Summer Intensive
August 18 - 22, 2025
DC Dance Co's annual Summer Intensive is coming up! Get ready for a week filled with fun team building games, creative dance classes, expert speakers, yoga and exclusive swag that you won't want to miss!
This is a fantastic opportunity for dancers of all levels to enhance their skills and connect prior to the start of the new season.
Join us for a memorable experience!
Open to Ages 7+
All Abilities Welcome
View our 2025 Guest Instructors & Speakers below.
Be sure to click on their instagram icon to learn more about them!
INTRODUCING
The 2025 Summer Intensive
Guest Coaches & Speakers
Saxon Fraser
A third generation dancer with a B.A. in Dance Kinesiology, Saxon’s versatility has brought her together with Cirque du Soleil, Moment Factory, W&M Physical Theatre (Poland) and Dragonfly Orchestra (China). She was a prominent choreographer on Radio Canada's series Les Dieux de la Danse, TVA’s Revolution and the award winning short film La Volière. As Artistic Director of Art-Terre she brought her show Temnein to audiences in Haiti before creating Juxtapose whose production disˈtraktÉ™d was presented at 100LUX and Toronto’s world renowned Breakin’ Convention. Saxon and Crazy Smooth premiered Patina at NAC’s Dance Forth in 2020 and she joined him as Associate Choreographer for Bboyizm’s recent creation In My Body which received 4 2022 Dora Awards, continuing to tour internationally. Her choreography for Olympic Ice Dancers Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis of France won Gold at Beijing’s 2022 Winter Olympic Games breaking World Records. Saxon has collaborated with the fashion industry choreographing for Aubainerie, Y!D.N.A. Collection, Saco International, X-presion (Madrid), Loreal, Filler Magazine, and Noize (London). Travelling world wide, her creations have been presented at Royal Albert Hall in London, the Vancouver Olympics, le Zenith in Paris and the incredible Kremlin Palace in Moscow.
Ella Brooks
Ella Brooks has loved all things dance for as long as she can remember, growing up in Fort St. John, BC. With a solid foundation in various styles, she further honed her skills at the CLI Conservatory, studying under esteemed figures like Teddy Forance, Riley Watts and Martha Nichols. This intensive training has not only broadened her technical abilities but also instilled a strong work ethic. While she feels particularly confident in her jazz, ballet, and contemporary vocabulary, Ella is passionate about all forms of movement, and loves to share that joy with others.
Candace Soderberg
Candace is a cultivator. She is dedicated to creating spaces and shaping communities. She moves through the world with a lightness that belies her strength and resilience; behind her unfaltering smile and quiet graceful way is a sharp mind and dedicated spirit. Her strong, skillful Vinyasa based classes in their reverence to alignment principles and traditional philosophies, reflect this grace and dedication to the practice and her community.
She completed her first 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2013 with Randelle Lusk, who gave her a solid foundation in the anatomy and philosophy of the practice, as well as imparting a rare kind of creative and free flowing Vinyasa sequencing style that is still a prominent thread of her classes today. She completed her 500 hour under Janet Stone, and has also trained extensively with Ryan Leier, Srivatsa Ramaswami, and Tiffany Cruishank.
She opened Cornerstone Yoga Collective in 2017. Founded on the notion of community, Cornerstone encourages the free expression of its teachers and the unique unfurling inner journey of each and every student. It is a space which reflects in its very foundations the creativity, dedication, and simple grace Candace brings to all aspects of her life.
Since 2018, Candace has been offering 200 hour Vinyasa trainings. She continues to be a devoted student herself; dedicated to sharing Yoga, and encouraging her students to meet each moment with curiosity, humility, and grace.
Natalka Lewis
My name is Natalka (she/her) and I am a counsellor who believes that counselling should be comfortable, relaxed, and safe -not stuffy, or intimidating. Certainly, the work in counselling can be a bit scary, and so I focus on building a safe and secure relationship with my clients so they can feel supported in truly being their authentic selves. I work with older children (ages 10+), teens, and adults. I am a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) and I hold a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology. I practice from a strengths-based & trauma-informed lens. In therapy, I use an integrated approach where I draw from several models of therapy based on client needs including Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness, Somatic Therapy, Play Therapy and others.
I believe in a collaborative approach to counselling where you, as the client, are involved in making treatment decisions and setting goals. Together we will build a strong therapeutic relationship that will empower you, support you, and offer areas for growth. I work from an approach that considers the whole person. Your mind and your body are connected; I can provide a holistic approach to helping you navigate life’s challenges and move towards a healthy & balanced life.
Though I have a range of experience with many demographics and areas of concern, I am particularly drawn to working with adolescents and children as well as young adults who are transitioning into adulthood. I moved into the field of counselling after a first-career in dance education where I formed my love and passion for working with kids and adolescents. I am a kid at heart and my experiences have taught me so much about child development and how to communicate with kids/youth. I am a neurodiversity affirming therapist and I offer lived experience and tools for kids and adults with ADHD. I love using creative means of delivering therapy and being expressive with my clients using metaphor, art, movement, music, sandtray, mindfulness, and more.
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Credentials
• Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC)
• Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology
• Bachelor’s of Dance
• Associate Diploma of Dance Pedagogy (ADCC-CICB)
Darien Pickett
Darien graduated from McGill University in 2021 with her Master of Physical Therapy. Before this, she was able to gain a wealth of knowledge while working for 5 years as a Physical Therapist Assistant at the Dawson Creek Hospital after graduating with her Diploma in Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant at SAIT, and during the completion of her Bachelor’s in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies from the University of Calgary.
As a local to Dawson Creek, Darien grew up playing competitive Hockey and club Volleyball, and has been finding new ways to stay active since; including Wake-surfing, Golf, Snowboarding, and spin classes. She’s passionate about staying active and getting outdoors, which helps to shape her Physiotherapy philosophy of using an active rehab approach.
Darien offers evidence-based interventions involving exercise, manual therapy techniques, and education. She believes in teaching people the tools to better understand and manage their condition. Darien has a special interest in post-surgery orthopedics, sports medicine, and pain science, and would love to know how she can partner with you to manage your pain and improve function.