Here at The Heels Collective we firmly believe that a great foundation in dance is not only achieved by attending classes alone, but by exposing ourselves to many different styles of dance as well and pushing ourselves to try new things such as harder classes with senior instructors. Just as each song brings it's own beat to the choreography, each teacher brings their own vibe and style as well. This is why we frequently bring in guest teachers, each with a wide variety of training and skills. We want everyone's experience at The Heels Collective to add to their own dance journey, and we truly believe we can provide this! Some of our students have even gone on to become instructors with us! This community is all about encouragement and empowerment, for both our students and our instructors. Read more about our crew below; we all hope to meet you in person someday!

The Heels Collective CREW

Kristen Wood

Owner :: Senior Instructor :: Choreographer :: Badass B*tch

Hi, my name is Kristen! I'm the owner of THE HEELS COLLECTIVE, a dance studio offering classes for 18+ in a variety of styles with an emphasis on body positivity and self-confidence. I have been dancing since I was 3 years old. I've been professionally trained in all styles of dance and have been teaching dance to students of all ages for 10+ years! I have taken classes from the best in L.A. and spent some time dancing on the Junior Jay crew for the Toronto Blue Jays. I have a strong love of hip-hop and competed in this style for my university. I love sharing my love of dance with others and hope that by doing so I can help others experience the same benefits dance has brought me - confidence along with both physical and mental health benefits.

I fell into Heels dancing in 2018 when I decided to start dancing for myself again, and this reignited that love of dance for me. I love the confidence and power that I feel when I step into my heels and take ownership of my body. It is just me on that dance floor exploring myself and my body. Dance is a way to express yourself, the shapes and movement our body is capable of creating is limitless and empowering. Movement can also help us release emotions we keep bottled up within our body.

When I teach I always want everyone to feel good about their experience. If this means changing the choreography if someone is feeling like it’s too tough or is just not vibing with how their body moves, I'm absolutely ok with that! I encourage everyone to speak up and ask questions if they need to. Your voice matters here! Something magical happens when you strap on those heels to dance, and I can’t wait for you all to experience that alongside us!!

Desi Gould

Videographer :: Social Manager :: Multitalented Megababe

Hey babes, I'm Desi! I'm a Mom of 3 who started dancing in my 30's! I have a gigantic passion for creating, whether it be on socials, having fun with makeup, or getting crafty with my kids.

The first dance class I attended was one of Morgan's Twerkshops in 2020, and I have never looked back since! With dance, I feel like I've found a piece of me that's been missing my whole life. I don't have to be perfect, I just have to show up and allow my body to do what it can for me. I think that's something really special and I'm forever grateful to have that here!

At The Heels Collective you will find me not only regularly dancing it out in the studio, but also assisting in any way possible! I handle all social media. This includes: videography, edits, uploads, creative posts, and promos. I also designed and make our Heels Collective merch! I love capturing the beauty of dance through my camera lens, and I take extra care when editing videos to make sure everyone feels their best. Hope to see you soon!

Nicole Staden

Instructor :: Choreographer :: Sexy Mama

My name is Nicole and I’m 34 years old. I’m a mom of 2 incredible boys. I started dancing when I was 6 years old and I’m trained in ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, acro, and heels.

I completed my heels teaching training through Army of Sass headquarters in Toronto and I’ve been teaching heels for about 2 years. I started heels dancing 3 1/2 years ago and it helped give me my confidence back after having kids.

When I’m in the studio, I feel beautiful and confident, and my goal is for the dancers to feel that same way. The confidence and growth I see in dancers is my favourite thing about teaching heels dance.

Hey there! My name is Kerrie. I’m a boy Mom, hunter, shoe freak, metal head and have a career dedicated to adults with developmental disabilities. I started a journey to find myself in my mid 30’s which brought me to find heels dance. I absolutely loved being able to express myself in a sensual way that celebrated not how my body looks, but how it serves me. Dancing helped me to build my confidence and make time for me again.

I did not grow up in a dance studio, and I know what it feels like to start dancing without formal training. I strive to create an environment where you learn new skills safely while feeling supported to honor your body’s strengths and limits. Dancing is for EVERY body. I have been training in pole fitness and exotic pole dancing for the last few years, and love melding exotic pole floor tricks and skills with heels dance fundamentals to bring you our “Freaky Floor” classes, floor workshops, and a variety of heels choreography.

My classes are typically on the sexier side, where you will be surrounded by friends who love to tap into that sassy energy. I believe that healthy sensuality starts with learning to love the skin you’re in and to nurture your sense of self; which is what I want you to experience in my classes. I can’t wait to roll around on the floor with you. 😘

Hello my dancing beauties, my name is Mary. My journey with dance started at the age of 4 doing contemporary, jazz and hip hop. Throughout high school I was on the Cheerleading team which actually was mainly dance instead of lifts and jumps. During and after University I would teach myself dances I found on YouTube until I finally found a dance studio in Barrie. I love dance because not only is it a fun way to move your body, but it helps you disconnect from what’s going on in life. All my worries and fears vanish as soon as I’m in the dance studio. With heels style dancing, you get to explore your sensual side and tap into a different energy you may not experience in your everyday life. When I teach dance I want you to feel so empowered and confident. I want you to feel like nothing else matters in the world except for you, your body, and the music. All bodies are different and they move differently so in any class you take I encourage you to do what’s right for your body. If a move isn’t working for you, let’s change it! Dance is all about you, not the teacher or anyone else in the class. It’s all about you my love.

Instructor :: Choreographer :: Soulful Life Seeker

Mary Gray

Kerrie Lalonde

Instructor :: Choreographer :: Freaky Floor Queen

Kerry-Ann Rozycki

Instructor :: Choreographer :: Skyhigh Goddess

Hi my name is Kerry-Ann and I am 27 years old. I have been dancing on and off since I was 7 years old. I’ve done ballet, contemporary and jazz classes, but my favorite was always hip-hop. I started heels dancing 5 years ago and I never looked back. Being a part of the heels community makes my heart full. I am 6ft tall and I will still strap on those heels and rock it. The Heels Collective family has helped me so much with my self confidence as well as has given me a safe place to land when life gets tough. I absolutely love teaching, I love that moment when people start to truly vibe out and own their bodies, connect with the music and dance their hearts out. It makes me so happy to see people come into their own and embrace who they are. The Heels Collective is a magical place and I love being a part of it.

Hi, my name is Morgan! I've spent the last 15 years of my life finding any opportunity to dance that I could (name a style and I've tried it)! I managed to fall into heels dance for the last 7 years working for various heels companies as both an assistant and teacher in areas around York Region and Simcoe. I've spent my time creating a variety of show pieces for up to 18 people, choreographing weekly drop-ins, workshops and technical tutorials, as well as lending my hand in other styles such as contemporary and hip hop whenever the chance came up. I have found a particular love of teaching women to feel confident and sexy in their skin in "Twerkshops" where I break down the art of booty poppin'! For me dance has always been something that made me feel so deeply connected to my body and proud of what it can do, so I love to pass on that feeling to my students. I encourage everyone to not take themselves too seriously in my classes, and we often have fits of giggles at my not-so perfect counts or funny non-technical terms. My hope is that you leave each class feeling not only that you've accomplished something awesome but that you feel amazing about yourself too.

Hello friends!! My name is Haley but you can also call me HaeBae. This is a nickname I grew up with, but it's also an acronym for “Helping Anyone Else Before Anything Else”. This is why I am so excited to be a teacher with The Heels Collective so I can help others find the same confidence I did with dance. In my opinion, movement is medicine.

I’ve been a dancer since the age of 3 and my passion lives in the styles of Hip-Hop and Contemporary. I look forward to bringing all the high energy vibes while teaching you how to express yourself and tell stories through movement.

When you partake in one of my classes be prepared for plenty of laughs, smiles, love, support and a whole lot of my crazy personality. Can’t wait to dance with you!!!

💛

Guest Instructor :: Choreographer :: Light-Hearted Beauty

Morgan MacKinnon

Haley Coulter

Instructor :: Choreographer :: High-Energy Hottie

Sydney Teixeira

Instructor :: Choreographer :: Serene Queen

Hey you! My name is Sydney, you can call me Syd if you’d like. I’m a busy body with a busy mind but growing up there was always one place I could find a state of flow…the dance studio. As a teenager, I spent three nights/week in the studio taking classes in ballet, acro, tap, jazz, musical theatre, and modern. Dance became a beautiful outlet to challenge myself physically, explore my musicality, and channel my energy into something real.

I re-discovered my love for dance in 2019 when I signed up for a session of heels classes. Not only did I find my creative outlet again…I connected with my femininity and sensuality in a way I never had before. Four years later, I have developed a true passion for sharing the power of movement through dance and yoga.

I love to teach beginners because I love to watch others shed their insecurities and fall in love with their bodies in the same way dance has allowed me. I can’t wait to see you in studio! Until then, check out Syd’s Little Flow on YouTube for at-home yoga videos and to follow along with my yoga teacher training in Bali.

Ela grew up in a traditional Polish household and has always had a love for rhythm and music in general, but Spanish is her favourite! She started ballet at the age of 4 but switched over to be part of a Polish Folk dance group for over 15 years. There she gained her confidence to perform on stage at many dance festivals within Canada, the US, and Europe. She also did Latin Ballroom Dance where she competed for many years in Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, and Samba. She has since continued her love for dance by learning new styles such as salsa, merengue, and bachata.

Ela is happily married and a stay at home mom of 3 kids. In her spare time she volunteers at the YMCA in Innisfill and teaches Zumba twice a week. In 2018 she tried a heels class and found her self again by falling in love with her sensuality, body and her love of being on stage.

Ela is so happy and excited to be teaching her Latin Fusion Fiesta class here at the Heels Collective. It offers a fun high energy full body workout that leaves you feeling sweaty and sexy all in one. Her love of being surrounded by positive women and making them feel good about themselves brings her absolute joy and leaves her feeling fulfilled by sharing her passion for dance and adoration of Latin rhythms. Give her class a try if you want to challenge yourself and burn some calories all while shaking and swaying your hips.

Ela Nightingale

Micah walked into her 1st hip-hop class as a teenager at Dance By Design in Wasaga Beach, Ontario. Although she was successfully competing in sports like hockey and soccer, she trusted her intuition and took a huge leap of faith by committing to becoming a trained dancer. Micah began her dance journey in foundational styles such as ballet, lyrical, contemporary, modern, jazz, pointe technique and hip-hop. Micah has recently focused her career on more commercial styles such as heels, jazz funk and continuing hip-hop.

In 2015, Micah graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, primarily studying Dance History and Dance Theory. Micah's resume includes performing commercially in Toronto for a variety of artists, showcases and competitions. A list of well known venues that Micah has performed at include: The MOD Club, Dundas Square, REBEL Nightclub, Wildflower, Lovechild, Lula Lounge, The Harbourfront Centre and many more. Micah's professional training includes: Hot In Heels directed by Angela Mahoney, The Girls Club directed by Tamina Pollock-Paris, as well as Dark Dance (a Toronto-based competitive dance company).

Micah thrives and finds fulfillment in creative environments. She thoroughly enjoys being able to collaborate with other creative artists. Producing unique dance choreography concepts and experiences is something she excels at. She uncontrollably spreads joy when teaching to all ages and levels. She is always growing and learning, creating, and she hopes to inspire other creatives (from all industries) through visuals, movement and dance.

Micah Robertson

Guest Instructor :: Choreographer :: Sultry Visionary

:: Polish, but Spanish in Another Life ::