Miss Emily is the proud Owner and Artistic Director of Grand River Academy of Dance.
Miss Emily has been dancing since she was 4 years old, and has been with Grand River Academy of Dance ever since it opened in 2001. Emily became a part of the GRAD Teaching Staff in 2013 and moved on to the Artistic Director role in 2026.
Miss Emily has trained in the styles of ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, tap and musical theatre. She has completed all of her ballet exams with the Royal Academy of Dance. She is an award winning choreographer, and she is proud to watch her students move on to become dance instructors themselves, as well as continue in the performing arts field. Miss Emily has also shared her love for teaching, and for dance by guest teaching at many other dance studios all over Ontario, as well as local schools and child care centres across the region.
Miss Emily is passionate about working with children, and has a strong understanding of children’s development. She is a graduate of the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Child, Youth and Family studies. She is also a former Early Childhood Educator, as well as a graduate of the Communicative Disorders Assistant program.
Miss Emily has loved being a part of the GRAD family since the very beginning, and is excited to continue to share her passion for dance with all of her students.
Laura Ramsay was the proud Owner and Artistic Director of Grand River Academy of Dance for over a decade, having been part of the GRAD family since 2004 as both a teacher and office manager before taking over ownership in 2014. While stepping away from the day-to-day operations of the studio, Laura remains actively involved behind the scenes as Artistic Advisor, mentoring the studio’s leadership and helping shape its future while preserving the values and culture that have made GRAD feel like home to so many families.
Miss Laura began her dance training at an early age with Alda Heniss and Heather Taylor, studying Ballet, Tap and Jazz. She holds a Bachelor of Education from Brock University, a Diploma in Communications from Conestoga College, and has served on the Executive Board for the Performing Arts Educators of Canada. She was also the founder and former Chair of the Studio Owners and Administrators Committee, bringing studio owners together to share ideas, resources, and best practices.
Miss Laura has served as a Mentor for the Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies with the Royal Academy of Dance. She has worked as an adjudicator, emcee, and faculty member at dance competitions throughout Ontario and Quebec, and has been a guest instructor at secondary schools in Cambridge, teaching Hip Hop and Jazz within Grade 9 and 10 Physical Education programs for the Waterloo Region District School Board.
Throughout her career, Miss Laura has been committed to creating a fun, welcoming, and supportive learning environment built on equality, honesty, respect, trust, and kindness. She looks forward to continuing to support the next generation of dancers, teachers, and families while remaining an important part of the GRAD family.
Kristen Bowen is a dynamic dance instructor and creative choreographer. She has been a part of the dance industry for the last 20 years, starting out as a competitive dancer from Brampton, ON at Deborah Thomson’s School of Dance. There, she trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Acro, Lyrical and Contemporary. While with Deborah Thomson she had the opportunity to work with many outstanding choreographers and teachers such as Carolyn Keefer, Starsha Dalmer, Faye Rauw and Tiffany McLachlan.
Kristen also had the opportunity to attend Mayfield Secondary School in their Regional Arts Program, majoring in Dance. At Mayfield she studied Ballet, Jazz and Modern. After high school, Kristen started teaching and choreographing right away; first, at Deborah Thomson’s School of Dance and then, in 2014, joined the team at Grand River Academy of Dance.
Continuing her education, Kristen became a certified A.D.A.P.T. teacher in 2016 and has completed her Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies with the Royal Academy of Dance.
Kristen is continuing to develop by working towards her Acro certification with Acrobatique. Kristen has also become a member of the Professional Adjudicators Alliance and Dance Educators International. Kristen is excited to continue to share her passion with the students at GRAD.
Payton Carvalho has been dancing since the age of four with consistent training in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Pointe, Hip-Hop, Contemporary and Musical Theatre. She credits her training as both a dancer & teacher to the AnnaMarie Oliver School of Dance, mentored by Mrs. Oliver.
As a dancer, Payton has received top marks in all CDTA Tap & Jazz examinations along with all RAD Ballet Examinations.
After high school, Payton moved to New York City to attend The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, on scholarship. While in school, Payton had the opportunity to train with top professionals in the industry at Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, and various master classes & workshops.
She is also a certified barre fitness instructor, working for barre3 in Toronto.
Payton’s passion for dance translates into her classes and choreography. She is excited to continue to work with the students at GRAD!
Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Stephanie discovered her love of dance at a young age. Stephanie has extensive experience in many dance styles, including ballet, jazz, lyrical, acro, modern, and musical theatre. During her training, Stephanie received many awards and had great success in dance competitions, most notably becoming a two-time IDO World Champion.
Stephanie attended the dance program at York University and earned a BFA with honours. Following her university education, Stephanie has continued to expand her knowledge of dance education. Stephanie is a certified teacher with the Society of Classical Ballet- Vaganova Method, Acrobatic Arts, and most recently became a certified jazz and tap teacher with the Performing Arts Educators of Canada. Stephanie has taught at many dance studios in southern Ontario, including The National Ballet of Canada’s In Studio program, and her students and choreography have won numerous awards.
She has been teaching for more than fifteen years and is passionate about providing a safe and nurturing environment for children to learn and grow in dance. Stephanie is thrilled to be part of the GRAD team again this year!
Miss Carrie has had a passion for dance and teaching for as long as she can remember. From her days at McCarthey School of Dance she was trained in many different styles of dance since she was 3 years old.
As she got older she began to get amazing opportunities in her community choreographing with many different ages of students. From the strict knowledge of her training she believes in the value of going deep into basic technique to later master big and brighter dance moves.
She is so excited to continue her journey at Grand River Academy of Dance and can’t wait to welcome new students to her dance family! She is up for any challenge this year brings us. With smile and some positivity we will make this year amazing.
Julia Renner started dancing at Grand River Academy of Dance when she was three years old, and has continued ever since.
She has trained in the styles of ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, acro, hip hop and musical theatre, and has danced on GRAD’s competitive team since 2011. Julia has completed seven levels of ballet examinations with the Royal Academy of Dance, including the Intermediate Exams.
Julia has participated in both local and touring casts of Ballet Jörgen’s The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition. She has choreographed for projects outside of the studio as well, including high school productions of Rock of Ages, Beauty and The Beast and most recently Annie. Julia is so excited to be on the team at Grand River Academy of Dance, and to share her love of dance with the community.
