Broken Rhythms is thrilled by the opportunity to offer the professional dancers of tomorrow a chance to perform and open KNOTTED with a remounted work from Broken Rhythms repertoire.
We have partnered with the Victoria Academy of Ballet to provide a professional experience to six of their Post-Secondary Bridge Program dancers. This includes one on one time with Broken Rhythms Artistic Director Dyana Sonik-Henderson, an education in Rhythmical Contemporary dance and an opportunity for the dancers to learn about scheduling, communication, responsibility and what it is like to work with a professional dance company.
We have found this relationship/experience to be extremely rewarding and would like to bring attention to these artists and Victoria Academy of Ballet for joining us for the premier of ‘Knotted’.
Find out more about Victoria Academy of Ballet many programs here
Guest Dancer Bios
Thealla Dach (she/her)
Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Thealla Dach began dancing with the Edmonton School of Ballet at the age of six before graduating from the Vimy Ridge Academy’s Dance program for the remainder of her high school experience. She has always had a passion for all genres of dance including ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap and even musical theatre, but in her free time she also loves to hang out with her friends at the beach and bake chocolate chip cookies. Thealla is currently in her second year at the Victoria Academy of Ballet’s Post-Secondary Bridge Program under Head of Program, KerryLynn Turner, where she has been able to train in
repertoires such as Giselle and Tidal by Alysa Pires. Training with the Victoria Academy of Ballet (Director, Bleiddyn Bellis del Villar) has allowed Thealla not only to improve upon the technical abilities of dance and has also prepared her for the many challenges of the dance world and what to expect after graduation.The chance to perform with Broken Rhythms and Dyana Sonik-Henderson has been an amazing opportunity for Thealla and she is grateful for the supportive experience.
Chanel Field (she/her)
Originally from Edmonton Alberta, Chanel began dancing at the Edmonton School of Ballet’s Vimy Ridge dance program when she was 11 years old. Prior to that, she had dabbled in sports, however once she started focusing on dance, specifically ballet, she knew that was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. After graduating high school in 2022, Chanel had an opportunity to join Victoria Academy of Ballet’s Post-Secondary Bridge Program where she continues to train heavily in ballet as well as contemporary (Director, Bleiddyn Bellis del Villar and Program Head, KerryLynn Turner). Chanel is very inspired by all her teachers and fellow dancers at VAB. With her professional training, she hopes that her love of dance will take her to stages all over the world.
Sydney Mix (she/her)
Sydney Mix grew up in Olds, Alberta, where she discovered her love for dance early on. She trained in jazz, tap, ballet, and contemporary at the Move Yourself Dance Studio from 2011-2023, competing in various competitions, performing numerous solos and group routines. After discovering her love ballet, she began training at North Calgary Dance Centre in 2017, where she completed her RAD ballet exams in 2023, and completed a summer session at Alberta Ballet School in 2022. After graduating high school, she began to pursue further training at the Victoria Academy of Ballet (Director, Bleiddyn Bellis del Villar) in their Post-Secondary
Bridge Program (Head of Program, KerryLynn Turner). Sydney remains dedicated to her dance passion and continues to work towards a professional career.
Manuel de Jesus Capistran Sandoval (he/him)
Originally from Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, Manuel began his dance training at the age of sixteen by exploring Graham Technique. He furthered his passion for dance by inquiring about different styles of dance such as ballet (Vaganova and Cecchetti methods), jazz, modern, and contemporary. Manuel joined the Post-Secondary Bridge Program at Victoria Academy of Ballet (Bleiddyn Bellis del Villar, Director), under the program direction of Kerrylynn Turner, in 2021, where he discovered an interest in Contact Improvisation, Contemporary dance, choreography and how to
blend these techniques with other dance approaches and styles.
Ana Fernanda Schnabel (she/her)
Originally from Morelos, Mexico, Ana Fernanda started her ballet training at Academia de Ballet de Vista Hermosa under the direction of Luisa Leyba and Delia Siqueiros. She was accepted into the Professional Training Program at Victoria Academy of Ballet in 2021 (Director, Bleiddyn Bellis del Villar) and is currently in her second year of the Pos-Secondary Bridge Program (Head of Program, KerryLynn Turner). Ana has had the pleasure of working with local choreographers including Angela Mousseau, Alysa Pires and Constance Cook performing their contemporary works as well as classical repertoires with the Victoria Academy of Ballet.
Keiko Taguchi (she/her)
Keiko was born in Kobe city, Japan where she began her dance training at the age of four; falling in love with dancing straight away. Keiko came to Victoria in 2021 and has been training at the Victoria Academy of Ballet for the past two years in the Professional Training Program under the direction of Bleiddyn del Villar Bellis and Andrew Pronger. This past year she was accepted into VAB’s Post Secondary Bridge Program under the direction of KerryLynn Turner. Since arriving in Canada, Keiko has enjoyed continuing her dance education as well as having opportunities to work with choreographers such as Alysa Pires, Angela Mousseau and Dyana Sonik-Henderson. She loves telling stories to audiences through her dancing and is excited to share her passion with tonight’s audience.
See them onstage opening for the Broken Rhythms Premier of KNOTTED
Broken Rhythms 