Okanagan Dance Studios is one of British Columbia’s most highly respected dance schools. The teaching faculty has been with the studio for many years creating consistency and a true sense of family within the school. Okanagan Dance Studio instructors are highly respected in the industry and in demand in their creative fields.
Traci Bourne-Director
spent her early dance training in Penticton BC under the direction of Lorna Bull and Marci Melton. After graduation, Traci became a member of the GOH Ballet training company. She spent two years dancing with the company, performing all over British Columbia and internationally at the Recontres Internationales de la Danse Festival in France and the Beijing Dance Festival.
Traci then went on to dance professionally with Ballet North, Ontario Ballet Theatre, Banff Festival Ballet and the National Ballet of the Czech Republic. Her professional performing highlights include Swan Lake, Giselle, La Fille Mal Gardee and Balanchine’s Serenade.
Traci’s teaching career began in Japan on a yearlong exchange between the Goh Ballet and Haga Ballet Academy. Since then Traci has taught all over BC as a guest teacher and adjudicator. She has been the director of Okanagan Dance Studios for the past 18 years. Her passion for ballet, modern dance and choreography continues to grow with every student she works with. Traci feels blessed to be able to teach and encourage so many lovely students and to work along side such talented and passionate instructors.
Cheryl Blumke
was introduced to the art of dance as a little girl growing up in Calgary, Alberta. She continued to study and explore dance, achieving honors in tap and jazz exams in Al Gilbert technique. After graduation moved to Victoria, B.C. and then to Sooke, B.C. where she opened her first dance studio teaching children from age 3 to adult in ballet, tap, jazz and musical theatre.
In October 1983 Cheryl, her husband and two boys moved to Penticton from Vancouver Island and began offering classes, which she taught in her basement studio of her home until she had enough students to move to a larger facility. Only a few months later (due to such a large enrollment) a studio on Okanagan Avenue, Penticton was opened. Her students were soon competing in local and provincial competitions.
In August 2001 Cheryl’s first grandchild was born and she sold Okanagan Dance Studios to her ballet and modern instructor, Traci Bourne. She continues to teach at Okanagan Dance Studios and now has former students bringing their own children to be taught by Cheryl. This is truly rewarding and is affirmation that Cheryl has been able to instill in others the benefits of learning such a wonderful art, teaching not only the art form, but the importance of discipline, respect, physical exercise, teamwork, time management, and so many other life skills.
Her students have also perfomed on cruise ships, resorts in Mexico and in New York City’s Central Park, Battery Park, Pier 17 and Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. They studied with world renowned teachers at Broadway Dance Centre, Steps Dance Centre, Alvin Ailey Studios and took audition and theatre classes with broadway performers from the productions of Newsies, Mary Poppins and Annie . Cheryl has also choreographed for theatre productions such as Wizard of Oz , Showboat, Peter Pan and Annie, as well as Miss Penticton Pageant and was choreographer for the Miss B.C. Pageant for many years. She has adjudicated competitions in Vancouver, Calgary, Grand Prairie and Toronto. Cheryl has been in many commercials as well as dancer/actor for a music video produced by CHBC.
Shannon Cote
began her career as both a competitive dancer and choreographer in British Columbia. She attended the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. There she studied dance voice and acting. She attended master classes with the legendary Gregory Hines. Shannon has also attended workshops and received training from Milton Meyers, Sergio Trujillo, Jeff Amsden, Brian Friedman, Dan Karaty, Dee Caspary, Joey Dowling, and other world renowned choreographers. After graduating the Randolph Academy with the Triple Threat Award, she has been very fortunate to have worked on many different projects. One of her most memorable was as a dancer in Paul McCartney’s Driving USA Tour. Shannon has been involved in various commercials, music videos and independent films. A short film Look Both Ways was awarded a Gold Remi award at the 2007 Worldfest International Film Festival. Shannon’s first love is Musical Theatre. Some acting credits include Sweet Charity, The Life, Grease, West Side Story, and Oklahoma. Her most cherished role was that of “Audrey” in Little Shop of Horrors. Another highlight of her career was studying with Karen Andrew and being a featured member of Aurora Live Inc.’s premiere dance company. The success of the company’s production; Jane’s Little Madhouse was tremendous and to be a part of it was a great honor.
Shannon has also added adjudicator to her list of credentials, judging for different pageants, and dance competitions. At the LUV2DANCE competition, she carries the prestigious title of “Special Awards Judge”. There, she recognizes positive and special elements of the competitor’s abilities and performances throughout the entire season. Returning to Toronto, after intensive study at New York’s Broadway Dance Center, Shannon taught at many studios and schools in the Greater Toronto area, including work with the York University dance team and in all of the triple threat, childrens’ and college programs at the Randolph Academy. There, she has also been choreographer for the Randolph Young Company’s productions of Footloose, Free To Be You and Me, West Side Story and Schoolhouse Rock Live Jr. Recently, Shannon also choreographed the Canadian Premiere of Jerry Springer: the Opera at Hart House Theatre alongside director and Toronto theatre critic, Richard Ouzounian. In addition to being a choreographer, Shannon has also directed at Okanagan Stage’s summer stock theatre in Penticton, BC. There, her professional credits include: Choreographer and co-director for Suds–The 60’s Rockin’ Musical and as Director/Choreographer for You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Entertainers Gone Wild and Little Shop of Horrors. Shannon is thrilled to be returning to Penticton and Okanagan Dance Studios. Thankful for all of her experiences and training, she is excited to bring it back full circle and return home where it all began.
Mhaire O’Shea
first jazz class at Okanagan Dance Studios with Jennifer Stevenson is when I fell in love! I started at OKDS 6 years ago, taking one class a week, and built on every year since then until I was dancing almost 10 hours a week in my senior year. Being a member of the Showgroup for a number of years I was fortunate enough to travel to New York City and take class from professionals there. I’ve also traveled to Vancouver to take class at Harbour Dance Centre; every class I take teaches me something new and fuels my passion. I am continually inspired at Okanagan Dance Studios by all the teachers there, my dance colleagues, and now my students. I’m thrilled to be teaching at Okanagan Dance Studios, and hope I can inspire and influence my students in the way that the faculty of OKDS inspires me. On top of dance being an aesthetically and ethically rewarding sport, it helps kids incorporate physical activity into their lives. Health and fitness is another passion of mine, and I’m currently working towards graduating from Okanagan College with a diploma in Human Kinetics.
I can’t express how grateful I am to have all these opportunities, and I’m looking forward to a busy and exciting year full of dancing!! Thank you so much to all the faculty at OKDS, and all the students for inspiring me every single day!!!
Lindsay Smith
Let what you love, be what you do.
Emma & Nicola Hopley
Throughout their 17 years dancing, Emma and Nicola trained in all genres with some of the best choreographers in the business. They travelled to Long Beach, San Diego, Seattle, Vancouver and New York to add to their experience. They also spent six months in 2016 rehearsing and then competing with Team Canada Dance in Riesa, Germany. Starting in late 2019, Emma and Nicola spent a year in New York City training in commercial dance at the Peridance Centre and learning from world-renowned choreographers in hip-hop/street styles, contemporary, jazz, ballet, tap and musical theater. While studying at Peridance, Emma and Nicola got the opportunity to perform in a modern version of “The Nutcracker” at the KnJ Theater. Most recently, they have graduated from Broadway Dance Center’s Professional Semester in New York City and got to perform in the Professional Semester Showcase at the New York Live Arts theater.
Emma and Nicola are so excited to pass on their knowledge and share their passion with the young dancers in the Okanagan.
Calida Kuzek
Born and raised in Quesnel BC, Calida (she/her) always dreamed of leaving her small town behind and chasing her dreams! At 18 Calida took her show on the road where she was fortunate enough to live, train and work in Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles. Some of Calida’s favourite film credits include CW’s Riverdale (Heather Laura Gray), Disney’s Freaky Friday (John Carrafa) and Descendants 2 (Kenny Ortega and Tony Testa), a crossover episode of CW’s The Flash & Supergirl (Zach Woodlee and Kelly Konno), and a Lifetime Unauthorized Life Story of Britney Spears (Heather Laura Gray). When the cameras turned off and set closed, Calida took her talents to the stage. Some of these performances include Vancouver’s WE Day, the launch of MAC Cosmetics Archie’s Girls line, the Step Up 4 Revolution national launch, a BC tour of Legacy North’s Iconic Superstars Tribute Show and Seventeen Magazine’s Promposals, presented by CoverGirl, as Assistant Choreographer. Calida has been teaching for over 15 years- sharing her love and knowledge of dance is something very important to her. She has traveled throughout Canada and the USA teaching and inspiring dancers as she goes. Calida now lives in Penticton with her husband and their sweet son Ozzie. She is so excited and grateful to be a part of the OKDS family!
Danica Venables
is trained in ballet, modern and stretch therapy. She holds her Cecchetti Associate qualifications from The Cecchetti Society of Canada, 200 RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) Certificate from Reflexions Yoga Studio and a Certificate in Stretch Therapy from Kit Laughlin’s Monkey Gym. She graduated from the joint program between National Ballet School, in Toronto and Simon Fraser University, in Burnaby, with a Teacher Training Program Diploma and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Major in Dance, respectively. Danica is inspired by the joy shared in the classroom, when students learn and master a new step; every day is an opportunity for achievement. She fell in love with ballet and contemporary dance early on and was consumed with a desire to teach. Danica has taught at Okanagan Dance Studios, Balance Performing Arts, Maureen Saunders School of Dance, Williams Lake and Boston Dance Collective, Victoria and summer classes at studios across BC. Danica’s early training exposed her to various ballet styles including syllabus in RAD, Cecchetti and Vaganova and modern dance of Cunningham, Limone and Graham, and her classes are a blend of these disciplines, while highlighting human anatomy. Danica works with dancers outside class for solo competitions, stretch therapy and private lessons and is Executive Director of the Penticton Kiwanis Music, Dance and Speech Arts Festival.
Kendall Pennington
Kendall started dancing at Okanagan Dance Studios at the age of 5. She started out in Ballet and Tap and worked her way up through the years until she was dancing in all genres of dance. She especially
has a talent for Musical Theatre and did her first Musical Theatre solo at the age of 10. She competed with solos right up until her graduation in June 2023 and has competed at the Provincial level several times. Kendall was also part of the Showgroup Performance team throughout her years at OKDS and was lucky enough to travel to Disneyland and New York City to take classes and learn at some very prestigious dance studios with some extremely talented dance professionals. Kendall has a love and passion for dance and a love of children and is excited to share her creativity and talents with her students
Karen Pennington
Maintains our office services and keeps the day to day operations running smoothly as our much loved Office Manager.