The Premiere Team

A dancer her entire life, Lisa began teaching at Premiere Dance Academy in September of 1984. In September of 1999, she became the Owner and Artistic Director of the studio.

Lisa keeps very busy with teaching, choreographing, and her two daughters, who are both Competitive dancers. She also spends time adjudicating for various professional dance competitions all across Canada.

Lisa has had a very successful career in the performing arts. She choreographed the opening ceremonies of the World Police and Fire Games in 1997 and the Calgary Hitmen Anniversary Home Opener Opening Ceremonies in 2014. Additionally, she holds the position of co-director for the Hats Off Management Group.

She has been on set for various large-scale productions and has been acknowledged with many prestigious awards for her exceptional talents.

Lisa wrote the Calgary Board of Education Accredited Student Dance Teacher Training Program to create well-trained assistant and student dance teachers. She is thrilled to do what she does best; work with the dancers, create new pieces, and watch Premiere Dance Academy students grow into talented and inspired performers.

Ms. Laura has been dancing since the age of 2, training and dancing competitively for 12 years, including time spent performing with the Young Canadians. Throughout her dancing career, Laura received numerous dance scholarships, including the Jamie Hill memorial trophy, and is a proud Alumni of Premiere Dance Academy.

Laura has been teaching dance for the last 10 years to share her love and passion for dance with her students. She cares very much about the success of her students, both within dance and in their lives, and hopes to inspire young dancers to pursue their dreams.

Her choreography has been recognized at several competitions and her students have continuously seen success and growth with each passing year.

Todd Svecla found an early love for drama in high school and enjoyed working backstage for various productions. He was happy to step into the role of managing behind-the-scenes activities for Premiere Dance Academy after his marriage to Lisa.

Todd is a natural fit for the role as he has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Calgary and extensive experience running a business. He is available to answer any financial questions you may have regarding your account and handles general business details of the studio.

Along with being an Engineer by profession, Ms Shiuli strives to keep the essence of Bollywood alive by teaching around Calgary and Edmonton. After arriving in Canada in 2015, she took her passion for dance a step further by getting her Zumba® license in 2016 and currently teaches Zumba® Fitness classes at local gyms.

Originally from Dubai, Ms Shiuli has been dancing since the age of 8 and teaching Freestyle Hip-hop, Punjabi Bhangra and Bollywood Dance for over 8 years to all age groups 3 – 60 year olds! As a member of her University’s Western Dance Troupe, Ms Shiuli has competed and performed professionally at galas, annual competitions and trade shows. Her choreography is a unique blend of Indian & Western cultures brought together to form a super fun and energetic hip-shaking dance style. Being exposed to a variety of ethnicities, she tries to incorporate Latin and Belly dancing in her routines. ‘Dream with your feet’ is Ms Shiuli’s motto in life and she is extremely passionate in what she does – inspiring others and learning from them through the common language of Dance

Nolan Brown is an actor, singer and improviser. He has trained and performed with Loose Moose Theatre Company, Storybook Theatre, and Dirty Laundry: An improvised soap opera. Nolan also took Broadway acting and improv classes in NYC in February 2020. Most recently he’s been performing internationally online with a Texas improv company, Hideout Theatre. He has performed in musicals such as Bring it On!, Oliver and Spring Awakening. Nolan is very excited to join the Premiere Dance Academy team and is looking forward to meeting so many talented kids!

Meghan Critchley is from Cheyenne, Wyoming and recently moved to Calgary to pursue her PhD in Kinesiology at the University of Calgary.

Meghan fell in love with dance at a young age and has been dancing ever since. Meghan graduated with her BFA in Theatre and Dance from the University of Wyoming in 2015 and has been teaching predance, ballet, jazz, and modern since then. She enjoys bringing science into the dance classroom and exploring how the human body moves to help build healthy, creative dancers. Meghan is very excited to pass along her knowledge to the young dancers of Premiere Dance Academy.

Megan Daniels was born in Saskatoon and came to Calgary 7 years ago to pursue a career as a professional contemporary and ballet dancer. After dancing with several small companies throughout Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta, she decided to venture into teaching and fell in love with it right away. As a teenager, she was fortunate to train professionally at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and spent a few years in her early 20&30s dancing as an aspirant with the RWB company.

It was during those years that she realized that movement and dance are her life and she now feels so lucky that she is able to make her living teaching these things to others. Megan fell in love with the people and energy of Calgary as soon as she got here and now works full-time as a ballet and yoga instructor in the city. She is delighted to be a part of the Premiere Dance Faculty and pass along her love of ballet to the eager young dancers of Premiere Dance Academy!

Veronica is a born and raised Calgary dancer and choreographer. Veronica started dancing at the age of three and has been dancing ever since. She has an endless passion for dance and has trained in various styles although tap and jazz were her areas of focus. She has studied and trained in both the RAD and ADAPT syllabus.

Veronica is currently in the process of receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in Dance at the University of Calgary and will be graduating June 2021. She has performed in both student works as well as work by Tara Wilson, Amanda Bonnell, Kelly Brownlee, Melissa Monteros and Melanie Kloetzel. Veronica has been an active performer choreographer and board member with EnCorps Dance Collective since September 2018. Veronica received her Acrobatic Arts Module One Certification in August 2018. She is also in the process of completing the Healthy Dance Practice Certificate by Safe in Dance International.

She loves being able to pass on her passion and knowledge for dance to children. Veronica is looking forward to another season with team PDA.

Alli George is a 2013 BA Alumni of the University of Calgary Department of Dance. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Science degree in Kinesiology with a research focus of injury prevention in youth dancers at the University of Calgary.

She began her dance training at the age of 10, at Danceworks Dance Academy of Lethbridge. As she trained over the years, dance became a serious passion; it is something she cannot live without. George has been trained in many forms of dance including contemporary/modern, ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop. She has been choreographing and demonstrating since 2002, and teaching since 2005. She is always looking to broaden her expertise and experience.

She performed and taught repertoire with the youth modern dance company Inturns based out of Danceworks Dance Academy in Lethbridge until 2008. She spent 2008-2009 training in Graham technique and performing in Toronto with a variety of instructors and choreographers including Daryl Tracy, Johanna Bergfelt, Wendy Chiles, Heidi Strauss, Michael Trent, Kate Stashko, and Sarah Lochhead. She then returned to Alberta to pursue her degree in dance at the UofC. George now teaches and choreographs locally for community and studio dancers.

George has an Exercise Science diploma from Lethbridge College. She is a Certified Personal Trainer with the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP). Her passion for fitness and the art and movement of dance allow her to create fun, interesting, high-energy classes and choreographic works. She is always very excited to share her knowledge and love of dance with anyone who wants to learn.

Miss Avery is a born and raised Calgarian with a love of dance. She started dancing at the age of three and hasn’t stopped since. Avery studied a variety of disciplines including ballet, jazz, lyrical, musical theatre, and tap. She discovered her passion for teaching when she was a teacher’s assistant helping with many classes. Training in both vocational and graded levels under the Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus, Avery completed her examinations in both grade 8 and advanced foundation. She has also trained under the ADAPT tap and jazz syllabus.

Avery recently had the opportunity to dance with En Corps Dance Collective in their shows “Woodstock” and “Uninhibited.” Miss Avery is currently a full-time student studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering. Miss Avery is excited to share her love and passion for dance with the students at Premiere Dance Academy.

AJ started developing her love and passion for dance at Premiere Dance Academy when she was only 3 years old. She has trained in various styles including ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre, street jazz and lyrical. At the age of 7 she joined the competitive team and has won numerous overall awards and scholarships. Throughout the years she has expanded her training through participating in workshops, intensive and dancing at different facilities such as Broadway Dance Center in New York. AJ is currently working toward her Bachelor of Commerce at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary.

Dance has taught AJ the importance of hard work dedication and responsibility. She is excited to continue teaching at Premiere, the very place where she was molded into the dancer she is today and cannot wait to share her love for dance with her students.

Jorgia has been dancing at Premiere Dance Academy since the age of 3. She is currently training in various styles such as ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary and lyrical. She has completed RAD exams to level 5 and enjoys being a part of the PDA competitive team, something that she has pursued for many years. Jorgia is very excited to further her dance experience through teaching in the 2020-2021 season!

Rachel is a Preliminary Championship level Irish Dancer who has been dancing for 12 years and competing for 10. She has competed across Canada, including the Western Canadian Oireachtas (regional championship) for both teams and solos. Rachel now only dances recreationally and in shows, in order to focus on her post-secondary studies.

Dancing is a passion of Rachel’s, and while Irish dance is her main focus, she also has experience in Ballroom/Social, Ballet, Contemporary, Lyrical, Jazz, Hiphop, and Flamenco dancing.

Dana is thrilled to be teaching at Premiere. She has always loved teaching dance as a way to share her passion for lifelong learning and artistry.

Dana has been a student of multiple styles for 25 years and a teacher for 12 years. Her repertoire includes: Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre and Acro. She began dance at age 5, but her love for dance blossomed when she joined the Competition Team at Premiere Dance Academy.

Her teenage years brought many performance opportunities and recognition, individually and as a group on the competitive stage. Her summers were spent performing shows with Calaway Live where she sharpened her acting and performance skills.

She had the opportunity to train in Los Angeles on scholarship and also at Pineapple Dance Studios in London, England. She has spent time training at the Edge Performing Arts Center in L.A., as well as, Broadway Dance Center in New York. Locally, she has worked with O2 The Dance Company, as well as En Corps Dance Collective.

To this day, you can find Miss Dana working on a variety of projects. Whether it’s dancing with her BachataKiz team, choreographing music videos for Rebel Path or performing live with bands like Yves the Talent or at Miss Candy’s Variety Show.

Dana is so excited to bring excitement, fun and challenge to the classroom, and share the joy of dance with her students.

Molli has been at Premiere Dance Academy since the age of three and trained in all styles available. She has always loved the art of dance and pursued a career for several years in Vancouver, BC. While living in Vancouver, Molli had the opportunity to dance in the Intensive Training Program and Aviary, both companies run by Moe Brody at Harbour Dance Centre. Molli has toured with the Great Big BOO! twice with Patrick Roberge Productions, done the Vancouver Spring Show with Joel Hanna, and various other jobs. Since moving back to Calgary, she has taught at Premiere Dance Academy and worked as office staff. Molli is now in school to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. She is very excited about the upcoming this season with all of the dancers and can’t wait to watch them grow as individuals.

Miss Marlea began dancing at the age of four. Her love for dance quickly grew as she trained in the genres of ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, tap, and hip hop. After many years of dancing, her love for dance expanded into a passion for teaching.

Miss Marlea has been teaching for six years and is currently has an Associate Degree in Modern and Tap through the ISTD. She has completed dance exams through the ISTD up to and including Intermediate Ballet, Gold Jazz, Intermediate Modern and Advanced 2 Tap. Miss Marlea is also a certified PBT teacher. This has helped grow and expand her ballet teaching ability by using different methods and media to help train proper technique.

Miss Marlea loves to help inspire and shape young minds and bodies to reach their full potential and be creative through movement. She has traveled around the world to help expand her knowledge and training and is looking forward to using this information to help her students.

Emma has been dancing since the age of three. She joined the Premiere competitive team in 2007 and continued her training until she graduated in 2016. Emma trained in many styles including, ballet, jazz, tap and lyrical. She is now attending the University of Calgary and is finishing up her degree in biochemistry. Emma is hoping, after her undergrad, to pursue a career as a pharmacist. Emma is extremely excited to pass on her passion and knowledge of dance with all her students here at Premiere Dance Academy.

Bri Zubick began her dance journey with a competitive dance program in a small town in British Columbia. Upon graduating from highschool she began her professional dance journey by moving to Los Angeles to train within the International Dance Academy of Hollywood’s Certificate Program. Within this program she performed in pieces for Mackenzie Martin, Samm Price, and Amy Morgan. Bri also performed in Choreographers Carnival L.A. for Chelsea Collins. Bri has also performed with/for Opus Dance Collective under the direction of Ashley Schoffield, Kathryn Miles, Adam Martino, Jessee Lee Santos, Hot in Heels under the direction of Angela Mahoney, and with Unapologetic Dance Collective. Bri has been choreographing and teaching for several years. Many of her soloists have won overalls and scholarship prizes. She loves to see dancers grow with a piece and showcase their talent.