Meet Cody Berkeley, a renowned dance teacher and choreographer in the ballet and competition studio world. Originally from Dallas, Cody excelled on the competition circuit while growing up, and in his senior year was awarded a full scholarship to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia courtesy of the NYCDA College Scholarship Foundation. Since graduating with a BFA in Dance Performance, Cody has danced for Clairobscur Dance Company in LA, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance USA in Dallas, and toured with Step One Dance Company. Since focusing on teaching/choreographing, Cody has taught at Ellison Ballet School and currently leads Greenwich Ballet Academy’s contemporary program. He has received awards from Youth America Grand Prix and the University Ballet Competition for his choreography and coaching. Follow Cody @codyberkeleydance.
Read moreBoys Dance Too podcast: Ashton Roxander
Meet Ashton Roxander, principal dancer with the Philadelphia Ballet. Originally from California, Ashton comes from a dance family—both his parents were dancers, and his brother currently dances with American Ballet Theater. Hear about Ashton’s journey, from being taught by his parents, to training with Boston Ballet before joining Philadelphia Ballet. Follow Ashton @ashtonroxander.
Read moreBoys Dance Too podcast: Jason Yang-Westland
Meet Jason Yang-Westland—dancer and musical theatre performer living in London. Originally from New Zealand, Jason has danced with Melbourne City Ballet, Royal Caribbean Productions, and Paris Disneyland, as well as in the West End productions of The King and I and Your Line April. He was a dancer in the Wonka film and has also appeared in major productions worldwide of Mary Poppins, The Phantom of the Opera, Memphis, West Side Story, and Grease. Having grown up in the competitive dance scene, Jason is now also an adjudicator, teacher, and choreographer. Follow @jyangwestland.
Read moreBoys Dance Too podcast: Tymin Keown
Meet Tymin Keown—dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Tymin is from Victoria, BC, and started dancing at the relatively late age of 16, first in musical theatre before focusing on dance. Hear about how Tymin was able to catch up, thanks to his intense drive, passion, and family support. Follow Tymin @tyminkeown and Royal Winnipeg Ballet @rwballet.
Read moreBoys Dance Too podcast: Taylor Roper
Meet Taylor Roper—owner of House of Dance, a top competitive studio in Ontario, Canada. Taylor is a former dancer with Tokyo Disney Sea and Royal Caribbean, and in his youth, he was an elite competitive dancer. In our conversation, Taylor unpacks his experience growing up a boy dancer in the suburbs, his professional dance career, and what his life looks like now as a studio owner, including the challenges and wins. Follow Taylor on IG @taylor_roper and his studio @houseofdanceca.
Read moreBoys Dance Too podcast: E. Clayton Cornelious
Meet E. Clayton Cornelious—otherwise known as E. Clay! He’s been in 10 Broadway shows including A Chorus Line, The Music Man, The Lion King, Ain’t Too Proud, and Beautiful: The Carol King Musical. He was also in the televised Jersey Boys Live with Nick Jonas; in Rat Pack in London’s West End; and in national tours of Kinky Boots, Hairspray, and more; on TV in The Marvelous Mrs. Mazel; and he’s a 2-time Tony Award-nominated producer! Hear about his career journey doing some of the most iconic Broadway shows. Follow him on IG @eclaycorn and visit his website www.eclaycorn.com.
Read moreBosy Dance Too podcast: Fredric Odgaard
Meet Fredric Odgaard—Broadway, commercial, and concert dancer. Fred has performed on Broadway in Moulin Rouge, Kinky Boots, and Finding Neverland; in Celine Dion’s A New Day, Cirque du Soleil’s Viva Elvis, and on TV in Glee, Fosse/Verdon, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and more. He’s also a well-known teacher, choreographer, and adjudicator. From starting his commercial career as a child, to dancing on a cruise ship and at Tokyo Disney, to eventually dancing for Celine Dion and on Broadway, you won’t want to miss Fred’s exciting story. Follow him on IG @fodg and TikTok @foddyg.
Read moreBoys Dance Too podcast: Jeremy Villas
Meet Jeremy Villas, a former child Broadway performer and contemporary ballet dancer. Jeremy was on Broadway in Kinky Boots when he was 11 and trained for most of his life at the Alvin Ailey School of Dance. He graduated from the Professional Performing Arts High School in New York and recently graduated from the dance program at The Juilliard School. In our podcast, Jeremy reflects on his time on Broadway, growing up as a dancer, and his exciting post-graduation plans. Hint—it involves dancing professionally! Hear Jeremy’s story and follow him on IG @jeremytvillas.
Read moreBoys Dance Too podcast: Sterling Baca
Meet Sterling Baca, principal dancer with the Philadelphia Ballet, and former dancer with American Ballet Theater. Originally from Colorado, Sterling moved to New York at age 15 to train at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School on a full scholarship. In 2016, he was on the cover of Dance Magazine as one of their “25 to Watch”. Hear Sterling open up about growing up, achieving his dreams, and the mindset needed to excel at the highest level. Follow Sterling on IG @SterlingBaca
Read morePartying in pink for good reason!
Let’s be honest. Who doesn’t love a good party? Who doesn’t love contributing to a good cause? And lastly, who doesn’t love wearing pink...wait, don’t answer that. Because I’m just going to assume you agree with me in saying that everyone loves all three of those things. That’s exactly why the 8th annual Pink Party held on Saturday, March 28th, was such a blast!
Read moreEscaping to wine heaven!
This weekend I escaped the cold, dreary Calgary weather and indulged in sample after sample of some of the best wines I’ve ever tasted! Where did I escape to? The annual Grape Escape event at the BMO Centre of course! The festive wine, spirits and beer sampling event is hosted by Co-op each spring and introduces guests to a variety of products Co-op offers.
Read moreLainey Lui’s Smut Soiree was sizzling!
Hosted by Elaine “Lainey” Lui, co-host of CTV’s daytime talk show, The Social and reporter for CTV’s eTalk, the 9th annual Smut Soiree drew bloggers, fashionista/ers, and everyone else who wanted to get the dirt on their fav celebrities. Along with her pal Teri Hart, Lainey dished out so much dirt on the most scandalous of Hollywood topics that seasoned smut hounds were literally drooling.
Read moreLaser eye surgery is life changing!
For most of my life I’ve relied on contact lenses and glasses – but not anymore! Last month, I got LASIK laser eye correctional surgery done and it’s changed my life. I had my surgery done at Demong Associate Eyecentre, by Dr. Thaddeus Demong – a world renowned eye surgeon who has been in the business for over 30 years and has corrected the vision of over 12,000 patients in Calgary since 1991.
Read moreLawrence Hong - a beautiful and inspirational person
Lawrence Hong was a wonderful young man with a beautiful heart and spirit. I had the privilege of meeting Lawrence a few years ago when we were students together at the University of Calgary. He always lifted my spirits with his radiant smile and infectiously positive energy.
Read moreFind your answers
I’ve had a really busy few months, with my new job and rehearsing for 02 Dance Company’s Answers. Let me tell you about Answers – it’s an amazing contemporary dance show choreographed by the incredible Sarah Dolan and I hope you can come see it. Answers is playing November 7-9 at the Theatre Junction Grand and it’s a beautiful show that showcases stunning dancers as well as a captivating and compelling storyline.
Read moreA summer survived!
After a summer of going out and experiencing new things, meeting new people and daring to do things I never dreamed I'd do...I'm back - and ready to take on the fall.
Read moreBurger Heaven!
Summer has finally arrived in Calgary and I’ve already taken my first vacation! Where did I go? I went to burger heaven! Yes, my friends, this mystical land does indeed exist and it’s located at the wonderful establishment known as Loungeburger, right here in Calgary!
Read moreDare to dream
It has often been said that it’s not results and victories that we hold closest to our hearts – it’s the journeys along the way that we cherish and remember the most. Hilary Johnston, a recent communications degree graduate from the University of Calgary, decided that she wanted to inspire Calgary post-secondary students and new grads with the personal stories of Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40.
Read moreCelebrating magnificent Mozart
Count on Mozart to bring out the elegance and classiness of cowtown! From March 21 – 23, 2013, the Calgary dance community enthusiastically gathered at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium to attend Alberta Ballet’s production, Celebrating Mozart as well as to mix and mingle with the ballet’s company and staff at the annual subscribers recognition event.
Read moreWhy should I join CPRS?
This month, the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) once again held its annual event, Why should I hire you, just in time for summer job interview season! This year’s event was held Wednesday, February 6, on the SAIT Polytechnic campus and was a tremendous success.
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