Edmonton Fall Workshop Faculty

Gianna Martello is a dancer, teacher and choreographer from Pittsburgh, PA. Her raw talent and intensive training under the direction of Abby Lee Miller and the faculty at the Abby Lee Dance Company earned her regional and national accolades growing up as a "competition kid." At 16, Gianna began choreographing routines alongside Ms. Miller as well as on her own which led her to discover her passion for teaching and choreography. She is currently on faculty at Artistic Dance Exchange, Wild Dance Intensive for the Star Dance Alliance, Crew Studio, Broadway Dance Center, Millennium Dance Complex, and serves as a guest instructor and competition judge around the world.

Gianna was able to balance her academic and dance opportunities with great success. She graduated from Point Park University in 2011 with a B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations.

Gianna's choreography can be seen in the movie "Dance-Off," Go90's 'Crashed' series, Kid's Choice Awards and Dance Class Live promos, Australia's "ASTRA Awards," Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition, and music videos for Rachael Sage, Allegra Miles, Alexx Calise, Todrick Hall, The Pretty Wild, Emily Rowed and many more. You may know her from the fan favorite, Dance Moms! You can catch her choreography on all 8 seasons of the hit reality TV show.

Gianna's true passion lies in teaching and making you feel confident when you step out on stage, or into the real world. She believes that you can learn so much more from a dance teacher than just the steps. Her teacher instilled life long lessons throughout her entire childhood and Gianna wishes to do the same.

Bio Coming Soon!

Mary is a distinguished choreographer, artistic director, adjudicator, and devoted mentor whose work embodies both depth and daring. With a unique voice rooted in contemporary movement, improvisational exploration, and bold compositional craft, her artistry bridges precision and poetry.

Her choreography has been recognized across North America, earning awards and accolades from The Dance Awards, New York City Dance Alliance, Radix Nationals, and Youth America Grand Prix. Professionally, Mary has created and premiered original works with The Alberta Ballet Company, including The Shape of Water and Glance Through My Eyes, which were featured in both their choreographic presentations and summer series performances.

Beyond the stage, Mary has dedicated herself to mentorship and artistic development. Through her customized programs, film collaborations, and work as an adjudicator, she cultivates a space where dancers are encouraged to listen deeply, take risks, and uncover their own artistic identities. Many of the dancers she has mentored have gone on to prestigious institutions such as Juilliard, CLI Conservatory, Arts Umbrella, USC Kaufman, and Rambert, but her truest pride lies within the process: the unfolding of each dancer's voice.

As the co-founder of The Archive Collective and Artistic Director of The Archive Conservatory, Mary leads with vision and care, shaping a space that honours the vulnerability and power of the artistic process. Her work within the post-graduate conservatory program celebrates curiosity, transformation, and the kind of shared artistry that ripples far beyond its walls.

Luke is a dancer from Calgary, Alberta and a proud recent graduate of Excel Dance Experience, where he trained and worked as an assistant. Throughout his dance journey, Luke has had the opportunity to train in several prestigious invite-only programs, including the 4th edition of the Lukas McFarlane Intensive in Europe, as well as Camp Protégé, Stacey Tookey’s invite-only program.

While competing, Luke earned numerous overall awards and titles, including becoming a provincial champion in Alberta alongside his duet partner Alice, who is now an Excel Pro Assistant. Their award-winning duet was choreographed by Excel Director Gretta Briceno, who Luke has worked closely with for many years. Luke also holds a special place in Excel’s history, as he taught one of his first classes at the debut Excel Assistant Pop-Up, which sold out in less than 24 hours.

Luke is currently performing professionally aboard the Spectrum of the Seas with Royal Caribbean International. He now specializes in jazz and commercial dance, bringing together his technical training, performance experience, and knowledge from his time working as a professional dancer. Luke is so excited to return to Excel and share his passion, energy, choreography, and everything he has learned with dancers at this fall’s convention.

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.

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 to 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.

Bio Coming Soon!