| Kim Chalovich
- (Artistic Director - What’s On? TAP!) 34 years of tapping, 22 years of teaching, and a decade of professional performing, have brought Kim Chalovich to the forefront in the Canadian Dance Community. She is a full member of PAEC (Performing Arts Educators of Canada), and she has studied under Al Gilbert, Henry LeTang, Lane Alexander, Jeannie Hill, Dianne Walker, Van Porter and Valeria Pinheiro from Brazil. Her continued dedication to tap dance can be seen year after year, through her productions, her students, and her school outreach program. Her professional career started at 18, dancing at Ontario Place. While she attended university, obtaining a mechanical engineering degree, she continued to dance with local performing troupes and also became a certified fitness instructor. Tap was always Kim’s preference, but it truly became her passion about 10 years ago (following her 2nd stroke…”medical scares tend to make you evaluate what is truly important in your life!”). In 1999 - after 8 years of working as a professional engineer, in the automotive industry, Kim left one career and entered another, becoming the founder and Artistic Director of the Mississauga based, professional tap dance company “What’s On? Tap!”, choreographing, directing, and performing in self-produced tap musicals. Other performance credits include TAP! (sharing the stage with international artists: M.A.D.D. Rhythms & Van ‘The Man’ Porter), The International Children’s festival, Dance Ontario’s Dance Weekend , fFIDA (the fringe), Junction Arts Festival, the Mississauga Arts Awards, and many festivals, conventions, industrials across the GTA. You may also have seen Kim featured in Dance Current Magazine (for her devotion and commitments to tapdance), and INSTYLE magazine with sister, country singer, Terri Clark. In addition Kim offers a school outreach program called “RHYTHM DANCE”: a percussive, teaching technique she created, for children to learn about the relationship between rhythm, dance, and music. As a result, “RHYTHM DANCE” has been adopted into the dance/drama curriculum in several schools. Kim continues to teach tap in her local tap studio and present workshops and master classes abroad – enticing children and adults with her fun-loving energy, and unique tap styles. Kim’s latest endeavors include the creation/production of the ECTC (Eastern Canadian Tap Conference), modeled after the many celebrated, tap-preserving events happening in NYC, Chicago, and abroad. With the support of the Mississauga Arts Council, this event serves to educate and dazzle tap enthusiasts from all over! |
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Shannon Bond - started tap dancing at the age of four and has been loving it ever since. A well-rounded dancer, Shannon is a graduate of the Ryerson dance program where she was the recipient of many awards and bursaries. Recent performances include “Celebration of Dance – A Tribute to Arnold Spohr” and industrial shows. Shannon has been fortunate to have trained and danced with many influential dancers including Nadia Potts, Kathleen Duffy, Arnold Spohr, Danny Grossman, Margie Gillis, and William Orlowski. She has also taught dance for the past ten years and is accredited by the Royal Academy of Dance, the Canadian Dance Teachers’ Association and the Performing Arts Educators of Canada. Shannon has recently opened her own dance school TDS Dance Space. She is very excited about her new venture and about performing in “What’s on? Tap!” Shannon would like to thank her family and friends for their continued support.
Debbie Vanderboom - began dancing at the age of 6 in her home town of Richmond Hill, Ontario. She attended CB Dance Academy where she studied Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Modern and Musical Theatre. She has been a teacher and choreographer for students age 3-16 and has competed in various competitions throughout Canada and the States. Debbie has had the priviledge of attending master classes with Savion Glover, Van "The Man" Porter, Lisa LaTouche, Shea Sullivan, and many other great Tap Dancers. Debbie Graduated in 2004 from McMaster University with an honours degree in Psychology and Gerontology. She is currently studying Event and Meeting Management at George Brown College. Debbie is thrilled to be a part of the Whats on? Tap company and looks forward to another great year of tap dancing.
Samantha Baldwin - is a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer. As well as being a part of the “What’s On TAP” dance company, she is a member of InMotion Dance Company, with whom she has performed in numerous contemporary, commercial, and children’s shows, which have taken her to Toronto, Montreal, and Croatia. Samantha also performed for many years with renowned tapper William Orlowski, in children’s shows that toured Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Bermuda. She is currently teaching tap, modern, ballet, and jazz at dance schools in Waterloo and Oakville. Samantha graduated from the Ryerson Dance Program and is an associate member of the I.S.T.D., in both the tap and modern dance branches.
Natasha Angelkotter - started dancing at 7 years old and went on to train at 'Bush Davies'a Theatrical Stage school in England.Since moving to Canada she has trained with Kathleen Duffy at the Dancers' Studio and then completed an intensive 3 year Dance course at Ryerson. She completed her teacher's certification through R.A.D. and she is also a member of P.A.E.C. Natasha has performed in numerous shows at the Meadowvale Theatre & The Living Arts Center with the Mississauga Orchestra; the Mississauga City Center Opera in Carmen and in Oklahoma with the CVS summer Production. She also performed in the Ryerson Dances 1994 and 1995 with renowned choreographers. Presently Natasha is a Creative Movement, Ballet and Jazz teacher with Discoverability,and at TDS Dance Space in Mississauga. She has been dancing with What’s On? Tap! since 2003. Natasha would like to thank her friends and family for their love and support.
Cheryl Matson - began her dance training at the age of 4 with Sandra Purdy School for Dance. She completed all student exams in the C.D.T.A. Syllabus in Ballet, Jazz, and Tap during her 15 years at the studio. Cheryl was also heavily involved in festivals and competitions at which she won numerous awards and scholarships. She then furthered her dance education at George Brown College, participating in their Dance Performance Studies 2-year Diploma program from which she graduated with Honours. Cheryl has since become an accredited member of Performing Arts Educators of Canada for Tap and Jazz and plans to attain her Associate membership with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance for Ballet. Continuing to increase her knowledge, ability, and to stay on the cutting edge, Cheryl regularly attends workshops and conventions during which she has had the opportunity to work with numerous talents in the dance industry. She is an instructor at York Dance Academy where she teaches 3 year olds to adults in various disciplines including tap, jazz, ballet, modern, lyrical, and hip hop. Cheryl is thrilled to be a member of What's On? Tap! and is looking forward to another great year of performances, friendship, and TAP!!
Jessica Westerman - originally from Timmins, Ontario, Jessica began her dance training at the age of three, in Tap and Ballet, and later in Jazz, at the Mick School of Dance. After graduating from high school, she attended the Ryerson University Dance Program where she studied under the artistic direction of Nadia Potts. From there, she pursued Musical Theatre training at the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. Under the guidance of working professional faculty members including George Randolph and Ron Singer, she graduated with a Diploma in Musical Theatre in December of 1999. Throughout the years since Jessica’s arrival in Toronto she has had the pleasure to meet and study with many wonderful people, including the late Tap great, Gregory Hines. She’s performed with the Stirling Festival Theatre, and with the National Ballet of Canada as a Courtier in The Sleeping Beauty, at the Hummingbird Centre, in Toronto. Jessica was a member of the National Tap Dance Company of Canada for five years. On tour during the school year, the company showcased the works of award-winning choreographer, William Orlowski; three shows included Oliver Button Is A Sissy, The Tin Soldier, and the latest work, Feats of Feet. Very recently, Jessica joined What's On? Tap!, a Mississauga-based professional tap dance company. She'll make her debut with the Company in April 2004, at the Living Arts. When not performing you can find Jessica teaching around the Greater Toronto Area. She opened her own advanced tap classes at Studio 27, in late June 2003. She has taught at the National Dance of Canada, the Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre, The Dancers’ Studio, Martha Hick’s School of Dance, and Mind, Body, Soul Dance Centre. Jessica is celebrating her second year on the dance faculty at the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts teaching Beginner, Elementary and Intermediate Tap. As of lately, Jessica is in planning for an entire evening of percussive dance at the Betty Oliphant Theatre, in Toronto, for May 2005, to showcase the works of Toronto's most talented tap dancers.
Lisa Shingler - has been tap dancing since the age of four. While growing up in Kitchener-Waterloo she studied tap at Moree School of Dance and tap, jazz and ballet at Scott’s Studio of Steps. In her secondary school education, Lisa was involved in the Arts Package Program at Eastwood Collegiate Institute where she majored in dance and visual arts. Lisa has participated in many dance festivals across Ontario and in the United States as well as performing with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony at The Centre in the Square. Lisa took a hiatus from dance between 1994 and 2001 while she finished secondary school and completed her general Bachelor of Science- biology degree at Wilfrid Laurier University. Lisa has recently completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from McMaster University. Lisa is delighted to be a member of “What’s On? Tap!” and is thrilled to be making her professional debut with the company. Lisa would like to thank Kim Chalovich and Samantha Baldwin for giving her the opportunity to become a member of “What’s On? Tap!” as well as her family, friends and Geoff for their continual encouragement and support.
Kristy Best - began dancing in Whitby, Ontario at the age of five. After a few years of dancing recreationally, she joined the competitive dance team at her studio and continued competing across Ontario for the next 10 years. In 2003, she studied Dance Performance Foundations at George Brown College, where she was accredited for her dedication to the program by Ballet Jorgen Canada. That same year, Kristy traveled to Riesa, Germany for the second time to compete as part of the Canadian National Tap Team at the IDO World Tap Dance Championships. She competed as a soloist and placed first runner-up World Tap Dance Champion. Kristy has also performed in the opening ceremonies of the Ontario Summer Games, at Woodbine Race Track, at the Deerhurst Resort and for the Toronto Roadrunners Hockey team. Kristy has been teaching dance in the Durham region for the past 7 years and she is very excited to have completed her first year with “What’s On? Tap!.”
Rosanne Kissoon - has been dancing since the age of 3 and competing across North America since the age of 12. She is an associate member of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing in the stage division and has been teaching and choreographing for over 10 years. Rosanne has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, acro, lyrical, and modern, and travels to New York annually to train at the Broadway Dance Centre. In 1999, Rosanne had the pleasure of representing Canada at the International Dance Organization World Championships as a member on the Canadian National Tap Team. In 2000, she was named The Canadian National Tap Champion for the female division and traveled to Germany to compete as a soloist and member of the Canadian National Tap and Showdance teams. Most recently, Rosanne spent four seasons as a member of the Toronto Raptors Dance Pak. She has been seen performing and appearing for TV shows such as TSN, ESPN and Raptors TV. Rosanne graduated from Ryerson University with a Bachelors of Commerce degree in 2006 and currently works at Scotiabank. Rosanne is excited to begin her first year of a member of What’s On? Tap and looks forward to a great year.
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