Our Team

@emily_dancekw

Emily is the studio owner. She started dancing at 25 years of age with the University of Waterloo Mambo Club. She instantly fell in love with salsa and bachata, and took one to two community classes every night of the week. Less than two years later, she left a promising engineering career to pursue her dream of dancing all day. By the end of that year, she was teaching 17 classes a week, hosting monthly social dances, had competed, and had Waterloo’s highest rated business listing as a dance instructor for adults.

Emily brings her passion for learning and dance to every class. She wants you to know that it's never too late do what you love, and hopes to see you on the dance floor soon!

@flighty_capricorn

Irina started her dancing adventures when at the age of 4 she convinced her mother to enroll her in ballet classes. Two years later she moved on to competitive sport ballroom dancing at which she excelled for 7 years. In the past decade she held her focus on pole dance sport and had been having fun dancing salsa, bachata and kizomba at socials.

Irina brings her diverse experiences into her classes at Underdog with emphasis on technique, safety and enjoyment of the process! She mainly teaches stretching - a class loved by the students and occasional dance classes. Those students who have specific mobility/flexibility or dancing goals enjoy taking private classes with Irina to get all the attention and assistance they need to continue advancing.

@victoria.krzeminski

Victoria started dancing at 8 years old, mainly ballroom, contemporary, lyrical, and jazz. However, her favorite genre was acro, because she loved learning new tricks and flips such as aerials and back walkovers! She moved to Waterloo in 2021 to study Health Science at UW, and found that it was really hard to meet people in a new city. She sought out Underdog and decided to try a chair and heels class, after 6 years of not dancing! Despite her anxieties, she met a welcoming community of like minded dancers.

Victoria feels as though dance is a healthy way to manage her general and social anxiety, and helps keep her grounded. She acknowledges that heels can be intimidating at times, however, she encourages you to step outside of your comfort zone.

@alexnoellemills

Alex started dancing at the Contemporary School of Dance at 11 years old, where her love of dance has only grown since that first day in the studio. After many years of jazz and tap, she branched out to other studios to explore new styles which eventually brought her to the Underdog, where heels and chair dancing became a part of her daily routine. She quickly fell in love with these styles and has now been teaching chair dance for the past year.

Alex’s favorite part about dance is the community that forms when the pressure is off and respect and encouragement are at the heart of the class. Dance is about letting go, expressing yourself, and moving in a way that feels right to you. Alex is so excited to meet you and start this adventure together.

@avanschyndel

Amy has been a competitive choreographer and dance educator for over 15 years in many styles of dance including ballet, Acro, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip hop. Her dance career has taken her to the 2012 Summer Olympics in England, New York City, and a number of other places across the US, and her choreography has won numerous awards and accolades across North America.

Her students have travelled regionally and internationally for education and professional performance in dance, including places such as Bucharest National Opera House in Romania, the National Ballet School, and Toronto Dance Theatre. In addition to her dance career, she is a Registered Physiotherapist with a great deal of experience in treating musculoskeletal injuries of dancers, gymnasts, and performers.

@salserocasero

Natalie’s dance journey began with attending local salsa socials and lessons such as the UW Mambo Club. Natalie is both a Kinesiology & Physical Education student, and Latin dance teaching assistant at the Underdog. As a health and fitness enthusiast, she is passionate about providing physical activity through dance. Introducing Latin dance to beginners is one of her many dance joys!

She is a proud believer that everyone is capable of organized dancing, in which the potential and learning is endless. You will find her connecting with the community at Underdog’s social nights, such as Salsa in the Square! Natalie’s dedication towards salsa and bachata has lead to a great amount of progress and she looks forward to sharing the magic with you!

@katiesaye

Meet Katie, a seasoned dance teacher with a wealth of experience spanning ballet, jazz, contemporary, and lyrical across both the GTA and KW regions. Having performed in numerous professional shows, Katie's passion is to inspire everyone at Underdog to give their all on the dance floor. Her journey with Underdog began as a pursuit of professional growth and stylistic advancement, but what truly captured her heart was the inclusive atmosphere that resonates with her teaching philosophy.

In her classes, Katie prioritizes strength training, a solid technical foundation, and encouraging her students to take daring leaps of faith. Her experience in working with students with complex needs has further reinforced her belief that "everyone can dance!" She's thrilled to have found a place to teach that embraces this empowering mantra.

@kezeashayne

Kezea has been actively involved in hip-hop dancing for a decade and occasionally performs K-pop dance covers. In 2021, she joined a heels class at her university and immediately fell in love with this style of dance. A year after that, she became the Advanced Burlesque instructor at the WLU Rec Dance program — which eventually led her to start teaching heels, hip-hop, and K-pop in her new dance home, The Underdog.

With her expertise, Kezea has choreographed performance pieces for dance showcases involving over 35 dancers. Through these experiences, she has gained valuable knowledge in confidence, self-expression, and the art of femininity, which she now imparts to her enthusiastic students. Kezea's favorite part of teaching is witnessing the joy on her dancers' faces when they successfully perform a choreography they once doubted they could achieve.

@laurenkeatingg

Lauren fell in love with dance at a young age, when she began Irish dancing. While attending university, Lauren decided to explore other dance styles through a recreational program offered at her school. It is in this setting that she was introduced to heels and chair dancing! She performed these genres for 5 years, and has been teaching for the last 2 years.

Her favourite part about heels and chair dancing is the empowerment that comes from these classes. There is nothing better than a room full of people supporting and cheering each other on!

Lauren’s classes have a strong focus on confidence, body positivity, and providing a safe space for dancers to explore their sensual side.

@extrakessy

Kestra has loved dancing ever since she was a little girl! She explored a variety of different styles, but mainly focused on ballet, at the Contemporary School of Dance until she was 17. In University, Kestra continued to dance and was introduced to different hip hop styles through an urban dance group! Her love for the encouraging community had her hooked on wanting to learn more about hip hop and its countless grooves. She also explored styles such as Jazz Funk and Heels that had her work on her technique and helped her become a more confident dancer!

Dance is Kestra’s passion! Her goal is to help others gain confidence through dance and have them love dance just as much as she does!

@wellnesswithsarahh

Growing up as a competitive dancer, Sarah has been passionate about health and wellness from a young age. Sarah believes that dance should be a way to maintain overall strength and mobility while also promoting freedom and expression in movement. During the day, Sarah works as a Registered Physiotherapist which is another extension of her passion for promoting health and movement. Sarah teaches drop in contemporary classes for those who want to try playing with freedom of movement and expression in dance. Contemporary classes are different every week, meaning you will be challenged to be creative and to push past your boundaries. She is so excited to dance with you.

@sammydamaren

Sammy is trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Acro, Modern, and Musical Theatre. She has been teaching and sharing her passion for dance in KW for the past 10 years. She is a graduate of the Eastwood Collegiate Integrated Arts Program where she studied under the direction of Janis Price.

She then attended the University of Waterloo, graduating with an honours degree in Peace & Conflict Studies and a minor in Business. Through her studies, she was able to travel to places such as the UK, Cambodia & India where she continued to build her passion for the arts internationally learning from different cultures around the world.