen) and The Wizard of Oz (with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet) at the National Arts Center and the Shenkman’s Arts Center in Ottawa. In her free time, Miss Lina loves to improv dance and create choreography in different dance styles. Next year, Miss Lina will be attending Carleton University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, majoring in actuarial sciences.

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Philippa Twigg B.A.(Hon.) The Art and Teaching of Ballet, Registered Teacher R.A.D., L.R.A.D.

RCBS Artistic Director

Originally from the UK, Ms Philippa started dance at the age of three and immediately fell in love. After achieving all of her RAD ballet exams, Ms Philippa earned a degree in the Art and Teaching of Ballet from the prestigious Royal Academy of Dance in London, UK and received the designation of Licentiate of the R.A.D. Leaving her native country, she travelled to Thompson, MB and became the assistant director of the Northern Ballet Academy. After two years, she moved to Ottawa and joined the Greta Leeming Studio of Dance, this will be her eighteenth season with GLS.

Ms Philippa is trained in RAD ballet, Laban and Benesh Notation, ISTD Modern & ISTD Tap. In addition to Ballet, Ms Philippa has taught/choreographed Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern, Musical Theatre & Pilates for competitions, recitals and theatre performances in the UK and Canada for the past twenty one years. Ms Philippa was also the choreographer for the Savoy Society of Ottawa. Some of her works include Iolanthe, Don Giovanni, The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, Ruddygore and A Christmas Dream.

As part of her professional development, Ms Philippa attended the first Royal Academy of Dance, Dance Teacher Conference, En Avant, in Toronto 2016. This included classes and discussions with instructors from 11 different countries including talks by Karen Kain (Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada), Li Cunxin (Mao’s Last Dancer and Artistic director of the Australian Ballet) and Lynn Wallis (Former Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Dance). Ms Philippa also attended the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Teacher Training Course in July 2018.

In the summer of 2020, she utilized her time away from the studio during COVID, to further expand her knowledge and qualifications in dance and teaching related courses. Ms Philippa has participated in the 2020 on-line series of The Royal Ballet School’s (RBS) Teachers’ Training Webinars; attended the RBS Online Summer Intensive lectures and interviews, and took part in numerous Zoom presentations and discussions, in collaboration with many sort after dance professionals from across the world!

Most recently Ms Philippa has become a certified Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) instructor. She is excited to incorporate all this learning into her teaching.

Ms Philippa is proud, excited and inspired to join and share her passion with the dancers and teachers of Russell Children's Ballet School.

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Tanis Waller

Miss Tanis has a strong passion for dance and the arts and has had the great fortune to have a career that has included teaching, performing and choreographing around the world. She finds great joy in sharing this love of dance with all of her students and her students love her for that. This will be Miss Tanis' 4th year teaching for RCBS.

Miss Tanis began her dance training at age 7 in Edmonton, Alberta. She has 15 years of experience teaching ballet, jazz, creative movement, and musical theatre to students ranging from 2 years old all the way to adults. She holds an Associate Diploma with the Cecchetti Ballet Society of Canada, and was awarded the coveted Enrico Cecchetti Diploma. Miss Tanis has been teaching in the Ottawa area for the last 8 years and in this time has successfully prepared ballet students for Cecchetti ballet exams. Also, she has worked as rehearsal mistress with Pennsylvania Ballet and Alberta Ballet in their productions of The Nutcracker at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

In addition to her teaching career, Miss Tanis was fortunate to have had a performing career which took her around the world. After working as a dancer/dance captain with Princess Cruises, she then went on to enjoy playing the roles of Frenchy and Miss Lynch in Grease in theatres throughout Europe. She was a member of the ensemble at the King's Theatre's production of Sleeping Beauty in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as dancing in many other shows in the UK and Bosnia.

Teaching Assistants

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Abby Douma

Miss Abby has been dancing with RCBS for many years.
She is currently studying Intermediate and Grade 7 ballet, Pointe, Pre-Intermediate 2/3 Jazz, and is a member RCBC. She passed her Intermediate Foundation ballet exam in June 2024.
Miss Abby has been assisting with classes for several years.

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Promise Gabie

Miss Promise has been dancing with RCBS for several years. She is currently studying Advanced Foundation ballet and Jazz. And has recently passed her Intermediate ballet exam in June 2024. She also dances with Russell Children’s Ballet Company.

Promise has been assisting for 3 years.

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Alyssa Pecsi

Miss Alyssa is currently studying inter foundation and grade 7. She recently passed her intermediate exam. Alyssa started dancing at RCBS 2 years ago after moving to the area, and has been assisting since 2021.

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Abigail Kibbee

Miss Abigail has been dancing with RCBS for several years.

She is currently studying the Intermediate level of the RAD as well as the Pre-Intermediate 2 level of Jazz and Tap. Abigail recently passed her Grade 6 & Inter Foundation RAD ballet exams in June 2024.

Abigail has assisted with classes and summer camps for the last several years.

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Chloe Kozera

Miss Chloe has been a loyal “Founding RCBS Student” as she started dancing in her little pink leotard when we opened the doors in 2015. She now has over a decade of ballet training under her belt and several years of jazz and tap in recent years as she explores all RCBS has to offer.

She is always excited to help younger students find their love of dance, whether that be ballet, jazz, or tap. In the 5 years of dance assisting Miss Chloe has done at RCBS, she has worked with many levels and styles of dance and is helping with Teeny Tots this season.

Miss Chloe has proudly represented RCBS in professional productions of the Nutcracker for the last 3 years, including 2 years with Toronto’s Ballet Jorgen and this year with Les Grands Ballets from Montreal.

Miss Chloe is currently focusing on her Grade 7 RAD Ballet exam after receiving Distinction in both her Grade 6 Ballet and Intermediate Foundations exams last year. In addition, this year she is studying Intermediate Ballet, Pointe, Jazz and Tap while also performing in RCBC’s productions this winter.

Be sure to say hi to her when you pass her at the studio (because she’s probably there!)

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Danika Vandekemp

Miss Danika has been dancing with RCBS for several years.

She is currently studying Grade 5 ballet and recently passed her Grade 4 Ballet exam in June 2024.

Danika has been assisting with classes for the past three years and started assisting with summer camps last year.

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Zoe Graveline

Miss Zoe has been dancing with RCBS for several years. She is currently studying Grade 4 Ballet, as well as taking Homeschool Ballet class and Hip Hop. It will also be her first year with the Russell Children's Ballet Company. Zoe has been assisting with RCBS for a few years.