Based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, Diana Rutherford is a passionate teacher, invested arts administrator and advocate for the arts sector. Originally from Owen Sound, Ontario, Diana began her dancing career in both ballet and highland dance. As a highland competitor, she represented Canada across North America and Scotland. She is a scholarship recipient and award winner in both ballet and highland dance. After a short preforming career, Diana aligned her performing and pedagogical interests together focusing her studies on dance education and cultivating future generations of art advocators. As a graduate of the Teacher Training Program at Canada’s National Ballet School as well as a graduate from York University, Honours BFA in Dance, Diana built the foundations of her teaching career. She holds an esteemed teaching qualification at the Licentiate level within Cecchetti Canada and has been certified at the highest level with both Cecchetti Canada and the Royal Academy of Dance for dance examinations. Diana currently sits on the Board of Governors for Cecchetti Canada. 



Diana’s lengthy career as a dance educator brought her from Toronto, Ontario to Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has had the opportunity to deliver dance education to students and instructors across Atlantic Canada and southern Ontario, as a guest artist, choreographer and private coach. In recent years, Diana has expanded her experience and knowledge to arts administration as Dean of Dance for a not-for-profit organization, located in Halifax, NS. While in this role, Diana produced two full length ballets, implemented an accredited Dance Teacher Training program at the diploma level, as well as further developed a pre-professional ballet program, encouraging continued education for dance instructors and emerging artists. She has had the opportunity to work with many not-forprofit arts organizations including the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, Votive Dance, Mocean Dance, Nova Scotia Talent Trust, Canada’s Ballet Jorgen - Atlantic Council and Festival of Dance Annapolis Royal.

A graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School, Jane performed with the National Ballet of Canada from 1972-78, dancing Romantic, Classical and Contemporary repertoire. During this time, she was privileged to work with exceptional mentors Celia Franca, Erik Bruhn, Rudolf Nureyev, Karen Kain, and Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Ms. Wooding is a Fellow and Examiner for Cecchetti Canada and has taught at Canada’s National Ballet School, York University, and George Brown Dance / Ballet Jorgen. Jane now lives in Nova Scotia, where she teaches at Halifax Dance, the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts School of Dance and The Dance Institute. Her teaching style is lyrical and inclusive.

Julie Robert is a professional dancer, dance educator and arts administrator originally from Montréal, Québec and has been sharing her love of ballet and contemporary dance with children, teens, adults and seniors for over a decade. Her teaching approach centres around the foundational principles of the body, offering classes that are challenging & adaptable regardless of level or ability. 



Julie trained in classical ballet at l’École supérieure de ballet du Québec and danced professionally for Le Jeune Ballet du Québec, Ballet Ouest de Montréal & Le Ballet Métropolitain de Montréal. Seeking to expand her artistic practice, she completed the professional dance training program at L’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal in 2015. She has been an independent contemporary dance artist since 2016, performing in works by Heidi Strauss, Vanessa Goodman, Sara Coffin, Marie-Josée Chartier, Jacinte Armstrong, Parts+Labour_Danse, and Lydia Zimmer among others.

Julie currently holds her Associate Diploma with Cecchetti Ballet Canada (ADCC-CICB), and has recently completed the Yoga Teacher Training program at Ashtanga Yoga Montréal, with a special interest in restorative yoga and yoga for pelvic health. She is currently Majoring in Kinesiology at Dalhousie University.

Kathleen Doherty (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and dance educator based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. After completing her Bachelor of Commerce degree at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Kathleen moved to Calgary to attend Decidedly Jazz Danceworks’ Professional Training Program. Upon returning to Halifax in 2012, Kathleen co-founded Votive Dance, and has worked as Artistic Director since the company’s inception.

Kathleen has enjoyed creative and performance opportunities with Votive Dance, Mocean Dance, Kinetic Studio, FoDAR, Connection Dance Works, Alberta Dance Festival, the Me, Myself and Her Residency Project, and The Tyrone Guthrie Centre (Ireland), among others. Kathleen is a dance instructor with Halifax Dance and The Maritime Conservatory, and as well as Artistic Director of the Young Company of Halifax Dance. She is honoured and excited to be a part of The Dance Institute; as a way to share her passion and knowledge of Jazz dance, and by using her financial and administrative skills behind the scenes. Kathleen is proud to be a working artist mom to her 3 year old son, Cillian.

Katie Beaton began her dance training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet until moving to Halifax in 2012 where she trained at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts. She graduated from the Professional Training Program in 2018, studying both RAD and Cecchetti over her time spent there. Although cut short by injury, her time as a dancer greatly helped the transitioned into a personal coach and fitness instructor fueled by the love of movement that was cultivated in the studio. She is currently in her third year of a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at Dalhousie university, is a Head Athletic Trainer of Dal Women’s Basketball and is a Pilates instructor at studio Iness.

Description goes hereLydia Zimmer is a graduate of Walnut Hill School for the Arts (’07) and The Boston Conservatory (BFA ‘11). Since returning to her home city of Halifax, Lydia has created several works supported by Canada Council for the Arts and Arts Nova Scotia. These include Bonne Nuit (2016), presented through Live Art Dance; Embankment, commissioned (2017) and remounted (2021) by Votive Dance; Sonderlings (2018), commissioned by Nostos Dance Collectives, and Sonderling (2019) & EXTREMOPHILE (2021), both presented by Festival of Dance Annapolis Royal (FODAR). Her most recent creations include Mercurials (2022), a new work to mark Mocean Dance’s 20th Season Anniversary, a dance film duet for Little Pear Garden Dance Company (2022), and a work for The Boston Conservatory’s First Year students (2023). Lydia is currently a guest choreographer for Atlantic Ballet Theatre (ImpactFest 2023), collaborator for Rebecca Lazier’s Noli Timere (2024), and is working on her new full-length show, The Devil’s Intervals, to premiere December 2023 presented by Live Art Dance in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Photo credit: Cooked Photography

Kate Yeomans is a Halifax Dance alumni. She graduated from Alberta Ballet School in 2021 where she studied the checetti style. Now Kate is working at Brussels International Ballet and training in the vaganova style. Kate currently works under the direction of Anderson Santana and has worked with many well known artistic directors and teachers such as Nina Ananiashvili director of State Ballet Georgia, Denis Matvienko director of Ballet Stage, Olga Iakovlevskaya of Brussels International Ballet, Claire Bayliss director of Israel Ballet, Chase Johnsey director of Ballet de Barcelona, Mariana Krancheva director of State Opera Plovdiv, Diana Rutherford director of the Dance Institute, and many more.

A native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Hannah Mae began her dance training at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts School of Dance and the Leica Hardy School of Dance before joining Canada’s National Ballet School. While training, she was fortunate to receive various awards and scholarships, many of which were through the Nova Scotia Talent Trust. Hannah Mae is currently in her 11th season with Ballet Jörgen and has danced in many of Jörgen’s works including Anastasia and Coppélia (in the title roles), Romeo and Juliet (Juliet, Lady Capulet), Swan Lake (Pas de Trois), Cinderella (Lead Fairy), and had the opportunity to create the role of the Lilac Fairy in Jörgen’s Sleeping Beauty. In 2019, the title role of Anne of Green Gables – The Ballet® was created for Hannah Mae by Bengt Jörgen, C.M.. Hannah Mae has taught for Ballet Jörgen, Mocean Dance Company, DAREarts, and numerous dance schools across North and South America. She also acts as an ambassador of community engagement for Ballet Jörgen, running outreach programs for the Art Gallery of Ontario, Sick Kids, St. Michael’s Hospital, and more. For the past decade, she has toured with Ballet Jörgen, bringing dance to all corners of North America through outreach, masterclasses, and performances.