Instructors
The Richmond Arts Centre is proud to offer classes taught by some of the best and brightest instructors from around the lower mainland. Below are brief introductions to some of those instructors and their qualifications.
Ivan Dimitrov – Guitar
Ivan has recently moved to Vancouver from Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a professional guitarist who graduated from the Academy of Musical Dance and Arts in Bulgaria and has been performing ever since. He studied jazz and improvisation with the best teachers and performers in the country and later taught music in several music schools in Bulgaria and South Africa. Ivan is interested in Latin American and Spanish music, Flamenco in particular, and is continuously experimenting with this kind of music.
Connie Drewbrook – Ballet
Born and raised in Vancouver, B.C., Connie trained at the Richmond Academy of Dance for eight years before dancing with Alberta Ballet touring to five cities in China in 2007. In addition, she has danced the role of Wendy in Ballet Victoria’s Peter Pan, and performed for five years in the Banff Summer Dance Festival. Connie has received her Solo Seal Award, which is the highest attainable Royal Academy of Dance examination award. Connie is very excited to be teaching ballet at the Richmond Arts Centre again this school year, and is looking forward to the opportunity to inspire young dancers.
Gustavo Ferman – Latin Dance
Gustavo is a professional dance instructor, choreographer & performer with over 20+ years of extensive background in dance performance, dance production and musical theatre. Gustavo’s training began in San Francisco California at the City College arts program and then to Calgary, Alberta where he attained a full scholarship to train at the Young Canadians school of Performing arts, after finishing the program he worked with many different dance/entertainment companies in the city as a performer, teacher and eventually a dance choreographer and director. His training ranges from Latin to jazz, funk/hip-hop, African and ballroom. He is the creator of Latin Funk Dance®, a popular fun, high-energy dance program he brought to Vancouver in 1996, becoming the first and the most popular Latin Fusion dance program in the city. Gustavo’s passion and extensive knowledge of dance in general makes his classes fun and educational at the same time.
Gustavo quotes: Through dance, I see people’s self-confidence increase, their spirits come alive and their self-love blossom. I wish this from my heart for everyone.
Carine Young
Carine’s B.A. in Criminology, studies in acupuncture, and interests in different arts are reflected in her classes. Her journey began in 1998 with a paperback version of “The Sivananda Companion to Yoga.” Since then, this book, in combination with great teachers, has become a wonderful guide in revealing yoga's magic. Children and their open-mindedness, determination, and fun-seeking nature drive her own teachings. She believes that yoga has infinite positive effects in our society today: developing respect and kindness for each other, our precious environment, and ourselves. Yoga is also accessible to people from all walks of life. Carine aspires to empower her students through safe alignments, co-creation of peaceful minds, and ultimately happy souls.
‘Pranayama carried me through two natural childbirths - two awesome boys that inspired me to teach yoga.’
Miyouki Jego – Ballet
Born in Windsor, Ontario, Miyouki began her training with Florence King-Proulx, a graduate of the National Ballet School of Canada. At the age of fourteen, she trained in the professional program at the Edmonton School of Ballet. Later, Miyouki studied both RAD and Cecchetti methods of ballet, as well as other forms of dance including musical theatre, jazz, modern, tap, character dance, and performance. During the completion of her training, Miyouki performed in various ballets including The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Don Quixote, among others. Since performing with the Edmonton Festival Ballet, Miyouki's interest in teaching became a priority. She trained with the Cecchetti Dance Theatre specializing in the instructor's program in order to successfully understand the importance of teaching dance. Since 2000, Miyouki has taught students ranging from as young as three years old through to adults and has had experience with adjudication, program planning, and exam preparations. In addition to the School Year Ballet and Jazz classes, Miyouki will be teaching Adult Ballet classes at the Richmond Arts Centre.
Natalie LeFebvre Gnam
Natalie LeFebvre Gnam is a Vancouver-based dance artist, educator, advocate and certified Conditioning-with-Imagery teacher. Born in Prince George BC, Natalie received her training at L'École Superieure de Ballet du Quebec in Montreal. She has worked with Le Jeune Ballet du Québec, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, dancersdancing, The Vancouver Opera and Coleman Lemieux & Co. As a mentor to developing dancers, she has taught ballet and contemporary technique at Arts Umbrella, The Anna Wyman School of Dance and as an on-going guest with the Modus Operandi Training Program. In 2008, Natalie and husband James Gnam founded the plastic orchid factory, a contemporary ballet company for which she is the Associate Artistic Director and Administrator. In 2009, Natalie and James were named emerging artists at the Mayor's Arts Award for Dance in Vancouver. Natalie was also the recipient of the 2009 Isadora Duncan Award for Excellence for her performance in ‘endORPHIN’, the plastic orchid factory’s first evening length work.
Tiana Kaczor
Tiana Kaczor is a multi-media artist and composer with 19 years experience. She has had 3 solo exhibitions and 23 group exhibitions. Her sculpture has been placed in Stanley Park and the Richmond Hospital, and her paintings have been sent to Japan, Washington State, Manitoba, Ontario and around BC. Her music was used for a CHWK radio talkshow, and a Chinatown Today TV program. Tiana has 10 years experience as a secondary school art teacher after obtaining her BEd from UBC and her BFA from Emily Carr College of Art & Design.
Ian Greenwood
Ian began his circus career busking and performing juggling shows on the streets of England after attending several arts, circus & music festivals in the UK. After hearing the streets of London were paved with gold he decided to attend the Circus space, where he trained in various circus disciplines. On leaving he worked with an Aerial theatre company performing shows around the UK & Europe. A bizarre set of circumstances then led him to a summer camp in the USA, where he spent 6 years teaching kids circus arts. He then washed up in New Zealand, setting up a business coaching flying trapeze, and creating a circus skills program for the Performing Arts School of New Zealand. On his way back to the UK to work with Nofitstate circus he took a side trip to Vancouver, met his future wife, and is still here. He now coaches for Cirkids and continues to perform.
Sudnya Mulye
Sudnya Mulye, Artistic Director of Sudnya Dance Academy, is a professional Bharata Natyam dancer, choreographer and instructor. She has performed widely in India and Canada. Her performances in festivals include Vancouver and Yukon Story Telling, Vancouver and Surrey International Children and Jazz Festivals, Sacred Music Festival, and the Vancouver Folk Festival. Her choreographies and performances on episodes of the Ramayamna epic “The Golden Deer” and “Seeta Tyaga” (Seeta’s abandonment) were greatly appreciated by the scholars of Ramayana. She has worked in collaboration with a range of arts organizations including Cultural metaphors, Masabo Culture Company, Eastern Star groups, and East West Cultural Exchange. To share her knowledge of Indian culture, she performs and gives workshops in schools. She has won many awards in various dance and choreography competitions including the prestigious "Shringar Mani” award. In 2007 Sudnya was nominated for Richmond Review’s Ethel Tibbits Women Of Distinction Award. Sudnya has performed in “Nritya Bharati”, a television serial on Seven Classical Dance Styles from India. Since 2004 she has been organizing “Kala Utsav” an evening of Classical Arts of India, a charity show for Red Cross. She holds a BFA in Bharata Natyam and MFA in Choreography from the University of Mumbai, India.
Fiona Buchanan
Fiona has been dancing since she was a child. She grew up in a dance studio and trained in everything from competitive Irish and Highland dancing to tap and hip hop. Despite her eclectic background, she particularly enjoys tap and musical theatre. She has won multiple gold, silver, and bronze medals representing Canada in Dance World Cup 2008-2011, most recently winning a gold medal for her tap solo in Niagara Falls 2011. In 2008, she was among twenty-five students from around the world to be chosen to go to London, England for a dance tour and training at the world famous Pineapple Studios. She has trained in Al Gilbert, R.A.D ballet, and U.K.A syllabus and continues to train and upgrade, taking workshops and attending guest seminars. In 2010 and again in 2011, she joined the Tap Stew Company. She has her BA with a major in Sociology and English, and will be attending UBC this fall for the twelve month practicum program to become a high school English and Social Studies teacher. Fiona looks forward to another season at the Richmond Arts Centre and can’t wait to work with all the talent.
‘See you in the tap studio!’
Vanessa Kelly – Visual Arts, Comics and Cartooning
As a comic artist, Vanessa wants to empower students through the medium of sequential art. Vanessa holds a bachelor of Fine Arts from the School for Contemporary Art at Simon Fraser University and her continuing studies include visual culture studies, philosophy, sociology, pedagogy, and publishing. Vanessa has experience with a variety of cartooning techniques, including Japanese and Indian styles. She is currently a contributor and editor of several independent comic compilations in Vancouver.
Catherine Kluthe – Visual Arts and Cartooning
Cathy graduated from Red Deer College with an Art & Design diploma and from the Alberta College of Art with a diploma in Visual Arts. Cathy previously studied Traditional Chinese Painting at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in China. Cathy has worked as an Art Director, Illustrator, and Designer for various agencies in Vancouver and for a Hong Kong toy company designing packaging and merchandise. Cathy is now thoroughly enjoying teaching Art classes.
Megan Phillips 
Megan holds an MA (Musical Theatre Performance) from Mountview Academy in London, UK, and a BA (Music) from the University of Western Ontario. She has also trained at Circle in the Square (NYC). She's taught at Take to the Stage! summer camp, was Head of Music and Voice at Buck's Rock Performing Arts Camp in Connecticut. Her performance experience includes: Evelyn in world premiere of Homecoming King (Neanderthal), Fay in Here on the Flight Path (Metro Theatre), and Georgeanne in 5 Women Wearing the Same Dress (BR Productions). Megan is currently writing on her own solo show project, Breaking Velocity, and is thrilled to be sharing her knowledge and encouraging young people to branch out and grow through performance.
Linda Montague – Fibre Arts
For over eight years, Linda has instructed children and adults in fibre arts at the Richmond Arts Centre. She has expertise in knitting, weaving, felting and dyeing. Linda is a graduate of the Capilano College Weaving program and has participated in fibre arts workshops, seminars, group and individual projects since 1990. She is also a proud member of the Richmond Weavers and Spinners Guild.
Tim Perez – Drama
Tim Perez is an Actor and Instructor with an Master of Fine Arts in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of The Arts, arguably the top actor-training program in the world. Recently, Academy Award Winning Actor F. Murray Abraham praised Tim’s acting in the book, “Actors on Shakespeare.” In addition, Tim has starred, guest starred, day played and held spears on major television network shows, in many films, and in 8 off-Broadway plays. He’s been reviewed by the New York Times and featured in many national print publications and on Spanish CNN. Tim has representation in Vancouver, New York and L.A.
Morley Watson – Visual Arts
Morley Watson has been a practicing artist for twenty years. He has been teaching Drawing and Painting in the Vancouver area since 2001. He studied fine arts at Langara College, Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design, and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Alberta College of Art & Design. Morley has exhibited in Alberta & British Columbia. His paintings have become part of several international collections.
“An enjoyable learning environment with projects that a student can interpret and create individually is the most productive one.”
Kerry Vaughn Erickson
Kerry Vaughn Erickson is a Vancouver born figurative painter who has been teaching workshops across the country for over 15 years. His unique paintings explore the versatility of acrylic, blending soft detailed brushwork with heavy palette knife application. Choosing to work on unorthodox materials (such as upholstery fabrics), his latest works combine pattern and design with a classical rendering of the human form. He has worked with a wide range of students, from beginner to established artists, helping them to "fine tune" their style. " Kerry has executed many portraits, murals, and commissions, as well as illustration for organizations such as Greenpeace.
‘I like to identify the individual needs of the student, and then share tips, tricks, and techniques, so they can move forward in their own personal creative expression.’
Lydia Kay – Piano
Born, raised and educated in Russia, Lydia is a pianist, writer and visual artist. She holds a Master's degree in Music and a Bachelor in Visual Arts from the Kursk Academy of Music and Fine Arts. Currently, Lydia lives in Vancouver, B.C., and dedicates her time to teaching exclusively passing her experience and passion for music to the younger generation.
Tony Bowden – Visual Arts
Tony, or Mr. Tony, as he is affectionately known, started out working in animation on The Care Bear Movie and later apprenticed for an architecture firm. He received his Masters in Art at Case Western University with a concentration in Art Education. He also received a scholarship to the Cleveland Institute of Art where he later joined the faculty. His curiosity and passion for using art to better the world led him to create and direct Image Eccentric, which dealt with visual multi media shows as benefits for charities such as Art Cares, a successful benefit show with the Cleveland Museum of Art. Tony's art was used on billboards as well as many different showcases, including the Museum of Modern Art in Cleveland. He also teamed up with Mark Brown, creator of the popular children's cartoon series, Arthur, to do a limited edition print.
El Crighton – Clay Handbuilding, Clay Wheel
El graduated as a mature student from Langara College in 1996 accepting all the awards available to the graduating class. El spreads her love for clay by participating in and teaching many different workshops and classes. Teaching at the Richmond Arts Centre since 1996, she enjoys working with various age groups as well as visually impaired adults.
Tera Hawes - Ballet
Tera Hawes is a Contemporary Dance Artist and Educator in Vancouver, BC. Alumni of both The School of Toronto Dance Theatre and the Arts Umbrella Professional Training Program; she has had the privilege to work with: Peggy Baker, Paul-Andre Fortier, Emily Molnar, Heidi Strauss, and Michael Trent, among others. Independently, Hawes has performed and presented work in Vancouver, Toronto, and Saint John, NB. Most recently, performing with Kinesis Dance Somatheatro and Give Me Brilliance; and presenting work through the Firehall Art Centre’s BC Buds Arts Festival, and Mascall Dance’s BLOOM.
Karen Garrett de Luna - Jazz Dance
Karen holds BAs in Dance (1995) and Mathematics (2000) from the University of Washington and an MAA in Visual Arts from Emily Carr University of Art + Design (2011). Her interest in anatomically sound dance instruction led her to complete the Simonson Jazz Teacher Training Certificate in New York City in 2006. Karen has performed worldwide, choreographed for camera, street and stage and taught children of all ages. Her latest performance collaboration, Signal/Noise, involved choreography and interaction with kinetic type and was performed in Emily Carr's motion capture studio. She also recently had a supporting role in a circus documentary, Behind the Curtain.
Fanny Astete
Fanny teaches the traditional Egyptian Cabaret Style and has her Skills Certification on American Tribal Style with Carolena Nericco. She has also been a proud member of the Tribal Fusion Troupe “Turquoise” under the direction of Martina Crowe-Hewett and is currently a proud member of the “Phoenix Dancers” under the direction of Ala Nar. She is often performing at benefits, students nights, festivals and many other events in Vancouver, Seattle and overseas.
In the past, Fanny has also been a Jazzercise instructor. She brings her knowledge and extended background on dancing to her students in a non-threatening environment and welcomes students of all ages and any fitness level to join her dance classes and the many health benefits that this beautiful and sensual dance has to offer.
Lauren Burrows Backhouse
Media Arts programmer Lauren Burrows Backhouse runs the Richmond Youth Media Program (RYMP) and is a facilitator for several media-based community partnerships. Lauren has spent more than 10 years on the air, broadcasting everything from traffic reports on CKNW to the latest in independent music on CBC Radio 3, and she brings that expertise to her instruction on podcasting, music production, and learning how to DJ.
