Connie Parsons (AISTD., ACDTA., CSC-CICB)

Owner/Operator, Director

Connie Parsons has a passion for dance and business, and in 2000 was awarded Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Newfoundland & Labrador by BDC. In 2015, Connie was named Eastern Canada’s Female Entrepreneur of the Year by RBC & Women of Influence – micro business category. In 2016, Connie was named Visionary Entrepreneur of the Year by NLOWE.

She studied child development and psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland with a primary interest in education. She pursued a career in dance becoming a fully qualified and professionally trained dance instructor, holding teaching qualifications with the ISTD, CDTA, and Cecchetti Society of Canada (classical ballet). Connie believes it takes the same vision, creativity, perseverance & passion to be an artist as it does to be a successful entrepreneur. Her main goal is to inspire and motivate young people, through dance. Connie stays up to date on the latest trends in dance in able to provide classes in current as well as classic styles. She believes strongly in continued learning and regularly attends courses to update class curriculum and inspire new ideas. She has trained with some of the top dance pedagogues from around the world and is always eager to learn more. Connie has taken classes at Broadway Dance Centre in New York City and attended a dance teacher/studio owner conference & convention in Las Vegas. She has attended the Broadway Dance Center’s Annual Teacher Workshop in New York City held in conjunction with The PULSE on Tour. This experience provided the opportunity to study Tap, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet, and Theatre Dance with Tony award winning Broadway stars, BDC teachers, and the faculty of the hit TV series “So You Think You Can Dance”. She has attended the Cecchetti Ballet National Conference (The National Ballet School in 2009 and RWB in 2005). She has also traveled to Europe to attend the ISTD Modern and Tap summer school hosted by The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (London, England) Connie Parsons has enjoyed a fun-filled performance career which has included guest appearances dancing live in concert with Great Big Sea, and The Irish Descendants as well as performances in various local musicals including ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ (PMP 1996), Rock of Ages (principal dancer) with TADA events (2016) and We Will Rock You (dancer) with TADA (2019).
Connie is also a busy mother of 4 young children.

Dance Instructors

Stephanie Campbell is a graduate of the Dance Performance Diploma Program (Honors) at George Brown College in Ontario. Stephanie received her early dance training locally at The Dance Centre, completing all Cecchetti Ballet examinations up to and including Advanced 1. Before graduating high school, she performed in Kittiwake’s production of The Nutcracker for several years, participated in many workshops, and attended a summer intensive at Quinte Ballet School of Canada. After graduating from College, Stephanie accepted a full-time position with Kittiwake Dance Theatre in 2018. Since then, she has performed the roles of Queen of Hearts and Alice in Alice and during the 2018 and 2019 provincial tour of The Nutcracker, the roles of Arabian Princess, Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy, the lead role, and pas-de-deux in Carmina Burana and a solo for Shallaway Youth Choir’s Les Berceaux. She has been a member of the Mosaic Dance Company, most recently performing the role of Queen of Light in their 2018 work Canvas. In February, Stephanie was accepted to represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the National Ballet School of Canada’s Take the Lead, a leadership workshop for women and is currently teaching their Sharing Dance program in a local school, on behalf of Kittiwake. She thoroughly enjoys teaching various styles of dance including ballet, pointe, modern, contemporary, lyrical and jazz. This year, Stephanie is thrilled to be teaching at Connie Parsons School of Dance as well as The Dance Centre and Dance Studio East.

Ballet, Tap, Modern, Jazz, Musical Theatre

Susan Lily is an ISTD (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing) trained & fully certified dance teacher born and raised in the UK. She holds a B.A. Honors in Dance from Middlesex University, DDI Cecchetti Ballet and Associate Modern Theatre & Tap Dance Teaching Qualifications. She attends the ISTD teachers summer school in the UK regularly, to stay updated with all her exam tap and modern work. Last year this also included the new Contemporary syllabus and she is looks forward to returning again next summer for more inspiration. In Summer 2022 Susan did a refresher course in junior level tap work and technique with the ISTD. Susan also received a scholarship to attend the Cecchetti Ballet Teachers Summer School in the UK in 2016. In addition to ballet, tap & modern, Susan also teaches jazz, contemporary & musical theatre. In 2007, she moved to New York City to train at the Broadway Dance Centre & Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. There, she gained significant exposure and training which she took with her when she returned home to the UK in 2013 and began teaching at the Weston School of Dance and Performing Arts. In this time Susan also performed in a vast array of musical & dance productions including Legally Blonde, Sister Act, Crazy for You and Titanic to name just a few. This year Susan made her debut performance with TaDa! Events here in St John’s in We Will Rock You & peformed in La Cage before theatres shut down in March due to COVID. Susan is also a versatile choreograper for the EVOLVE Competitions teams, with many of her pieces winning awards and invites to Dance World Cup. Susan took classes at Pineapple Dance Studios in London, where she trained in Commercial dance with some of the leading choreographers in the industry.

ECE

Ashley began dancing at Connie Parsons School of Dance in 2001. She has studied ballet, tap, jazz, modern, pointe and hiphop. In 2007, Ashley began assisting classes at CPSOD where she quickly became interested in teaching dance and began teaching in 2009. Ashley trained through the studio’s examination program in both ballet & tap, and successfully completed her Advanced 2 Tap exam in 2010. Ashley is charismatic & energetic, and has a natural aptitude for teaching.
In 2009, Ashley attended Broadway Dance Center’s annual Teacher Workshop in New York City, held in conjunction with The Pulse on Tour. In 2011, she attended another Pulse on Tour event, this time in Toronto, training in various types of dance with choreographers such as Brian Friedman, Chris Judd & Tessandra Chavez. In 2012, Ashley participated in “Rock the Rhythm” Dance Convention held at the Capitol Hotel. In addition to her extensive dance training, Ashley is also HIGH FIVE certified. High Five is Canada’s only comprehensive quality assurance program for children’s recreation programs and promotes the healthy development of children ensuring that they have the best possible recreation experience.

In September 2018, Ashley began studying Early Childhood Education at the College of the North Atlantic. She graduated from the program in April 2020. In August 2022, Ashley completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Studies from the University of Guelph-Humber, making her a Level IV Early Childhood Educator.
Ashley infuses her passion and experience working with children of all ages and abilities into every class she teaches and is excited for another season at Connie Parsons School of Dance!

  • Broadway Dance Center’s Teacher Workshop (2009)
  • Advanced II ISTD Tap (2010)
  • The PULSE on Tour (2011)
  • Rock the Rhythm (2012)
  • HIGH FIVE recreation certification (2012)
  • Level 4 Early Childhood Educator (2022)

Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary

Abby Rowe is a graduate of the Dance Performance Diploma Program from George Brown College. During her studies, Abby had the pleasure of working with choreographers such as Derek Sangster, Hanna Kiel, Kathleen Rea, Tina Fushell, Alyssa Martin and Lauren Cook. Her credits include “Intersection” choreographed by Derek Sangster in the 2020 Dance Ontario Dance Weekend. Since returning home, Abby is extremely active in the local dance scene. She is a member of Mosaic Dance Company and Kittiwake Dance Theatre and is also Kittiwake’s newest Emerging Choreographer in Residence. Her extensive dance training includes disciplines such as Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Broadway, Modern, and Contemporary. She also has completed her Cecchetti Ballet Examinations up to and including Advanced 1. Abby is passionate about teaching, she can be found working with many schools across St. John’s including Dance Studio East, Jill Dreaddy Danceco, and Connie Parsons School of Dance.

Ballet, Pointe

Hannah Drover is a graduate of the George Brown College Dance Performance program (Honours), and received the Dean’s Honour Medal, as well as the Ballet, Contact Dance, and Faculty Awards upon graduation. Prior to college, she received her training and performance experience at Dance Studio East Professional Division, Kittiwake Dance Theatre, and Canada’s Ballet Jörgen. Hannah furthered her training through summer intensives with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen Junior Company, The Performance Research Program, Kenny Pearl’s Emerging Artist Intensive, and Arts Umbrella where she had the privilege to learn and perform works by Jiri Kylian, Mats Ek, and Crystal Pite. Hannah has participated in a choreographic mentorship with the Artistic Director of Human Body Expression, Hanna Kiel, and has choreographed works for Kittiwake Dance Theatre, Neighbourhood Dance Work’s Festival of New Dance, George Brown Dance Ensemble, and The Garage Collective. Hannah recently became Kittiwake Dance Theatre’s first Emerging Choreographer in Residence, and is delighted to be entering her second year dancing as a soloist with Kittiwake Dance Theatre.

Adult Classes, Recreational, Competition Choreo and IDD Program

Tanya Lasby is a dancer, singer, actor, and instructor born and raised in Elmvale, Ontario. She grew up in the studio where her love of dance grew right along with her. She has studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary & Modern Theatre Stage Dance. As a student, Tanya experienced the competition circuit, and discovered a fondness for singing and acting. When she graduated from high school, She was presented with a Humanitarian award and scholarship for her positive attitude and passion for spreading happiness throughout the student body. She then attended Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario for their Music Theatre Performance Program, where she graduated with honours. While in school, she was part of a tap dance company called Turn on the Tap, headed by Paula Skimin, and performed in professional shows including Canada’s Wonderland. Tanya assisted at her local studio for many years and has taught locally in St. John’s over the past 8 years. This will be her 5th season with CPSOD. We love her positivity and infectious bright attitude. She has enjoyed performing in fundraisers and dance shows around town. You may recognize her from musicals like Our Divas Do Christmas, Evita, Chicago (TaDa!), Mary Poppins and Grease (Theatre St. John’s) to name a few. Tanya is a founding member of the East Coast Rhythm Project in St. John’s. Tanya looks forward to teaching lots of cool tap classes, & modern contemporary movement, with recreational kids, IDD students, adult classes and the competition teams.

Children’s Work, Pre-Ballet, B/T/J, Hip Hop, EVOLVE Competition Choreographe

Mackenzie Loveless has been dancing for 20 years at CPSOD and is currently a senior level dancer. In 2021 She joined Kittiwake Dance Theatre as an emerging artisit. She has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, pointe, and hip-hop. She has also been involved in the studio’s examination programs, successfully completing all Cecchetti Ballet examinations up to Intermediate, and all ISTD Modern Theatre exams up to and including Grade 6. She competed at local competitions for 6 years with CPSOD’S Intensive Dance Division and the Senior Competition Team. She has also attended local workshops and conventions to further her training. Mackenzie has traveled to Toronto for the Pulse on Tour (2014), Florida for the Pulse on Tour (2015), as well as Disney Dance The World and Performing Arts, Orlando (2016).

Mackenzie has been teaching dance at CPSOD for 6 years and cannot wait to start her 7th season. She has taught children’s ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and hip-hop. She is also an EVOLVE competition team choreographer!

Mackenzie is currently a fifth year university student at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Dance for Young Children Ballet/Tap/Jazz, IDD program, Summer Camps

Michaela Wells began dancing at CPSOD at the age of 2 1/2 and hasn’t stopped since! She has trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Hip Hop, Pointe, and Broadway. She has been actively involved in the studio’s examination programs, having successfully completed ISTD Advanced II Tap, ISTD Intermediate Modern Theatre, Cecchetti Grade 6 Ballet and is working towards her Associate in ISTD Tap. She was also an award winning member of the Senior Competition Team and Intensive Dance Division for many years.

Michaela takes every opportunity she can to further her training by attending workshops, masterclasses, and conventions locally (Rock the Rhythm, iDance, Broadway Dreams) across Canada (The Pulse TO, Raw Motion, Ballet Jörgen) and the United States (Broadway Dance Centre, Steps on Broadway, The Pulse FL & Las Vegas). During summer of 2022 she completed Module One of the Alixa Flexibility training. Her love of dance is often displayed onstage at local theatre productions, some of which include; Our Divas Do Christmas (TaDa! Events), Billy Elliot (Atlantic Light Theatre), and The Little Mermaid (Theatre St. John’s).

Michaela has developed a great passion for teaching and is currently a student at Memorial University with plans to obtain a Bachelor of Education. She is an executive member of the MUN chapter of the ILM Campaign which focuses on self care and mental health. She is proud to teach alongside such a stellar & talented group of teachers at both CPSOD and EVOLVE dance.

  • Alixa Flexibility Certification (2022)
  • ISTD Advanced II Tap (2019)
  • ISTD Intermediate Modern Theatre (2019)
  • Cecchetti Grade 6 Ballet (2018)
  • Ballet Jörgen Summer Intensive (2017)
  • HIGH FIVE Principles of Healthy Childhood Development Certification (2019)
  • iDance Scholarships: Lisbon (2018), Paris (2017)
  • Broadway Dreams Disney Performance Intensive Scholarship, California (2019)
  • The Pulse Dancer Scholarships, Las Vegas (2016), Orlando (2015)
  • Dance Quest Convention Scholarship (2017)
  • Disney Dance The World and Performing Arts, Orlando (2016)

Emma began dancing at CPSOD at the age of 3 and her love of dance grew from there on. she has trained in various styles including: ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, and pointe. Besides the classes that she takes on a regular basis, Emma has attended countless workshops and has been introduced to multiple styles of dance and learning. Emma has been a part of ISTD tap examinations for many years and completed all levels up to the advanced II level. She began assisting in 2017 and it sparked her love for watching and inspiring the growth of younger dancers. She has been teaching since 2018, and adores her pre ballet and parent and tot classes. Since starting teaching, she has discovered that nothing is as rewarding as showing others how incredible dance can be!

Hip Hop

We are excited to introduce you to our newest CPSOD teacher, Sophia Bramwell.  Sophia has been dancing for 15 years and has trained in many styles including Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Broadway, and Contemporary. She trained formally in the Cecchetti method of ballet and is set to complete her Advanced One examination this November. She spent a number of year’s assisting dance classes at The Dance Centre in Ballet, Jazz, Tap and Cecchetti exam ballet. Sophia spent the 2021-2022 dance season competing with Evolve Dance and was awarded an SDF dance tour scholarship to train in Hawaii. While dancing in the USA, she was exposed to some stellar choreographers and guest artists.  She is very excited to begin teaching classes at CPSOD in September, giving her the perfect opportunity to challenge her students and share all of her new knowledge and ideas.
Sophia was involved in various stage productions over the years, including PMP Scrooge (2015), KDT The Nutcracker (2016,2017,2018) and Mosaic Dance Co (2021).  Along with her devotion to dance, Sophia is beginning the next stage of her formal education this fall at Memorial University. She is very excited for the year ahead!

Acro Coach and Cheer Tumbler

Delaney Turner is a level 5 tumbling athlete who trains on a worlds team at Coastal Wave Elite (CWE) Cheerleading Gym. This past summer she had the wonderful experience of running the summer camp program at CWE and taught hundreds of young students cheer skills and tumbling progressions. Delaney is also a dancer, and over the past 13 years has trained in many styles including Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Broadway, and more! Delaney cannot wait to have her own group of students to positively influence and watch develop and shine. Her experience in coaching and teaching tumbling to young athletes along with her experience and love of dance make her the ideal teacher for our Acro program at Connie Parsons School of Dance (CPSOD). Acro class is where gymnastics skills merge with dance. Delaney is excited to get started and looks forward to meeting her students at CPSOD this season.

Certified Acrobatic Arts Teacher

Antonia Francis has always been on the move. With her combination of gymnastic training and dance experience she has been leading our Acrobatics Arts program for the past 3 years.

She has spent the past 7 years as Cygnus Gymnastics choreographer and competitive team’s dance coach. She holds several coaching certifications. These include, NCCP Level 1 & 2 artistic gymnastics training, Level 1 trampoline and USA gymnastics level 1. In October 2017, Antonia travelled to Ireland and achieved her certification in Acrobatic Arts.

She began dance at an early age and has trained in multiple styles including: ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, latin jazz, modern and hip hop. She has taken class in both New York and Paris at Broadway Dance Centre (NYC), Centre de Danse (Paris) and Éléphant Panamein (Paris). Antonia has been teaching for many years specifically in young children’s dance classes and Acro-jazz classes.

She joined CPSOD in 2017 and has been working with our recreational and competitive dancers ever since. We are so happy to welcome Antonia back for another fantastic dance season.

Young Children’s Dance Instructor – Ballet/Tap/Jazz/Modern

Maggie Winsor is a first year university student with 15 years of dance experience. She has trained as a teaching assistant for the past 3 years at Connie Parsons School of Dance (CPSOD).
Maggie is a well rounded dancer having trained in multiple styles including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hip, modern and pointe. She was a member of our examination program for years and completed high level exams in ballet, modern & tap. She is excited to have the opportunity to share her knowledge and love of dance with the young students of CPSOD.
Outside of her studio training, Maggie was accepted into the summer intensive program at Quinte ballet school (Ontario) in 2019. She has also performed multiple roles in The Nutcracker with Kittiwake Dance Theatre and is a competitive dancer with EVOLVE dance team.
Maggie is a mature, kind & responsible young lady with a bright future ahead of her. Nothing makes us more proud than seeing our own students thrive and develop into valuable teachers for the next generation of CPSOD dancers.

Theatre Dance – kids & adults, Barre Conditioning

A true Triple Threat, Miranda MacDonald is a Sheridan College graduate – BAA in Musical Theatre Performance. She is a Choreographer, Director and Music Director for various productions both locally and outside the province. Miranda is the Creator of Dynamic Sound and Dynamic Fusion Show Choirs, and teaches voice, piano and acting privately in her home. Miranda hopes to pass on her knowledge and training from her musical theatre experiences to passionate performers here on The Rock. She has choreographed for the CPSOD competition team for the past 2 years and is very excited to join the teaching team at our studio and share her skills with even more students. Learn to sing, dance & Act in her triple threat theatre classes at CPSOD.