CITADEL DANCE PROGRAM
The Citadel Dance Program (CDP), established in 2012, provides weekend dance classes for children and youth. Our mandate is accessibility, inclusiveness and excellence. We welcome young people with extensive, as well as no background in dance, and ensure that their experience and training takes them to new levels of dance education, while exploring their creativity.
Bharatanatyam with Sukruti
*NEW* Free Bharatanatyam for beginners.
Workshops
Free workshops with Heidi Strauss, Jordana Daumec, and Sukruti Tirupattur.
Ballet Ages 3-4 | BEGINNER
Beginner ballet with Portia Wade.
Ballet Ages 5-7 | PRIMARY
Primary ballet with Portia Wade.
Ballet Ages 8-10 | Level I
Level I ballet with Portia Wade.
Tap: Ages 5-7 | Level I
Level I tap with Dianne Montgomery.
Tap: Ages 8-10 | Level II
Level II tap with Dianne Montgomery.
Instructors
Portia Sophia Wade: BALLET
Portia Wade graduated from Etobicoke School of the Arts (1990) and is an alumna of Canada’s National Ballet School teacher training program (1990-93). Ms. Wade taught RAD ballet classes in many schools throughout Toronto including Randolph Academy, Interplay Ballet and throughout the TDSB and private schools BSS, Branksome Hall and Bialik Hebrew School. Ms Wade is a certified ABT ® teacher who has successfully completed the ABT ® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the National Training Curriculum. Currently teaching at University of Toronto, The Citadel, and Charb Arts, Ms. Wade has both guest taught and substituted at NBOC In Studio and Sean Boutillier School of Ballet. Ms. Wade has entered ABT ® exam candidates in both Toronto and New York with excellent results. Portia has taught/toured in Nairobi, Shenzhen and Malaga. She attends workshops at American Ballet Theater twice a year to further her professional development and expertise.
Dianne Montgomery: TAP
Dianne Montgomery is a choreographer, dancer and composer. She recently earned a major commission from the Toronto International Tap Dance Festival, premiered an original work at Citadel + Compagnie’s Night Shift, contributed to Rhythm & Sound’s [Cinq]opation at the Meridan Theatre, privately coached first soloist Chelsey Meiss Fain of National Ballet of Canada, was an Open Studio artist for Fall for Dance North at Union Station, and completed teaching residencies in Washington DC, Calgary and Ottawa. She is committed to a strong foundational connection to the traditions of tap dance while working to embody her own voice and artistic practice. She believes in the therapeutic nature of dance, as expressed in the body, through the community it provides, and in the observance of it.
Jordana Daumec: GUEST BALLET
Jordana Daumec was born in New York City, New York and trained at Studio Maestro in New York City, New York and Canada’s National Ballet School. She joined The National Ballet of Canada as a RBC Apprentice in 2003 and was promoted to First Soloist in 2015. In 2017, she received the My Entertainment World Award for Best Outstanding Ballet Performance for her role as Bronislava in Nijinsky.
Farida Amirhanova: ACCOMPANIST (Ballet)
Farida Amirhanova was born in the Soviet Union and received an excellent education as a musician – a School for Gifted Kids, Music College and a State Music Conservatory. She worked as a teacher of music disciplines, a choir conductor, and an accompanist in opera, ballet and sports (Olympic Gymnastics Team). In 2002 Farida moved to Toronto and began working for the Sean Boutilier Academy of Dance, where she worked for 16 years as a Head Pianist and Director of Music.Farida also worked at Oakville School of Classical Ballet, Performing Dance Art Inc., Metro Movement, Ballet Jörgen, University of Toronto, the National Ballet of Canada and many other ballet schools and companies in and around Toronto. As a guest pianist, she worked at the National Ballet School, Alberta Ballet, Cecchetti Society of Canada, playing for exams in many ballet schools in Ontario and Toronto and “Youth America Grand Prix”. Farida worked with famous ballet teachers, such as Glenn Gilmour, Jane Wooding, Tatiana Chernova, Amanda Paterson, Sean Boutilier, Christina Richardson, Franco De Vita (USA), Adam Sklute, (USA), Charla Genn (USA) and other great talents. Also very important and interesting work, accompanying Master Classes with great ballet dancers – Evan McKie, Greta Hodgkinson, Harrison James, Heather Ogden, Tanya Howard, Alejandra Perez-Gomes, Alejandra MacDonald, Chelsy Meiss, Giorgio Galli, Calley Skalnic and many others.
