Faculty

Paula was introduced to the world of performing arts at three years old and has never looked back. She has written, directed, stage-managed, and acted in plays and improv competitions. Paula’s dance training includes a variety of disciplines with a focus on tap, jazz and ballet and she continues to attend a variety of workshops throughout the GTA. She has participated in competitions in both Canada and the United States. As an instructor with 20 years of experience, Paula has had the delight of teaching all ages and has found each age group to bring something exciting and different to the classroom.

Paula has obtained diplomas in Human Resources, Office Administration and as well as a certificate in Medical Administration. She uses her education and 15 years of executive experience in her role as Studio Manager.

She looks forward to passing her enthusiasm and passion, for dance and drama, on to her students at The Dance Element.

Minou Hendrikx has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ryerson University where she trained with instructors such as Nadia Potts, Flora Lojekova, Karen DuPlessis, Vicky St.Denys, Stelio Calagias, Maureen Consolati, Audrey Looker and Malcolm Gayle.

Minou is a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) where she also received her Teaching Diploma. Minou received her teaching certifications for Ballet and Stage from the British Association Teachers of Dancing (BATD). Minou has also passed her Advanced Ballet exams from the Imperial Society of Dance (ISTD), BATD and RAD.

Minou is a well-travelled dancer having competed and performed throughout Canada, United States, England, Scotland, and Wales. She was also a guest artist for the Windsor City Ballet and Miss Dance of Canada 1990. After a successful professional and competitive career, Minou turned her attention to training future dancers and has been teaching for over 30 years.

Minou’s students have been very successful in all of their graded ballet exams ranging from Primary to Grade 8 and Vocational exams from Intermediate Foundation to Advanced 2. Apart from exam work and year-end recitals her students have competed locally and nationally receiving top awards. Many students she has trained have established themselves in the dance industry.
Minou dedicates herself to the next generation of dancers by passing on her experiences and knowledge.

Brittany Castiglione is an award-winning choreographer and dance instructor, extensively trained in all disciplines of dance including jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballet, contemporary, acrobatics and modern.Throughout her many years of training, she has received numerous titles, awards and scholarships within Canada and the United States.Brittany graduated from Ryerson
University, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance Dance. Following university, she was accepted into Springboard Danse Montréal where she furthered her training​ in contemporary dance. She has also trained, assisted, and worked with many world renown choreographers and artists across Canada including: Linda Garneau, Caroline Torti, Robert Glumbeck, Roberto Campanella, Evelyn Hart, Louis Louberge -Coté, Vicki St.Denys and Nadia Potts.
Brittany has had the opportunity to be a part of Helix Dance Project performance of “Unearth” choreographed by Linda Garneau, as well as dancing for Typecast Dance Company, Collective Elite, Mia Martina and ProArteDanza. Brittany’s love and passion for dance are what brought her to teaching, specializing in Acrobatics, Contemporary and Jazz. She continues to choreograph and teach at studios throughout the GTA. Brittany strives to bring out the best in her students by teaching confidence and determination. She aims to demonstrate that dedication to training, technique, and artistry results in a successful and versatile dancer. She is excited to share her enthusiasm and passion for dance with all of her students.

Maeve’s love for dance began at the age of 6 where she instantly fell in love with the art form. She was a recreational dancer at The Dance Element for 2 years before accepting the invitation to join the studio’s competitive team. Maeve trained with the competitive team for 8 seasons in a variety of styles such as contemporary, lyrical, ballet, pointe, acrobatics, jazz, tap and hip hop. She has completed RAD certifications up to and including Advanced Foundation and has also trained in pointe and the Cecchetti ballet method.

Always looking to further her knowledge and to expand her education, she has completed her Acrobatics Arts Module 1, AcroDance PreSchool, Zumba, Zumba Kids, Zumba Kids Jr. and Zumbini instructor trainings and is planning on completing many more certifications in the future.

As a dance major at Etobicoke School of the Arts from 2017-2020, Maeve extensively trained in both ballet and modern dance and was part of the school’s performance group dancESAtion where she was a dance captain in her final year. She was cast as several lead solo roles in various school productions and graduated from the school with several awards, including the Lian Thom award as well as the Legacy Board Arts Award, as the dance major who made the greatest contribution to the school in their respective field.

Maeve is currently attending the University of Guelph in the Undergraduate Human Kinetics program while completing a Minor in Family and Child Studies. She was also a member of The University of Guelph’s competitive dance team Guelph Gryphons Dance Pak from 2020-2023, where she trained, choreographed and performed numbers for many varsity competitions across Ontario. In her second year on the team, she was honoured to be awarded the team’s MVP Most Valuable Player.

Maeve’s passion is dance. Her wish is to continue to expand her artistic potential as she focuses on her education, all while sharing this passion with others.

Stefanie has always had a passion for dance and has been involved in the dance industry for over thirty years. She began dance at the age of three training in jazz, tap, ballet, acrobatics, lyrical, hip hop and modern; studying RAD, Cecchetti, ADAPT and DMA syllabus. Stefanie also has been trained in artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and aerial circus arts. At fourteen she received an invitation to a private audition for Cirque Du Soleil in Montreal. Stefanie has competed since the age of six at national and international competitions and has been rewarded with such scholarships as Overall Soloist and Most Promising Senior Dancer. Stefanie has appeared in various print work, commercials, television shows, and runways; working with Chatelane, Holt Renfrew, PAN AM games and Tiny Talent Time, to name a few. She was also the face of The Big Sisters champagne running in Chicago. Stefanie is a graduated from Mayfield Secondary School of the Arts where she received an Arts Letter for her contribution to the dance program as well as one of only two Scholarship recipients for her outstanding choreography in Mayfield’s musical productions and dance shows. She has been teaching both recreational and competitive dance for over 15 years now, she has produced many award-winning routines and is often recognized for her unique and innovative choreography. Her students have won numerous overall high scores and scholarships at several competitions. Her choreography has won such awards as the Judges Choice award for “PRECISION” and the Highest Score of the competition. Stefanie continues to teach, choreograph, adjudicate and conduct workshops at various studios across the GTA. Stefanie is a well-respected dance teacher and her passion for dance shows through her student’s achievements. She loves being able to pass on her experiences, knowledge and talent to all aspiring students.

Passionate would be one of the words to describe Melissa Costa’s relationship with dance. Raised in Mississauga, Melissa began attending dance classes from an early age and developed a unique interest in all genres of dance. Since then her dance career has included local and international competitions in both Canada and the United States. Melissa has been dancing for over 20 years with over 20 years of teaching experience. Melissa has increased her love of dance by involving herself in teaching all ages. She has been working as a dance teacher/choreographer for institutions all over the GTA and Greater Ontario area. Melissa spends the rest of her days working at TD Wealth Financial Planning.

Melissa’s credentials include a Business Management, Marketing Diploma from Humber College and is currently working toward her Financial Planning designations. Melissa continues to add to her knowledge and training platform such as Maureen Rae’s Yoga Instructor, CanFit Fitness Instructor, Zumba to name a few.

Melissa is an outgoing individual with a drive of energy like no other. She adds a huge emphasis in her daily teachings to add a positive, motivating and fun class for her students.  She is creative and spontaneous, but ultimately it’s the love of dancing that thrills her the most in life. Melissa looks forward to sharing her energy and enthusiasm with her students at The Dance Element.

Moving to Mississauga from Toronto at the age of 9, Sam began her dancing career at the Theatre of Dance Arts.  Here she trained and competed in acro, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, lyrical, open and musical theatre for 10 years winning overall awards as an open and acro soloist and group member. Following a very successful career at TDA, Sam moved on to teach at Meyerhofer Academy of Dance in Cambridge for two years while attending Wilfrid Laurier University where she majored in English and minored in Political Science and History.

Sam became very involved in dance and charity while studying at WLU where she choreographed and danced for ‘Fashion N’ Motion’ – a dance based production put on annually with all proceeds going to a charity chosen by the production team. Sam also broadened her dance experience by becoming a dance instructor at WLU’s athletic complex where she taught students ranging from the ages of 18-25 contemporary, acro, jazz and lyrical. Upon the creation of Wilfrid Laurier’s first competitive dance team in her third year of studies, Sam grasped at the opportunity to become a part of this exciting endeavour. She became a contemporary choreographer and key dancer for the team competing across the province against other universities. She was awarded with an overall for highest group mark for her choreography on her large contemporary group.

Once completing her undergrad at WLU, Sam moved abroad to Scotland to complete her secondary teacher training with specialities in English and History at the University of Glasgow. Immediately after graduation, Sam moved to London, England to begin her teaching career in secondary History where she stayed for three years.  It was here that Sam developed and honed her teaching skills with regards to special education, children with disabilities, and challenge of the gifted and talented.

Since moving back home to Canada, Sam has been thrilled to share her passion for teaching in both the academic and dance worlds

David Cox has been dancing since the age of 2, as a musical family brought him into this world – his father a Motown artist and his mother a dance teacher. At 13 he made his first trip to NYC on scholarship and that would change his life forever. Studying with some of the best dancers in the world he began to realize that tap dance was his passion, not forgetting his extensive training in jazz, ballet and modern. Since becoming a professional, he has gone on to perform for and at the following: YTV Achievement Award Winner 1999 Dance Category, ‘Bojangles’ the Showtime movie starring Gregory Hines, the international sensation ‘STOMP’, Juno Awards, Toronto International Film Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, The Duke Ellington Society, Save The Last Dance pt2, talked Tap and Tapped with Shelagh Rogers (Sounds Like Canada CBC Radio 1), Bravo Fact ‘The Hoofers Club’, Dance Arts Vancouver & Judith Marcuse Projects (ICE: Beyond Cool, FIRE… Where There’s Smoke, and EARTH=HOME), ADIDAS, Pro Arte Danza’s The Jazz Cracker, Ballet Creole’s Soulful Messiah, Ruckus Co Prod’s Ricochet, LKTYP’s “I think I can”, Hoofers House Harlem NYC. Numerous corporate functions include former T.O Mayor David Miller’s Inaugural Ball, Coca Cola, Hit N Run Productions and has performed for the speaker of the house, and His Majesty Prince Charles to name a few. He has been on MTV Canada as a choreographer and dancer for “MTV Live: Dancing with the Hosts” and Much Music’s Black History Month. David has shared his passion with the world as a featured performer in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies and is a sought-after adjudicator and teacher across North America. He is also proud to be a member of a band called Theatre Crisp where he taps as added percussion. He is regular faculty at the Tap Dance Centre in Mississauga among other surrounding area studios.  His happy-go-lucky and energetic attitude is contagious to those around him and urges others to pick up a tap and discover the music they can make.

Mariano Abarca is an extraordinary instructor, enthralling performer, and accomplished choreographer. Mariano’s passion for dance was cultivated at an early age – he was raised in a home enveloped by music, thus, his body inevitably became his instrument. Initially, Mariano was exposed to and continued to excel in, the Latin styles of dance: salsa, meringue, and the Columbian folk dance, Cumbia. His apparent natural ability, and intense appreciation of dance, ultimately, inspired him to study alternative styles of dance – hip hop, b-boying, popping and locking.

As a teacher and choreographer, Mariano has been working in Toronto for excess of ten years. His incredible musicality, his diverse skill base (hip-hop, b-boying, popping, locking), his remarkable experiences as a performer, his knowledge of the history and growth of hip-hop in Canada, and his willingness to share all that he knows with his students, make him a rarity in the world of hip-hop. His dancing abilities, combined with his passion for teaching and choreographing, render him one of the best instructors in North America.

Mariano is one of Toronto’s premier b-boys, and, unquestionably, an audience favourite. He is famous for his incredible footwork, and innovative style of intertwining popping, b-boying, and hip-hop.

As an established Toronto b-boy, Mariano led his crew, “Bag of Trix” to international acclaim at “The Battle of the Year 1999” in Leipzig, Germany. Mariano’s crews have, furthermore, earned championship titles in UK, Korea, and here in Canada.

Mariano’s extraordinary style has allowed him to dance in several music videos, commercials, and television programs. Thus, he has worked with artists such as Vivica Fox, Tom Green, Mya, K-OS, Wyclef, Arrested Development, Grand Master Flash, De La Soul, Rob Base and DJ Easy Rock – to name a few. Remarkably, he was provided with the exceptional honour of performing for the Prince of Wales. Mariano Abarca is a role model, an innovator, and a true urban artist.

Lexi started her dance journey at the age of 5, first as a recreational dancer taking jazz and acro classes, and then, at the age of 7 was invited to join The Dance Element’s competitive team. Lexi remained a dedicated and passionate member of the team until graduating from high school at the end of grade 12. During this time Lexi trained in numerous dance genres including ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, tap, open, acro and hip-hop. She competed in a variety of solos, duets, trios and group routines at regional and national level competitions where she received numerous awards including scholarships and recognitions. During this time Lexi developed a love for ballet and completed all RAD ballet exams from Grade 1 to Advanced Foundation. In 2017 she successfully auditioned for, and was selected to join, Team Canada’s Ballet team. She had the opportunity to travel to Poland to represent Canada at the International Dance Organization’s World Dance Championship where she received two Gold medals and one Silver medal. Lexi is currently attending Wilfrid Laurier University, studying to obtain a Bachelor of Kinesiology and Physical Education degree. She continues to pursue her love of dance through training, choreographing and competing at varsity competitions as a member of Laurier’s Competitive Dance team.
Lexi hopes that her continued passion for the art of dance can be an inspiration to young dancers. She is excited to share her energy and enthusiasm to help create a positive experience for all students.

Rebecca is a versatile, passionate and award-winning choreographer, teacher and adjudicator based out of Toronto, Ontario. She is no stranger to the world of competitive dance, having trained as a multi-disciplinary dancer by some of the industry’s best. Rebecca is an established freelance guest teacher and choreographer and is in constant demand at studios, intensives and conventions across Canada, with her work receiving much acclaim. She also holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree and a Dance Minor from Western University. Rebecca has been a featured choreographer at the APAP Dance Showcases presented by Peridance Capezio Center (New York City) and the YoungChoreographer’s Festival in 2015 (New York City). Rebecca is a choreographer and collaborator with Creativiva Inc., creating work for international stages, including productions and events in Toronto, Asia and South America. She has choreographed and performed for many professional, commercial and corporate shows and festivals throughout North America. Rebecca was the choreographer and director of movement for independent dance filmWhite Flagwhich was screened at Portland Dance Film Festival(Portland), Ryerson GLARE Festival (Toronto), Toronto Youth Shorts Festival and 300Seconds Short Film Festival where it was a finalist for Best Music Video. Rebecca has been recognized for her innovative choreography, receiving countless awards for her vision and creativity. Many of her students have gone on to pursue professional dance careers, with students training at Joffrey Ballet School (New York City), Toronto DanceTheatre and performance dance programs at Ryerson University, York University and George Brown College. Rebecca is deeply passionate about teaching and mentoring the next generation of dancers.

Ashley Mastin has been avidly involved with dance for over 30 years. Throughout her youth she trained extensively in jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, musical theatre and acrobatics at the competitive level, achieving much success on the international competition circuit. She has completed CDTA Jazz and Tap examinations as well as RAD ballet syllabus examinations. While attending the University of Western Ontario she performed with the University’s Hip Hop/Jazz Funk based dance troupe for 4 years. Upon receiving her Business Degree, she embarked on a journey to combine her passion for dance and business. Ashley successfully ran her own dance studio for 14 years during which time her students received high accolades each season. Her competitive choreography received such acknowledgement asBest Choreography, Top Senior Choreography, Best of the Show and Creative Concept to name a few.
Ashley has adjudicated dance competitions throughout Canada and the United States for many years.
She is sought after as a Guest Teacher across Ontario. She performed professionally with the Toronto based company Je Danse under the direction of Siona Jackson. She currently continues to teach and train at the prestigious professional studio, Metro Movement in Toronto. She is thrilled to Guest Teach and Choreograph for The Dance Element team and looks forward to getting to know the dancers!