Faculty
Elizabeth Rieb | Director
Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Elizabeth began dancing at the young age of 8 years old. Throughout her youth she studied ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, and lyrical.
Over the years, she participated in many competitions and master classes all over Alberta. Elizabeth went on to complete jazz and tap examinations with the Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers (A.D.A.P.T) and ballet examination through the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD).
After high school Elizabeth enrolled in classes at the Alberta Ballets University of Calgary’s Dance Program to further develop her knowledge of the art. Over the next two years, Elizabeth studied for her Advanced 2 ballet examination, achieving this designation in 2008.
After reaching one of the highest achievements in ballet, Elizabeth continued to immerse herself in to her ballet studies. Enrolling with the Royal Academy of Dance in London, England, she would spend two more years completing her Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies.
With this certificate Elizabeth is a registered teacher, allowing her to put students through RAD examinations. Elizabeth looks forward to working with dancers of all ages where she can showcase her passion for teaching while spreading her love of dance!
Sadie Rieb | Instructor & Office Assistant
Sadie Rieb began dancing at the age of 3. Quickly after her first day in ballet, a passion started to grow! Her love for dance swiftly became all-consuming as she ventured into trying multiple disciplines within the art. She has training in ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical and musical theatre, and this was only the start!
Her passion took her to the stage where she spent 15 years competing all across North America! From Calgary to Edmonton, all the way to Las Vegas, Nevada! Winning scholarships that took her from Triple Threat Dance Convention here in Canada to the Edge Performing Arts school in Los Angeles. Where she has trained under choreographers Tyce Diorio, Megan Lawson, Luther Brown, Jillian Meyers and from So You Think You Can Dance, Nappytabs!
As her career as a competitive dancer came to an end, her passion was as strong as ever, and so she decided to inspire her love of dance into the next generation of young budding dancers.
As Miss Sadie continues to teach and choreograph for the competitive scene, she has been giving numerus choreography awards,overall placements and awards for her competitive pieces.
As a child at heart, Miss Sadie’s love of dance has surpassed what she thought was possible. Being able to inspire and bring joy to the little dancers makes every second worthwhile.
Alexandra Woodley | Instructor
Alexandra Woodley began dancing at the age of three. Alex took examinations in ballet with the Royal Academy of Dance and jazz and tap with the Canadian Dance teachers Association. Alex began competing at the age 5 in provincial and national competitions. She also expanded her knowledge of dance through participating in conventions and summer intensives both in Canada and internationally.
In 2015 Alex moved to Toronto and obtained a certificate in Dance Preparation (2016) and a diploma in Dance Performance (2018) from George Brown College (GBD) in association with Canada’s Ballet Jorgen. Upon graduation Alex was the recipient of the GBD Leadership, Choreography and Acting awards. The choreography award was a one-year mentorship under Hanna Kiel, director of the dance company Human Body Expression.
Alex began her dance teaching education in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, modern and musical theatre at her local studio completing the Dance Teacher Training Program (2014) and took on her first independent teaching position at the age of 17. Alex has had the privilege of teaching at many studios across Alberta and Ontario. She is passionate about creating a safe, nurturing and inclusive environment that celebrates a dancer’s desire and passion no matter their age or ability. Alex is thrilled to be able to work with the students at Devotion Danceworks!
Natasha Krochak | Instructor
Miss Natasha brings with her over 2 decades of dance experience. Since the age of 3, she has been training in ballet and Ukrainian dance. She has completed R.A.D ballet exams Primary to Grade 8, as well as vocational exams Intermediate Foundation to Advanced 2. She competed in Ukrainian and regular dance competitions since a young age, and is now a member of the Tryzub Ukrainian Dance Ensemble in Calgary.
Miss Natasha has been teaching ballet, Ukrainian and lyrical for the past 8 years, and has loved every moment. She is a University graduate with a Bachelors in Commerce in Operations Management at the University of Calgary, with a minor in dance. She also has her Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies through the Royal Academy of Dance.
Carley France | Instructor
Carley Pobran enjoys sharing her love and passion for dance to children of all ages.Carley has been teaching for over 19 years. She holds Register Teachers status with the Royal Academy of Dance.Carley has won numerous awards for her choreography and her students have won many scholarships and awards across North America. Carley is a very proud mom to two fantastic children Kaius and Madelyn.
Her students are now dancing in programs such as Ryerson University, George Brown college, Simon Fraser University, Harbour Dance Centre, Royal Academy of Dance England, Disney Cruises,University of Calgary
Carley truly loves watching the children learn and grow through movement and music. She can’t wait to meet your child and share her love of dance with them.
Elana Shwytky | Instructor
Elana was raised in Southern Alberta and began dancing at the age of two. Elana has participated in many provincial and national competitions, competing in multiple genres of dance including; ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, acro, and pointe. Elana has taken examinations in dance under the Royal Academy of Dance up to Advanced 1, and completed her jazz exams under the Canadian Dance Teachers Association (C.D.T.A).
Elana began her teaching experience after completing the Teacher Training Program at her home studio. Elana then continued to further her teaching experience by being a substitute teacher for students of all ages, and teaching in summer workshops. Additionally, Elana has choreographed competitive pieces, and also volunteered as a choreographer for Claresholm Arts Society’s production “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”.
After graduating, Elana moved to Vancouver to further her dance training. She spent a year studying at Harbour Dance Centre taking their Intensive Training Program. Elana loves creating a fun and positive environment for her students and cannot wait to continue inspiring and sharing her passion for dance!
Sarah Strilchuk | Instructor
Sarah’s formal dance training began in Calgary, where she trained for over 14 years in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, HipHop, Acrobatics, Contemporary and Lyrical dance styles. Sarah is a former competitive dancer and has received multiple awards and recognition for her passion for dance, including the Katie Peras Love of Dance award and the Jamie Hill and Tammy Linn Love of Dance Memorial Scholarship. Sarah’s first company role was with Alberta Dance Theatre in 2012, where she performed seasonally for the company for 5 consecutive years. Sarah was also a member of the Jeunesse Classique Ballet in 2017, where she performed shows in both Calgary and Edmonton.
Last year, Sarah completed the three year Performing and Visual Arts program at Central Memorial High School, where she had the opportunity to study many new and versatile styles such as African, Swing, Body Percussion, and Latin. Upon graduating, Sarah also received her Fine Arts Certificate and was very fortunate to be awarded “Excellence in Dance” within her graduating class. Sarah has assisted at multiple studios and companies instructing, inspiring, and choreographing for young dancers in junior ballet and jazz classes for over 5 years. This prospered her love of children, which brought her to study Education at Mount Royal University. She is super excited to continue dancing and working with kids!
Emily Martin | Instructor
Emily began dancing at the age of three, and promptly fell in love with every aspect of the art. She grew up competing and training in in many styles. She knew from a young age that she wanted to continue expanding her love of dance by diving into the dance-instructor world. At the age of 17, she began teaching her own ballet classes. Since then, she has been teaching a variety of styles and ages, and genuinely loves connecting with her students and sharing her passion for dance. She has been teaching for Devotion Danceworks since 2014. Emily’s love of teaching dance grew so much that she decided to further pursue her teaching career by completing her B.Ed at Mount Royal University. She currently teaches Grade One, and has been working for the CBE for the past 3 years.
Even in her school classroom, dance and movement takes a prominent role in her teaching style. While busy teaching full time, Emily loves to make time to continue sharing and exploring her love of dance with her students!
