Anjelica Gilroy
Certified ADAPT Jazz & Tap Teacher, Alixa Flexibility M1

Ms. Anjelica began her dance training at the age of three in ballet, jazz, and tap. By the age of six, she was already competing in these styles, later expanding her training to include acro, hip hop, lyrical, and musical theatre. Throughout high school, she performed and choreographed for the musical theatre program, earning the program’s top scholarship upon graduation. She completed her RAD ballet exams through the intermediate level, along with ADAPT exams in both jazz and tap through intermediate level 3.

In 2012, Ms. Anjelica was honoured to be selected for the Canadian National Tap Team under the direction of Everett Smith (Top 4 finalist on So You Think You Can Dance Canada). She proudly represented Canada at the IDO World Championships in Germany.

In the summer of 2021, Ms. Anjelica completed her Alixa Flexibility Module 1 certification. She has since gone on to complete her ADAPT Jazz & Tap Teacher Training and is now a fully certified ADAPT instructor.

Ms. Anjelica’s teaching emphasizes strong technique, musicality, and artistry while fostering a positive, supportive, and motivating environment. She is passionate about sharing her love of dance and is dedicated to inspiring her students to feel confident, accomplished, and proud both in and out of the studio.

 

Shauna Bartley – Assistant Director/Office Manager
B.A.T.D Certified Member, ADAPT Certified, PBT Certified, Acrobatic Arts M1 & M2

For over 20 years Ms. Shauna studied Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, Musical Theatre, and Acro. Her passion for instructing young dancers started at the age of 14 when she began assisting classes. Ms. Shauna was later hired as a full-time teacher at the age of 18 in the disciplines of Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, Acro and Musical Theatre. To gain more knowledge and experience, Ms. Shauna attended and successfully completed the 3 year A.D.A.P.T (Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers) certification program, 2 year Performance Dance program at George Brown College, Level 1 and Level 2 in acrobatics through the Dance Educators of Canada Forum for Acrobatic Dance, completed the Acrobatic Arts Module 1 and 2 certification and recently became certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT).  Ms. Shauna is also a certified member of BATD.

In the last 22 years as a teacher and choreographer, students that she has had the honour of working with have won numerous awards including; Young dancer of the year, choreography awards and many overalls in groups, duets, trios, and solos. Throughout her many hard working years as a teacher/choreographer Ms. Shauna had the opportunity to work as an Assistant Artistic Director and Office Manager to add to her working knowledge within the dance world.

Ms. Shauna takes great pride in creating a positive and motivating learning experience. She is very enthusiastic towards sharing her passion for dance with all the young dancers that she has had the privilege of working with and strongly encourages them to set goals and dream big.

Madison Mapes – Competitive Director
BA.H, ADAPT Certified, Acrobatic Arts M1, P.A.A, ADE Acro

Ms. Madison has loved dancing since she joined at the age of 3. She became competitive shortly after and was successful and passionate about being a dancer. She won many awards, overalls and choreographed high school musicals until she completed high school. Along the way during studio training she completed up to Grade 7 RAD ballet exams and trained in upper level ballet classes upon completion. She also completed all of her ADAPT exams up to Intermediate 3 jazz and tap.

After teaching her first class Ms. Madison knew it was the right career for her, she has always been interested in making an impact on children and what could possibly be better than doing it as a dance teacher? Ms. Madison has been a recreational and competitive teacher for multiple years and choreographed many routines during this time that have had great success.

In summer 2021 Ms. Madison completed her ADAPT teacher training to be fully certified for jazz and tap and her Acrobatic Arts Teacher Training Module 1 for Acro. She achieved her BA.H in Psychology from York University in June 2020 and during her time completed many dance courses, classes and attended workshops to keep up her training. She is in the process of becoming an Early Childhood Educator through St Lawrence College Online Program to hopefully add to her career as a dance teacher.

Using what she has learned in her education and her strong love for children she is excited to see where being a dance teacher can take her. She has worked at Whitby Dance Company for multiple years and is excited to continue to make a positive impact on the dancers.
 

Amia Ogieva

Amia brings over 25 years of dance experience and more than a decade of teaching to the studio. Trained in a wide range of styles including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical, and musical theatre, she ultimately chose to focus her professional career on Hip Hop — a genre where she has thrived as both a performer and choreographer.

Amia has taught across Ontario, working with dancers of all ages, from preschoolers to adults, including specialized classes in both Hip Hop and Heels. Her high-energy teaching style, combined with her passion for movement and mentorship, creates a dynamic and inclusive learning environment for every student.

Amia is excited to share her knowledge and love of dance with the Whitby Dance Company community and looks forward to an inspiring season ahead.

Taylor Hand

Taylor is a professional dancer and experienced teacher who took her first dance class at the age of 18 months! She grew up as a competitive dancer and became very passionate about dance. Taylor began teaching at the age of 15 when she was named the choreographer for her high school’s musical theatre program. She created choreography for the shows, taught it to her peers, held lunchtime rehearsals, designed costumes, helped direct scenes, and also performed! Her show credits include “The Wizard of Oz”, “Godspell Jr.”, “Sister Act Jr.”, and“Newsies Jr.” Taylor was awarded the scholarship award for outstanding work in the performing arts at her highschool graduation.

In March 2024, Taylor created her own professional dance company called “Verve Dance Collective”. This company is an entertainment-based collective that acquires dancers for professional performance opportunities. Their show credits include multiple galas and events for RBC Bank and The Benefit Alliance, which she choreographed and performed in. She also had the pleasure of getting to perform at the 2024 Premier Awards alongside the Centennial College Ignite Dance Crew.

In April 2025, Taylor graduated from Centennial College’s Dance Performance program with honours. She also received a Centennial College Dean’s Award for Outstanding Entrepreneurship for the creation of her dance company. Taylor is also certified in the Artistic Dance Educators (ADE) Jazz Syllabus.

Taylor is very passionate about teaching dance and wants to inspire the next generation of dancers. She is very excited to be apart of the WDC team! 

Kalie Hunter-Nero

Kalie is excited to be joining the team at Whitby Dance!  She is a graduate of the School of Alberta Ballet/University of Calgary and is a professional performer/choreographer.  Her (selected) theatre credits are Mamma Mia, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Wizard of oz the Panto, Annie, Cinderella the Panto (Drayton Entertainment,)  Mamma Mia, Joseph (Tweed & Co,) CATS (Panasonic/Mirvish,) Spamalot, Mamma Mia (Stage West Calgary,) Robin Hood, S’narled (Capitol Theatre,) White Christmas (MTC,) Dirty Rotten Scoundrals and Beauty and the Beast 2x (Theatre Calgary,) Beauty and the Beast 2x (Citadel Theatre,) and Silverseas Cruise Lines.  (Selected) Film/TV credits are Nightbooks, Resident Evil, Star Trek Strange New Worlds, Star Trek Discovery, Suicide Squad, 11/22/63, State Like Sleep, Ghost Annie in Pay The Ghost, Season 1 and 2 of The Strain, Bang Bang Baby, Tiny Dancer, The Ron James Show and Nikita.  Kalie is the owner of Metro Movement Dance Studio in Toronto; one of Canada’s longest running drop in professional studios and she is also a sought after adjudicator and works coast to coast.  She is thrilled to be joining the team and looks forward to working with you all!

Doraianna Filippo
M.A., BATD, PAA

Doraianna Filippo is a professional dancer, choreographer, dance educator, and emerging professional adjudicator based in Ontario, Canada. With more than 20 years of dance training and over a decade of teaching and choreographic experience, Doraianna has built a diverse career spanning international performance, commercial dance, musical theatre, professional dance teams, choreography, and dance education. She is passionate about inspiring dancers through technical excellence, artistry, confidence, and positive mentorship.

As an international performer, Doraianna toured internationally with MSC Cruises as a Lead Principal Dancer and Actor, performing in large-scale productions including Dreamscape, Love Blooms, In Concert, Shall We Dance, Premiere, Imaginocean, and Le Cabaret. Her professional performance career has also included work across commercial, concert, theatre, and live entertainment, including performing as a background dancer on ‘The R&B Tour’ featuring Usher and Chris Brown. Her credits include the FIFA World Cup, Fall for Dance North, Fringe Festival productions, the Oshawa FireWolves/Fury Dance Team, Toronto Argonauts and Harlem Globetrotters halftime performances, as well as numerous theatrical and commercial productions. Her theatre credits include The King and I, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Snow White, while her professional dance-company experience includes OPUS Dance Company, Five Star Dance Company, RWS Entertainment, Duality Dance Company, and Ontario Tech Dance Pac.

Doraianna has also worked extensively in television, film, promotional, and live-event entertainment. Her screen and commercial credits include performances for the iHeartRadio MMVAs, Miss Universe Canada, Toronto Kids Fashion, and Reel Talent, along with additional promotional and acting work. Her versatility as a performer has allowed her to work across contemporary, commercial, jazz, hip hop, ballet, musical theatre, ballroom, and live entertainment environments.

A proud Team Canada representative at the Dance World Cup, Doraianna is a six-time Gold and Silver Medalist and three-time Bronze Medalist. Her competitive experience has given her a firsthand understanding of the discipline, preparation, resilience, and commitment required to succeed in the competitive dance environment. She has also been recognized with a Leadership and MVP Award through Dance Pac at Ontario Tech University, further reflecting her commitment to leadership and mentorship within the dance community.

As a British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD) certified teacher and Professional Adjudicators Alliance (PAA) certified professional, Doraianna has spent more than a decade teaching and choreographing for recreational and competitive dancers of various ages and levels. She has choreographed award-winning solos, duets, trios, and group routines, while mentoring dancers as they pursue competitive, post-secondary, and professional opportunities. Her teaching philosophy combines strong technical foundations with musicality, performance quality, individuality, confidence, and a genuine love of movement.

Doraianna’s extensive training includes the Joffrey Ballet School, The Juilliard School Pre-College and Summer Programs, World Performers Canada, Protégé Movement: The Mentorship Program with Stacey Tookey, and the International Hip-Hop Dance Mentorship with Reet Roy.She has also trained in acting through Talent Inc. Canada and with industry professionals including Gene Gabriel and Heather Lang. Her professional development across multiple disciplines has contributed to her versatility as both a performer and educator.

In addition to her career in dance, Doraianna holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Forensic Psychology and a Master of Arts in Criminology. Her academic background has strengthened her communication, observation, analytical, and interpersonal skills, which she brings into her teaching, mentorship, choreography, and adjudication. Her ability to observe performance closely and communicate constructive feedback allows her to provide dancers with thoughtful, objective, and encouraging guidance.

Doraianna believes that every dancer deserves to leave the stage feeling empowered, inspired, and proud of their performance. Whether she is performing on an international stage, creating choreography, teaching in the studio, or adjudicating a competition, her goal is to create an environment where dancers feel respected, supported, challenged, and motivated to reach their fullest potential. She believes that great dance education is not only about developing stronger dancers, but also about helping young artists develop confidence, discipline, individuality, and a lasting love for the performing arts.