ARTISTIC FACULTY
Desirée Botting
Artistic Director
Desirée Botting’s connection to the Quinte Ballet School of Canada runs deep — not just as an alumna, but as someone whose life was shaped by its very mission. Now stepping into the role of Artistic Director, Desirée brings more than experience; she brings heart.
Born in Hamilton, Desirée’s early years were spent at the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts. The director of the school opened many doors to students, creating opportunities for them to dance with professional companies from around the world. This early exposure made Desirée realize early in life that she was meant to be part of the world of dance.
Desirée joined QBSC as a student in 1999, and upon graduation, was inspired to carry on teaching the next generation. Upon completion of the teacher training program, she began teaching in the Professional Training Program.
For Desirée, the mission of the school is clear — to provide training to anyone with the heart and passion for dance. Whether a student dreams of the stage or simply finds joy in movement, she believes there must always be a place for them here.
Over nearly two decades of teaching across both the Professional and Assemblé programs, she has mentored dancers of all levels and backgrounds. Her leadership is grounded in the belief that excellence and inclusivity go hand in hand. That behind every plié and pirouette is a story — and every story matters.
Desirée Botting leads with compassion, clarity, and a fierce dedication to the future of the school. Under her care, QBSC will remain a place where young dancers are seen, supported, and celebrated — not just for what they can do, but for who they are becoming, with a steadfast commitment to keeping dance education accessible, meaningful, and deeply human.
Catherine Taylor
Artistic Director Emerita
Catherine Taylor acted as Artistic Director of the Quinte Ballet School of Canada for 13 years, having joined the faculty in 2012. Born in Toronto, Catherine received her dance education at the National Ballet School of Canada. Following her graduation, she moved to Winnipeg to study with David Moroni at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Prior to joining the teaching staff of the RWB School, Catherine danced as a member of the RWB corps de ballet, performing in ballets by Sir Frederick Ashton, John Neumeier, Kurt Jooss, Oscar Araiz and John Butler. At the invitation of Arnold Spohr, Catherine joined the artistic staff of the RWB. As the Assistant to the Artistic Director, a position that she held for over 20 years, she worked with many international choreographers, such as Van Manen, Van Dantzig, Sir Peter Wright, Jiri Kylian and works by Balanchine. Along with teaching company class she was responsible for staging much of the Company’s repertoire. Catherine also returned to the stage as a character artist in roles, including; Juliet’s Nurse in van Dantzig’s Romeo & Juliet, Berthe in Sir Wright’s Giselle, Lead Hungarian and Queen Mother in Swan Lake and Queen in Sleeping Beauty.
After moving to Ottawa in 2000 with her family, Catherine continued to work as a guest teacher and rehearsal director with Ballet Jorgen, Ballet British Columbia and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. During this time, she has been a guest faculty member with the RWB’s Professional Summer School and Dance Intensive, Banff Centre’s summer dance program, Arts Umbrella in Vancouver and Cedar Lake Dance, New York. Also during this time she was on the faculty of The School of Dance, Ottawa. Cathy has served as a jury member for Manitoba Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, Heritage Canada and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. She is an alumnus of both the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and National Ballet School.
Blythe Graziano
Assemblé Dance Program Coordinator
Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Contemporary, Yoga
Growing up in Victoria B.C. Blythe has been immersed in the world of dance from the time she was born. Training with Maureen Eastick at Pacific Dance Centre she established her ballet technique, completing her Advanced RAD exam. Eventually this led her to modern dance programs such as Peggy Baker’s Summer Dance Program and the Toronto Dance Theatre. After making the difficult decision not to pursue a performance career in dance Blythe turned her attention to the practice of Ashtanga yoga. Under the guidance of David Gellineau at Beach Yoga Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Blythe completed her teachers training. Blythe has developed her own style of teaching, bringing her acute body awareness that she learned through her intense ballet training to the practice of yoga.
Angela Agudo
Professional Training Program Registrar
Ballet, Pointe, Repertoire
Angela Agudo was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she began her training at the Instituto Superior de Arte at the Teatro Colón. At sixteen, she moved to Canada to study at Quinte Ballet School of Canada. Upon graduation, she joined Ballet Jörgen Canada, touring extensively throughout Ontario, New York, and Chicago.
Angela’s guest appearances include performances with Ballet del Mercosur in Argentina, the Banff Dance Festival in Alberta, Ballet Espressivo in Toronto, D’neuve Contemporary Dance Theater, Omo Dance Company and Ontario Ballet Theater. She was personally selected by Fernando Bujones to spend a season with the Orlando Ballet Company and School.
Angela is the founder of Frayles Ballet Academy in Villaflores, Chiapas, Mexico, where she taught students of all ages and levels, building connections with remote communities through dance and fostering collaborations with diverse artists.
Angela has staged classical works and taught at institutions including Robert Ivey Ballet in Charleston, SC and the University of South Carolina’s Summer Intensive. Dedicated to the art of teaching ballet, Angela has pursued extensive pedagogical studies. She trained in Vaganova methodology under Deniza Kuznechonkova at the Consejo Académico Internacional de Ballet, and attended the American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum under Raymond Lukens and Franco De Vita in New York City. She continues her professional development with Armando Quezada at the Conservatorio de Danza y Alto Rendimiento in Tapachula, Mexico.
Gizella Witkowsky
Ballet, Pointe, Repertoire
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Gizella Witkowsky graduated from the National Ballet School and joined the National Ballet of Canada in 1975 and enjoyed an illustrious 20-year career with the company. During that time she performed lead roles in all of the major classical ballets, and has worked with many world renowned choreographers and had the honour of performing with some of the world’s greatest dancers. Ms. Witkowsky also has extensive experience in theatre and dance productions both in Canada and abroad. She has taught master classes at numerous Ontario dance festivals. Ms. Witkowsky continues to help develop and inspire future generations in the world of arts.
Alina Adjemian
Ballet, Contemporary Ballet, Pointe, Repertoire, Modern Basic
After dancing professionally for many years with Ottawa Ballet, P.M. Jazz, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, Ontario Ballet Theatre and Atlantic Ballet Company, Alina Adjemian transitioned to choreography and teaching through The National Ballet School. An instructor for over 20 years, she taught and acted as Dance Department Head at Toronto’s Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, Jaymor School of Dance and High Points Dance Academy. Alina has trained many young professionals that have gone on to join professional ballet companies across Canada and Europe or have joined productions such as Mama Mia, The Producers and Chicago.
Ellen Moore
Modern, Contemporary
photo by Aidan Tooth
Ellen Moore (she/her) is a Quinte Ballet School of Canada alumnus and recent graduate from Dance Arts Institute (formerly The School of Toronto Dance Theatre). Her work, 52 (navigation), received the 2023 Winchester Prize for choreographic distinction and was presented at the Toronto SummerWorks Festival and TOES FOR DANCE Common Ground Dance Festival. Ellen is excited to be joining the QBSC faculty as a contemporary and modern teacher for 2024.
Kareem Byfield
Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap
Kareem has been an instructor with QBSC for over 10 years and teaches Hip Hop and Jazz in both the Professional Training Program and Recreation Division. With a successful teaching career that spans over 20 years, Kareem is also the proud owner of Chemistry Dance Competition, an author and photographer living in Toronto. He has worked across Canada as both an instructor and adjudicator and has choreographed a variety of shows through his previous companies and businesses. Visit kareembyfield.com and chemistrydance.com
Allison Nichol
Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz
Allison Nichol is a professional dance artist with 20+ years’ experience in classical ballet, contemporary and modern dance and more than a decade of teaching dance to movers of all ages and levels of experience. She is a dedicated and passionate teacher who creates all original exercises and choreographies for her classes. She believes in mindful, healthful movement to keep students dancing for as long as they want to, and she keeps artistic expression at the core of her work. Originally from Toronto and a graduate of the dance department at the Etobicoke School of the Arts (ESA), Allison has a BFA with honours in Contemporary Dance from Concordia University in Montreal as well as a MA in Transdisciplinary Art from the Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland. Allison works professionally as a teacher, choreographer, and rehearsal director. Her choreographic works have been presented in Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and The Netherlands.
Guest Faculty
Henning Albrechtsen – Guest Teacher, Ballet
Born in Denmark, Henning Albrechtsen was engaged as dancer at Royal Danish Ballet in 1985. Since 1997, he has been on the faculty at the Royal Danish Ballet School. In his career with RDB he danced a variety of soloist and principal roles in classical and neo-classical repertoire ranging from Bournonville to Balanchine. From 2000 to 2007, he was the Deputy Artistic Director of Royal Danish Ballet. In 2007, he enrolled in the Teachers Training Program for former professional dancers at the National Ballet School of Canada where he completed the one-year educational program and in 2008 was invited back to the Royal Danish Ballet School as a full-time member of the faculty. Henning Albrechtsen has taught at various schools throughout the world including the Paris Opera Ballet School, Royal Ballet School, New Zealand School of Dance, Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, the National Ballet School of Cuba and the National Ballet School of Canada. In addition, he has taught the Bournonville technique in Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, Norway, and Spain. In the past few years, Henning has travelled to Belleville to instruct the professional dance division in the Bournonville technique, which has been showcased during the past few Spring Showcases.
ACCOMPANISTS
Mark Bond
Tibor Csaszar
Matthew Cook
Tom Dietzel
GUEST FACULTY
Henning Albrechtsen – Ballet Master Classes, Boys Work, Bournonville Master
Robert Stephen – Ballet, Contemporary Choreography
Tanya Howard – Ballet
Peter Nicholas Taylor – Ballet, Conditioning, Boys work & repertoire
Absalon Figueroa – Ballet