Faculty

Dana Fry

Royal Academy of Dance Global Ballet Examiner, ARAD RTS, AISTD Dip, Dip in Dance Ed.

Owner, Artistic Director, Instructor

Specializations
RAD Ballet Vocational and Solo Seal
ISTD Modern
Progressing Ballet Technique

Dana is the mom to a spunky daughter and is born and raised here in Victoria. With over 20 years of dance teaching and studio directing, she has come to understand the most important aspects of dance training: care, confidence and consistency.

While dance training (ballet in particular) used to be overbearing and hard on the body, Dana has transformed all of the current knowledge about body mechanics and success psychology to create a safe, positive environment where dancers can grow to professional levels with care and respect.

Dana dreamed of being an examiner all her life, and her dreams came true in December 2017 when she was invited to complete training to become a Royal Academy of Dance Global Ballet examiner (one of only 200 in the world). Daily she shares her wealth of knowledge with her students.

Dana has directed WAPA from 2004 (it’s founding year) until 2007 when she purchased the business, making WAPA a name to remember within the dance community. Her students have gone on to SEAD Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, the National Ballet Teacher training program, Modus post grad modern program, RAD certificate in ballet teaching studies, RAD BA Honours in Ballet, physiotherapy masters, medical school and law school. With high expectations, individual approach and a positive manner she is able to get the best out of each dancer she works with.

in 2015 Dana founded Convergence Contemporary Ballet Company, Victoria’s premier contemporary ballet company. By connecting her love of teaching with her desire to see more professional dance in Victoria, Convergence provides a perfect stepping stone for her pre-professional dancers to launch their careers.

As a young dancer Dana trained in RAD Ballet, ISTD Modern, Jazz, Tap, Flamenco, Voice and Drama here in Victoria BC Canada at Sinclair Academy of Performing Arts until the age of 18. After graduating high school she moved to Vancouver and danced with the Goh Ballet Youth Company training for RAD Advanced 2 and Solo Seal with accomplished RAD examiner Lynette Kelley. Dana danced in the Nutcracker for 7 consecutive years (one of which she danced the role of Clara), in the musical Carousel with the Victoria Operatic Society and competed at the BC Performing Arts Festival 6 consecutive years for Ballet and Stage.

Dana’s dedication to each individual process and goals makes her an amazing instructor for all dancers.

Angela Mousseau

BA Modern Dance

Specializations
Horton
Limon
Choreography Composition

Born and raised in Victoria, BC, Canada, Angela Mousseau is a contemporary dance artist, living and working on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen (Esquimalt and Songhees) peoples. Ms. Mousseau has been teaching  and choreographing contemporary and modern dance for over 20 years She is a 2002 graduate of The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA where she majored in modern dance focusing on Horton, Limon and Taylor techniques. At the University of the Arts, she studied with directors, choreographers and dancers from The Paul Taylor Company, The Limon Company, PHILADANCO, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, The Martha Graham Dance Company, Koresh Dance Company, Momix and many others. Angela has performed in Philadelphia and New York Fringe Festivals, at the National Dance Day in Philadelphia, and with The Next Stage Project (directed by Jana Hicks) and AKRNYM Dance Company in New York City.  Following graduation, Angela travelled between Canada and the US to continue training and performing in New York, studying at the Taylor school, Peridance, The Dance Space, Dance New Amsterdam, Steps and Broadway Dance Center.  After settling back in Victoria, BC in 2007 she began to shift her focus from performing to teaching and choreography. Angela is currently on faculty at Westcoast Academy of Performing Arts, the Victoria Academy of Ballet and is the co-director of Convergence Contemporary Ballet. She is a guest choreographer with the Nanaimo Contemporary Ballet and at The Landing Dance in Vancouver. Many of her students have gone on to join the company or study at The National Ballet, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Toronto Dance Theatre, Ryerson University, Modus Operandi Contemporary Dance Program, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Alvin Ailey, Lines Ballet in San Francisco, SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance), Kibbutz Dance Company (Israel), Trinity Laban in London, Ballet Oklahoma, Ballet Edmonton, Orlando Ballet and The University of the Arts. In 2017 and 2019 at Dance Victoria, she was one of 3 choreographers selected to participate in a 2 week choreographic lab directed by Wen Wei Wang (2017) and Justine Chambers and Susan Elliott (2019). In January 2018 and February 2020, Angela was invited to do a Choreographic Residency at Dance Victoria where her original work was presented as a part of Rough Cuts at the Metro Theatre. She continues to train in Counter-technique with Charles Slender White, Artistic Director of FACT/SF in San Francisco.

Angela’s work is based off of an inquisitive and curious look at the world. She gravitates towards patterns found in everyday life and tries to enhance or bring light to moments that are part of our everyday routine. She values the creative collaboration between artists and loves to play and discover happy accidents. In June of this year she went to study with the Trisha Brown company learning one of Trisha's early works, Solo Olos (1976) and diving into the many layers of Trisha Brown. Solo Olos covers it all: integrating the simple directive, “line up,” creating movement from a written score, working through complex retrogrades, and live composition of a form, all in Trisha’s iconic language of movement.

Suzy Vining

Graduate of Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Cecchetti Associate Teacher

Specializations
RAD & Cecchetti Ballet
Open Ballet & Pointe
Progressing Ballet Technique

At the young age of 5, Suzy trained in the Royal Academy of Dancing and completed her exams with honours. Growing up in Victoria BC, Suzy performed in competitions and received multiple certificates and awards, being awarded a provincial winner at age 12. Within these years, she danced distinguished roles with professional companies including, The Alberta Ballet, The Eugene Ballet, and the Sacramento Ballet. As a teenager, Suzy continued her training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division, with the guidance of world renowned artistic staff studying the Vagonava method of ballet.

Suzy danced professionally from 2013-2019 as a soloist and principle dancer with Ballet Etoile Canada, where she performed many ballets including The Nutcracker, Les Sylphide, The Firebird and many more. Her favourite roles include The Dying Swan and Vivaldis Four Seasons. Suzy joined Convergence Contemporary Ballet Company in 2015 for their premier performance, where she dance for two seasons.

Teaching at local studios for over twenty years, Suzy is fortunate to share her love for ballet to her students in Victoria, and many of her students have continued to have successful careers in dance all around the world. Along with her expertise of the R.A.D syllabus exam preparation and Progressive Ballet Technique, Suzy has received her Cecchetti Associate teaching diploma in classical training.

Suzy's teaching style is to inspire passion for ballet with professional technique and safe training for all her students, but mostly to instill the love of dance.

Gina Sinclair Davis

ARAD RTS, BBO, AISTD, Adjudicator

Specializations
RAD Ballet
Open Ballet Classes

Teaching qualifications include:

Royal Academy of Dance Associate (Advanced Certificate), Registered Teacher Status, Life Member and CBTS Mentor. 

BBODance Registered Teacher Status in Ballet, Modern, and Musical Theatre.  

Canadian Dance Teachers Association Registered Teacher Status with Licentiate in Ballet, Modern and Multicultural Dance.  

Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. Associate in Ballet, Modern and National.

Gina is also a registered member of Healthy Dancer Canada, and BC Dance Educators' Association for Dance Professionals and is also an Adjudicator at dance competitions in all dance styles.

Gina Sinclair Davis is a Ballet and Dance Major graduate of Arts Educational college in London, UK which at that time fed into the London Festival Ballet Company which is now called English National Ballet.

She grew up not far from London attending a stage school from the age of 7, and first performed professionally in a London UK west-end show at the tender age of 8 years old.

Gina later danced in professional shows as well as ballet and modern dance companies both in the UK and in Canada.

She is also a Guest Master Teacher working in both University and studio settings in Mexico, UK, Europe, Canada, and USA.

Studio director and proud owner of Sinclair Academy of Performing Arts for over 20 years, Gina also spent many years as a Rehearsal Assistant for Russian, American, and Canadian ballet companies teaching roles for Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Cinderella and The Nutcracker.

Gina was named as one of the world’s 17 finest and most respected master ballet teachers by Dean Speer in his book ‘On Technique’.

With such a huge love and passion for ballet and the performing arts Gina enjoys every moment in the studio, backstage, at the side of the stage, in the audience or even on-stage dancing in mature character roles.  She feels blessed both to have had such a wonderful lifelong career and to still be learning and sharing.  

Ursula Szkolak

Specializations
Ballet
Conditioning

Kaisha Rogers

Specializations
Pre School Dance Classes
Youth Dance Classes

Kaisha started dancing at 2 years old. She trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical, tap, acro, and fosse at Stages Performing Arts School for 16 years. Throughout her time at Stages she was able to travel across BC performing in numerous events such as, basketball halftime shows, commercials, and movies. Kaisha attended spectrum High School where she participated in Spectrum’s Advanced Dance program. In this program she assisted and taught classes and competed at various competitions across Victoria and Vancouver. She graduated spectrum with honours, multiple fine arts awards, and choreography awards. 

After Graduating high school Kaisha moved to Vancouver BC where she was able to train more intensely at Harbour Dance Centre, focusing on hip hop and commercial style dance. While in Vancouver she also taught across the city in many different studios and community centers, allowing growth and development to her teaching style. 

Kaisha recently moved back to Victoria after being accepted into the University of Victoria. She’s studying elementary education as her true passion is teaching children.