Bruno has been studying Lindy Hop for over 10 years, and began teaching with Alana in 2007.  He enjoys dancing Lindy Hop, Blues and Charleston, and is frequently seen dancing around Ottawa and Montreal.  His greatest dance influences are Steven Mitchell and Skye Humphries.  Bruno loves to get his students to reach their full potential by helping them fine tune their dancing skills.

Shadia began her Middle Eastern Dance career in 1990. She founded Layali Shehrazad in February of 1996. Since then, she has graced stages in Africa, the U.S. and Canada, where she has been a non-stop inspiration as a teacher and performance artist dazzling audiences coast to coast.

As performance artist and teacher, Shadia strives to share the power, passion and joy of this beautiful art form.

Hailing from Montreal, Frank started dancing at 13 years of age, which gave him the incredible opportunity to learn Hip Hop in its rawest form. After more than 21 years of experience Frank has learned that Hip Hop is his perfect creative outlet.

Through all of life's ups and downs, Frank's passion for hip hop has continued to expand. He's learned that versatility, an open mind and a willingness to learn, gives his student the opportunity to experience this dance style to it's fullest.

Carole Anne brings 25 years of teaching Tap to the floors of DWA! She has studied with Tap greats from all over North America. Her love of all musical styles combined with her solid understanding of Tap technique and rhythms provide students with a rich and dynamic dance experience.

Carole Anne loves sharing the language of Tap with her students. In her class, the outside world fades away and it becomes all about the music, the rhythm and the art of Tap!

Rafeek's love of salsa dancing began in 1999.  After completing an instructor training program in 2003 he began teaching salsa courses in Toronto and Waterloo.  Although he started with L.A. style salsa dancing, he has come to embrace Cuban style movements and is a proponent of Rueda de Salsa.

In recent years his dance repertoire has expanded to include other forms of dance such as Tango, Lindy Hop and West Coast Swing.  As an instructor he believes in a progressive teaching method to ensure that students reach their full potential and learn in a fun and positive environment.

Jocelyne is artfully versatile in several styles of traditional Oriental dance, Egyptian folkloric, and modern Belly dance. It is her pleasure and privilege to share the beauty of Arabic dance with audiences of all backgrounds.

Her teaching goal is to provide a fun environment to help students learn grace and improve self-confidence through dance. Dancers of all ages, shapes and sizes are celebrated in her classes and she makes every effort to ensure that all students are challenged, not bored, and never overwhelmed.

Bambi Van Boom has been instrumental in bringing burlesque to Ottawa since December 2007. She has performed at numerous events, both charitable and at a variety of clubs with the teasing troupe Rockalily. To Bambi, burlesque is all about having fun, flirting and feeling fabulous.

Burlesque is also a very empowering performance style that celebrates women of all shapes & sizes. Anywhere from fans to pasties to boas and gloves, burlesque lets you forget your troubles and just love being yourself!

Josée wants you to love Zumba. Having trained to become an aerobics teacher, for years she sought more than traditional aerobics and wanted to find a style that also blends dance moves. She got her wish when she disovered Zumba over a year ago and was certified within two months.

Zumba allows Josée to fuse her background and training in various dance styles such assalsa, hip-hop, and belly dancing, with her high energy and innate sense of fun. She strives to make sure all her students are enjoying their workout.

Lisa has enjoyed learning and performing this beautiful art form of Belly Dance for the past 8 years. She was fortunate to learn this feminine dance form from many wonderful teachers such as Joan Kendall, Jalilah, Denise Enan, and Hadia.

As a performer she has been featured at many Middle Eastern events across the Ottawa-Gatineau region including restaurants, weddings, parties, and charity events. Lisa believes a woman can learn to express her sensuality, her strength, and her joy of life through belly dance, and that it will open a part of their soul.

After 14 years of growing up on the dance floor, Patricia decided to take 6 years off in 2003 to concentrate on her educational studies. Upon graduation however, enough was enough! and she decided to fill the enormous void created when dance was not a part of her life. In 2009, Patricia returned to the floor in a new and zaney way- ZUMBA! Zumba allowed her to fuse her training as a group fitness/aerobics instructor, with her experience in dance, to create a fantastic class of booty shaking, hip circling, salsa-meringue-hip-hopping fun. She also loves the room for personal creativity in Zumba, and gets much of her inspiration for choreography from her students! Patricia is unbelievably thrilled to have dance in her life once again, and cannot wait to do some Zumba (and sweating!) with you soon. Live. Love. Dance!

Andrew began learning salsa shortly after moving to Ottawa in 2005. Since then he has trained under many veteran teachers in Ottawa and Montreal, exploring Cuban, New York, and LA styles.

A regular at most latin dance nights around town, he also performs frequently with salsa troupes, showcases and congresses. Andrew looks forward to passing on many of the techniques and skills he has learned along the way.

Dave started dancing in 2004, and he hasn't stopped since! He learned to dance at the Queen's Swing Club in Kingston. Alana, then based in Toronto, was one of his earliest teachers, but he's happy to steal cool moves and ideas wherever he can find them.

Lindy Hop is Dave's favourite style, but he's also a fan of Charleston, Blues, and Balboa... and if he's in the right mood, he might even show off some acrobatics! Dave has been teaching swing for the past 3 years, and loves watching his students' confidence and creativity grow, both on and off the dance floor.

Yan started dancing in January 2007 by going to the Friday night dances at the Ottawa Swing Dance Society and hasn't stopped since.  Even though he had barely mastered the rock-step, one of the first ladies to ask him for a dance was the lovely Alana Hock.

Joyful, kind, patient, she communicated her passion for dancing so enthusiastically, he was hooked.  Since then, Yan has been learning to dance Lindy Hop, Charleston and Blues with Alana and her wonderful team of teachers. He is thrilled to share his passion for dancing with new dancers.

Alex began swing dancing in October 2005 with the Ottawa Swing Dance Society.  From there her love of dancing grew, and she joined the SwingUO Dance Club at the University of Ottawa, eventually becoming an executive member.

As she continued to dance, Alex began taking classes in a variety of styles, such as Salsa, Belly dance, tap and ballroom.  Alex is proud to join Alana's team of talented instructors this year and is excited to pass on her love of Lindy Hop to other dancers.

Photo By Chelsea Lefaivre

Jordana was introduced to swing dancing through the University of Ottawa swing dancing club in 2005 and had been addicted ever since!

She began teaching with SwingUO in 2007 and is very happy to be teaching with the wonderful teachers at Alana's studio. Jordana loves social dancing and encourages all students to explore their musicality in a social setting.

Diana started her training in ballet when she was 3 years old, and since then, the only days she considers wasted are those when she hasn’t danced. She experimented with hip hop, jazz, and contemporary dance, however, for the past 10 years she found Salsa and Argentinean Tango closest to her heart.

She believes the passionate rhythms of Salsa not only celebrate the body, but also promote a general feeling of well-being and harmony of thought. In her classes, Diana aims to teach her students the basic concepts of Latin dancing, while encouraging them to follow their own natural rhythm, and allow themselves to be carried by the musicality of the spicy Salsa tunes.

Diana has been teaching and assisting classes of Salsa, Merengue, and Bachata in Ottawa’s Downtown hot spots for almost two years, and is looking forward to meeting you on the dance floor!

Caroline was practically born dancing and can be spotted around the city swaying her hips and shimmying her shoulders. Her love of Salsa dancing bloomed after a trip to the Caribbean where she learned to live and breathe Latin dancing with the locals.

She has taught and assisted Salsa instruction in Ottawa and Gatineau for two years and is well known for teaching regular workshops. She aims to teach her students a solid base in Salsa with flair so they are comfortable and ready to get out and start dancing at local Latin venues as soon as possible.

This native of Ghana was first exposed to the world of dance at an early age by watching his two oldest brothers breakdance. Eddie started out by studying Dance-hall & Reggae and then quickly began to perform at various venues in Ottawa.

He has also studied and performed Hip Hop with Ottawa's Culture Shock. He has also studied jazz, contemporary, salsa and African dance. Eddie is looking forward to sharing his love of Hip Hop with his students.

We are dancers, teachers and competitors focused on West Coast Swing and Hustle, also dabbling in Blues dancing, Balboa and Lindy Hop.

We have been partner-dancing since 2003 and competing since 2006, earning more than 50 medals in just a few years. Currently, Andre competes in WCS with his partner, Daniela; Maria competes and often teaches with her partner, David Ward. Andre also DJs at West Coast Swing, Swing, and Hustle events as one half of the DJ tag team; OldsKOOL & DaCube. They are members of the World Swing Dance Council and the International Hustle Dance Association.

Andréa's love affair with dancing started when she was a young girl dancing in her living room. She was able to pursue this passion when she started Irish dancing 12 years ago. Since then, she has done east coast swing, lindy hop, balboa, blues, charleston and belly dancing. She has had the privilege of learning from numerous renowned teachers over the years and she loves to share her knowledge with eager students. She firmly believes that everyone can dance!

Geoff, a co-founder of the Ottawa Swing Dance Society, has been partner dancing for the last 12 years. He started dancing east coast swing in 1998 and a year later, was already teaching Lindy Hop. He has learned from the best international instructors and has performed at many venues and events. He continually strives to better his skills both as a dancer and a teacher. Bottom line is, he loves lindy!