Tianne Allan | Sunrise Hatha, Restorative and Deep Sleep Series
Tianne’s passion for health and well-being began in competitive sport. As a high performance athlete and master coach for over 20 years, she learned first-hand the rewards of training the body and mind. Following a series of traumatic injuries, Tianne turned to yoga and meditation. The experience of profound healing was so powerfully transformative, she now devotes her time to sharing all she has been blessed to learn and come to understand through her journey. She is grateful and honoured to have been teaching for almost three decades, and thrilled to meet and teach so many incredible people around the world.
Christie Baumgartner | Vinyasa
Christie has been teaching yoga in Vancouver and abroad since 2008, when she completed her initial 200hr training, following her dance degree at Ryerson University. Her passion for movement has evolved over the years through continued education from the teachings of Schuyler Grant, Shiva Rae and Jill Miller, to name a few. On top of her passion to teach vinyasa, she also believes in yoga therapeutics and loves working with athletes. She has worked with the Vancouver Canucks, the Whitecaps, the UBC varsity teams, and has travelled to Europe and across BC with the BMC team and for BCBR.
Kenzie Brousson | Vinyasa
Kenzie Brousson is a dance artist, movement researcher and 500hr certified Yoga instructor specializing in Vinyasa Yoga, Somatic and Restorative practices. Her aim as a teacher is to guide, support and share tools to help people attune their awareness, take ownership of their bodies and minds to ultimately find a sense of freedom and inner peace. She encourages her students to tap into their intuition and to be truthful to their own journey, and strives to make her classes a welcoming and inclusive safe space for all, finding a balance between physical challenge and the more subtle aspects of Yogic practice. Having lived the nomadic professional dancer life for several years, she is grateful to now live and work in her hometown on the unceded territory of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and to work with Ballet BC as Class Administrator and MOVE instructor.
Niki Brown | Sunset Flow + Restore
Niki Brown’s yoga journey began with a childhood curiosity with Kundalini on TV. While pursuing a BFA in Acting at UBC, she deepened her practice to support her artistic endeavours, and has been teaching since 2012. Niki’s yoga roots are with Anusara, with further trainings in Restorative, Yin, Vinyasa, Therapeutics & Meditation. Niki’s influence extends globally, with workshops held throughout British Columbia, Ontario, the UK, and France, where her “Art of Rest: Restorative Yoga and Reiki” workshops were featured on My Little Paris’ Top 10 list. Niki’s teachings go beyond physical postures; she weaves in Ayurvedic daily habits and aligns her classes with the changing seasons to nurture balance year-round. Her love of yoga philosophy, mythology, and modern neuroscience is evident in her classes. Her commitment is to create a tranquil, playful, and enriching space for her students, allowing them to experience a sense of spaciousness and unhurried well-being.
Marisa Christogeorge | Beginner and Intermediate Contemporary
Born in Vancouver, BC, Marisa began her classical training at the Richmond Academy of Dance, subsequently studying at ballet schools such as Canada’s National Ballet School and Boston Ballet School. Marisa pursued post-graduate training at the San Francisco Conservatory Of Dance before relocating to New York City to join Sidra Bell Dance New York as a Company Artist from 2018 to 2021. She toured internationally and across the US, serving as a performer and choreographic assistant to the artistic director, Sidra Bell. Concurrently, Marisa held the role of adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Returning to Vancouver, BC, Marisa became an artistic collaborator at MOVETHECOMPANY, a non-profit charitable dance organization registered in both Canada and the US. In the 2022 season, she took on the role of rehearsal director for Ballet BC Annex. More recently, Marisa was performed in Italy for a new creation by Ethan Colangelo and appeared in commercial projects in New York and Los Angeles.
Michael Garcia | Intermediate Contemporary and Free Movement
Michael Garcia (he/they) was born in McAllen, Texas. His early passion and ambition for dance led him to Dallas, Texas where he trained at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He received his BFA from The Juilliard School, under the direction of Alicia Graf Mack. After graduating, Michael was deeply grateful to have performed with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for their 44th season. He has been recognized as National YoungArts Winner, Alumni of the School at Jacob’s Pillow, and performed at iconic dance spaces such as The Joyce Theater. Beyond performing, Michael has many pursuits in teaching, choreography and modeling. He has received an Outstanding Choreography award from YAGP, travelled across the United States teaching, and appeared in campaigns for Bogner, FortyFiveTen, & photographer Mark Mann. This is Michael’s second season as a company artist with Ballet BC.
Kiera Hill | Beginner, All-Levels and Intro to Ballet
Kiera (she/her) completed her professional dance training at Arts Umbrella with ballet foundations in the Cecchetti method. Kiera’s ballet classes draw from these early teachings and her 10 year career as a professioal dancer. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge of ballet technique in a welcoming and lighthearted environment. Kiera danced with Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal where she toured extensively for four years, performing internationally across Europe, Asia, South and North Americas. Kiera then joined Ballet BC where she had the privilege of performing the works of William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal, Johan Inger, Aszure Barton, Emily Molnar and Medhi Walerski among others. Kiera now works as an independent dance artist and teacher on the unceded and ancestral territories of of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She has recently performed in works by local creators Inverso Productions, Rachel Meyer and Dance//Novella. She is pursuing a degree in kinesiology at Simon Fraser University and is thrilled to be part of the MOVE team at Ballet BC.
Bless Leone | Gentle Flow and Roll + Release
Bless has been teaching yoga for over a decade and practicing longer. She fell in love with the way yoga made her feel: calm, connected and spacious in her body and mind. Her personal practice consists of conscious breathing, release work with massage balls, simple strengthening and relaxing postures steeped with meditation and mindfulness. Bless’s classes focus on creative sequencing, postural alignment, good tunes and the breath. She includes the use of props, modifications and demonstrations to create an accessible class where new students feel empowered and returning students feel challenged. Off the mat, Bless is inspired by her son and his wonder at the world! She loves dancing to live music and listening to records, spending time in the garden, adventuring in the woods and relaxing with a good book. Bless invites you to step into the present, to connect deeply, to explore and to play!
Heather Myers | Creative Immersion
Heather (she/her) is a parent, expressive arts facilitator and dance artist with 25 years of experience performing, creating and teaching internationally. Her work engages embodied, intermodal arts approaches to empower creativity in individuals and connect communities. Heather danced with Alberta Ballet, Boston Ballet and Netherlands Dance Theater, and has worked with Simon Fraser University, All Bodies Dance Project, TNUA Taipei, Inverso Productions, Rachel Meyer, Korzo Theater, The Vancouver Park Board Board, HCMA Architecture and Design, and The Banff Centre among others. Heather is a graduate of the Tamalpa Institute’s Teacher Training Program and an ISMETA registered Somatic Movement Educator. She is grateful to live and work on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Sarah Pippin | Beginner Contemporary
Sarah Pippin (she/her) is from Raleigh, North Carolina. She completed her early dance training at CC & Company Dance Complex where she received a diverse dance education. In May 2020, Sarah graduated from The Juilliard School with a BFA in Dance. During her time there, Sarah performed repertoire works by Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and José Limón, as well as new creations by Peter Chu, Gentian Doda, Stephen Petronio, and John Heginbotham. Additional performance opportunities include works by Sharon Eyal, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, and Jiri Pokorny, among many others. She is a National YoungArts winner as well as the recipient of the Irving B. and Joan W. Harris Endowed Scholarship and the 2020 Martha Hill Award from The Juilliard School. This is Sarah’s third season as company artist with Ballet BC.
Clara Roberts-Oss | Vinyasa
Clara has been a student of yoga for almost 23 years and a teacher for 20. Her roots are in vinyasa (Jivamukti, Prana Flow and Laughing Lotus). However, her curiosity for all things yoga has taken her to study many other lineages – iyengar, kundalini, restorative and Forrest yoga to name a few. She is also a lover of philosophy and have had the privilege to study with tantric scholars – Daniel Odier, Douglas Brooks and Paul Ortega. Clara’s classes are vinyasa based with a mixture of other styles to create a holistic practice that leaves you feeling grounded and strong. Her intention with each class is to nourish body, mind and spirit so that we can show up as better beings for the people and places in our lives.
Kaylin Sturtevant | Intermediate Ballet and Pilates
Kaylin (she/her) is originally from Plano, Texas, and grew up training at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center and Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She achieved her BFA in Dance in 2020 from the USC Kaufman School of Dance in Los Angeles under the leadership of Jodie Gates. At USC, Kaylin had the opportunity to work closely with and perform works by artists such as William Forsythe, Barak Marshall, Aszure Barton, and Jodie Gates. She has also trained at summer intensives including Nederlands Dans Theater, Jacob’s Pillow, Arts Umbrella, and Alonzo King Lines Ballet. In 2016, Kaylin was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar of the Arts and National YoungArts Winner in Modern Dance, where she performed at the Kennedy Center in a multi-faceted arts show directed by Debbie Allen. This is Kaylin’s third season as a full company member at Ballet BC, and she previously worked professionally with The DASH Ensemble directed by Gregory Dolbashian. Additionally, Kaylin is a certified Pilates instructor through the BASI Comprehensive Program (Mat & Equipment), and she teaches Pilates classes and private lessons during her time off.
Jacalyn Tatro | Pilates
A native of Naperville, Illinois, Jacalyn Tatro began her training with Inspire School of Dance, and in May 2022, graduated from The Juilliard School with a BFA in dance. During her time at Julliard, she worked personally with choreographers such as Bobbi Jene Smith, Ohad Naharin, Azure Barton, and Justin Peck. In the spring of 2022, she was chosen for Terese Capucilli’s recreation of Martha Graham’s 1937 solo, “Deep Song”, becoming the first dancer after Ms. Graham to perform the solo set to its original Henry Cowell music score. Following graduation, Jacalyn was honoured to join Ballet BC and has had the privilege of working on repertoire by Medhi Walerski, Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Johan Inger, Sharon Eyal, Roy Assaf, Jiri Pokorny, Adi Salant, and others. As a complement to her dance education, Jacalyn developed a strong interest in Pilates and received her pilates mat training through “The Stability Project” run by Ellie Kusner. She’s looking forward to continuing her pilates journey as a teacher for the MOVE series where she can share her understanding and enthusiasm of the craft.
Marla Waal | Pilates
Movement has always been an integral part of Marla’s life. After studying ballet at the school of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, she joined Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal and later danced with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In 1998 Marla discovered Yoga, and while studying and teaching she completed over 12 yoga certifications in various styles from restorative practices to more vigorous Ashtanga. After recognizing her passion for helping people destress and feel free in their bodies, Marla continued to study so that she could empower her clients with more effective tools to stay healthy. She went on to study the Franklin Method, Pilates, ELDOA™ and most recently became a Buteyko Breath Educator. With over 25 years of experience, and a passion for helping her clients move better, Marla is a lifelong learner and continues to evolve and grow as a teacher. She teaches in a way that lays out an education, thus empowering her clients and students to achieve a level of self care that approaches mastery.