Staff

Karen is so happy to still be a part of the Gotta Dance family after so many years. Karen grew up at Gotta Dance, even back when it had a different name and owners! She was a competitive jazz, lyrical, ballet, tap, pointe, musical theatre and hip hop dancer for 10 years, winning numerous overall awards for groups, duets and solos. As well as being a dancer at the studio, Karen was also given many opportunities to teach and assist other teachers from a young age. During that time, Karen attended Etobicoke School of the Arts for dance and had the opportunity to expand her dance repertoire by performing in modern dance works by established choreographers such as Gabby Kamino, Colleen Friedman, Milton Myers, Danny Grossman and Benjamin Kamino. Upon graduating, Karen was thrilled to be welcomed back to the school as a guest jazz teacher.

Currently completing her BFA in Theatre Performance Dance from Ryerson University; Karen studies ballet, jazz and modern with some of the best teachers in Canada including Nadia Potts, Vicki St. Denys and Karen Duplisea. Karen has danced in many professional arenas, such as for the Toronto Raiders football team, Desiraeda Dance Theatre, Kinetic Elements and the Huis Ten Bosch Luxury Resort in Japan. Working with The Dance Company, Karen has performed at such events as the Toronto Zoo’s 30th Anniversary Celebration, Ontario Place’s featured Summer Splash show and the Children’s Aid Foundation’s Teddy Bear Affair.

Also with The Dance Company Karen has choreographed for high profile events such as The Chocolate Ball, as well as many other corporate celebrations. The Dance Company has also given her the chance to perform specialized shows for kids and she has been seen at Albion Mall, Bridlewood Mall and Cloverdale Mall in shows that include dance performances, dance lessons and creative games!

Along with her incredible passion Karen has for dance, she is also intrigued by other creative forms and is excited to pursue acting, filmmaking and modeling as well as dancing when she is done school. Karen has also caught the travel bug and would love to be able to travel the world and explore cultural dance forms in as many different countries as possible! Karen is so excited to still be teaching at the same dance studio that originally instilled her passion for dance. With all her experience in many different types of dance, she brings extensive knowledge and exuberance to anything she teaches. Currently teaching jazz and tap, Karen looks forward to inspiring the creativity and perfecting the technique of many up and coming Gotta Dance dancers!