Teachers

Chrystal Mazzotta
DMA (Dance Masters of America), 
Society of Russian Ballet
Owner/Director/Teacher

Chrystal Galic (Mazzotta) has been dancing since her first steps. At the young age of two she began her dance life with Ballet.  Her love of dance quickly flourished and just a couple of years after starting Ballet, Chrystal was introduced to Jazz and Tap. A few years after that, Lyrical, Hip Hop and Acro. Training under some top industry professionals throughout her life, her love and passion for dance never faded.

Chrystal’s passion for dance expanded into a passion for teaching, inspiring and working with youth. Ensuring strong foundations she achieved certification in jazz and tap through Dance Masters of America as well as Ballet through the Society of Russian Ballet.  Sharing knowledge is part of this incredible industry and Chrystal loves to continue to do so through guest teaching as well as judging competitions across Canada and the United States. Chrystal is proud of her dancers who have become professional dancers themselves as well as certified and successful dance instructors.  She is also proud of every dancer who leaves each class with a new skill, feeling better about themselves, and who worked hard to achieve their personal goals. 

Paige Chaisson
Teacher, Acrobatic Arts

Paige Chaisson is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University with a double major in Child and Youth and Psychology. She has done several placements working with children of all ages in schools and community centres. In addition to teaching dance, she is currently a Child and Youth Worker on the Waterloo Catholic District school board.

Paige started dancing at Encore Dance Studio when she was 6 years old, where she trained in hip hop, jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical and contemporary. She was chosen to represent team Canada in Hip hop and also danced on the Laurier Brantford Competitive Hip Hop Team for a year where she gained more skills and knowledge in that genre of dance. Paige has been teaching for almost a decade and her love and passion for dance has brought her to continue her dance education and get her teaching certification with Acrobatic Arts.

Renee Gratton
BA, Dance,
Society of Russian Ballet
Teacher

Renee Gratton is a graduate of York University, majoring in Dance. Renee first discovered her love for dance at the age of four at The Georgetown Dance Company where she trained in jazz, tap, lyrical, ballet, hip hop and acro. In high school, Renee attended Saint-Thomas Aquinas Secondary School where she was enrolled in the Performing Arts program for dance for four years.

Renee has been a member of the Toronto Argonauts Cheerleading team for the past four seasons where she has had the opportunity to perform with numerous artists such as Kardinal Official, Karl Wolf, Tim Hicks, Jarvis Church, Hedley, Raghav, Brett Kissel and Dallas Smith. She has also performed at the 99th, 100th, 101st and 102nd Grey Cup games. Renee loves sharing her passion for dance with her students and always promotes a positive, hard working and fun attitude!

Sydnee Scott
Teacher

Sydnee Scott has been dancing since the young age of 3 here at Georgetown Dance Company. Sydnee studied in Ballet, Jazz, and Tap and after quickly realizing her love and passion for dance she started competing in Jazz and Tap at the age of seven. She later added Acro, Lyrical, and Hip Hop to her competitive repertoire, and had the opportunity to study Pointe during her time at GDC. She continued to dance competitively for the studio until the age of 18. Sydnee has always had a love for dancing. She was a member of her high school’s dance team and competed with the team for 2 years. While continuing to dance at GDC, Sydnee was an assistant teacher in Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Acro and Hip hop during her last two years. In 2015, she had a rare opportunity to travel with the studio to Disney to participate in the “Dance the World Program”. There they participated in a showcase with other dance teams from Canada and the United States, as well as dancing down “Main Street” in one of the daily parades at Magic Kingdom. Sydnee has recently graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a BA in General Arts. She will be continuing her education at George Brown College taking Early Childhood Education. After completing this program she wishes to pursue a career as an elementary school teacher.
Sydnee is very excited to begin teaching here at EDS and feels honoured to be a part of a studio that provides joy, learning and growth and is dedicated to ensuring this environment for her students.

Shayla Walker
BATD, DMA TTS, Acrobatic Arts Lvl 1
Teacher

Known for exquisite technique and her grace, Shayla Walker, has transformed her small town upbringing into an outgoing, inspiring dancer and teacher. Shayla made her first steps into the dance studio at the age of 3 where she began training with some of the GTA’s greatest dance teachers and choreographers. She was given many opportunities to showcase her talent throughout her studio years while also travelling across Canada and the USA attending many different workshops and being exposed to remarkable choreographers. Shayla’s first pre-professional debut opportunity came while performing in New York City, showcasing her exciting and frivolous talent at Jump Nationals VIP Winner showcase at Radio City Music Hall. Shayla graced the stage in The Conteur Academy’s inaugural productions of “Frames” and “Fill in the Blanks” under the artistic direction of Eryn Waltman. Where she was part of the first graduating class of The Conteur Academy. Shayla prides herself on being accredited with her B.A.T.D. dance teaching certification, D.M.A TTS program and Acrobatic Arts level 1 certified. She strives to maintain a professional approach in all of her endeavors, which has led her to her next challenge of judging future and current talent. This has provided her the outlet to combine all of her years of experience and dance technique with the upmost accuracy and professionalism. Ms. Shayla loves teaching and inspiring dancers of all ages and is excited to be sharing her love of dance with everyone at GDC.

Kerri Weatherhead
Teacher

Kerri Weatherhead is the former owner of GDC. After owning the studio for almost 20 years she decided it was time to spend more time with her family. The stars aligned and she connected with Chrystal who was very excited to take the studio on. Kerri wasn’t ready to leave behind the relationships she had built with the GDC families and happily accepted Chrystal’s offer to stay on teaching at the studio. With over 25 years of teaching experience, Kerri’s specialties lie in Jazz, Tap and Ballet. She enjoys working with students of all ages and believes that hard work, practice, and a love for the art makes the most talented dancer. Currently working at a Montessori school in Georgetown, Kerri is continuing to work with children which remains her passion. Kerri is very excited to be a part of the GDC staff and is looking forward to an enjoyable year.