Miss Irene is the owner and artistic director of Footworks Dance Academy.  With 35 years of teaching and choreography experience, a Teaching Certificate from the Royal Academy of Dance, Bachelor of Education Degree, a Member of the International Academy of Dance Adjudicators, Acrobatic Arts 1 and 2 Certification, Spectacle Blue Aerial Arts Certification and the President Alberta Dance Educators Association and 44 years of dance training, Miss Irene comes highly qualified. She makes sure to keep updated with the latest in dance by attending various dance conventions and master classes in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Phoenix, and even here in Alberta. She has published her S.T.E.P. Program for dance teaching preparation and has presented the program to various schools all over Alberta at the Alberta Dance Educators Association. She organizes the Alberta Dance Teachers Convention and Expo for dance teachers all across North America to attend through the ADEA. She is a master in the field of Early Childhood Education and has shared her expertise and unique teaching methods at various convention sessions in the dance industry with many of her dance industry colleagues. She is also well know for her use of puppetry in the classroom setting and has been a guest speaker sharing her workshop “Puppet Power” throughout Canada and the United States.

Her students have won several awards, as has her choreography. She has had many students who have continued on to professional careers in dance and students who have been accepted to train with the Alberta Ballet, Jorgen Ballet and Royal Winnipeg Ballet. She has also mentored training teachers with the CBTS program with the Royal Academy of Dance and has guided hundreds of teachers in developing their teaching skills.

She has four daughters, a small group in the dance world, an amazing  husband and business partner and 3 adorable grandbabies, Olive, Opal and Ellis, and her dog “Luna” that travels with her on all her dance adventures! Miss Irene is very proud of all her students and is looking forward to another exciting year with all her dancers.

Miss Keanna began her dance training at Footworks at the age of three and continued her studies there through graduation. She has trained in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre, Hip Hop, Lyrical, and Contemporary, and has completed her RAD Ballet examinations. Miss Keanna values dance education as a meaningful developmental experience and encourages age-appropriate examinations as a way to build confidence, work ethic, and a strong developmental foundation for young dancers.

Miss Keanna has proudly remained part of the Footworks community and has been teaching at the studio for over ten years. She has a special passion for working with preschool children and is deeply committed to creating classes that are nurturing, engaging, and developmentally appropriate. Her teaching approach emphasizes play, imagination, musicality, and movement exploration, helping young children build coordination, body awareness, communication skills, and confidence in a joyful and supportive environment. She is currently completing a degree in Early Childhood Education, which deeply informs her teaching practice and strengthens her understanding of child development, play-based learning, and social-emotional growth.

She believes early dance experiences should foster a love of movement while supporting children’s social-emotional development, independence, and creativity. Miss Keanna strives to create a classroom atmosphere where every child feels safe, seen, and celebrated, and where learning is rooted in healthy and positive relationships.

In addition to teaching, Miss Keanna continues to grow professionally by attending dance conventions and workshops. She has trained with renowned instructors in Vancouver, New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto. She currently holds her Teaching Certification through the A.D.A.P.T. Teacher Training Program, as well as certifications in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT), Acrobatic Arts, and Aerial Arts, allowing her to support dancers of all ages with safe, informed, and thoughtful instruction.

Miss Dehla has been dancing since the day she was born but has officially been training to date for 26 years. Miss Dehla is trained in Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, Jazz as well as Musical Theater, Music and Vocal Education, Tap, Hip Hop, Acrobatics Arts and Contemporary. She has been examined and has achieved levels in R.A.D. Ballet and A.D.A.P.T. and AL Gilbert Jazz and Tap. Miss Dehla has been teaching dance for seven years, four of which she’s been in specifically in Calgary. She has attended many dance conventions and workshops in Edmonton, Calgary, New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. She has trained with the New York City Rockets twice, Dana Moore (from the musical “Chicago”), The Lion King cast and many more! Miss Dehla has had the privilege of performing on Carnival cruise lines as well as in Disneyland. Miss Dehla holds a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Dance from the University of Calgary, where she trained in Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, and African.  She is also certified in Acrobatic Arts Modules 1 & 2, and has recently been training in Aeral Arts.

Miss Dehla brings humor, excitement and hard work to her classroom. She is well loved by her students but more importantly she loves her dancers. Her bubbly personality motivates all to do their best and we are excited to have her on our teaching team this year

Josh comes to Footworks with a wealth of knowledge in the Hip Hop Industry!

He has danced professionally all over the world. As a dancer, Janet Jackson, Tsar B, Nelly, Sean Kingston, Ace Hood, and Jabbawockeez are just a few of the artists in the industry that Josh has performed alongside. He has also choreographed and been a part of the production for several artists, commercials, and music videos. Not only has Josh met many successes in his dance career, he has also utilized his skill of dancing to give back to the community at a local level. Although he has taught all over the world he especially loves working with the Edmonton Public School System teaching history and foundations of hip hop to students in kindergarten all the way to Grade 12! He is starting his own  Hip Hop company RA Stylez with Richard Andries in Edmonton as well as teaching at Grant MacEwan!

Josh is humble, kind hearted, loads of  fun and has a great sense of humor! He loves working with people of all ages and sharing his passion for dance! He can’t wait to meet the Footworks Dance Family and he is especially excited to start a B BOYZ Hip Hop Club just for boys! Come check it out!

Josh's Dance Reel