The Faculty


Nico Archembault	Miles Faber	Chantal Lafontaine	Natalie Reznik	Angele Lafontaine	Sarah Steben	Lombard Twins
	Collingwood Teacher Only Class Instructors Lara E Smythe Dance Instruct 2K9			Collingwood Teacher Only Class Instructors Candice Simpson "Therapy Through Dancing"
Canadian Dance Connections faculty are the country’s most creative choreographers. You’ll be taught by: ``So You Think You Can Dance Canada Season One Winner`` Nico Archambault and top of SYTYCD Canada Season One, Natalli Reznik and Miles Faber. Get your dance on with The Lombard Twins, Studio Owner, Choreographer and Director, Chantal Lafontaine, Contemporary Expert Angele Lafontaine, and Hip Hop Choreographer, Sarah Steben. Our goal is to support Canada`s leading dancers and outside professionals who can offer our students variety, technique, style and ingenuity. Our goal is to surround dancers with some of the country’s top commercial artists in Broadway and major dance competitions (So You Think You Can Dance). Along with top celebrity dancers, we also offer some of the country’s most experienced teachers who have the ability to instruct a large class while offering new styles and forms of dance to take home to your studio, performances and competitions. Don’t forget to sign up online for CDC`s major Dance Crew battle. This battle is open to any Dance Crew who thinks they have what it takes to MOVE.

	Nico Archembault Nico was born Nicolas Archambault on October 18th, 1984 in the Montreal district of Ahuntsic. The eldest of 4 children and the only boy, Nico grew up in and around Montreal. He lived in Paris between the ages of 17 and 19, where he was part of the boy band 4U, touring as an opening act with French pop sensation Lorie. The only professional artist in his family, Nico was introduced to dancing at age 7, but took a break from it until age 10 because they made him wear tights during a show. By the time he was 14, he knew dancing would be his life. He attended Louise Lapierre’s dance school for 8 years, the Academy of Modern Dance of Montreal during college and took prestigious workshops at the Centre du Marais in Paris, at the Broadway Dance Centre in New York and at the Millennium Dance Center and Edge Performing Arts Center in L.A. Nico has performed all over Canada, the USA, Cuba, Mexico, France, Switzerland, Belgium and Egypt. Nico is proficient in a mix of styles (contemporary, hip hop, jazz, tap and many others), which sets him apart from other dancers. Nico has won three major awards for his talent thus far: Young Professional Award from the Triple Dance Threat Convention in 2006, THE PULSE ELITE PROTÉGÉ OF THE YEAR, handed to him by star choreographer Brian Friedman, whom he then started assisting, and the first edition of the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA competition. Prior to his win, his television appearances as a dancer include: Les Hauts et les Bas de Sophie Paquin, Tout sur Moi, Joe Dassin (making of), Star Académie, La Fureur, Music Hall II and numerous music videos. Since his win, Nico has been working with an acting coach to attend all the television and film auditions that have come pouring in. He will star in the upcoming Bravo! Biopic on Rudolph Nureyev, considered by many to be the greatest ballet dancer of all time. In the film, directed by Moze Mossenen, Nico will re-interpret the graceful moves of the late Russian star in evocative scenes. Nico also landed a role in the CW pilot The Beautiful Life, alongside Mischa Barton and Elle McPherson. The talented dancer recently graced the stage of the opera adaptation of Luc Plamondon's hit musical Starmania, in Quebec City and Montreal. Mr. Plamondon paid Nico a generous compliment when he stated that he was indeed his favorite dancer. Putting his choreographing and dance casting talent to good use, Nico has been busy choosing dancers and creating choreographies for the upcoming album launch and Canadian national tour of the PINUP SAINTS. The album, which is essentially the soundtrack to the Pinup Saints show, was completed at the end of February and is now available on iTunes. The tour is set to launch in Montreal on April 25, 2009 Nico resides in Montreal and is currently being considered for roles in upcoming films as well as touring the country, teaching at various dance seminars. Register Now! back to top
	Miles Faber Miles was born in Toronto in August, 1986. In high school, Miles was attracted to the sights and sounds of urban dance culture, particularly B-boying and popping. By his final year of high school, he was devoting all of his free time engrossed in the history and performance of B-boying. At 19, his enthusiasm had transformed into a full-blown life-leading passion. He began sharing what he had learned from others including the creators and originators of the dance (The Electric Boogaloos) and from other extended members of the boogaloo family. Not only did he participate in the Calgary B-boy scene, battling regularly with his crew, but he also lent his talent to various visiting entertainers such as 2 Live Crew and Dirty Vegas and MC Hammer. Miles has appeared in music videos from artists such as Amanda Morra, Kreshia Turner, Kim Davis and more. In the year leading up to his appearance in the top 10 of CTV's So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Miles joined Mayhem's Finest, a Toronto crew with a long history. Their accolades include first place in Toronto's Funkfest 2008, first place in T-Dot Love, and second place in the FAME North America tour. Miles is now focused on continuing his learning in every style of dance and looks forward to sharing his knowledge on stages and in studios across the globe. Register Now! back to top
	Chantal Lafontaine Born and raised in Sudbury Ontario, Chantal Lafontaine has been an active member of the dance community for the past 16 years. As a strong believer in the youth and their talents, Chantal owns and operates her own dance studio. She has trained and teaches hip hop, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, acro and musical theatre. Being a title winner in many competitions, she has helped countless students win their very own awards. She has even trained teams that have had a chance to perform in locations like Jamaica, Mexico and the Bahamas. Chantal continues to train a competitive team, own a dance studio, perform and train as much as she can. She is a strong believer that the best teacher is always a student. She has traveled Canada looking for fresh new ideas to bring to all students that cross her path. Her studio continues to grow and pull awards such as hip hop masters. Her dancers can be seen on cruise ships, music videos and dance pack teams (ex: Toronto Argonauts) Her main goal at this convention is to ensure that all dancers walk away from this experience feeling like the stars themselves! Register Now! back to top
	Natali Reznik back to top
	Angele Lafontaine Angele Lafontaine began her dance training at the age of six in Sudbury Ontario. She trained in various dance forms such as ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical and musical theater but found her true passion to be in modern and specifically contemporary dance. She attended Sudbury Secondary High School, where she majored as a dance student, learning skills in choreography and the creative process. Her success began at a young age as she created award winning choreographies for Company G Dance Academy and Co-directed the studio alongside her sister, the talented Chantal Lafontaine. Her career hit its turning point as the young artist moved to Montreal Quebec to pursue an education at Concordia University, in the prestige contemporary dance program. In 2008 her choreographies were featured in Montreal's “Spirale” show as well as in the Art Matters Festival. She continued to pursue her endeavors by participating in many local shows by various young artists. In 2009 Angele worked for the Art Matters Festival and created Creative Conversations, a collective by artists in all disciplines of fine art. With the success of her show, Angele looks to continue in this field of dance and aspires to create a company with the skills and knowledge she holds. Register Now! back to top
	Sarah Steben Born and raised in Montreal Quebec, Sarah started her dance career at the age of 15 Teaching & training at Studio A, Montreal. Although soccer was her main focus during this time, the minute she saw a video of the World Hip Hop Championships her dreams quickly changed and choreography became her newest passion. Dance became more serious in 2006 when Sarah began to dance for two competitive teams, Extreme and Urban Style, each recognized at an international level. At the age of 17 Sarah began to choreograph for competitive troupes and now has two teams of her own ranging from ages 14 to 24. Now, a member of Aftermath, choreographed by Formality San Diego’s, Erik Saradpon, and directed by Studio A’s Ivana Junek, Sarah has been fortunate enough to travel to Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, and Germany and has trained with choreographers like Sheryl Murakami, Philip Geniza and Mariel Martin. Her style is not only limited to hip-hop and some of her inspirations are the west coasts top choreographers like Lyle Beniga, Mike Song, Ellen Kim and of course Mari Martin. The CDC tour will be her first big convention and she is extremely excited for it! Yahoooo J Register Now! back to top
	Lombard Twins LOMBARD TWINS. Martin and Facundo Lombard started dancing at the age of 7 in their native Buenos Aires, Argentina. By 13 they made their sensational TV debut in one of Argentina's most popular shows, Rhythm of the Night. Their unparalleled synchronized Free Expression way of dance and high-energy Tap Dance soon caught the eye of legend James Brown and Tito Puente. Mr. Brown, in awe of their talent, dubbed them "The Soul Boys". In 1998, Martin and Facundo moved to New York City, a city that embraced them immediately. While in the US they have appeared at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, the Saratoga Jazz Festival and BB King's, to name but a few. Choreographer Maurice Hines incorporated them in his workshop production of Yo' Alice, slated for Broadway. Their many credits include featured appearances with Whitney Houston and George Michael ("If I Told You That" video) a Tribute to The Nicholas Brothers (Lincoln Center) the jazz musician Winton Marsalis (Gran Rex Theatre, Argentina) and Stomp (Luna Park Staduim, Argentina) In print, they have been seen in Vogue, shot by Steven Meisel for Versace. They also have been cover featured of the New York dance magazines Dance Spirit, and New York Dance Fax. AntiGravity, New York's premiere aerial dance company featured them in performances for George Lucas, Bill Gates, and The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, among others.The Lombard Twins reside in New York where they regularly work as guest artist with AntiGravity and Rasta Thomas' Bad Boys of Dance. Recently, they have written, directed and stared the 13' minutes short film "Infancia 34" They have also debuted their new theatrical production "Lombard Play Piazzolla" - The Dance Concert - at New York City Center Fall For Dance Festival and presented this concert at Rosie O Donnell’s Rosie Live on NBC. They have also choreographed and danced in a music video for Wyclef Jean & The Electric Company, for PBS. Martin & Facundo are working on their new projects. "The HipHopKestra" and on a script for their first feature film.
	Candice Simpson Therapy Through Dancing I will be teaching a class that focuses on the more emotional side to hip hop. My classes are designed to teach dancers how to add emotion and life to their movement. Through the choreography that I will be teaching that day, I will be showing everyone that hip hop can be more than just another dance step; as every choreography that I teach is dedicated to someone's story, and every step has a purpose and meaning behind it. At the same time, I will be focusing a huge part of my class on musicality. By the end of the class I hope that people will see that every rhythm and sound creates a specific movement, which in turn makes you feel a specific emotion. Throughout the class, I will be providing the other teachers with useful tools that I have learned along the way, and that I consider to be very helpful when trying to reach out to students, and truly allow them to connect, feel, and at the same time learn. Register Now! back to top
	Lara Smythe Lara Smythe is a 26 year Doctor of Chiropractic, Dance Teacher, and Choreographer from Toronto. She began her training as a competitive gymnast winning the Provincial Championships at the age of 14. Lara attended high school at Earl Haig Secondary School in the Claude Watson Performing Arts program, specializing in Ballet and Modern Dance. She also entered the competitive dance scene in Toronto and studied at the ‘All That Dance’ studio for 5 years, claiming the title of Dancer of the Year in 2001. She continued studying Jazz and Modern at the University of Western Ontario and has been teaching and choreographing across Ontario for the past 10 years. Lara is also a UWO Western Varsity Cheerleading Alumni and helped the team claim the National Championship for 2 consecutive years. More recently she has focused on Choreography work and was fortunate enough to receive the Julian Paul Masi memorial award in 2006 for outstanding artistic performance. Recently Lara took a break from her internship at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College to take part in the hit TV show “So You Think You Can Dance Canada”. Finishing the show in the top 12, Lara had the privilege of working with renowned choreographers such as Lil’ C, Blake McGrath, Danny Quilliam, Jean Marc Genereux, Melissa Williams, and Luther Brown. Lara has since been teaching workshops and judging dance competitions across Canada with 5678 Showtime, IDance convention, and Touched by the Streets camps, to name a few. Her specialties include Acrobatics, Modern, and Contemporary dance. Lara has a passion for teaching and not only shares with her students a love for dance but also knowledge regarding health, wellness training and injury prevention. Dance Instruct 2K9 - A Class about How to Instruct Your Students Safely and Effectively Dr. Lara Smythe B.A., D.C. A good teacher prepares their students for long and prosperous careers in the dance world. But how much do today's teachers really know about proper training techniques? The purpose of Dr. Smythe's class is to inform dance teachers of the importance of a well-constructed and safe dance session. Dance Instruct 2K9 will cover topics including: Cardiovascular warm-ups Proper timing and durations for stretching The dance environment- proper flooring and footwear Safe progression of skills Spotting more challenging skills Chronic and Acute injury prevention Managing the injured dancer Dance Instruct 2K9 is a modern/contemporary class which incorporates information and tips that teachers can take home and implement when they construct their own classes. Register Now! back to top