Pantuso Dance Director
Lindsay Sterk
Tap, Musical Theatre and Jazz
An accomplished dancer, singer and actor, Lindsay has performed and taught throughout Canada. As a tap dancer he has studied with Brenda Bufalino, Dianne Walker, Heather Cornell, Roxane Butterfly, Lane Alexander, Cindy Kerr, Germaine Salsberg, Jim Hibbard and Lisa Hopkins. He has been a performer in various tap events such as Tap is..., It's about Tap, as well as guest appearances with the Urban Tap Squad. As an adjudicator people may remember him from the North Island Festival of Performing Arts in 2006 (Stage). He has also adjudicated Stage for the Pacific West Festival and the Kamloops Festival of Performing Arts. Teaching credits include Harbour Dance Centre, Vancouver Tap Dance Society, Danette’s Dance and several other West Coast dance studios. Lindsay holds a Bachelor of Music (Voice Performance) and a Diploma in Theatre Arts. As an avid tap dancer Lindsay strives to constantly better his craft and regularly takes workshops from the tap masters and plans on bringing this knowledge and repertoire back to teach the students at Pantuso Dance.
Lindsay's selected musical theatre credits include roles such as Cliff in Cabaret (Showcase Festival), Freddy in My Fair Lady/Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (Chemainus Theatre), M. D’Arque in Beauty and the Beast (Arts Club); Figaro in the Marriage of Figaro (Burnaby Lyric Opera), Dr. Craven in the Secret Garden (Gateway Theatre), as well as work with The Arts Club, Vancouver Playhouse, Wild Excursions, Pangaea Arts, Modern Baroque Opera, Ophidian, Pacific Opera Victoria, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Theatre Calgary, Citadel Theatre, Stage West, and the Charlottetown Festival.
Danette Bell
Ballet
Artistic Director of Danette's Dance Inc. established in 1980. A member of the Professional Dance Teachers Association. A Dance Educator for over 27yrs, Danette is also a producer, director, choreographer and costume designer.
The recipient of several choreography awards at international competitions Danette continues to adjudicate and teach at regional, provincial and national levels. She has served on the Board of the Tidemark Theatre, The North Island Festival of Performing Arts and Arts B.C. To her credit: Cabaret, Guys and Dolls, Oliver, Annie, South Pacific, Bye Bye Birdie, The Wizard of Oz, Lil' Abner, Stepping Out, B.C Summer Games 2006, Campbell River's Nutcracker, Pacific Opera Victoria's “Daphne” 2007 and many more.
Jessica Nygren
Jazz, Hip Hop and Modern
Jessica was born in the Comox Valley. She started dancing at age five at the Vancouver Island School of Dance in Courtenay where she took ballet and modern classes for over 11 years. She also trained at Gemini dance studios taking multiple jazz, technical classes and more ballet. Meanwhile Jessica also began participating in local festivals as a young, self taught hip hop choreographer as well as a jazz, ballet and modern student. She continued performing, competing and training with many different instructors from a variety of backgrounds for nearly 17 years.
Her teaching career began at a young age as an apprentice to Gillian Kilgour in 1996. Then in 2000 Jessica received her teaching degree in modern dance getting "honours with distinction". She's been teaching all over the island ever since. Though most of her training is in ballet, jazz and modern styles she also has a strong background in street styles such as "hip hop", funk, house, street jazz and more. With a creative heart and big variety of dance styles behind her Jessica has a myriad of experiences to share which make her classes unique, informative and most importantly fun for everyone.
Conner Lucas and Jenna Spowart
Toddler Dance