Presenters

Denise began her training with Sudbury School of Ballet and completed her dance education with Tini Pel at the Arts Guild Dance Studio in Sudbury, graduating from the three-year apprenticeship program for professionals. She furthered her studies in dance with courses in Halifax, Toronto and Copenhagen. Denise has been teaching for 45 years, opening her own studio in 1984. She performed liturgical dance as part of a Huntington University lecture series and went on to perform and choreograph liturgical dance for many churches. Starting in 1984, Denise choreographed numerous musical theatre productions for Jamie Bourget at Theatre Cambrian, including Hair, West Side Story and My Fair Lady. In 2005 Denise received Northern Life's Community Builder's Award for the Arts, and in 2009 she was awarded the Champions for Children award by Our Children, Our Future. In 2012 Denise received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee award from the Sudbury Multicultural Society, and in 2017 she was honoured by the Sudbury Theatre Centre with the STC Honours award for her lifetime contribution to the arts.  Denise holds an Advanced Teacher's certificate from The Society of Russian Ballet (now the Society of Classical Ballet - Vaganova Method) and is currently an executive member and examiner for the Society. She is the artistic director of earthdancers.