Meet Our Instructors
Tara Martin
Executive Director
Tara Martin began her dance journey in Vancouver, training under the guidance of Maureen Martinique and mastering the RAD syllabus. Her dedication to the art led her to a fulfilling career in teaching, where she now shares her deep passion for dance with others.
For Tara, dance is not just an art form; it’s the essence of life itself. "Dance is indeed a beautiful thing. A delightful thing. A thing dreams are made of". Tara's love for dance is so profound that even words seem insufficient to express it fully. She believes that some feelings are too deep to be captured in language, but through dance, she finds a way to communicate what words cannot.
Tara's mission is to share this passion with her students, helping them discover the same joy and fulfillment that dance has brought to her life. Whether it's their first class or their hundredth, Tara strives to impart not just technique, but a love for dance that will stay with them forever.
Avital Shapiro
Executive Assistant & Acro
Avital began dancing at the young age of 3. By age 12 she was competing both provincially and internationally with The Kore Dance Project, and at age 16 she started training with West K Dance to continue her competitive journey. Over the years, and alongside her teammates, Avital has earned numerous outstanding awards and dance scholarships in the disciplines of Acrobatics, Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Musical Theatre, and Hip Hop. To further support her acrobatic interests specifically, Avital also trained at the Okanagan Gymnastics Centre and Kelowna Gymnastix.
In pursuit of her desire to teach, Avital completed her Respect in Sport training in 2021, and her Acrobatic Arts Teaching Certification in 2023. With over six years of experience working with young dancers, she brings both knowledge and passion to her teaching, helping her students grow in skill and confidence.
In addition to her dance background, Avital brings over 2.5 years of administrative experience working in a dance studio setting, and as an office assistant at Kelowna Arts Academy (KAA). At KAA, her responsibilities have included, teaching assistance, event planning, creating choreography for the school’s musical theatre productions, and more. This blend of creative and organizational skills allows Avital to support both the stage-front and behind-the-scenes aspects of West K Dance.
Outside the studio, Avital enjoys spending time outdoors, being with family, travelling, playing the piano, and of course, training Acro at every chance she gets! In the upcoming years, she plans to pursue post-secondary studies in Civil Engineering, while continuing to share her love for dance and inspire the next generation of performers.
Natasha Sarafanov
Ballet
Natasha Sarafanova was born in Kiev Ukraine and started learning Classical Ballet at the Kiev Ballet Academy from the age of 10. When she graduated at the age of 18, Natasha started working as a professional dancer and had a very successful career for over 20 years.
Natasha is also the proud mother of world renowned principal dancer Leonid Sarafanov formerly of the Mariinsky Theatre ( Saint Petersburg, Russia) now with Mikhailovsky Theatre( Saint Petersburg, Russia). Leonid followed his mother and fathers footsteps as well as his grandparents and is now considered to be one of the top classical ballet dancer’s in the world. Both Leonid and his wife Olesya Novikova are special guests of many major ballet companies all over the world like Tokyo Opera House ( Japan), Teatro Alla Scala ( Italy), Vienna State Opera House ( Austria).
Lena Chizhova
Ballet
Lena Chizhova was born in Kaliningrad, Russia. At the age of 18, she graduated from the Kazan (Russia) College of Cultural Arts, Faculty of Dance, with a Diploma in Professional Dance and Dance Education. There she studied Classical Ballet and Character Dance. After she graduated, she started her career as a professional dancer and, in 1989, moved to the Ukraine. She then established the Ballet School“Nocturne,” which is still operating and well-known in Odessa.
While at the Nocturne Ballet Studio, Lena served as the Manager and Head Choreographer until 2009, when she moved to Canada. One of Lena’s career highlights was the recipient of the 2007 Best Teacher and Manager Award from the Ukraine Minister of Education. Lena was also instrumental in organizing and choreographing cultural events, showcasing many of her students in Munich and Paris. Lena was also invited to judge dance competitions held in Odessa. Many of Lena’s students have gone on to have successful dance careers as dancers and dance instructors.
Phoenix Wilson
Tap, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Contemporary, Acro
Phoenix began dancing at the age of 2 under the instruction of her Mom who has been the instructor/owner of her own studio for over 20 years in Vermilion, Alberta. Phoenix has studied in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Hip-Hop, Musical Theatre and Acro.
Over the years Phoenix has attended both regional and international competitions across North America as well competed as part of Team Canada (tap) in Risa, Germany.
Phoenix has successfully completed Cecchetti ballet exams as well as her ADAPT pre advanced Jazz and Tap exams. Phoenix began assisting at the age of 10 and has been teaching since the age of 15. Phoenix loves sharing her passion for dance with her students and helping them reach their personal goals.She recently graduated from high school and is currently studying Health & Exercise Science at UBC.
McKeely Borger
Contemporary, Lyrical, Jazz & Tap
McKeely Borger is a member of the Saskatchewan Métis Nation from Regina, Canada. She has pursued her dance career internationally at Adelphi University in New York under full merit scholarship, Coastal City Ballet in Vancouver, Atlanta Ballet, and in France at Le Ballet de l’Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Metropole as a soloist. She was an original cast member of the mainstage production of Mickey & the Magician at Disneyland Paris in 2016.
Before returning to Canada, Ms. Borger spent two years with Ballet Palm Beach, where she had the opportunity to dance George Balanchine’s Who Cares? as the ‘One and Only’. Embarking on her fourth year dancing in the Ballet Kelowna company on their 20th anniversary year, she has premiered new works by Canadian artists such as Alysa Pires, Kirsten Wicklund, Kunal Ranchod, and Cameron Fraser-Monroe.
Ms. Borger also loves sharing the joy of movement with our community as an instructor for dancers of all ages.
Cheyenne Nelson
Tiny Dancers, Hip-Hop, Tap & Acro
Cheyenne has danced since she was 4 years old. Has competitively competed her whole dance career, first with Dance City Academy then finishing at Sarafanov. She has been teaching since she was 18 and absolutely loves it! Tap is her favorite dance style! I try to mix fun into all my classes so that everyone has a blast!
Mikayla Emsley
Musical Theatre, Tap & Jazz
Mikayla began her dance journey at the young age of 2 at Dance City Academy, where she was trained by Cheryl Blumke, along with Aniko Koloscai-Kryski, who guided her through her ADAPT syllabus training. Throughout the years, she developed a strong technical foundation in both Jazz and Tap through the ADAPT program, which played a key role in shaping her as a dancer.
She had the incredible opportunity to travel across Europe, where she performed at various events and participated in a range of dance workshops.
Committed to her growth as both a dancer and educator, she has successfully completed the ADAPT Assistant Teacher Program and recently earned her full teaching certificate through the ADAPT syllabus program.
She now brings her experience, knowledge, and enthusiasm into the classroom, creating a positive and structured environment where dancers are encouraged to build confidence, develop solid technique, and express their creativity.
Tayla Martin
Tap, Jazz
Tayla began dancing at the age of three and started competing at seven, training under the guidance of her mother, Tara Martin, an accomplished dancer and the owner of West K Dance.
She began her dance journey at Rob Card Dance Studio in Kelowna before moving to West K (formerly Sarafanov) to pursue competitive opportunities. Although trained in all styles, her strongest genre is Tap.
Tayla began assisting classes at the age of 15 and started teaching at the age of 18. This was the same year she joined West K Dance’s senior team and graduated high school. Throughout her training, she has had the opportunity to learn from respected educators such as Natasha Sarafanov, Aniko Koloscai-Kryski, McKeely Borger, and Cheryl Blumke.
She has performed in numerous Westside Daze events in West Kelowna and has received several awards over the years, including a memorable first-place win for her contemporary solo at the Great Canadian Dance Challenge, where she competed against 16 dancers in her category.
Destiny Moore
Acro
Growing up in Calgary, Destiny trained in various styles since the age of 6 including Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Acro and Hip-Hop. She was a member of The Young Canadians performing arts group and has been a gymnastics, dance, and acro instructor for the past 10 years.
She has her level 1 gymnastics certificate and her acrobatic arts teaching certificate as well.
She is passionate about dance and moving your body daily.
Stephanie Mehuys
Ballet
Stephanie began dancing in Montreal, with her mother, Margaret Mehuys
and continued her training with Yvonne Mounsey at Westside School of
Ballet, at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and danced on scholarship at
George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet for three years.
She went on to dance professionally with the Hartford Ballet, the
Connecticut Ballet and Ballet Ouest de Montréal where she has performed a
varied repertoire including principal roles in The Nutcracker, Sleeping
Beauty, Coppélia, Giselle, Le Corsaire and Gaité Parisienne.
Stephanie ran her own school in Montreal for three years. In 2006, she
merged her school with Ballet Ouest de Montréal to help found their dance
center. Here she taught elementary through pre-professional levels including
ballet technique, pointe, variations and conditioning.
She then moved to Orange County, California where she taught and
choreographed for Richter Academy of Classical Dance under the
directorship Lauren Richter. At RACD, Stephanie choreographed and
trained students that have placed first and second at the YAGP semi-finals.
After eight years of teaching in southern California, Stephanie and her
family moved to West Kelowna, BC, where she looks forward to sharing her
passion for ballet and the Balanchine style with future students.
Scott Peter
Hip-Hop
Meet Scott Peter, an esteemed dance educator with a rich tapestry of experience and a deep passion for fostering artistic growth. As the youngest person ever inducted into Rainbow Stage's Wall of Fame, Scott boasts an impressive career with 32 professional musicals under his belt, including the Canadian tour of 'Guys and Dolls' and Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast.' His versatility shines through as a performer, choreographer, and musician. Scott's choreography has not only earned him first place in the world but also garnered a perfect score in Germany. He was an associate choreographer and lead in ‘Tap Happy Two’ in Tokyo Disney Sea.
Scott is actively immersed in the dance community, growing up teaching at his parent’s dance studio and contributing to the development of the musical theatre program at Canadian Mennonite University. He refined his teaching expertise while crafting the original curriculum for Vincent Massey Collegiate’s dance program in Winnipeg. Early in his career he completed the A.D.A.P.T. syllabus teacher program.
Dedicated to making a positive impact beyond the dance studio, Scott has generously volunteered with notable organizations such as Cancer Care Manitoba, Heart & Stroke Foundation, AIDS Foundation of Canada, Winnipeg Youth Drug Awareness, and Manitoba National Dance Day. His commitment to community engagement reflects his belief in the transformative power of dance and the importance of contributing to the well-being of others.
This diverse background has equipped him to create a dynamic and inclusive learning environment where students can explore the nuances of dance, blending technical proficiency with artistic expression.
Join Scott on a transformative dance journey where each step is a celebration of movement and self-discovery.
Aidan Sharkey
Acro
Aidan. has been dancing at West K Dance for 11 years.
Aidan is a highly skilled and accomplished dancer specializing in contemporary as well as heavily training in ballet. Aidan was given the opportunity to perform in the ballet Cinderella with Ballet Jorgen in March 2023, as well as attending the professional summer intensive at Victoria Academy of Ballet in August 2022. Aidan Sharkey has also participated in the Goh Ballet Canadian Tour Workshop. Her passion for dance has led her to compete in dance competitions for 8 years of her life.
Aidan is ready to share the art of dance with all of her students.
Adan Quackenbush
Hip-Hop
Adan's passion for dance began when she was enrolled in ballet at age 3. After 3 years of strictly Ballet focused training, Adan branched out into more genres. Since she began her competitive career when she was 10, she continued broadening the classes she took. After many successful trips and competitions for dance, Adan has most greatly succeeded in her core four classes - Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, and Ballet.
Adan is currently in grade 12 at Mount Boucherie Secondary and hopes to continue sharing her love of dance to her students.
Sophie Mellas
Tap, Ballet, Acro
Sophie Mellas has been dancing since the age of three and began competing by the time she was only five years old.
With over a decade of experience in dancing, she brings a deep passion and technical expertise to every class she teaches. Trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary dance, Sophie combines classical discipline with modern creativity to inspire dancers of all levels. Throughout her dance career, she has earned two prestigious scholarships, recognizing her talent, dedication, and potential.
As a teacher, Sophie is known for her supportive approach, helping students build confidence while refining their technique and artistry.
Jo-Ann Schwartz
Sassy Adult Classes
Jo discovered her love for dance at a young age, dedicating eight years to its practice. After a successful stint as a film and stage actor in their youth, she returned to dance in 2017, reigniting her passion. Since 2019, she has been sharing her love of dance by teaching a beginner heels dance, with a deep-seated passion for empowering women to love themselves, all while having a ton of fun. In 2022,
Jo joined West K Dance, where they continue to inspire and guide aspiring dancers with their unique journey and dedication to fostering self-confidence and enjoyment through dance.
