FACULTY | Melissa Connick School of Dance

OUR FACULTY

MELISSA CONNICK

Owner/Director/Instructor/Choreographer

Melissa began her love for dance at the young age of 2.5 in Hamilton, Ontario. By the age of 8 she was competing throughout Ontario and the US, as well as performing with artists on Much Music and Canada's Wonderland. When she moved to Nova Scotia in 1996 she continued her dance training in the HRM where she danced with performance groups and as a member of the Halifax Weather Girls. She has studied Anatomy, Pedagogy, and Dance Kinesiology through the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts. Melissa has been teaching for over 20 years and continues her training by taking workshops at local conventions, attending seminars, and has even had the honor of taking classes at Broadway Dance Centre (NY) from jazz legend Frank Hatchett, among many others. Melissa's goal is to inspire her dancers to reach their full potential in a happy, safe, and positive environment.

Melissa is an Associate Member of the Canadian Dance Teacher's Association in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Acro and is a module one certified teacher for the Acrobatic Arts and well as having her certification in the Progressive Ballet Technique.

ISABELLA COOKE

Instructor/Choreographer

Isabella found her love for dance at the age of two when she began her dance education. Once she reached the age of 10, she decided to follow Melissa from where she previously taught her and joined her new self owned studio Melissa Connick School of Dance. Once joining, she began to train in styles such as Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, Jazz, Modern and found her passion with Hip Hop and Musical Theatre.

Isabella joined the competitive team in 2016 and has continued ever since. She’s won numerous awards for her solos in Musical Theatre, Hip Hop and Contemporary such as scholarships, stand out awards and Overalls.

At the age of 12, Isabella began student teaching where she learnt how to instruct and train dancers from her teachers. At the age of 15 Isabella became an instructor herself teaching Contemporary, Hip Hop, Jazz and Ballet. She is excited to have also choreographed for the studio this season as this is where her passion truly comes alive.

Isabella continues to take classes and workshops in various styles to broaden her knowledge and dance training. Most proudly she has previously trained at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City with a focus on Musical Theater and Hip Hop, taking classes from amazing individuals such as Sue Samuels, Chio and many others. She truly has found her passion and safe place with dance and can’t wait to continue sharing it with her students, peers and other members in the Dance community.

DIANA MAGARVEY

Instructor

BIO COMING SOON

ROSE GRIMMITT

Artistic Director/Instructor/Choreographer

Rose started her dance education at the young age of 3 in Dorchester, England were she trained in Ballet, Tap, and Modern. Once she moved to Market Deeping, England, she continued her dance training at "Ministry of Dance". At the age of 13 she started her student teacher training and by the age of 15 she was teaching her own classes for ages 3+ in many different styles. In 2012, Rose and her family were relocated to Canada and this is when she joined Melissa Connick's studio, dancing in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop and Contemporary. As well as her regular dance education, Rose was on the competitive team and still continuing her teaching training.

Rose is now a full time dance teacher and the Artistic Director at Melissa Connick School of Dance. Whenever she has spare time, she loves to take classes, learn from others in the dance community and participate in workshops, including places like House of Eights located in Downtown Halifax. One summer, she had the opportunity of travelling to New York to take classes at the famous Broadway Dance Centre which only sparked her love for all things dance even more!

Rose has won many awards for her choreography over the 8 years of competitive dance that she has been working during, and hopes and plans to continue choreographing for many more years and many more students in the maritimes.

Rose has her Acrobatic Arts Module one qualification and also her certification in the Progressive Ballet Technique and hopes to continue training and developing her teaching techniques as time goes on, to continue inspiring all of her students with her exuberant personality and teaching style.