2022/23 FACULTY

NELA H

Founder/Director of the XBa Dance Centre

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 2001 Nela opened XBa School of Dance 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.

AMADEA H

Operations Manager

Certification Program, Contemporary, Creative Movement

Amadea has been a member of the XBa Dance Centre faculty for 16 years, is the studio’s Operations Manager, and as dance teacher specializes in Contemporary, Contemporary Pointe, and Creative Movement.

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 has been a Principal with the company since 2013.

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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 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 she was a finalist in the 2022 Surrey Women in Business Awards, Emerging Leader Category.

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For the 2022/23 Season, Amadea will be running the Contemporary Certification Program and teaching Contemporary and Creative Movement classes on Mondays and Thursdays for ages 8 to Adult.

SKYE FERGUSON

Ballet

Skye is a former XBa student, DISKORDANSE company member, dance teacher/choreographer at Keri’s Highland Dance Studio, is a graduate of Simon Fraser University and a full-time elementary school teacher in the Surrey School District. 

Coming from a family full of dance teachers, Skye began dancing at the age of three and has studied Highland dance, Ballet and Pointe, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary and Hip Hop. As an eight time B.C Provincial Highland dance representative, a B.C Highland dance Champion, and a top six Canadian Highland dancer, Skye has competed across Canada, the United States and Scotland. In 2016 Skye was accepted into the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Highland Dance Team where she spent a month in Edinburgh, Scotland and performed for over 100,000 people on Edinburgh Castle’s Esplanade. 

Skye proudly states that she owes much of her success in Highland dance to her formal Ballet training which she studied for over 15 years. Versed in RAD and Vaganova methods, Skye has completed examinations in both as well as SDTA examinations and truly believes Ballet is the foundation of all dance. 

Skye has been a faculty member at XBa Dance Centre since 2018.  For the 2022/23 Season, she will be offering Ballet classes for ages 3 to Adult on Tuesdays.

RYAN WILLIAMS

Hip Hop Certification Program, Breakdance, Hip Hop

Ryan Williams has trained as a professional dancer, focusing on specific styles of Street Dance, particularly Hip Hop and Breakdance.

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He studied under Vancouver-based SOULdiers Dance Company, led by Kim Sato and former XBa Hip Hop instructor Cristina Bucci, which specialized in training and performances around Hip Hop, Breaking, House, Locking, Popping and Social Dances.  Ryan also trained with Kill The Lights, Harbour Dance Centre's intensive commercial Hip Hop company, along with Make Your Mark.

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Ryan's goal is to create an environment for students where they will exceed their own expectations and explore new ranges of motion and movement never thought of before.

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For the 2022/23 Season, Ryan will be teaching advanced levels of Hip Hop and Breakdance on Friday nights, and is the main instructor for the Hip Hop Certification Program.

YARRA TSIAKOS
Hip Hop, Diverse Abilities Dance

A dancer all her life, Yarra started training at XBa at the age of 15.  She successfully completed the Senior Performance Program and earned her International Certification in Dance Studies in 2019.  Yarra has taught XBa's Diverse Abilities Dance classes since 2019, after undergoing thorough training under XBa's Owner and Artistic Director Nela H.

She has an extensive background in Hip Hop, Contemporary and Ballet, and maintains her Hip Hop and Contemporary dance education at XBa while teaching.  Yarra is constantly upgrading her skills, is currently training in Breakdance, and has created a unique style of street movement that she is eager to instil upon her students. Yarra continues to work in the film industry as a trained makeup artist while pursuing other post-secondary opportunities.

For the 2022/23 Season, she will be teaching youth Hip Hop classes and Diverse Abilities Dance on Saturday afternoons, and is an instructor for the Hip Hop Certification Program.