Cyndi Scott – Artistic Director
Cyndi Scott has had many roles in Canada’s professional dance community. Currently she is the Artistic Director for the Edge School for Athletes, since 2009 and the creator of Edge Studios in 2015. With thirty years of experience developing dancers from their first steps to the professional level Ms. Scott brings a passion and dedication to the art.
At the age of nineteen, while still an undergraduate at the University of Calgary, she founded Airborne Dance Studio where she was Artistic Director from 1996 – 2008. In that role she earned a reputation for developing dancers with strong technique and became a sought after choreographer. Her professional career as a dancer, teacher, adjudicator and choreographer has taken her throughout North America and Europe.
Ms. Scott took the role of Director of Dance Development for The Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede (2014-2016). Tasked with creating a diverse team of specialists who foster technical development, artistic creation, and performance excellence in dance for both singers and dancers. Cyndi enjoyed teaching, directing and choreographing for many events and productions for the Young Canadians and is also a proud TYC alumni.
Cyndi Scott was selected to deliver Choreographic Design Master Class as part of the Pro Series for MOVE IT Dance Convention in London England (2018). Delighted her former student Tara Jean Popowich (SYTYCD Canada season 2 winner) was a headliner at the same event.
Cyndi Scott teaching and choreography awards include Best Teacher at the Youth America Grand Prix (2019 Toronto semi-finals), “Particles” (2018 ensemble winner choreographer), Best Choreographer Award World Ballet Arts Grand Prix (Seattle 2018 /Calgary 2017). Her contribution to the arts community has been recognized by local and national leaders including Calgary’s Mayor Nenshi and the Governor General of Canada, Honourable David Johnston. Cyndi Scott was awarded a Global Arts award in Los Angeles in 2012.
Her choreography has been featured in the Opening Ceremonies for the Special Olympics, World Police and Fire Games, the Jimmie Slyde Institute in Barcelona Spain and professional fundraising events supported by Prince, Calvin Klein, and Wayne Gretzky.
Current and graduated students have had acceptances and placements to summer, post graduate programs and jobs at the Royal Ballet School, The Paris Opera Ballet School, Canada’s National Ballet School, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, The University of Arizona Dance Program, Marymount Manhattan Dance Program, Joffrey Ballet School, Complexions, The Goh Ballet Academy, The Boston Ballet School, The Kirov Academy, The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, The Rock School, Ballet Arizona, Ballet Chicago and The American Ballet Theatre.
Cyndi Scott is a graduate of the University of Calgary (B.A., Dance).
Caitlin Lockwood – Ballet Principal
A native of Toronto, Caitlin Lockwood began her training at the George Brown College School of Dance (academy for Ballet Jorgen) before moving to Vancouver and graduating from the Goh Ballet Academy in 2000. With the Goh Ballet, she performed in their 25th Anniversary Gala, in Las Vegas, and toured 7 cities including Shanghai and Beijing in China.
Upon graduation, Caitlin went on to perform soloist roles with Laura Alonso’s Centro Pro Danza (Cuban Ballet, Havana). Returning to Canada, Caitlin performed with the Ontario Ballet Theatre (Toronto), Ballet Kelowna, Ballet Victoria, guest soloist with Mission Dance Company, soloist with Ballet Ouest (Montreal) and appeared in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Opening Ceremony with Alberta Ballet and Ballet BC alongside Sarah McLaughlin.
Caitlin has choreographed and danced in numerous runway shows for Redken 5th Ave (Toronto), and danced on screen in CBC’s “Tonya Lee Williams Gospel Jubilee” and the feature film “Life with Mikey”. During her career, Caitlin enjoyed performing featured roles and repertoire including: Don Quioxte (Queen Dryad), Coppelia (Prayer), The Sleeping Beauty (Diamond Fairy), The Nutcracker (Rose Fairy, Arabian Princess, Candy Cane Soloist, Snow Soloist) Serenade (Balanchine- 4 Russian Girls), Grand Pas de Quatre (3rd Solo), The Four Seasons (Spring), Bird Song (Principal), La Bayadere, Swan Lake, Alice, Carmen and Paquita. She has also performed various classical, contemporary, modern and jazz works by distinguished choreographers Jean Grand-Maitre, Bengt Jorgen, Crystal Pite, Maurice Causey, Joe Laughlin, Chan Hon Goh, Choo Chiat Goh, Lynn Sheppard, Lynn Cote, Kathleen Rea, Michael Downing and Sylvie Bouchard, amoung many others.
Now retired from the stage and teaching full time, Caitlin has taught for several schools in Vancouver, Calgary and Kelowna, including the Canadian School of Ballet, Airborne Dance Centre and Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, and currently leads the Ballet Progamme at Edge School.
Emma Lund
Emma Lund is a dance artist, choreographer, teacher, and adjudicator currently based in Calgary, Alberta. She grew up training extensively and competing in ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, tap, and hip hop, winning multiple titles across North America. Emma completed all ADAPT syllabus jazz and tap exams, as well as earning distinction in her Advanced 1 RAD ballet exam. Early in her professional career, Emma worked closely with Sarah Dolan as a company member of the O2 Dance Company in Calgary, developing a deeper appreciation for contemporary dance. Emma furthered her contemporary dance training in Toronto, receiving a post-secondary diploma at The Conteur Academy under the direction of Eryn Waltman. With an intense focus on technical development and composition work, this program propelled Emma’s professional career, allowing her to work closely with some of Toronto's most renowned artists while developing her own artistic vocabulary. Some performance credits include The Capezio A.C.E. Awards (Los Angeles), The JUNO Awards (Alessia Cara), Locke and Key (Netflix), and Legends of Horror (Casa Loma, Toronto). Emma’s performance experience, along with her post-secondary training, has translated into a passion as a dance educator and choreographer. She loves challenging the minds of young dance artists and thrives on the opportunity to share her knowledge with the upcoming generation of dancers. Emma currently choreographs and teaches at multiple studios and schools all over Western Canada.
Amy Gardner
Amy Gardner is a Canadian choreographer and director currently based in NYC. Born and raised in Calgary, her classical training began at the age of three. Throughout the years, additional styles such as jazz, tap, contemporary, theatre, modern and hip hop were integrated into her education. Her professional dance career commenced at the age of 18 in Vancouver where she danced for MOVE: The Company, under the direction of Josh Beamish. During her time in Vancouver she enrolled in a program called Modus Operandi where she worked closely with Tiffany Tregarthen and David Raymond. It was under their mentorship that she was introduced to the boundless possibilities of contemporary dance and began to cultivate her creative vision and choreographic voice. Subsequently she moved to Montreal where her career expanded into film and television alongside national and international touring. Following several years of working in front of the camera as a dancer and actor, Amy made her way to NYC where she took her comprehensive body of professional experiences and began crafting her idiosyncratic choreographic language.
In 2015, Amy founded annoDAM Dance as a vehicle to develop, document and distribute dance in unprecedented ways.
Her work now spans across film, television, live performance, multimedia production and branded content. Her distinctive approach to communicating ideas and exploring narratives through movement have prompted a wide array of clients, commissioners and collaborators internationally. Throughout her professional career, Amy has maintained close ties to the Canadian dance community through frequent masterclasses, mentorship and commissioned choreography. NYC based teaching credits include Broadway Dance Center, Dartmouth College and Gibney Dance.
Rylee Fieldstone
Dancing since the age of three, Rylee trained competitively for fifteen years in numerous disciplines under the direction of Cyndi Scott. She trained in many different syllabuses including ADAPT and RAD, and held many titles from various competitions across North America. Rylee has traveled across the USA, London, and Barcelona to further her dance knowledge and learn from successful teachers in the dance community. She has performed at the Jimmy Slyde Institute, and three different shows as a member of the O2 Dance Company.
Upon graduation from the Edge School for Athletes, Rylee attended the University of Calgary in the Haskayne School of Business to obtain her Bachelor of Commerce degree, while continuing to stay involved in the dance community. Her teaching career began at Edge School in Fort McMurray and various studios in the Calgary area. She then served as a faculty member for The Young Canadians, and Dance Director of the Calgary Stampede Showband. Rylee has since found her way back to Edge as a dance instructor and choreographer.
Tatiana Nahorniak
Originally from British Columbia, Tatiana (Semenoff) Nahorniak trained passionately in all genres of dance, but her heart has always been with ballet. Pursuing dance at the University of Calgary and studying ballet at the School of Alberta Ballet, Tatiana graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance (emphasis Ballet), and immediately followed her post-secondary studies by achieving her Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Certification. To fulfill her constant desire to learn new methods of safe practice in cultivating healthy dancers, Tatiana has more recently added to her certification Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT), a complementary conditioning program specifically for the growing dancer, Module 1 Acrobatic Arts, and Level One Ballet Blog Certification led by world renowned dance physiotherapist, Lisa Howell.
In over 15 years of teaching in Calgary, Tatiana has had the fortune of instructing at numerous competitive studios and schools throughout Alberta and British Columbia, teaching the RAD and PBT Syllabii and setting award winning choreography. She has also had the pleasure of mentoring aspiring RAD teachers as they study for their certification.
Tatiana’s mission as an instructor is to make her students love attending ballet class by creating a safe, expressive environment in which an understanding of and respect for the fundamental discipline necessary in ballet is continuously instilled. In so doing, Tatiana hopes that each dancer may appreciate the beauty of ballet and fall in love with it as deeply as she has.
Joey Matt
Joey was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta and has been dancing and performing since the age of 7. After competing as a child, his passion led him to audition and make it to the top sixteen on the first season of ‘So You Think You Can Dance Canada.’ He has since been apart of assisting both the Canadian and American ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ television series. When moving to Vancouver, BC he joined a dance company titled ‘Modus Operandi’ to further explore the technique and foundations of modern and contemporary dance. While living there he also worked as a dancer/actor on the CW series ‘Hellcats’ and NBC’s ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.’ Joey has performed in Industrial Trade shows and Galas such as Bell Mobility, Telus, CN Railway, and Toyota. Other credits include performing alongside Sarah Mclachlan, K’naan, Carly Rae Jepsen, Mariana’s Trench, Ciara, Tyga, and Nelly. In 2015 Joey toured Switzerland with a show called ‘Art on Ice’ where he backup danced for Nelly Furtado, Tom O’dell, Jessie J, and the Jacksons. He has had the recent pleasure of appearing on HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ and is currently a member of ‘Joe Ink’ and ‘O2 The Dance Company’ whilst guest teaching across Western Canada.