Summer 2026 Faculty
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Gretta Briceno, Director
Gretta’s dance journey truly took flight at age 13 when she began training with Alberta Ballet School and YYC Dance Project. During her formative years, she travelled internationally to attend conventions and intensives, immersing herself in a range of styles and mentorship experiences that shaped her artistry and vision as both a dancer and choreographer.
After an accomplished competitive career, Gretta concluded her final season in 2019 as a Beat Squad Member and choreographer’s assistant with Revel Dance Convention. She has since continued to share her passion for dance as an instructor and choreographer across Calgary, teaching at studios such as Elite Dance Academy and Edge Studios.
Beyond the studio, Gretta spent three years as a professional cheerleader with the Calgary Roughnecks Drill Crew, before transitioning her focus toward her work in youth mental health with Kids Help Phone and her growing role as the Director of Excel Dance Experience. Gretta holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (First Class Honours) from the University of Calgary and is a certified Acrobatic Arts Module 3 instructor.
Excel Dance Experience was born out of Gretta's firsthand understanding of the limitations in dance opportunities available in the city. As a young dancer, Gretta recognized that Calgary's dance community often faced challenges in accessing the same resources and training that dancers in major dance hubs like Vancouver, Toronto, and Los Angeles enjoyed. This gap sparked a vision: to create a convention that not only elevated local talent but also brought in high-caliber instructors and choreographers to provide the mentorship and exposure needed for dancers to thrive. With this vision in mind, Excel Dance Experience was established as a platform for Calgary dancers to expand their horizons, hone their craft, and connect with the broader dance community.
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Katherine Mandolidis, Contemporary Ballet
With over 16 years of experience in ballet instruction, Katherine is a seasoned educator specializing in the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) curriculum. She also teaches contemporary, modern, hip hop, and capoeira, bringing a dynamic and cross-disciplinary perspective to her work as a teacher, choreographer, and adjudicator. Her practice is enriched by her background in dance movement therapy, allowing her to integrate technique, artistry, and holistic wellness into her teaching.
Katherine’s journey has taken her across Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon, and New Zealand, where she has guided students from Primary through Advanced 2 RAD examinations. Her dedication has helped dancers refine their skills and achieve exceptional results. Her choreography has been celebrated on stages across Canada, earning numerous awards and honors, including pre-professional and professional dance collective and companies.
Katherine loves learning and exploring various dance genres. Most recently, she represented Canada as an international passista in Brazil’s Carnival during a cultural dance exchange, further deepening her appreciation for diverse dance forms and their cultural significance. Katherine is thrilled to share her knowledge and passion at this dance convention, inspiring dancers to grow with confidence, artistry, and authenticity.
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Claudia Sanchez Alvare, Ballet
Claudia Sánchez Alvaré was born in Havana, Cuba, and began her ballet journey at the age of 7. Her talent and dedication quickly stood out, earning her a place at the prestigious Cuban National Ballet School (ENA), where she trained for eight years. Graduating as both a ballet dancer and teacher, Claudia's classical ballet foundation was strong and well-rounded. In 2007, Claudia joined the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, where she spent seven years dancing as a professional ballet dancer. Her impressive repertoire with the National Ballet of Cuba includes iconic works such as Giselle, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and Theme and Variations, among many others, showcasing her versatility and artistry on stage.
In 2014, Claudia moved to Canada, where she continued her professional dance career with both the Victoria Ballet and the Alberta Ballet. However, after retiring from performing, Claudia found her next passion in teaching. She dedicated over five years of her career to teaching at the Alberta Ballet School, working with dancers of all levels. She also collaborated with the YYC Dance Project, where she was in charge of their ballet training and played a crucial role in preparing dancers for competitions such as the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), the Ballet World Competition, and prestigious school auditions, including those for the Juilliard School, the Royal Ballet School, and the Opéra de Paris School. Claudia's teaching excellence was recognized when she received three Best Teacher awards at the 4th World Ballet Art Competition Grand Prix Semi-Finals in Calgary and Finals in Niagara Falls, both in 2007.
When the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the dance community, Claudia saw an opportunity to support dancers worldwide and launched "Learning Ballet with Claudia." This platform offers one-on-one ballet coaching, focusing on improving technique, preparing for competitions, auditions, and exams. Claudia continues to inspire dancers of all ages and levels, offering both online and in-person master classes to help them reach their full potential.
Recently, Claudia introduced a new resource for dancers—a Dance Journal, available at City Dancewear , Amazon and her website Learning Ballet with Claudia. The journal helps dancers track their progress, set goals, and record corrections and feedback from teachers. One of Claudia's proudest accomplishments as a teacher is seeing her students succeed. Notably, one of her students received a scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, and another was awarded a scholarship to the American Ballet Theatre School. She is also honored to have been one of the teachers of Tate McRae, a renowned dancer and artist, further affirming her legacy in the dance world.
Today, Claudia remains passionately committed to her mission of helping dancers improve and achieve their dreams, fuelled by her love for ballet and teaching.
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Anna Steele, Jazz Pom
Anna Steele began dancing at the age of 3 and has fallen in love with it ever since. Growing up as a competitive dancer, she trained in a wide range of styles including Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Tap, Pointe, and Acro, graduating from Airborne Dance Centre in 2018.
Anna has trained extensively with top choreographers and instructors across Vancouver, Toronto, and Los Angeles, as well as professional cheer coaches from the NFL, NBA, and beyond. Her diverse training continues to shape her dynamic style as both a performer and choreographer.
Currently, Anna performs with the Rhinestone Cowgirls, the Roughnecks Drill Crew, and the Calgary Stampeders Outriders — and has choreographed for all three. She also had the incredible opportunity to perform with the Jonas Brothers at the 2024 Grey Cup Halftime Show, and has also appeared in multiple music videos as a dancer.
As a teacher and choreographer at multiple studios across Calgary, Anna brings passion, creativity, and a love for continuous growth to every class. She strives to create a supportive, fun, and positive environment where every student feels seen, encouraged, and empowered to be their best — both as dancers and as people.
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Nia Hoffmann, Jazz Pom
Nia grew up dancing at Elite Dance Academy here in Calgary, Alberta. She started off in Ballet but as her love for dance grew, Nia branched out into all other styles including Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Hip Hop and Tap. She competed for many years and spent two years in the Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede where she danced and sang. Over the course of her childhood, she spent time in all areas of the performing arts by also participating in acting lessons, performing in plays with local theatre, and taking piano and voice lessons from the ages of five-18
Currently, Nia is attending school part-time studying early learning and child studies. She also continues to pursue her love of dance by performing with the Calgary Roughnecks Drill Crew, the Rhinestone Cowgirls and the Calgary Stampeders Outriders. She is a huge animal lover and can often be found hanging out with her many pets. Nia loves to further her professional development and is constantly learning. She has completed year one of the ADAPT teacher training school, as well as modules 1 and 2 of Acrobatic Arts.
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Autumn Thom, Hip Hop
Autumn Thom is a professional dancer, choreographer, model and actress whose career began at the impressive age of 11. Her dynamic talent and dedication have earned her roles in major TV and film productions, including Riverdale (Season 6 +7), HBO’s The Last of Us Season 1, Monster High the Movie, and Monster High 2 (Nickelodeon), and MTV’s European Music Awards with Tate McRae. Her credits also include Netflix’s Julie and the Phantoms, SyFy’s Wynonna Earp, CBC’s short film Rebecca’s Room, NBC’s World of Dance (Season 3), and The Next Step Live On Tour.
Autumn’s passion for dance has led her to tour nationally as an Elite Protégé with The Pulse Presents: Nexus. A graduate of the prestigious Alberta Ballet School, she has mastered a wide range of styles, including ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, modern, lyrical, acro dance, and tap.
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Mackenzie Cook, Musical Theatre
Mackenzie Cook is a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer in Calgary, Alberta. She started dancing at the age of 5 and never stopped! She has trained competitively in jazz, tap, hip hop, ballet, musical theatre, and contemporary for 20 years and completed her Bachelor of Arts in Dance at the University of Calgary.
Mackenzie has had many exciting performance opportunities with amazing choreographers like Lisa LaTouche, Michelle Moss, and Melanie Kloetzel and continued to dive deep into the commercial dance world and learn from masters such as Brinn Nicole, Lindsley Allen, and the faculty of Pro Action Dance. She graduated from the ADAPT Teacher Training School in 2020 and brings her passion for dance all across the city!
Mackenzie is honoured to create a safe space for all dancers to push themselves further, think creatively, and live outside their comfort zone all while living in their love for dance.
Mackenzie currently performs with the Rhinestone Cowgirls and the Roughnecks Drill Crew. When she isn't teaching and performing, she continues to train and further her knowledge of dance by taking classes and continue to pursue a professional dance career!
These opportunities have shaped Mackenzies diverse abilities and love for performing and learning. She is so excited to join the Excel Dance Experience faculty.
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Rylee Fieldstone, Lyrical
Rylee is a dance educator, choreographer and artist currently based in Calgary, Alberta. She grew up training and competing in all styles, winning titles across North America. Rylee was a member of the O2 Dance company early in her professional career. She transitioned to teaching while obtaining her Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Calgary. She began teaching at The Young Canadians as a Dance Development teacher as well as serving as the Dance Director of the award-winning Calgary Stampede Showband.
Rylee’s talents in choreography have achieved numerous accolades. She was invited to choreograph in Alberta Ballet’s Choreographic Workshop in 2018 to create a piece for three company members. Rylee currently teaches and choreographs full time. She has earned a reputation of developing dancers with strong technique, and with an emphasis on artistry. It is her goal to inspire and give her dancers the tools and skills needed to pursue a future in dance and wherever their journey takes them. Some of Rylee’s current and graduated students have had acceptances and placements to summer, post graduate programs and jobs at the Royal Ballet School, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, CLI Conservatory, SUNY Purchase Conservatory to name a few.
Rylee is looking forward to sharing her love for dance this weekend with all the dancers!
