Sabrina Smith

Sabrina has danced for 18 years in the studio in all genres. She has been a dance instructor and comp choreographer since she was 13 years old, teaching Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Tap, Acro, Musical Theatre, Ballet, and Bollywood. Her favourite styles to teach are Contemporary/lyrical, HipHop and Jazz. She has earned certification in Rhythm Works Integrative Dance, Basic 1 Zumba, and Foundations in Discover Dance (Early Childhood Dance Educator). She is also a Wingman For Dance Leader – this is a leadership program of team-bonding/trust-building activities that inspire empathy, courage and inclusion in children, teens, and adults.

​

Sabrina describes being inspired by a dance teacher with a disability. This teacher did not let her condition stop her from doing what she loved to do and this helped Sabrina realize that she could do anything she wanted to do.

One of the things Sabrina loves most about her dance experiences is the opportunity to get to know new people and make new friends.

​

Sabrina has been teaching dance since age 13. She chose to become a dance teacher not only because of her own love of dance, but because of her desire to help children feel like they belong and to create a positive and fun environment for them to grow. She enjoys helping her students develop as dancers but also to grow as individuals, achieve their goals and feel proud of their accomplishments.

​

Sabrina’s favourite style is Contemporary/Lyrical because it allows dancers to move and flow with the music and express emotions in their own unique ways. Through their movements, they can tell stories.

One of Sabrina’s favourite memories as a teacher is sharing in the excitement of one of her dancers who received a top score in her category at a competition after she had doubted her ability to perform well. Another highlight was watching one of her first-time soloists shine on stage and earn a special award.

​

Sabrina expects her dancers to leave all negativity out the door when they come to class and to be ready to learn and have fun.

Sabrina handles challenging behaviours by first trying to understand the reasoning behind them. She believes children misbehave because they do not know how to express what they are feeling in more positive ways. She encourages her students to express their feelings and explain their behaviours and works with them to come up with more positive solutions.

​

Sabrina feels one of her greatest strengths as a teacher is her ability to create an environment where everyone is welcome. She gives children time to get to know each other. Her favourite age group to teach is teens; her most challenging is adults.

Her greatest struggle as a dance teacher is being critical of her own performance instead of accepting that she is doing her best. She would like to become more versatile in all genres of dance.

​

Sabrina always tells her dancers that anyone can dance as long as they have a heart. She does not accept ‘I can’t’ in her classes; instead, she encourages her dancers to ask for help or say “I need to work on this”. She loves to provide tips and tricks to help her dancers develop their skills and build their confidence. She makes sure the children’s safety, well-being, and sense of belonging come first.

​