Contact

Shaylin Venedam - Owner/Artistic Director

BFA (Hons) Ryerson University, ARAD, ADAPT, AA, ABT, PAA, ADA

Shaylin is an established dancer, instructor, choreographer and adjudicator who has been involved in the dance industry for over 15 years and she is the proud owner & artistic director of the Port Perry Dance Academy. She is an incredibly versatile and well-rounded performer who specializes in a wide variety of dance styles, winning many prestigious awards as a competitor and choreographer. Her choreography has been featured at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto for International Women’s Day in front of almost 10,000 fans! Shaylin travels across Canada adjudicating numerous dance competitions and festivals every year and continues to teach master classes and workshops across the GTA.

She is privileged to have trained with the National Ballet of Canada and the Quinte Ballet School throughout her training and is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance (ARAD). Shaylin is a graduate from Ryerson University’s Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree program with Honours in Performance Dance and was the Captain of the Raptors 905 Sauga City Dancers for their 2018/2019 season. Most recently, Shaylin received the Kent Farndale Bursary for the Arts award for her continuous contribution to the arts within her community.

She is a certified Acro Dance Adjudicator (ADA): Founding Member and is a proud member of the Professional Adjudicators Alliance (PAA). Shaylin is also a certified Acrobatic Arts, American Ballet Theatre and ADAPT (jazz & tap) instructor with extensive training in the Royal Academy of Dance. Shaylin is constantly learning about her craft and loves nothing more than sharing her knowledge with her students; helping them reach their goals and build strong self-confidence.

Lynn Ahmad - Ballet Director

International Examiner/Tutor - Royal Academy of Dance, ABT, PBT, ADA, PAA

Lynn Ahmad is the Founder of the Port Perry Dance Academy (est. 2000) and is the Director of the Ballet Program. Lynn has been a teacher and choreographer for dance studios in-and-around the GTA since 1987. Lynn loves teaching children of all ages and specializes in ballet technique. Lynn is an international Examiner and Tutor for the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and is a Certified Teacher for the American Ballet Theatre’s (ABT) National Training Curriculum (Vaganova and Cecchetti Ballet Methods). Lynn is also a certified Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) instructor. Lynn’s qualifications, experience and passion allow her to bring the best elements of the world’s leading Ballet training methods to all of her students. In addition, Lynn is a certified Acro Dance Adjudicator (ADA) and member of the Professional Adjudicators Alliance.

Over the years Lynn has prepared students for RAD ballet exams and major dance competitions both locally and abroad. Her record includes numerous choreographic and overall awards. As an Adjudicator and Examiner, Lynn’s experience gives her an international perspective of Dance having assessed and graded dancers from Canada, North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe. Many of Lynn’s students have garnered scholarships and awards moving on to further education at universities like the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa, University of Waterloo, York University, Ryerson University, Tisch University (NYC), George Brown College and Randolph College for the Performing Arts among many others. Her students have gained acceptance to the National Ballet School, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and the Quinte Ballet School. Still other students have become teachers, studio owners and professional entertainers whose careers have taken them all over the world. Lynn is proud to share her knowledge and love of dance with all her students and encourages them to follow their dreams and to never give up.

Gaetane Hughes

Examiner - Canadian Dance Teachers Association, ADAPT, B.A.T.D., D.M.A.

Gaëtane has been a dance teacher since 1970, having owned her own studio for over 33 years. Since 2011, she has been teaching at the Port Perry Dance Academy. She is a respected life member & examiner of the Canadian Dance Teachers Association, a member of Dance Masters of America, American Chapter #8, a certified ADAPT instructor and a life member of The British Association of Teachers of Dance.

Gaëtane has taught numerous teacher and student workshops across Canada. Several of her former students have been accepted to the National Ballet, Europe, Limone Dance Company and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Other former students have become teachers themselves or are performing professionally in both Canada and The United States. Gaëtane has adjudicated for many years across Canada.

Fiona Young - Administrative Assistant

ECE, BATD

Fiona fell in love with dance at the age of 3. She started with learning highland dancing, competing in Canada and Scotland, and later fell in love with ballet, jazz and musical theatre. Fiona is a certified teacher with BATD and enjoyed teaching dance at a local studio for over 12 years then opened her own small dance studio for 8 years.

During the day Fiona is a Educational Assistant with her passion of dealing with behaviour and special education. Over the last few years Fiona has had the role of Secretary for Scotdance Ontario and Professional Membership Secretary for Scotdance Ontario. Fiona also enjoys her role as a tabulator/awards manager for Xtreme Dance Champions. Fiona brings a lot of experience to her role as an Administrator Assistant to Port Perry Dance Academy and is happy to get to know you all!

Amber Gaston

RAD Candidate, PBT, ADAPT

Amber is completing her second year of post secondary education at Canada’s National Ballet School as one of only 10 people internally accepted into the program in 2021. This past year at the National Ballet School she has had the opportunity to dance with professional dancers from all over the world and learn from leading educators in the field of Ballet. The daily program consists of ballet, modern, variation and jazz training along with academic focused classes such as pedagogy, anatomy, and history of ballet. She has also had the opportunity to be a teaching assistant in the school’s Associates Program for a Certificate V class. She will graduate in 2024 with her RAD teaching credentials as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts - Dance.

Amber is currently certified in Progressive Ballet Technique and ADAPT teaching credentials for Jazz and Tap. Accepted with scholarships, she spent two summers training with the Joffrey Ballet School. In 2018 she attended Joffrey’s fusion summer program in Las Vegas where she had the opportunity to work with Lex Ishimoto (So You Think You Can Dance), Michael Dameski (World of Dance) and well known choreographer Blake McGrath. She performed with the cast of Cirque Du Soleil- Michael Jackson: One at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The following year she was accepted into the Ballet and Modern summer program and travelled to Miami where the training focused on the Graham technique of modern dancing.

As a former competitive dancer she had solo’s choreographed by Jennie Pappas and Jordan Clark (The Next Step) and Rebecca Zizek earning numerous overalls titles, such as, the title of Teen Superstar and Ultimate Battle winner. Amber is known for her fun personality and creative teaching style. She is on faculty at Port Perry Dance Academy where she teaches and choreographs numbers for the competitive team. 

Jessica Gindli

Bachelor of Arts - York University, ADAPT (L1), AA (L1), Hoop Theory, Alixa Flexibility 1

Jessica began dancing at the age of four and has continued to fall in love with the art form ever since. Jessica continued her dance studies throughout high school and graduated from the Regional Dance Arts Program at St. Elizabeth Catholic High School. She then went on to study dance at University where she graduated with a Bachelors of Arts Dance degree from York University. To compliment her career goals, Jessica pursued her love to design and sew costumes and obtained a diploma in Fashion and Design from George Brown College.

Jessica loves to learn new choreography and perform in groups or solo. During her time at York Jessica performed in many shows, including the annual presentation of Dance Innovations. She was also involved in addItional dance groups including teaching for York Lions Dance Club, and competing with Rise Dance Team. To continue her personal dance growth, Jessica attends classes and intensives from choreographers near and worldwide. Some examples including Metamorphosis, Summer dance Intensive, Conteur Winter Intensive, and acrobatic and hoop classes at Toronto School of Circus Arts. Jessica loves to see her students develop strong technique and grow the confidence to express themselves through dance.

Jessica is certified in ADAPT 1, Acrobatic Arts L1, Hoop Theory, and Alixa Flexibility 1. She continues to educate herself on the most updated teaching methods, and develop her range of choreography, while integrating her own performance experience. 

Mackenzie Ball

Centennial College - Dance Performance Diploma

Mackenzie is a talented, creative, and innovative artist with an incredible passion for dance. She’s completed RAD and ADAPT examinations with distinction in various genres. She has recently graduated with honours from Centennial College’s Dance Performance Diploma Program which has helped her pursue her dream of becoming a professional dancer, choreographer and teacher.

Mackenzie is known for her incredible work ethic and dedication to her craft and has already made a name for herself in the dance community. She has performed for renowned corporate events, local artists, exclusive events and music videos. Mackenzie has also had the opportunity to learn and grow artistically from some of the worlds most sought after teachers, choreographers, and dancers. This would include the highly notable Luther Brown, Ysabelle Capitulé and Rhapsody James. In addition to her work as a performer, she is committed to continuing her training and pushing herself to new heights as a dancer and educator.

Mackenzie has been dancing for 15 years and is trained in Jazz, Contemporary, Ballet, Tap, Acrobatics and Hip Hop. She has been training in Hip Hop specifically for over a decade and has been teaching it for 6 years. She has immersed herself within the Hip Hop culture, learning from the ground up and is versed in the styles that are associated with it. She believes that dance has the power to connect people and transcend boundaries, and is excited about the future of the art form. With her passion, talent, and drive, Mackenzie is sure to make a lasting impact on the dance world.