Meet The Team
Sharon Leeming Mann, RAD RTS
RAD RTS Life Time Member
Sharon Leeming Mann, RAD RTS
RAD RTS Life Time Member
Sharon is a diverse & talented teacher & choreographer who started her teaching career in dance in 1973. Her choreography has received numerous Overall Awards, including the Top Production Trophy for 10 years in a row & many of her students have won Dancer of the Year titles in regional & national competitions of both Candance & the American Dance Awards. Her students have won Junior Miss Candance, Teen Miss Candance and Senior Miss Candance for North America, America’s Junior Dancer of the Year and Teen Male Dancer of the Year, The Dance Awards Male Dancer of the Year, and the National One Shot Senior Soloist Title.
Former students have performed as backup dancers for Lady Gaga and Pink, on the Academy Awards, in Cirque du Soleil’s Love in Las Vegas, and in the lead role of Wicked, San Fransisco and Mary Poppins on Broadway, and a lead role in Jersey Boys and Canada’s So You Think You Can Dance top 12 dancers. Other shows include Dirty Dancing, Lion King, Mama Mia, Hairspray, (Toronto) and 42nd Street, Saturday Night Fever, Boy From Oz and Oklahoma on Broadway and in the movies Chicago, Hairspray, Honey, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure, CW’s Hellcats, and Disney’s Frenemies. Still others are dancing in Toyko Disney, in Stratford, Ontario, on cruise ships or have forged their own career as dance teachers.
Mrs. Leeming Mann is a Life Registered Teacher with the Royal Academy of Dancing & an Accredited Teacher with the Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers. She is a graduate of the Canadian College of Dance, Ryerson University, Toronto and also holds the Advanced Certificates with Honours of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in both National & Modern Dance.
Since 1993 she has had the privilege of adjudicating dance competitions across Canada & the United States for such associations as the American Dance Awards, Candance, Fever, Rhythm, Terpsichore, Elite Dance Challenge, Dance Canada, On Stage, C.D.T.A., the Peel Festival & the Wild Rose Festival. Sharon is a former competitive gymnast, has performed in many dance & theatre productions and she founded Leeming DanceWorks in 1989.
Former students have performed as backup dancers for Lady Gaga and Pink, on the Academy Awards, in Cirque du Soleil’s Love in Las Vegas, and in the lead role of Wicked, San Fransisco and Mary Poppins on Broadway, and a lead role in Jersey Boys and Canada’s So You Think You Can Dance top 12 dancers. Other shows include Dirty Dancing, Lion King, Mama Mia, Hairspray, (Toronto) and 42nd Street, Saturday Night Fever, Boy From Oz and Oklahoma on Broadway and in the movies Chicago, Hairspray, Honey, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure, CW’s Hellcats, and Disney’s Frenemies. Still others are dancing in Toyko Disney, in Stratford, Ontario, on cruise ships or have forged their own career as dance teachers.
Mrs. Leeming Mann is a Life Registered Teacher with the Royal Academy of Dancing & an Accredited Teacher with the Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers. She is a graduate of the Canadian College of Dance, Ryerson University, Toronto and also holds the Advanced Certificates with Honours of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in both National & Modern Dance.
Since 1993 she has had the privilege of adjudicating dance competitions across Canada & the United States for such associations as the American Dance Awards, Candance, Fever, Rhythm, Terpsichore, Elite Dance Challenge, Dance Canada, On Stage, C.D.T.A., the Peel Festival & the Wild Rose Festival. Sharon is a former competitive gymnast, has performed in many dance & theatre productions and she founded Leeming DanceWorks in 1989.
GILLIAN CHOHAN
Kinderdance
GILLIAN CHOHAN
Kinderdance
Gillian began dancing at Greta Leeming Studio of Dance at the age of 3. She moved to Leeming DanceWorks in 2000 to continue training in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop and contemporary and joined the competitive team in 2003. She has trained under the A.D.A.P.T. Jazz and Tap syllabus, and completed her R.A.D Advanced 1 Ballet exam. Over the past 16 years, she has assisted, taught, rehearsed and choreographed for Leeming DanceWorks. Gillian completed her undergrad in Theatre and Psychology as well has her B.Ed in Primary/Junior. She previously worked full-time in Toronto at a child care centre and has been a teacher for the Ottawa Catholic School Board since 2013. Gillian brings her knowledge, experience and passion for teaching young students to her classes.
BRELENE LASKOSKI
Contemporary, Alixa Flexibility, Conditioning
BRELENE LASKOSKI
Contemporary, Alixa Flexibility, Conditioning
Brelene Laskoski is a dancer, teacher and choreographer from Ottawa. She began dancing at the age of 14 at Leeming Danceworks and Canterbury High school in the dance program. She is trained in ballet, modern, jazz, improvisation, and contemporary. After graduation Brelene moved to Toronto where she continued her dance education. She had the opportunity to work with various artists such as Jasmyn Fyffe, Ryan lee and many more. She also studied Graham, Horton, contemporary, ballet, and creative process while in Toronto. In 2018 she had the chance to choreograph a 20 minute piece titled “Canary in a Coalmine” for Ryan Foley’s company, Signature Dance Inc along side 5 other choreographers. Brelene has also had her choreography shown in Fever After Dark, Choreographer’s Ball, Young Creators Challenge, and Let the Elephants Dance. Brelene is now diving deeper into her teaching as well and is level 1 certified in Progressing Ballet Technique and level 5 certified in Alixa Flexibility.
JADE LIM TUNG
Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop
JADE LIM TUNG
Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop
Jade is a multi-disciplinary artist who brings over 10 years of experience as a dance teacher and choreographer. Her creative routines have been recognized across mini, junior, intermediate, teen and university divisions. Year-over-year, her competitive choreography receives top placements and special awards due to high entertainment value and strong technique. Jade is invested in the personal growth of her students of all ages and takes pride in fostering important values such as confidence, teamwork and grit.
Jade began her dance training in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, musical theatre and contemporary at Leeming DanceWorks for 11 years, studying the ADAPT and RAD syllabi. She has since led her own students through successful completion of ADAPT examinations, with multiple students having received scores over 85% and Advanced Tap scholarships. Jade studied visual arts at Canterbury High School and, while obtaining her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, served as a choreographer and executive team member on Carleton University’s competitive dance team, ‘Ravens Dance Pak’, and hip hop crew, ‘CUDC’. Jade continues training in advanced classes at the Ottawa Rhythm Initiative and Flava Factory, as well as photographing local dancers and attending live performances to support the Canadian dance community. In 2024, she attended Advanced / Pro level workshops at the Toronto International Tap Festival, bringing along her senior students and recent alumni. Performance credits: model and dancer for Kania in Ottawa Fashion Week; model and dancer for Dancer’s Give Back.
Jade looks forward to continuing to share her passion with young dancers again this season!
Jade began her dance training in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, musical theatre and contemporary at Leeming DanceWorks for 11 years, studying the ADAPT and RAD syllabi. She has since led her own students through successful completion of ADAPT examinations, with multiple students having received scores over 85% and Advanced Tap scholarships. Jade studied visual arts at Canterbury High School and, while obtaining her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, served as a choreographer and executive team member on Carleton University’s competitive dance team, ‘Ravens Dance Pak’, and hip hop crew, ‘CUDC’. Jade continues training in advanced classes at the Ottawa Rhythm Initiative and Flava Factory, as well as photographing local dancers and attending live performances to support the Canadian dance community. In 2024, she attended Advanced / Pro level workshops at the Toronto International Tap Festival, bringing along her senior students and recent alumni. Performance credits: model and dancer for Kania in Ottawa Fashion Week; model and dancer for Dancer’s Give Back.
Jade looks forward to continuing to share her passion with young dancers again this season!
PASCALE LOUIS
Hip Hop
PASCALE LOUIS
Hip Hop
Pascale started dancing hip-hop at the age of 12, originally coming from a gymnastic background. From the first day of class, she found her passion and has been dancing ever since. Her dance journey started with Future Shock Ottawa, which she was a member of for 5 years. With that youth troupe, she travelled the world dancing in international showcases in Washington D.C, Los Angeles Atlanta and various places in North America. At the age of 16 she started teaching for Future Shock and eventually started her own group called Sick Mindz. This all-female hip hop crew performed at multiple shows throughout the city including Winterlude, Canada Day and was invited to perform at the Annual Culture Shock Ottawa showcase. After leaving Future Shock Ottawa and in the mist of dancing in her own group, Pascale started teaching at Remix Dance Academy and quickly became the senior hip hop choreographer teaching for all of their senior competitive crews where the teams won multiple awards throughout the years. Within the company she was also the Orleans supervisor for all the other junior teachers. As of September 2018, Pascale ventured off to being the Artistic Director to her own independent hip hop group called ASAP Krew. Over her entire dance career, Pascale has always took pride in educating and pushing her students to their full potential. Pascale is passionate about her craft and is excited to spread her knowledge and love of hip hop dance to her students at Leeming DanceWorks!
HELEN GAGNÉ DIP. RBS (TTC), ARAD, RAD RTS
Ballet
Helen Gagné Dip. RBS (TTC), ARAD, RAD RTS began full-time vocational training at the age of 8, attending The Arts Educational School in Tring Park, England, where she received intensive performing arts training alongside an outstanding academic education. She went on to graduate from England’s prestigious Royal Ballet School (RBS), achieving the RBS Teachers’ Training Course Diploma as well as gaining numerous additional qualifications as both a dance teacher and advanced dancer.
A member of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) since 1984, Helen is a Registered RAD teacher, a certified Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) instructor, and holds the Teaching Certificate in Benesh Movement Notation. She has successfully completed the “Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders” certification. Mrs. Gagné continues to expand the scope & breadth of her knowledge & expertise by exploring and studying a vast array of subjects, and participating in continuing professional development courses on a regular basis.
In the studio, Mrs.Gagné is known for her passion and keen attention to detail. She strives to inspire, challenge & motivate each of her students toward achieving their full potential and, as they experience the joy of dance, to nurture within them a love and appreciation of dance that will last a lifetime.
A member of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) since 1984, Helen is a Registered RAD teacher, a certified Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) instructor, and holds the Teaching Certificate in Benesh Movement Notation. She has successfully completed the “Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders” certification. Mrs. Gagné continues to expand the scope & breadth of her knowledge & expertise by exploring and studying a vast array of subjects, and participating in continuing professional development courses on a regular basis.
In the studio, Mrs.Gagné is known for her passion and keen attention to detail. She strives to inspire, challenge & motivate each of her students toward achieving their full potential and, as they experience the joy of dance, to nurture within them a love and appreciation of dance that will last a lifetime.
Maya Urminsky
Musical Theatre
Maya Urminsky
Musical Theatre
Maya’s dance journey at Leeming DanceWorks began at the age of four. By six, she joined the studio’s Competitive Team. Over the years, she has trained in a variety of styles, including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Hip Hop, and Musical Theatre. She has successfully completed several Ballet, Tap, and Jazz examinations with the Royal Academy of Dance and A.D.A.P.T. syllabi. Maya’s dedication has been recognized through many special awards, scholarships, and high scores. Notably, she competed as a Top Dancer at the 2024 Terpsichore National Competition and received the Most Overall Improved Dancer (2021) and Most Full Out (2023) awards at Leeming DanceWorks. She started assisting ballet and jazz classes at age 11, fostering an appreciation for movement and dance among the students. Since 2023, she has led summer dance camps at Leeming DanceWorks and served as a choreographer for a school production of the Seussical the musical in 2024. Maya looks forward to teaching and motivating the next generation of young dancers and sharing her enthusiasm for the performing arts!
Emma Parkinson
Kinderdance, Ballet
Emma Parkinson
Kinderdance, Ballet
Emma began dancing at the age of 5 and began competing at age 8. She joined the competitive team at Leeming DanceWorks when she was 10 years old and has been a dancer in many award winning numbers. She is trained in various styles of dance such as Ballet, Jazz, Tap and Contemporary and has completed many exams in Ballet, Jazz and Tap in the Royal Academy of Dance and A.D.A.P.T. syllabi.
Miss Emma started assisting several classes at the age of 13. She started teaching at the studio in 2018 and has directed the Summer Dance Camps since 2019. Miss Emma loves working with children, is fully bilingual and continues to share her love of dance with her students.
HANNAH RYAN
Tap
HANNAH RYAN
Tap
Hannah first started dancing at Leeming DanceWorks at the age of 3 and quickly fell in love with the world of dance. She started competing at the age of 6 and has trained in a variety of styles including tap, ballet, jazz, contemporary and lyrical. Hannah is trained up to the Advanced Foundation level of the Royal Academy of Dance and has completed her intermediate level exams in both jazz and tap. From the age of 9, she has assisted in a variety of classes including tap, jazz, ballet, and lyrical. Hannah received a regional title for her tap solo at the Canadian Dance Awards in 2022. She also received the Most Overall Improved Dancer of the Year award for the 2021 – 2022 with Leeming DanceWorks. Miss Hannah has a profound passion for tap and she greatly enjoys sharing it with young dancers!
Leah Ryan
Ballet, Lyrical, Tap
Leah Ryan
Ballet, Lyrical, Tap
Leah started dancing at Leeming DanceWorks at the age of three, and started competing when she was seven. During this time, she has trained in styles such as Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Lyrical and Contemporary. Leah has attained her Advanced 2 certificate of the Royal Academy of Dance with Merit and was training at the Advanced level in both Jazz and Tap with the A.D.A.P.T. syllabus. Over the past four years, Leah assisted numerous classes, and working with younger dancers is something that she has always enjoyed. As she enters her third year of teaching, Leah is very passionate about sharing her love for dance!
AVERY DESCHAMPS
Ballet, Jazz
AVERY DESCHAMPS
Ballet, Jazz
Avery began dancing at the age of three and joined the competitive team at Leeming DanceWorks at the age of seven. She has trained in multiple styles such as Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Acro and Lyrical. Avery has attained her Advanced 2 certificate of the Royal Academy of Dance with High Merit and was training at the Advanced level in both Jazz and Tap with the A.D.A.P.T. syllabus. Since the age of twelve, she has assisted multiple classes, including Kinderdance, Lyrical and Jazz. Avery has achieved many accomplishments while participating on the competitive team including most recently receiving the title of Senior Miss Candance in Brockville in 2022. She has a profound passion for dance and loves to share that passion with upcoming dancers as she enters her third year of teaching.
ABBY ALLOY
Acro, Tap, Stretch & Strength
ABBY ALLOY
Acro, Tap, Stretch & Strength
Abby began dancing at the age of two, training in multiple styles such as Jazz, Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Contemporary, Modern, Hip Hop, Acro, Musical Theatre, and Lyrical. She has regularly completed dance exams and achieved training up to the Advanced 1 level of the Royal Academy of Dance in ballet, as well as completed both Advanced Levels in jazz and tap A.D.A.P.T. syllabi. Since the age of nine, she has assisted multiple classes, including Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Acro, and Jazz. Her dedication to dance earned her the prestigious ‘Dancer Of The Year’ Title Award at the Canadian Dance Awards (CDA) in 2021.
Abby has also performed as a guest dancer in ‘Swan Lake’ with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen and in ‘The Nutcracker’ with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet at the National Arts Centre. She was a guest Hip Hop dancer with “The Mini-Pop Kids” on tour, a highlight of her performance career. Most recently, Abby received 4th overall senior title soloist at Terpsichore Nationals 2024 and earned various scholarships. This year, she is very eager to be teaching Acro, Tap, Hip Hop, and Stretch & Strength at Leeming DanceWorks, where she looks forward to sharing her passion and expertise with her students!
Abby has also performed as a guest dancer in ‘Swan Lake’ with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen and in ‘The Nutcracker’ with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet at the National Arts Centre. She was a guest Hip Hop dancer with “The Mini-Pop Kids” on tour, a highlight of her performance career. Most recently, Abby received 4th overall senior title soloist at Terpsichore Nationals 2024 and earned various scholarships. This year, she is very eager to be teaching Acro, Tap, Hip Hop, and Stretch & Strength at Leeming DanceWorks, where she looks forward to sharing her passion and expertise with her students!
DOMINIC PRUD'HOMME
Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, Conditioning, Yoga
DOMINIC PRUD'HOMME
Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, Conditioning, Yoga
Dominic has a versatile background within the dance community, from performer, teacher, choreographer, event planner and backstage manager. Dominic was born in Quebec, QB (CAN) and received his formal dance training, in Ottawa, ON (CAN), from Leeming DanceWorks. Here he trained in ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary and hip hop. He graduated from Canterbury Arts High School, where he trained in Ballet and Modern, with a minor focus on composition. Dom has taken intensive workshops such as Alvin Ailey, FRESH, Movement Invention Project (MIP), Yoga Tune Up and More.In October 2013, Prud’homme performed in the Arts Under 20 Show: Fill up and Get out, a contemporary dance show with an interactive gallery directed and choreographed by Emma Portner and Jade Whitney, in Toronto, ON. In. Dominic studied at Point Park University, Pittsburgh USA where he majored in dance with a concentration in modern and jazz. There he had the opportunity to perform works by Nicholas Petrov, Keisha Lalama, Garfield Lemonius, Ruben Graciani, David Parsons, Lar Lubovitch, Jessica Hendricks and Madboots Dance. He was also part of the faculty of Fresh Dance Intensive, directed and founded by David Norsworthy. Dominic recently earned his yoga teacher certification and looks forward to sharing his passion. He is thrilled to be back at his home studio and have the opportunity to give back to the next generation of young artists.
Karina Stoochnoff
Jazz, Lyrical
Karina Stoochnoff
Jazz, Lyrical
Karina started her dance journey at Leeming Danceworks at the age of 3, starting a lifelong journey filled with diverse dance styles such as ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip hop and contemporary dance. Her dedication and technical skills were acknowledged in 2021 when she was awarded "Best Technique" by Leeming Danceworks. Along the way, she successfully completed all her A.D.A.P.T. Syllabus exams as well as the Advanced 1 Royal Academy of Dance exam. Karina has choreographed for several school events such as the Dance showcase, the school musical, and the end of the year assembly. During summer breaks she teaches as a camp counselor and offers semi-private classes. Karina also showcased her choreography skills by her students earning special awards at competitions. Karina is very passionate about sharing her love of dance with her students.
Shreya Jayaraman
Hip Hop
Shreya Jayaraman
Hip Hop
Shreya began dancing at Leeming DanceWorks at the age of 4 and joined the competitive team at 7. Since then, she has trained in various dance styles, including Tap, Jazz, Ballet, HipHop, Contemporary, and Lyrical. She has completed multiple examinations with the Royal Academy of Dance and successfully completed her intermediate exams in both Jazz and Tap. Since the age of 9, Shreya has been assisting in classes, covering styles such as Tap, Jazz, Ballet and HipHop. She has been teaching at Leeming DanceWorks Summer Dance Camp since 2023 after assisting at the camp since 2021. Most recently, Shreya was recognized as a Top Dancer for her Tap solo at Terpsichore Dance Competition. Throughout her years at Leeming DanceWorks, Shreya has received the Most Improved Dancer award in Tap, Jazz, HipHop, and Contemporary. Driven by her passion for dance, Shreya is incredibly excited to be teaching at LDW this year and is honoured to share her enthusiasm with her students.
Gabby La Touche
Gabby La ToucheGabby began dancing at Vlad’s Dance Company during her pre-teen years, competing in jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and tap and receiving special awards and top overall placements. She has studied with Shawn Bracke and Michael Prince among others. Upon moving to Ottawa, Gabby performed in “La Gana” music video for Nancita Kapi and she joined the Carleton DanceLab and PNL Dance Co. which furthered her love for hip hop.
She currently attends Carleton University as an undergraduate student and continues to remain involved in the dance community. Gabby is happy to share her love of hip hop with others through teaching and strives to create a positive environment for all dancers to grow and succeed!
Abby Head
Abby Head is a multi-disciplinary dance artist and choreographer. She grew up in Powell River, British Columbia, where she trained in jazz, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, modern, tap and musical theatre. She began competitive dance at age 10 and competed at various competitions, including attending the BC Performing Arts Provincials four times in Stage and Modern Dance and competing in the IDO World Showdance Championships in 2017 as part of Team Canada West Showdance. Abby taught dance throughout high school and has been choreographing since 2017, creating over 100 pieces and winning various choreography awards. She continued to dance in Vancouver while completing her Political Science degree at the University of British Columbia. She choreographed a musical and was a member of various groups, including the Quill Collective Creative Cycle and the UBC Dance Horizons Company. Currently, Abby is a company member and choreographer for Voices Dance Project, an interdisciplinary contemporary dance collective in Ottawa. Creativity is at the heart of everything she does, and Abby is thrilled to have the opportunity to share her passion with the Leeming Danceworks community.