Ms Jeannelle /Artistic Director
Ms Jeannelle’s journey into the world of dance began at the early age of four, when she discovered her love for dance. As she grew, so did her passion and dedication. She has now been dancing for over twenty-eight years and has completed extensive training in jazz and ballet (Royal Academy of Dance and Cecchetti). Her desire to share this passion with others, as well as her background in Early Childhood Education, has materialized into over fifteen years of teaching dancers of all ages and abilities.
Ms Jeannelle’s performance experience began with jazz, acro, hip-hop and tap, then broadened to include competitive dance with the Alda Legata Hennis School of Classical Ballet. As a result of her success, she was invited to tour through Spain, performing at several prestigious events, including fashion shows and large corporate functions. Her competitive journey included many successful jazz, tap, and ballet performances, and after five years of success she was motivated to share her passion of dance to others. Since then, Jeannelle has become part of the world renowned dance institution, Dance Masters of America (DMA), Acrobatic Arts Certification (AAC), which certifies her to administer acrobatic arts exams. Jeannelle is currently completing her Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers A.D.A.P.T, which certifies her to administer Jazz, Tap and Ballet exams.
Ms Jeannelle began her teaching career at a large dance studio in the Durham Region, where she continued to train and participate in multiple teacher workshops in order to stay current, and develop as young dance teacher. After a few years teaching in a large studio, she decided it was time to teach independently, and began offering dance classes at the Montessori Learning Centre of Pickering for children 18 months to 15 years of age. In 1999, when Jeannelle started her dance program, she had one ballet class and eight eager tiny ballerinas. That program then blossomed into a competitive and recreational studio called, What’s Kickin’ Dance and Performing Arts, where the competitive dancers have been extremely successful receiving many awards and trophies at many dance competitions throughout Ontario. She hopes that in founding her new, permanent studio in 2015, Prodigy Dance & Performing Arts, she is able to continue to inspire others to discover their full potential in dance and in life.
~Realize your potential and embrace your inner prodigy~
Ms Jeannelle’s performance experience began with jazz, acro, hip-hop and tap, then broadened to include competitive dance with the Alda Legata Hennis School of Classical Ballet. As a result of her success, she was invited to tour through Spain, performing at several prestigious events, including fashion shows and large corporate functions. Her competitive journey included many successful jazz, tap, and ballet performances, and after five years of success she was motivated to share her passion of dance to others. Since then, Jeannelle has become part of the world renowned dance institution, Dance Masters of America (DMA), Acrobatic Arts Certification (AAC), which certifies her to administer acrobatic arts exams. Jeannelle is currently completing her Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers A.D.A.P.T, which certifies her to administer Jazz, Tap and Ballet exams.
Ms Jeannelle began her teaching career at a large dance studio in the Durham Region, where she continued to train and participate in multiple teacher workshops in order to stay current, and develop as young dance teacher. After a few years teaching in a large studio, she decided it was time to teach independently, and began offering dance classes at the Montessori Learning Centre of Pickering for children 18 months to 15 years of age. In 1999, when Jeannelle started her dance program, she had one ballet class and eight eager tiny ballerinas. That program then blossomed into a competitive and recreational studio called, What’s Kickin’ Dance and Performing Arts, where the competitive dancers have been extremely successful receiving many awards and trophies at many dance competitions throughout Ontario. She hopes that in founding her new, permanent studio in 2015, Prodigy Dance & Performing Arts, she is able to continue to inspire others to discover their full potential in dance and in life.
~Realize your potential and embrace your inner prodigy~
Ms Layla / Junior Artistic Director
Ms Layla has been a dancer of the Durham Region for the past 15 years. She began her dance training in Ballet, Jazz, and Tap at the age of 5 and eventually went on to find a passion for many styles such as: hip hop, modern, lyrical, contemporary, acro, and musical theatre.
Layla’s successes in the competitive dance world inspired her to continue her education at the prestigious Randolph Academy For The Performing Arts in Toronto where she trained in acting, dancing, and singing. As a result, she landed principle roles in productions such as, The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot (The Annex Theater) and Legally Blonde: The Musical (The Randolph Theater). Layla has been teaching since the age of 15 and loves sharing her passion with the next generation of performers.
Layla is an Acrobatic Arts certified teacher and is currently obtaining her Associated Dance Arts For Professional Teachers (ADAPT) certification. Layla is an award winning choreographer and has created unique and successful routines for reputable studios across the Durham Region. Above all, Layla aspires to uplift and inspire the dancers she works with and create relevant and innovative art.
Layla’s successes in the competitive dance world inspired her to continue her education at the prestigious Randolph Academy For The Performing Arts in Toronto where she trained in acting, dancing, and singing. As a result, she landed principle roles in productions such as, The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot (The Annex Theater) and Legally Blonde: The Musical (The Randolph Theater). Layla has been teaching since the age of 15 and loves sharing her passion with the next generation of performers.
Layla is an Acrobatic Arts certified teacher and is currently obtaining her Associated Dance Arts For Professional Teachers (ADAPT) certification. Layla is an award winning choreographer and has created unique and successful routines for reputable studios across the Durham Region. Above all, Layla aspires to uplift and inspire the dancers she works with and create relevant and innovative art.
Ms Ariel McDonald was born in Toronto, Ontario and has been dancing since age 3. She has an extensive background in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, acro and hip hop. Her passion for dance lead her to begin teaching and choreographing from age 15 and competing throughout Southern Ontario. Ariel attended Dalhousie University where she obtained her Bachelors of Science in Medical Sciences and continued to teach dance in a variety of settings. She had the privilege to travel throughout Atlantic Canada, choreographing for various competitive studios. From 2020-2022, she served as the President of the DalDance Society, the largest society at the university which organizes weekly dance classes and showcases for university students of all abilities. While completing her studies, Ariel also completed various teacher certifications including ADAPT syllabus and module 1 of Acrobatic Arts. Ariel is a proud member of the Professional Adjudicator’s Alliance.
Ariel is currently a competitive dance teacher for Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts as well as a Studio Administrator. Her passion for ballet and anatomy have led her to the Royal Acedemy of Dance’s Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies programme, which she will complete in 2024. Ariel’s prides herself on her unique background combining dance education, human health and academia and strongly believes in lifelong learning and bettering her knowledge to give back to the children she works with.
Ariel is currently a competitive dance teacher for Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts as well as a Studio Administrator. Her passion for ballet and anatomy have led her to the Royal Acedemy of Dance’s Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies programme, which she will complete in 2024. Ariel’s prides herself on her unique background combining dance education, human health and academia and strongly believes in lifelong learning and bettering her knowledge to give back to the children she works with.
Maria Lapham (Ms. Maria) started her Ballet training in England with the Royal Ballet before coming to Canada. With a Toronto area touring company, she performed the lead in productions of Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. Maria later earned her Honours B.A. degree in Kinesiology (Dance) from the University of Waterloo before attaining her Royal Academy of Dance, Registered Teaching Status. Maria was accepted to both the Royal Winnipeg and National Ballet of Canada teachers’ programs. She also trained in the Vaganova (Russian) style under the renowned Bella Kovarsky to complement her Classical training. She has taught recreational and competitive dancers in the Durham Region for over twenty years. Maria has successfully coached students towards their Royal Academy of Dance (R.A.D.) Ballet examinations from Primary to Advanced levels, Teacher Certification, had students accepted into the National Ballet School, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Quinte Ballet School, and had her pupils become University graduates and dance studio owners. Some of her students have worked as dancers on cruise lines and in theme parks, in music videos and theatrical productions in Toronto, as well as Toronto Argonaut cheerleaders and as members of the Toronto Raptors Junior Dance Pak. Maria has also choreographed Ballet for many shows and is an award-winning choreographer. Maria is dedicated to coaching students to achieve the high standards set by the Royal Academy of Dance for all levels of examination with consistent success. She is certified to teach Adult Ballet (Silver Swans) through the R.A.D. and Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT), which is an innovative training program to develop muscle memory to enhance ballet technique and reduce injuries for all forms of dance, created in Australia. Maria’s passion and unique approach to combining Ballet with Kinesiology and Pilates, makes for a knowledgeable and refreshing experience in dance.
Jennifer has a strong passion, not only for dance, but also for children. She graduated from the three year A.D.A.P.T. Teacher Training Program in both Tap and Jazz in 2021.
Jennifer has been involved in dance since the age of three and throughout her time as a dancer she completed all of her examinations including, her Advanced Two Ballet exam and her Intermediate Three Jazz and Tap exams. While a full time competitive dancer, Jennifer was accepted into and attended the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Summer Intensive program.
Jennifer has taught all ages since starting her teaching career in 2017. She has experience in the competitive and recreational levels in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical and contemporary. Her students and her choreography have received many forms of recognition at competitions, including overall awards.
Jennifer is currently enrolled in Kinesiology at Ontario Tech University, which has been very beneficial when teaching. Jennifer is excited to continue working with the Prodigy dancers!
Jennifer has been involved in dance since the age of three and throughout her time as a dancer she completed all of her examinations including, her Advanced Two Ballet exam and her Intermediate Three Jazz and Tap exams. While a full time competitive dancer, Jennifer was accepted into and attended the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Summer Intensive program.
Jennifer has taught all ages since starting her teaching career in 2017. She has experience in the competitive and recreational levels in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical and contemporary. Her students and her choreography have received many forms of recognition at competitions, including overall awards.
Jennifer is currently enrolled in Kinesiology at Ontario Tech University, which has been very beneficial when teaching. Jennifer is excited to continue working with the Prodigy dancers!
Ms. Gabrielle has been dancing since the age of 3 and has a strong passion for dance and teaching. Throughout her dance journey, she has been involved in many styles including, Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Acro, Contemporary, Lyrical, Musical theatre, and Hip Hop. Ms. Gabrielle spent many years as a competitive dancer and has completed examinations through the BATD in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Tap. She also completed Acro examinations through Acrobatic Arts.
In July of 2024, Ms. Gabrielle completed her year one of ADAPT Teachers Training in Jazz and Tap and will be fully ADAPT certified by 2025.
Ms. Gabrielle is currently enrolled at York University for Educational Studies with a minor in Children, Childhood, and Youth. She is also enrolled in the concurrent education program at York University and will graduate as a primary junior teacher by 2026!
In July of 2024, Ms. Gabrielle completed her year one of ADAPT Teachers Training in Jazz and Tap and will be fully ADAPT certified by 2025.
Ms. Gabrielle is currently enrolled at York University for Educational Studies with a minor in Children, Childhood, and Youth. She is also enrolled in the concurrent education program at York University and will graduate as a primary junior teacher by 2026!
Our Wonderful Assistants :)
Thank you your interest in Prodigy Dance. We look forward to you joining our dance Family.
A message from our family to yours....
The Weese Family
It is my pleasure to welcome you to Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts. We are a family business and have made the studio an extension of our family. My husband Brad and studio manager, was a product engineer for 8 years who left to pursue a career as a police officer. As our family grew, he choose to support my dream of opening a dance studio. Our son is a boy through and through and has a passion for Hip Hop. Our daughter is our little “ballerina princess”, who has tons of personality, and loves to dance and express herself just like her mommy!
We hope that our love, support and dedication to each other can be seen in our support of our dancers and their families. We hope to share our passion of creative expression, music and movement with all of you, and promise to work hard and motivate students to discover their hidden gifts and talents. We truly do want each dancer to reach their full potential and be the best they can be, as dancers and as people. We welcome you to our family and hope that through shared goals, open communication, and on-going support, all our students can experience success and reach their dance goals.
Sincerely,
Jeannelle Weese, Artistic Director
We hope that our love, support and dedication to each other can be seen in our support of our dancers and their families. We hope to share our passion of creative expression, music and movement with all of you, and promise to work hard and motivate students to discover their hidden gifts and talents. We truly do want each dancer to reach their full potential and be the best they can be, as dancers and as people. We welcome you to our family and hope that through shared goals, open communication, and on-going support, all our students can experience success and reach their dance goals.
Sincerely,
Jeannelle Weese, Artistic Director
