Erin McCuaig
DIRECTOR, OWNER & LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Erin (she/her) grew up in Kenora and has studied dance for over thirty years, including more than ten years of teaching experience. She has trained at a number of studios, including the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School in Winnipeg and Free House Dance in Calgary. Her training covers many styles including ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, lyrical, contemporary, and tap.
After high school Erin attended Wilfrid Laurier University and graduated with her Bachelor of Business Administration. She then moved to Calgary where she worked in sports administration and market research before deciding to move home to Kenora in 2014.
During her time at the RWB, she did ADAPT Jazz and Tap examinations and Cecchetti ballet exams. Erin was also a member of Ember Dance Company in Calgary in 2012/2013.
Her dance teacher education includes:
- Rambert Grades Contemporary Level 1 & Level 2 (2024)
- Rambert Grades Creative Dance for Early Years (2024)
- NDEO Certificate in Dance Education (2023)
- ADAPT Certified Teacher – Jazz & Tap Teacher Training School (2022)
- CCDT Limón Technique Teacher Course with Donna Krasnow (2022)
- Intellidance Babies, Tykes, Tots, & Kids (2021)
- RWB Teachers’ Summer Workshop (2014, 2016 to 2019, 2022)
- Progressing Ballet Technique (2019)
- En Avant Dance Teacher Conference (2016)
- Lisa Howell’s Level One Training for Dance Teachers and Health Professionals (2015)
Erin is also trained in Standard First Aid & CPR/AED Level C and Mental Health First Aid Supporting Youth.
As the owner and lead instructor at DanceWorks Kenora, Erin always looks forward to sharing her love of dance with others in Kenora while continuing to enrich her skills as a dance teacher through workshops and professional development events.
Lena
HIP HOP INSTRUCTOR
Lena (she/her) started dancing in 2000 in Ukraine. She saw her future instructors performing and that was it, she signed up and never missed a class!
Lena loves seeing results when she teaches. She absolutely loves performing and wants her students to experience that as well.
Her dance group in Ukraine was called New Wave Dance Project, so when she first started teaching classes here in Kenora that was the name she chose for her group – New Wave Dance Project Canada. Over the years they performed at different events in Kenora, including Relay for Life, Home Show, Canada Day Celebrations, Olympic Torch Relay, Kenora Aerialettes Year-End Show and once at Kenora All Star Cheerleader Pre-Season shows.
Lena began teaching Hip Hop for DanceWorks Kenora in 2014.
Victoria
HIP HOP & Tap INSTRUCTOR
Victoria (Vic) grew up in Winnipeg, MB where she started dancing at age 6. Her goal was to be a ballerina but once she added jazz to her weekly dance schedule, she learned how much she loved getting creative with different types of movement. When she began her training at Focus Studio Dance under the direction of Ms. Barbara Daurie and started tap, pointe, lyrical, and hip hop classes it solidified her love of all genres!
Throughout her 18 years of dance training, Victoria completed various exams through the Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) and ADAPT Jazz and Tap examinations. She joined the studio’s annual dance trips to Minneapolis for The Pulse Dance Conventions, would frequent the Winnipeg stop of the Triple Threat Dance Convention, and even represented Canada in an International Hip Hop Dance Competition held in Poland.
Her favourite part of the year was competing in the Manitoba Dance Festival and was even a winner of adjudicator’s choice multiple times for her solos, duos, small groups and large groups in all disciplines.
Victoria started volunteering as an early teen at her studio supporting primary classes and eventually graduated to teaching tap, lyrical and hip hop. She made the decision to retire her “studio” dance shoes and spent her last years in competitive dance choreographing for her own female hip hop dance crew “PYT” and dancing with Un1te Dance Co. while travelling and performing in various places across Canada.
Watching her own kids start their dance journeys at DanceWorks Kenora has inspired Victoria to start choreographing and in 2023 she decided she was ready for a teaching comeback! She hopes to bring joyful movement and energy to her classes at the studio.
Kyra
Dance Foundations INSTRUCTOR
Kyra has been dancing for as long as she can remember and is excited to share her love of dance at DanceWorks Kenora. She has been fortunate enough to train in a variety of styles, including Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, and Pointe.
If Kyra had to choose, tap would be her absolute favourite. She is trained in the Al Gilbert dance syllabus, having completed all Al Gilbert tap and jazz exams. Over the years, Kyra has had incredible experiences, competing in competitions and attending conventions across Manitoba and even in the United States. Her biggest highlight, however, was dancing in Germany with Team Canada’s Tap Team—a true dream come true.
More recently, Kyra was the captain of the Lakehead University Dance Team, blending her love of competitive dance with fun choreography and performing at halftime shows for Lakehead University sports.
When she’s not in the studio, you can find her working as a nurse at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital. Kyra likes to stay busy, and that’s just the way she prefers it!
She can’t wait to dance with you and share her passion for dance with a new group of students.
Ara
Creative Movement INSTRUCTOR
Ara Kakis (she/they) has been dancing at DanceWorks Kenora since the studio opened in 2014. She began her training in Dance Foundations Ballet & Jazz and has progressed through the levels and now continues to train in Senior level classes. Ara has trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, modern, and contemporary and has been a member of the DWK Performance Ensemble for 5 years. She has auditioned for and attended the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Professional Division Summer Intensive, Alberta Ballet School Summer Intensive, and the Quinte Ballet School Summer Intensive. She has also completed ADAPT Jazz & Tap exams and participated in a variety of workshop and convention classes in a broad range of styles. Ara enjoys exploring the expressive nature of dance and has created and performed a number of student choreography routines over the years.
Ara started assisting dance classes in 2019 and has assisted Creative Movement, Dance Foundations, and Primary level classes at DanceWorks Kenora over the past 5 years. She is looking forward to continuing to learn and grow as both a dancer and a teacher and is excited to teach creative movement classes for a second year.
Kirsten
SUMMER 2025 INSTRUCTOR
Kirsten Favreau (she/her) began dancing at age 12 and was one of the original students at DanceWorks Kenora when it opened in 2014. Initially beginning her training with ballet and tap, Kirsten has since expanded her styles to include jazz, pointe, modern, and contemporary over the past 9 years. Kirsten participated in the DWK Performance Ensemble for two years, began assisting in 2015, and began teaching her own classes in 2019. Kirsten’s training has primarily been at DanceWorks Kenora but she has also participated in various workshops, festivals and competitions throughout the years, including ADAPT exams in both jazz and tap. From 2022 to 2024 Kirsten trained and performed with UWO Dance Force.
Outside of dance, Kirsten is a recent graduate from Western University with an undergraduate degree in Medical Cell Biology and English. Kirsten is now continuing her studies with a Master’s degree in English Literature and Feminist studies at the University of Ottawa. Kirsten is an accomplished musician, vocalist, and actress in the community, and feels that promoting involvement in dance and all of the Arts is very important. Sharing her passion for it with others will always be a motivation for her.
Kirsten is thrilled to resume her role as a dance instructor for a 3rd summer at DanceWorks Kenora.
Molly
SUMMER 2025 INSTRUCTOR
Molly (she/her) grew up in Kenora and started taking classes at DanceWorks Kenora in 2016. She has been training in Hip Hop for 9 years and has performed at local performances such as the Kenora Aerialettes shows and KAS Pre-Season shows as well as the Kenora Festival of the Arts and DWK Year-End Recitals. Molly also assists in multiple styles including Hip Hop, Tap, and Creative Movement.
Molly graduated from Seven Generations as an Early Childhood Educator in 2024 and completed her first year as an ECE at Keewatin Public School this past year. She is so excited to be a part of DanceWorks Kenora and can’t wait to return to teaching summer camps for a second year!
DanceWorks Kenora 