Centre of Dance
for the International Performing Arts
BC's Premier Dance Education Facility since 2000
FACULTY
2026/27 Season
AMADEA HW, Owner & Artistic Director
ICDS Program, Contemporary, Xtreme Ballet, Pointe, Creative Lab
Amadea is the studio’s Owner & Artistic Director, and as dance teacher specializes in Contemporary, Xtreme Ballet, Pointe and Dance Improvisation.
Unlike many of her peers, Amadea’s dance training increased after graduating high school and became professional at 19. She is one of the inaugural members of The DISKORDANSE Company and was been a Principal with the company from 2013-2023.
An accomplished contemporary dancer, Amadea holds a National Silver Medal in dance, First Place as the top Contemporary Soloist at the Surrey Festival of Dance, is also an award-wining Hip Hop soloist, and has trained extensively in Modern, Ballet, Pointe and Jazz. She has her Certification in the XBa Method of Training, and holds her International Certification in Dance Studies, as accredited by UNESCO’s Conseil International de la Danse.
Amadea holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of British Columbia, where she taught dance classes at UBC Recreation Centre, and was a finalist in the 2022 Surrey Women in Business Awards, Emerging Leader Category.
For the 2026/27 Season, Amadea is running the ICDS Program and is teaching Contemporary classes for ages 8 to Adult, Xtreme Ballet for ages 8 to 17, Pointe for ages 13-17 and Creative Lab for ages 12-17.
YARRA TSIAKOS
Street + Hip Hop, Beginner Adult Contemporary
A dancer all her life, Yarra started training at XBa at the age of 15. She successfully completed and earned her International Certification in Dance Studies in 2019.
She has a varied background in all forms of Street Dance, Contemporary and Ballet, and maintains her dance education at XBa while teaching. Yarra is constantly upgrading her skills and has created a unique style of Street movement that she is eager to instil upon her students.
Yarra is currently pursuing her Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Dance at Simon Fraser University, and for the 2026/27 Season, she will be teaching Street + Hip Hop for ages 8 to 17, and Beginner Adult Contemporary for ages 18+.
NELA H
Founder of the XBa Centre of Dance
Artistic Director of The DISKORDANSE Company
Nela spent her childhood and young adulthood studying Russian Ballet with Maurice Lacasse-Morenoff in Montreal. Also in Montreal she received her Premier Degré Laureat in Classical Piano Performance from l’Ecole de Musique Classique Marguerite-Bourgeoys. Nela completed her Associate of Arts Degree in Visual Arts at Loyola Marymount College in California, and her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the SFU School of Contemporary Arts in B.C. Nela holds the British Columbia Coaching Award Certification.
In 1999 Nela was scouted by SkateCanada to train National, World, and Olympic figure skaters in her unique style of off-ice dance education, at the Centre of Excellence in Burnaby, BC, which she continued to do for over a decade.
In 2000 Nela opened XBa in South Surrey and in 2011 Nela and the school received accreditations from UNESCO’s International Dance Council based on the school’s and Nela’s personal achievements in the world of dance.
Also in 2011 Nela founded The DISKORDANSE Company and went on to complete 4 full-length original dance works and a series of short pieces for the company. In 2013 she was the recipient of the Community Inspiration Award from the City of White Rock.
As a visual artist Nela designs costumes, stage makeup, props, and her innovative stage lighting designs have garnered her commissioned work from international dance companies. Nela’s passion is creating and educating powerful dancers by blending the arts, often bridging her acrylic paints with live stage choreography.
Nela officially retired in 2024 and has fully entrusted her business to her daughter Amadea. She is extremely excited to see what the future brings, both personally and professionally, and is as excited to watch XBa's continued success!
Guest Faculty
Contemporary, Hip Hop, Nutrition
SFU School for the Contemporary Arts - Dance
Contemporary, Ballet Moderne
Natasha Lutz-Van Poelegeest
Modern
Maria Djordjevic
Ballet
Carolyn Zaruk
Dance Fitness, Ballroom