2026 Faculty

Yuichiro Inoue is a dancer and choreographer who performed as a member of the Toronto Dance Theatre for 18 years. Born in Japan, Yuichiro moved to Germany at the age of 15 to study at the John Cranko Ballet School in Stuttgart. He spent nine years as a member of the Staatstheater Braunschweig, Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, and Saarlaendisches Statts Theatre in Saarbruecken. In 2004, he moved to Toronto and completed RAD certification and the Teacher Training Program at Canada’s National Ballet School before joining TDT under the direction of Christopher House. Yuichiro received the Hiroshima International Dance Competition choreography award, multiple Dora award nominations, and a nomination for the Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Award. Yuichiro has taught at many of Canada and Japan’s foremost dance institutions, including Canada’s National Ballet School and Kobe College, and he currently teaches at the Dance Arts Institute, the Pia Bouman School, and George Brown College and his students have gone on to be accepted into prestigious post-secondary programs and companies such as the Netherlands Dance Theatre and the National Ballet of Canada. A co-founder of 3+ Dance Collective with Pulga Muchochoma and Naishi Wang, Yuichiro’s choreographic work has included commissions for Toronto Dance Theatre, Dance Arts Institute, Dusk Dances, Guelph Dance Festival. Nagata Shachu, Etobicoke Schoolof the Arts, Claude Watson Arts Program, Reiko Matsuoka Ballet (Japan) award-winning film, international festivals, and competitions.  

Kira Bakker is a highly regarded ballet coach, adjudicator, and dance educator based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. With a career that spans performance, teaching, and adjudicating, Kira is known for her technical expertise and dedication to nurturing the next generation 

of dancers.

Originally from Kelowna, BC, Kira trained in ballet, modern, tap, jazz, hip hop, and musical theatre before moving to Winnipeg at age 13 to attend the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) School. She graduated with distinction, earning annual scholarships and representing the school at Assemblé Internationale, an olympic caliber gathering of the world’s top pre-professional dancers. She furthered her training at the State Ballet Academy at the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany. 

At 19, Kira began her professional career with the Stuttgart Ballet, performing in both classical and contemporary works such as Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, and Onegin. Her experience with the company solidified her understanding of the artistry and discipline 

required to excel as a professional dancer. 

In 2015, Kira returned to Canada and transitioned to teaching, completing the RWB's teacher training program and joining the artistic faculty in 2017. She taught ballet, pointe, conditioning, and classical and contemporary repertoire to students in the professional division, fostering their technical and artistic growth. From 2017 to 2020, she also served as Artistic Assistant to choreographer Jera Wolfe, setting contemporary works for Canada's National Ballet School, The School of Contemporary Dancers, and the RWB Company. This experience deepened her understanding of choreography and creative collaboration, allowing her to work closely with top artists and dancers. 

Kira has taught at various dance conventions, workshops, and intensives across Canada, inspiring dancers at all levels with her dynamic approach and vast experience in both classical and contemporary dance. She has adjudicated for MOVE, Surrey 

Dance Festival, Be Dance, and more. Kira strives to offer constructive feedback that promotes growth, artistic expression, and technical excellence. 

Today, Kira continues to teach, choreograph, and adjudicate, with a strong commitment to creating an inspiring environment where dancers can explore their artistry and reach their full potential.

Dancer- Choreographer- Teacher-Actor-writer 

Nick has been dancing since age 7, and has remained passionate and inspired from the very beginning...

He has trained in Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop Modern , Lyrical, Tap, African, Samba, Capioera and Caribbean dance, and is always looking for the new and next thing that is going to help to further diversify and learn. 

He has danced for various recording artists such as -Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue, Aleesia, Shawn Desman, Lloyd Banks, T-Pain, Fabulous, and Busta Rhymes; additionally he has had the pleaser of working for productions by 

Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon, Nickelodean Germany, Universal Studios, Paramount Canada's Wonderland, and YTV. 

Artists never stop evolving; As an actor, featured on CBC’s original Shitts Creek, and FX’s hit series What we do in the shadows. As a playwright, and producer, Nick has completed and previewed an original work entitled BionicBlue, an amalgamation of dance digital media and original poetry showcased at Torontos Canadian Stage company. 

Director of Airtight Entertainment dance company alumni members have been featured in productions by Disney, The Next Step, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, YTV's The Next Star, Cirque de Soliel, World of Dance Toronto Champions. 

In addition to teaching at studios across Ontario, credited adjudicator with the Professional Adjudicators Alliance, he has been fortunate to travel and teach across Canada, the US, Mexico and the Caribbean. 

Joanna Lige is the Rehearsal Director for Ballet Kelowna. She is a graduate of the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, a RAD Registered Teacher, a Certified Progressing Ballet Technique Instructor, a member of the Council of Ontario Dance and Drama Educators, and a member of the International Association of Dance Science and Medicine.

She grew up in Kelowna and has trained with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, The Banff Centre for the Arts, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, and SITI Theatre Company.  She has performed work by Sharon Moore, Michael Trent, Danny Grossman, Julia Sasso, Peter Chin, José Limón, Bill James, and Sarah Chase. She has recently collaborated and performed with the Evolve Arts Collective, the Body Project, and the Inner Fish Theatre Society. She performed in Looks Like Sounds, an improvised evening of music and dance as part of the Living Things Festival 2023, and was invited to the FACT/SF Summer Dance Lab in San Francisco in 2022.

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Creating Physical Art Through Dance