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Arts Centre
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.Tony Bowden – Visual Arts
Tony , or Mr. Tony as he is affectionately known, has been in the arts world for the majority of his life. He started out working in animation on The Care Bear Movie (year?) and later apprenticed as a junior draftsman for an architecture firm. His curiosity and passion for using art to better the world led him to create and direct, Image Eccentric, that dealt with visual multi media shows as benefits for charities. He was immersed in his own visual art practice while doing this venture.
He received a scholarship to the Cleveland Institute of Art where he studied full time for five years. He developed Art Cares, a student/faculty benefit show with the Cleveland Museum of Art, which became one of their largest fundraisers. His art was used on billboards as well as many different showcases, including the Museum of Modern Art in Cleveland. He teamed up with Mark Brown, creator of the popular children’s cartoon series, Arthur, to do a limited edition print. After getting his Bachelors of Fine Arts he chose Case Western University to earn his Masters in Art with a concentration in art education. Cleveland Institute of Art asked Tony to join their professors, where he taught adults and children for two years before returning to his home country of Canada.
After arriving in Vancouver, he joined the team of visual instructors at the Richmond Arts Centre where he now teaches. He teaches children that art is for everyone exhibits his art around the city in local showcases and shares his knowledge and passion for art. Tony believes that art can change the world.
Laura Brown – Ballet and Creative MovementMiss Laura, a native of Richmond, has been sharing her love for dance with audiences since she was three. Laura left her hometown to join the Louisville Ballet in Kentucky. Under the artistic direction of Bruce Simpson, she performed works such as Romeo and Juliet, Coppelia, Nutcracker, Balanchine’s “Who Cares?” and excerpts from Paul Taylor’s “Esplanade”.
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.
Lydia Kay – PianoLydia was born, raised and educated in Russia. She has a Masters degree in Music and a Bachelor in Visual Arts. In the course of Lydia’s life she has lived and traveled in many different countries, absorbing and experiencing their various cultures. Lydia instructs at the Richmond Arts Centre and continues to pursue her career as a professional musician and screenwriter.
Vanessa Kelly – Visual Arts, Comics and CartooningAs 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 CartooningCathy 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/Designer for various agencies in Vancouver for a Hong Kong toy company designing packaging and merchandise. Cathy is now thoroughly enjoying teaching Art Classes.
Josue Martinez – Drama, Singing and Performing Arts
With more than 25 years of performing under his belt, and now in his third year at the Richmond Arts Centre, Josue is thrilled to share his knowledge with students of all ages. He has performed all over Canada and the United states and has had the opportunity to choreograph for stage and television. Josue was trained at the Royal Conservatory of Music and Dance. He previously taught at The Saskatchewan Express Musical Theatre School, One Dance Creative Centre in North Vancouver and in many workshops while touring and performing.
Linda Montague – Fibre ArtsFor 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.
Eve Mori – Dj’ing, Podcasting and RadioFrom classical beginnings as an oboist, Eve discovered a new outlet in 1989 through the electronic dance scene. After years of enjoying music on the dance floor, she moved to the radio DJ booth, and has worked at radio stations all over North America. She can currently be heard DJing on Art of Beatz every Thursday night at midnight on CFRO 102.7FM Vancouver. Her mentoring has been seen through Vancouver's Rhythm Institute, and Richmond's Youth Services where she has taught students of all ages about the music industry, radio production, and how to mix music via turntables and laptop. Eve is also active with community outreach, working with youth at the Musqueam First Nations Centre, and Surrey's Digital REMIXX project. As well, Eve promotes and books talent through The Konspiracy Group agency.
Morley Watson – Visual ArtsMorley Watson has been a practicing artist for twenty years and 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 and his paintings have become part of international collections.
“An enjoyable learning environment with projects that a student can interpret and create individually is the most productive one.”
Gustavo Ferman – Latin DanceGustavo Ferman is a force to be reckoned with in the dance & fitness industry! A professional dance instructor, choreographer & performer with over 20 years experience in dance and musical theatre. He is the creator of LATIN FUNK DANCE® a popular, fun, high energy dance fitness program with a fusion of 7 different Latin styles (Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, ChaChaCha, Mambo, Reggaeton & Rumba) with a splash of Hip-Hop, Afro/Funk, & Jazz.
Ching-Chiu Lin – Visual Arts
Ching is a visual arts education specialist. She has had varied art teaching experience at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. She is also a student teaching supervisor at University of British Columbia preparing teacher candidates to teach arts in the public schools.
Ivan Dimitrov – GuitarIvan 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.
Ece Aydin - Dance
Ece Aydin is a choreographer and dancer who has been teaching people of all ages for 10 years. She has a diverse dance background from Belly dance to Flamenco with performance and choreography credits on both TV and Stage including music videos, fashion shows, events, festivities, and various productions. While her best known styles are Belly dance & Hip-hop, she incorporates her diversity and continuous learning into all her choreography.
Claudia Segovia – Jazz and Ballet
Claudia has studied dance in Mexico, NY and Spain and is trained in Jazz, RAD Ballet, ISTD Ballet, Modern and Contemporary Dance Choreography. She teaches Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Dance Improvisation at both pre-professional and recreational levels to children 3 to 17 years old. While emphasizing a strong technique in her classes, her teaching style is also about creativity, joy, interaction, curiosity and discovery. Her mission is to help children learn the wonderful gift of working with their bodies and to deliver a message of respect and admiration for the unique magical qualities inherent in children.
Jocelyn Wozencroft - Ballet
Originally from Vancouver, B.C. Jocelyn has always been passionate about dance, particularly ballet. Jocelyn began her early dance training at the Goh Ballet in Vancouver before being accepted into the prestigious Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. After two years, Jocelyn returned to Vancouver to complete her training at the Richmond Academy of Dance where she studied the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus to the Solo Seal level. Jocelyn has also been accepted and attended The National Ballet School of Canada, The Boston Ballet, and The Banff Summer Dance festival. After graduation Jocelyn’s talent and determination earned her an international career, dancing in England and Atlantic Canada. In addition to her dance career, Jocelyn also received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the Central School of Ballet and Trinity College in London, England.
Csaba Kilian
Born in Budapest, Csaba has received his early musical education at Hungary's Leo Weiner Conservatory of Music. After coming to Vancouver, he underwent extensive training from Toni Stanick and Angela Goddard at the Vancouver Academy of Music. During this time, he has performed at competitions like the Richmond Music Festival, Kiwanis Music Festival, Burnaby Cleff Festival and has received a number of awards and trophies.
Currently, he is in his senior year at the University of British Columbia, and studies with Dr. Eugenia Choi. Csaba has years of teaching experience and enjoys to teach students of all types and ages. His methods are tailored to the individual's needs and desires, and he strongly believes in an egalitarian relationship between teacher and student.
Tim Perez - DramaTim Perez is and Actor and an Instructor with an MFA 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 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.
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 moved to Edmonton, Alberta where she trained in the professional program at the Edmonton School of Ballet. 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, 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 teacher's program in order to successfully understand the importance of teaching dance. Miyouki has taught students ranging from as young as three years old through to adulthood and has had experience with adjudication, program planning, and exam preparations. Miyouki has been teaching professionally since 2000 and is excited to be joining the Richmond Arts Centre this fall.
Connie Drewbrook - Ballet
Born and raised in Vancouver, B.C., Connie Drewbrook was inspired at a young age to become a professional ballet dancer. She 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. Furthermore, she 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 starting this fall, and is looking forward to the opportunity to inspire young dancers. 
Daisy Sommer
As a yoga teacher, Daisy Sommer wants her students to have more than a class, a yoga experience. She was raised in Belgium where she graduated in Social Work. In her lifetime Daisy has traveled and lived in a few different countries. She has a Masters in Breath Therapy. Her passion for the mind-body connection has inspired her to create workshops, innovate rewarding yoga classes and lead breath therapy sessions. For the last twelve years Daisy has been teaching yoga and working at different locations all over Richmond and Vancouver.
