JFK Alumni

TANIS FLEMING: After graduating from Just for Kicks, studied dance at the University of Calgary. Loving anatomy and movement she began to focus her training and certifications on Pilates. She was one of the original co-owners and directors of Shuswap Core Pilates, before  moving to Grande Prairie  where she worked as a rehabilitation Pilates specialist in a physio therapy clinic .   She is currently  owner and instructor  of a successful studio “Center Pilates” in Cochrane, Alberta.


LAURA FLEMING:  started her teaching career as an assistant to Patty in the Enderby location of Just for Kicks.  She assisted Patty in the opening of the Revelstoke location and started taking on her own classes there and in Salmon Arm.  Since then, Laura has continued teaching throughout BC and Alberta where her choreography has won countless awards and acclamation.  She has studied many disciplines including ballet, jazz, tap, modern, lyrical and swing.  Miss Laura’s passion for dance has taken her to New York City where she studied at the Martha Graham Institute, Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Centre, Alvin Ailey and Peridance Centre.  Laura has attended the Teacher Training Program at the Edmonton School of Ballet where she studied the Cecchetti method of Ballet as well as anatomy, music and dance history.  Laura continues to teach in Vegreville and Tofield, Alberta. 

 “I am so fortunate to have learned from Patty and the Just for Kicks team, who awoke and nurtured my passion for dance and gave me opportunities for growth.  Patty continues to inspire and mentor me.  I will be forever grateful to her for her generosity and for believing in me.”


TAYLOR BOSCHMAN: Taylor started off his dance career at Just for Kicks when he was 3 years old training in all styles of dance including, jazz, tap, hip hop, lyrical, modern, ballet and swing. Since leaving Just for Kicks after graduation, danced at BYU-Idaho studying as a dance major and toured with the BYU-Idaho dance company. He is now currently living in Vancouver working for Groove Street Productions as a teaching assistant as they bring their dance conventions across Western Canada. He is currently signed with Premiere talent management.  

Performance and professional credits include:

  • Source Dance Company
  • KTL Co. hiphop company
  • China Tour dancing with the Dragon Fly Orchestra
  • Rzeszow Festival, Poland
  • Opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics
  • Rick Hansen Anniversary Tour
  • Dance Alliance Co.  Tour to Texas
  • Recently on set filming for “The Flash”

 Taylor will be teaching grooving classes once a month at our studio this year along with choreographing and working with some of our hip-hop groups and solos.


CHLOE: One of  our Revelstoke graduates,  has received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance at Concordia University in Montreal. Since graduating she has moved to Hinton Alberta where she is a dance instructor  at Hinton school of Dance. 


EMILILE BRADFORD: Going from Just for Kicks dancer, to street performer, I have transformed into a well rounded artist, working and specializing in fire performance. I am currently working for Phoenix Fire dancers, in Antalya, Turkey, performing in LED light shows, fire, and dance. As well as being a performer in the show, I am the main choreographer for the female dance and fire choreographies. As well i am part-choreographer for the general transitions and spacing of the show. At 20 years old, I owe my stage experience, and leadership skills to my time spent at Just for Kicks.


PAIGE: One of our newest alumni.   As one of our students and faculty members for 2013/2014 she will be missed yet we are incredibly excited to see where dance takes her. Already Paige has had the opportunity to attended and perform in  Rzeszow Festival in Poland in 2011.  She qualified as alternate for 2013 and 2014 provincials  along with winning multiple medallions and dance scholarships the last few years. She  currently  auditioned for and was accepted to be part of ITP (Intensive Training Program) through Harbor Dance Center , Vancouver starting this fall.  


TAMARA: After graduation Tamara pursued dance at BYU-Idaho where she was on the Dance Alliance touring team. Tamara then moved to Vancouver after being accepted into Harbour Dance Centre’s Intensive Training Program. Within her career so far her favourite credits include dancing in the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, dancing in the Disney movie “Girl Vs. Monster”, the opening number for the 2013 Times of India Bollywood Awards, being featured in music videos such as ByStarlight’s “Love me, Love me”, Bexx’s “A Night To Forget” and Laurell’s “Girls”. Over the past few years she has been teaching at various studios in Vancouver and was a guest teacher in Medicine Hat’s VanCity Summer Workshop. Tamara trained and performed with Lux Dance Company in the company’s first season. She is excited to be travelling to Abu Dhabi this upcoming dance season to teach dance!


MARISSA:  At the age of four, Marissa joined Just for Kicks Dance Studio’s first ever creative dance class.  Her love of dance was nurtured  as the studio grew. After graduating she moved to Vancouver and continued her training through the Arts Umbrella Professional Dance Program. Here, she had the opportunity to work with world renowned teachers and choreographers . Marissa toured and performed in Japan with the Arts Umbrella Dance Company in 2005.

As a professional dancer, she has performed with Joe Ink ( Vancouver), toured across Canada with Mascall Dance and presented her own work at the In House Festival (Vancouver). She has worked with PI Theatre Dance ( Montreal ) and represented Canada at the closing ceremonies of the Torino Winter Olympics in 2006.  Four years later she performed at the Winter Olympics again, this time in Vancouver, under the  direction of Alberta Ballet Director Jean Grande Maitre.

Marissa began studying yoga in 2007, receiving her certification through Ashtanga Yoga Montreal. She has instructed yoga for kids, teens, and adults in Montreal, Vancouver, Indonesia, and finally here in Salmon Arm.


MELISSA SORGE: After leaving Just For Kicks, Melissa went on to train in York University’s Dance Program in Toronto. Melissa then moved to Vancouver and began two years of intensive training with Modus Operandi, a contemporary training program. Upon completion, she co-founded the contemporary collective actualPLAY, creating and performing with them in shows throughout Vancouver. She has had the opportunity to be mentored by one of Vancouver’s most respected dance artists, Jennifer Mascall of Mascall Dance. Melissa has performed with contemporary company Kinesis Dance Somatheatro and was involved in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games in which she performed alongside Michael Buble. She has also worked with Zebra Eyes Contemporary Dance. The last four years she has been training students at Reflections Dance Studio in Kelowna, receiving numerous choreography awards throughout BC and Alberta. She has also recently graduated from The Canadian School of Natural Nutrtion with a diploma in Holistic Nutrition. Her new business, Body Fuel Nutrition aims to teach high performance athletes such as dancers how the food choices they make can lead to how they perform. Melissa hopes to help as many people as possible find a new love and respect for their bodies and their food.


TRISTA Morenez:  Trista is a graduate of Just for Kicks, and studied dance at the University of Calgary’s Bachelors of Arts program.  She is highly trained in Jazz, tap,  lyrical, modern and contemporary and has an extra talent for  Ballet.  In 2009, after only 3 years training in ballet,not only did she take her first major ballet exam, passing with high Merit,  Trista was chosen to represent the Okanagan and Ballet community at the B.C. provincials as a Ballet Rep.   Realizing that ballet and teaching are a passion of hers, she has been mentoring under Mrs. Sonja Barton Woods to complete her Certificate of Instruction through the Royal Academy of Dance program. Trista is excited to share her wealth of knowledge and new teaching techniques with our students.  


SAMUEL MUIK : Sam began dancing at Just For Kicks Dance studio at eighteen years old, with a drive to learn all styles. After one year of training in his hometown Studio, Samuel ventured to Vancouver with the aspirations of training under the variety of Choreographers that the city has to offer. Samuel was then accepted into the Intensive Training Program (ITP) after one year of the Reduced Rate program at Harbour Dance Centre, both under the direction of Pamela Rosa and Moe Brody. Through ITP, Samuel was able to open WE Day Vancouver 2013 with his company to an audience of 20,000, as well as perform in other shows, fundraisers, etc. that Vancouver (and ITP) had to offer. Samuel (outside of ITP) became a cast dancer for the True Heroines Web-series Cabaret show as well as the model and dancer for artist Brittney Grabil. Samuel was then one of four small-part dancers selected for a role in the Disney-original film Descendants (2015), directed by Kenny Ortega and Paul Becker.

Samuel has recently joined the newly created Aviary company, under the direction of Julio Fuentes, as well as beginning acting under Nadine Wright; in fact, Samuel may be pursuing Acting full-time soon! Samuel thanks everyone that has helped him to this point, but a special thanks goes to (fellow JFK alumni) Taylor Boschman for inspiring him to dance, and Kali-Ann Gawley and Patty Fleming for welcoming him into Just For Kicks at such a late age and supporting him as he continues to train in the arts. “To all Just For Kickers present, if you have the passion to dance, the only thing that’s stopping you is you!!! If one door closes, make you’re own and open it!!”


AMANDA LYNN: I’ve been a part of the collective C’est par où la danse? in France since 2007. We’ve put on shows on stage and in abandoned buildings, we’ve done projects with “troubled” youth and we have a street art project we travel with. Independently I have a school called “Action in English” where I’ve been teaching french kids dance in english. I’ve danced for a few choreographers and been in a couple short films over here and I recently choreographed the musical Oliver Twist. 

But more than anything dance has been, and continues to be, the tool with which I explore life. As far as careers go I’m still struggling to make it one 10 years later! But dance has permitted me to express myself and understand others. And what other job gets to play like this with space and time? To measure the force, flow, weight of a movement and to understand intention, direction and choice – these choreographic tools translate to everyday life.


AMANDA VAN EMBER: After completing my BA and then my BEd in 2009 I moved to Wuhan, China to teach at a BC offshore high school, Maple Leaf International. There I became the Department Head of Fine Arts and taught English, Math, Drama and Social studies, while continuing to build my Hip Hop repertoire with my students after school.

After 2 years, I moved to Fort Mcmurray, AB and continued my teaching career at Holy Trinity Catholic school and am currently the lead Middle School Dance director for grades 7-9, Cheer Coach grades 7-12 and the Hip Hop and Contemporary teacher for UpTown! Dance Studio. In 2012 I won top Choreographer in Fort McMurray for my senior Hip Hop piece ‘Hip Hop, Say What?!’


Check Back Soon for Updated Bios on these JFK Alumni!

Lauren Cote 

Kimberly Beeftink (Dunlop)

Danielle Payer (Berger) 
Sonja Barton – Woods
Lindsay Piggot