About Us
Our Studio
Elegance Ballet Studio is a training ground for students of all ages. Our Studio focuses on teaching students to consistently act with integrity and respect, encourages continuous improvement and foster teamwork. Each class is innovatively designed to provide creative and progressive training techniques taught by highly qualified dance teachers who focus on developing artistic growth within every student.
The Studio is recognized for its high standard of training based on the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Syllabus, dedicated and qualified staff and its modern convenient dance facilities. We encourage students to attain a strong background in Classical Ballet. Our studio also offers Technical Training Programs in National Dance, Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip-Hop and Jazz. The foundation of all dance techniques are to develop poise, encourage good posture, and improve coordination and body core strength. Our primary goals is to build elegance, confidence and a love of dance while encouraging teamwork, fund and friendships.
Our Mission
Our studio provides a caring and equal opportunity environment with artistic and academic training of the highest possible caliber, offering all students a positive learning experience that is constantly monitored for potential growth and improvement. We strive to achieve excellence through recognized accreditation and training via a curriculum designed to provide students with as many opportunities to perform as possible.
Our studio is an equal opportunity employer who recruits, trains, learns from, grows with, and promotes professionally accredited employees through fair and equal hiring practices that are respective of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, orientation, and physical status. The Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) is our primary guideline for hiring in Canada, following all Ontario Employment Standards, and guidelines of the International Mobility Program Get to know your rights while working in Canada for foreign employee awareness of employment rights and workplace protections in Canada.
Faculty
ELEGANCE BALLET STUDIO programs are directed and taught by professional dance teachers.
Amanda Zhang
Artistic Director, Founder and Director
RTRAD / RTISTD / PBT
Amanda is an artistic director, founder and director of Elegance Ballet Studio. She has been dancing since the age of four. Five years full time ballet training in Beijing Academy of Dance. Amanda used to perform on various stage as proferssional dancer, such as participating in 1996 CCTV (China Central Television) Spring Festival Gala.
Amanda is a Royal Academy of Dance Registered Teacher (RAD), a certified member of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) and Chinese Dance registered teacher of Beijing Academy of Dance. She has been teaching dance for over 15 years and many of her former students obtained Distinction in different levels of RAD exams, received many awards from competitions, and performed many programs in community and the National Ballet of Canada's production of the 'The Nutcracker'.
Amanda dedicated her life to the world of Ballet. The Elegance Ballet Studio is a major part of Amanda's life. Her students and their families are what makes Elegance Ballet Studio what it is. She cannot imagine her life without this studio and is grateful for the continued support of her friends and family.
Paola Haro
ARAD / Solo Seal / RTRAD / RAD CPD Tutor / RAD CBTS Tutor / RAD Examiner / Autism Movement Therapy Certified Provider / Silver Swans License
Paola was born in Mexico City and started studying ballet at the age of 3 with Ms. Diana Alanis and Ms. Perla Epelstein. She completed all the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) levels gaining the Associate status of the RAD (ARAD) and later obtaining her Solo Seal, which the highest title awarded by the RAD.
Since young, she focused her studies in the teaching of classical ballet. She got certified as an RAD Teacher with Distinction and later she expanded her studies in various areas of dance like: anatomy, music, history and psychology.
the age of 27, she was selected to become an Examiner for the RAD to travel around the world examining children and adults. She was the first Mexican to be selected for this position, reason why she got the recognition of the Mexican Government.
In 2011 she became a Tutor for the Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies (CBTS) program and a few years later, she was selected as a Tutor for the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program to deliver courses for teachers around the world.
In 2019 she was certified in Autism Movement Therapy to be able to give dance therapy to people with disabilities, and she got the Silver Swans License to teach dance to senior learners (55+).
For many years she has been a guest teacher in various countries and has taken part as a member of the faculty at RAD Dance Challenge USA.
Jeremy Nasmith
Ballet Teacher
Jeremy Nasmith danced with Opera Atelier starting in 1986 and joined the National Ballet of Canada in 1995 achieving the rank of Second Soloist in 2000. He moved to Japan to pursue a freelance career in 2001, but kept ties with both Toronto companies, returning regularly to guest. He began to teach ballet at Architanz in Tokyo and DanceTeq in Toronto in 2001. Jeremy retired from the National Ballet in 2008, and from Opera Atelier as a dancer in 2019, although he still sings Baritone in their chorus. Jeremy has been artistic director of DanceTeq since 2017.