Ashley Thomas School of Dance
Miss Ashley- Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Acro
Ashley is the studio owner and director. She has been dancing since she was just 7 years old. She danced at her local dance studio where she studied ballet, jazz, and lyrical. She competed at various competitions throughout Ottawa, Toronto and Quebec. She has won numerous awards, however her biggest accomplishment was being asked to join the Extreme Team where she performed on the stages at Disney in Florida. Ashley continued her dance training in high school at l'école secondaire publique De La Salle specializing in ballet.
Miss Ashley could not envision life without dance, after graduating from high school she was accepted into the dance program at York University where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance as well as a Bachelor of Arts in English. During her 5 years at York Ashley studied with many reknown dancers such as Jennifer Bolt, Meagan Andrews, Susan Cash, Claire Wootten, Helene Jones, Julisa Sasso, among many more. She studied the human body, kinesiology, dance history, and pedagogy. Once she graduated in 2011, Ashley continued her education at the University of Ottawa in the education program. Since then Ashley has been teaching at her childhood high school, she is the dance teacher for grade 7 & 8 at De La Salle. She has been teaching in the Ottawa area since her return from York in 2011 and opened her very own studio in 2017.
Miss Ryann - Ballet, Acro, Contemporary
Ryann has been dancing with the Ashley Thomas School of Dance since the very beginning. Starting dance at the young age of 8, she has performed and competed in jazz, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, hip-hop, and musical theater. Her impressive accomplishments include several awards at local dance competitions in the Ottawa/Gatineau area, such as overall top scores, studio high scores, and special awards. Ryann’s passion for dance is matched only by her dedication to helping her students succeed. She is committed to challenging and motivating them to reach their personal goals and continually push their boundaries.
Miss Mélodie - Jazz, Musical Theater
Mélodie started dance when she was very young after her mom removed her from gymnastics for fear she would bite off her tongue from sticking it out for balance. Shortly after starting dance she discovered musical theatre, it quickly became her biggest passion. Mélodie has been dancing with ATSD ever since it's inception. After graduating high-school, Mélodie knew she needed to keep dancing, so she went back to ATSD to become the musical theatre teacher. While teaching musical theater she realized she thoroughly enjoyed teaching jazz aswell. Mélodie is currently studying social work, as well as theatre at the University of Ottawa.
Miss Madison - Hip Hop, Contemporary, Tap
Madison was born and raised from Ottawa Ontario. Starting dance like most at age 3 and has never looked back. Madison danced recreationally for many years, performing with the local casts with Ballet Jorgan and competed regionally for many years winning titles and scholarships. These opportunities gave her the chance to dance with Team Canada in the tap category.
Madison or known as Miss Maddie by her dancers started teaching and assisting classes in 2015 and later went and become ADAPT certified ( Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers) graduated in 2020. She also received her teachers certification with Kim Chalovich Tap Dance Center curriculum and recently became an affiliated member with the CDTA (Canadian Dance Teachers Association) Madison is committed to sharing her extensive knowledge and passion with her dancers. Madison is very diverse and offers teaching, technique, coaching and choreography in multiple disciplines such as ballet/pointe, tap, jazz, musical theatre, hip hop, lyrical and contemporary.
Outside of the studio you can find Madison dancing with Ottawas very own TRAPT a performance troupe performing throughout the city. You can also find Madison sharing her passion for animals working as a Registered Veterinary Technician.
Miss Chloé - Little Steps, Ballet
Chloé is the teacher of Ballet and Little Steps. She was three when she first started dancing. As she danced in various different styles, mostly lyrical, contemporary and hip-hop, the style that stuck to her heart from the start was ballet. She has now realized one of her dreams of being a pointe dancer and has been loving every moment. She is currently at secondary school and is lining up to continue in dance one way or another. She has been dancing competitively since she was small, competing in many different competitions around Ontario and Gatineau. She is also currently a student at this studio and has created so many amazing memories while being there from the start. She once assisted the younger ballet classes and really enjoyed it. She is now teaching Ballet and Little Steps and is excited to see where it will take her.
Miss Georgia - Assistant
Coming soon!