Teachers

Serra has been a dancer all of her life. Her first dancing was done as an infant when she moved her arms and legs in time to her dad’s piano playing! Starting dance classes at the age of 5, she began her on-going study of Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, Musical Theater and Hip Hop. She trained first at Bea McLeod’s Ballet School, then to Beat Street Danceworks, Harbour Dancenter (Nanaimo), Kirkwood Academy and Parksville Ballet School. Currently she trains in Hip Hop, Jazz, Street Jazz and Ballet at Harbour Dance Center in Vancouver. Serra has choreographed awesome hip hop shows for numerous events, including; The B.C. Disability Games, Parksville Sandcastle competitions, The Strongman World Cup Tour, The Adventure Games, Canada Day Celebration, Silly Boat Regatta, New Year’s Eve Celebration, Youth Week Nanaimo and for FAME the World Tour in Nanaimo. Serra loves dance. It is her passion and she is thrilled to be able to do it everyday of her life!

Carlo is based out of Vancouver, Canada where he is best known for his work directing The Faculty (Body Rock 3rd place Champions 2013, and 2nd place Champions 2014) as well as TwoFourSeven Company (Canadian National Hip Hop Champions 2013-2016, Body Rock Champions 2017,Vibe 3rd Place Champions 2018, and World of Dance LA Champions 2018). As a choreographer, Carlo has a reputation of being an exceptional visual storyteller. His unique methods of staging and his willingness to tackle challenging concepts and themes are what continue to elevatehis craft and set him apart from the rest. Carlo pulls inspiration from all realms of movement from hip hop to contemporary both new and old school. His ability to embody such a diverse vocabulary has proven to be a valuable asset in his artistry. Carlo is now making moves in the commercial world where you can see much of his work in music videos and television. Most recently, his work has been featured on season 2 of World of Dance and season 1 of World of Dance Philippines. He also just produced his first ever show entitled "Sonder" that sold out in Vancouver this fall! Make sure to stay up to date with all of Carlo's upcoming work through his social media: @ati3nza.

The two worlds of freestyle and choreography dance and the people who do these separate arts have always fascinated Eric Malapad. In his journey he has loved discovering the many styles of music that have given rise to their own dance cultures. This passion has led him to listen and study many styles of music including Hip hop, Jazz, Latin, African and Electronic, to name just a few. In his travels, he has connected with fascinating people from the choreography and freestyle worlds and they have inspired his dance and given him a unique knowledge that he now continues to share after 20 or so years in the music and dance scene. His love for music and dance has involved him in numerous battles, competitions, hip hop shows (stage and street), concerts, film & television, jams and circles with crews, friends and colleagues. It has been Eric's pleasure to dance, teach, assist, battle and educate with some of the best out there. His crew, credits and colleagues include OTI, Now Or Never, Paul Becker, Zach Woodlee, Harbour Dance, K-os, Talib Queli, See Spot Run, Legion and Flash, to name a few. Dance has also brought him to the arena of teaching in which he is very passionate as well. He tries to remind everyone he teaches that sacrifice, failure and hardship are as much a part of the process of reaching goals as practice, being motivated and dreaming big.

Ivana graduated from the Prague Conservatory of Dance. She danced professionally in Czechia with Pilsen Ballet and in Canada with Ballet BC, Ballet Victoria and Robert Desrosiers company, among others. She is currently a director of Bohemia Dance Productions- a boutique touring company with Artstarts BC, and a collaborator with Vancouver Island Symphony. As a pedagogue, Ivana has extensive teaching experience in Europe and Canada and is pursuing Masters of Dance at the prestigious Palucca University of Dance in Dresden, Germany. Her coaching of private students has led to their successful enrolment in prestigious ballet schools (Paris Opera ballet School,Tanya Pearson Academy, Canada’s National Ballet School and Royal Winnipeg Ballet School) and she feels privileged to be able to continue to share her passion and knowledge as a guest ballet master at Ballet Victoria. Ivana's other ventures with dance include dancing with older adults with dementia, coaching teams of artistic swimmers and adjudicating ballet competitions and festivals throughout Canada.

B-boy Taiyo is a world-famous b-boy hailing from South Korea. His crew, "Last For One", came from a small town outside of Seoul, and made a big splash in the mid 2000's. Most notably, winning the International Battle of the Year 2005 in Germany. Taiyo's crew was highlighted in the feature film "Planet B-boy", that followed the story of each crew that went to Battle of the Year 2005. Taiyo's style is based off of his belief that a well-rounded b-boy is a good b-boy. He combines style, power, and foundation to create his dance, and passes it on to his students with great enthusiasm.

Demitria has been dancing since she was 5 years old and has always gravitated towards the stage styles like tap and musical theatre. Some of her favourite roles throughout her training have been Sister Mary Robert in “The Sister Act”, the Czardas Lead in “Coppélia”, and spending a summer performing in Bard 2 Broadway’s production of “Young Frankenstein”. More recently she's became fascinated with contemporary and improvisation dance styles. Demitria is happy to be back with her Vibrant family. She wants to create a space where her dancers can feel free to explore their own personal dance styles, and live their truest self. Her classroom is an inclusive space, where everyone is welcome.

AJ has been dancing for seven years and popping for four. He learned hip hop growing up in his neigbourhood and was on the dance team at his school also. He started learning popping from his math tutor AniDoktoR who is a professional dancer in Vancouver. Continuing his career in popping, he eventually learned from the creater of bopping style "Boppin Andre", who helped him get to the level he's currently at. He then branched out and started a dance crew called Heavy Hittaz with crew member Luxurious and have further improved his style in popping. He's been a finalist in competitions, including 'Set it straight 4' in Halifax and won second place at 'World Of Dance Vancouver'. He's travelled all around North America to compete in competitions including New York, Toronto & LA. He currently teaches workshops all across the continent, takes part in competitions and loves to spread knowledge to all dancers who want to improve their dance skills.

Jacksun is known for his exceptional skills in hip-hop, animation, popping, and funk. As a founding member of the well-known dance/social media duo "Funkanometry," he has performed on popular TV shows such as JLo's NBC's World of Dance season 3 and America's Got Talent season 17 in 2022. With over 14 years of experience, he has battled internationally and won accolades, demonstrating his expertise in freestyle, battling, and choreography. He has represented Canada at the International Dance Organization's competitions in Europe, where he brought home silvers and a bronze in a variety of categories. His crew, "Megabots," took first place at World of Dance Vancouver in 2019. Over the years, Jacksun has showcased his talents at various battles, competitions and conventions usually placing near or at the top. In 2023, Jacksun's expertise in choreography was recognized at the highly respected dance competition "Artists Emerge," where a solo he choreographed placed first overall and received the most outstanding solo award in the whole competition. As a young teacher, Jacksun is passionate about helping hard-working dancers improve quickly and have fun while learning. He aims to create an encouraging environment for his students where they can thrive and learn to master hip-hop.

Chris is a dancer, choreographer, instructor, and director from Vancouver, BC. He currently teaches at Harbour Dance Centre and A3 District and hosts weekly freestyle sessions for the community called The Corner. He is a member of TwoFourSeven Company and is part of their creative team, having choreographed for elite competitions such as Body Rock, VIBE, and World Of Dance. Chris has taught all over BC, as well as Edmonton, Calgary, Oslo, and LA and continues to share his work with the rest of the world. Chris is known for fusing choreography and freestyle to create organic movement, character, and story telling through his dance.

Hailey has been dancing since she could walk but started Hip hop at the age of 7 at Vibe. Mostly recreation level at first, but leading to competition groups. Dancing in Royelle during her graduating year was a dream come true. During her time at Vibe she had the opportunity to assist with some of her favourite teachers and eventually teaching on her own during spring break and summer. She knew in her last year at the studio that she wanted to continue being involved with Vibe so when the teaching opportunity presented itself, she was super excited! She has been teaching on her own now for 3 years and looking forward to another exciting year ahead.

Once a competitive gymnast, Shai fell in love with pole right away. It is everything she loves, movement, strength grace and MUSIC! It is not always easy, and there is always something to learn. Shai has her pole certifications with the CPFA, and has been teaching for 3 years. With over 20 years of combined teaching experience, (gymnastics, dance, yoga, Acro and fitness) she is excited to share her love for pole with you! Come get your sass on with this baddie!

Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Karleena began gymnastics classes shortly after taking her first steps. She competed in artistic gymnastics at a provincial and national level for 11 years, and then 13 years of coaching young gymnasts herself. Karleena has a BSc in Biology and Psychology from VIU, is a certified personal trainer and is working on Physical Therapy Master's Degree program. Karleena fell in love with the aerial arts recently and is happy to bring her extensive experience to her Vibe classes!

Eden has danced at Vibe since he was three years old and has been crazy about dancing ever since. He's been in many crews over the years including Heavy Hittaz, Team Breaking BC and Megabots. The latter two he's been dancing with for over 2 years now and they've brought him to competitions and events across North America including Seattle, Calgary, Los Angeles, New York, Montreal, and Toronto. He recently placed fourth overall in the Canada Youth Nationals. Eden is excited to improve his dance and give back what he's been learning on his travels.

Geneviève Caron is a jazz, modern, contemporary, lyrical, hip-hop and musical theatre instructor & choreographer. For the last 25 years, she has trained dancers of all ages and levels. She has also performed and choreographed for professional and Jr sports teams such as Montreal Alouettes, Montreal Canadians, VI Raiders, Montreal Express; danced in Canadian Armed Forces Tours, corporate shows, video clips and many different events throughout Canada. Here is Nanaimo, she has worked with dancers and performers from Tempo Dance Academy, Rhythm Dance Academy, Headliners Production, Nanaimo Ambassador Program and VI Raiders dance team to name a few. Originally from Québec, Geneviève started dancing at 4 years old and fell in love with the art. She graduated from UQAM with a Bachelor’s Degree in Modern and Contemporary dance. Genevieve still takes dance classes every chance she gets and continues to expand her dance knowledge participating in numerous seminars and workshops across Canada and the United States in order to stay competitive in the industry. She is a member of PAEC and RWID.

As a fitness enthusiast and professional Bhangra dancer, dancing is Sukhi’s all time favourite workout. Sukhi is a trained bhangra dancer, choreographer, and bhangra fitness instructor. She offers dance training in Bhangra, Bollywood dance, and Bhangra fitness to students of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels. Sukhi has been dancing since she was five, and teaching dance for 17 years. She started off as a self-taught dancer, later trained and danced competitively in Bhangra. While training for her professional career in Poland, Sukhi showcased her Bhangra skills at Poland's Got Talent, where she managed to progress to the 3rd round. As a teacher, Sukhi’s goal is to ensure you leave her class dripping in sweat, feeling joyful, and hopefully with some new moves to pull on your next night out. She's taught Bhangra for all ages in Poznan, Delta, Surrey, and now Nanaimo!

Deeya has been dancing at the Vibe Studio for over 10 years and it has been a second home for her. A freestyle dancer with foundations in hip-hop, popping, and locking, she has used the teachings from her instructors to allow her to compete on the world stage. She has won the U18 battle zone in hip hop, popping and all styles. She has been on the commercial side of dance as well, appearing in a Netflix original 'The Healing Powers of Dude' and CITY TV’S 'A Million Little Things'. Her proudest achievement so far is performing with Minibots and Gigabots on season 3 and 4 of NBC’s World of Dance. Deeya’s main goal is to teach the next generation of youth about the history of hip hop, how to groove and helping young dancers discover their OWN dancing style in a safe space.

Brandon has had an appreciation of hip hop and bboying from the young age of 14. He was inspired by a childhood friend with "cool moves" in the school parking lot. When Brandon asked his friend how he learned it all, his friend replied: "practice, it's how most anything in life is accomplished." Brandon initially taught himself bboying by practicing. He now actively attends classes, performs and supports events at Vibe. Brandon volunteers his time to host bboy practice sessions at Vibrant Dance Studios. He also currently practices as a dentist in Nanaimo and continues bboying to exercise, stay youthful, maintain his health, and to keep the memory of his childhood friend alive.

Sevrin “Sevi” Emnacen-Boyd is a half Filipino b-boy, all-styles dancer, and an enthusiast of all things rhythmic and expressive. Seeking to push forward the vibrant spirit of the Vancouver street dance scene, Sevi’s style has become attuned to musical details and movements uncommonly explored in breaking. As an active member of the Vancouver street dance community since 2006, Sevi has sought to play a prominent role in building what is quickly becoming a prominent force in the local art scene. He has organized a number of youth dance battles with the City of Surrey and currently judges, performs, and teaches across Canada. Sevi is also a renown competitor in the international breakdance scene and has traveled to many creative corners of the world including Amsterdam, Tokyo, New York City, and Manila. He is currently an active member in the Now Or Never Crew, Scndrlz, and Think Twice Japan.

Rees has been dancing with Vibe for over 12 years, training in mostly hiphop/street with a few years of locking sprinkled in. She has competed with countless crews over the years and now, after graduation, is turning her focus over to teaching. Dance has always been a huge passion for her and she loves to watch her students grow, as her teachers did before her. You’ll often catch her with her camera in hand, recording moments around the studio.

Darsey first started her pole journey 8 years ago at Luxe Studios and has been hooked ever since her first class. Darsey prides herself on starting her dance journey later in life and loves that there is always something new to learn and improve on. As your instructor, she’ll remind you to point your toes as often as she reminds herself! Darsey will be your biggest cheerleader and hopes that you’ll feel as strong and confident doing pole as she does.

Aili is Vibe's newest teacher and we don't have a bio for her quite yet. Coming soon!

Karrie is thrilled to join the crew at Vibrant Dance. Though she is a new teacher, she's not so new to Vibe or some of the current staff. Before Serra opened her studio, she took classes with both her and Ivana. Since Vibe opened, Karrie has also had the pleasure (and pain) of classes with past and some current teachers including Eric, AJ Megaman, Jacksun, Genevieve and Deeya. Karrie has had a love affair with dance for as long as she can remember, which seems to run in the family, as both her young girls dance at Vibe and create performances at home on the daily. Now for a little secret, Karrie was quite shy growing up and didn't actually start taking regular dance classes until after high school, at which point she tried as many classes as she could! She ventured into tap, jazz, ballet, musical theatre and hip-hop, all while attending the theatre program at university. Now she's got a day job but gets to play and dance for the pure love of it!

Rachel started dancing recreational Ballet at Harbour Dance Studios at age three. She branched out to Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical and Hip Hop when she was nine. Rachel switched to competitive dance at age eleven and got into Harbour Dance Studios Day Program at thirteen. She has earned many certifications in stage (CDTA) and ballet (RAD). During this transition she realized she wanted dance in her life forever in some form. Shortly after Spending time in the day program she was confident she wanted to teach. While participating in Harbour Dance Studios day program, she received scholarships for master classes and has worked as a background dancer in music videos and performances. She is happy to share that she is working towards receiving her CDTA Associate Jazz Credentials by June 2024. Her passion lies in entertainment and teaching smaller dancers as well as teens and she has worked in youth leadership for years and exels at bringing kids out of their shells and into the group. She strives to find every dancer’s flare and help them find strength and confidence in their individuality.