First City School of Dance Inc.

Arwen is a true example of what can happen when aspiring artists are given the space, trust, and autonomy to create—to explore their ideas, find their own voice, and grow as artists.

We’ve had the joy of watching Arwen grow from an aspiring young artist into the professional artist she is today, and we couldn’t be more proud. Even more special is seeing her continue to share her passion and creativity with the next generation of young artists right here at First City.

This year, Arwen will be teaching our newest program, Art & Composition, giving our young dancers the opportunity to explore visual art, movement, composition, and their own creative ideas.

Arwen is a local emerging dance artist. Passionate in her love of dance from an early age - Arwen has trained in various styles across her competitive, pre-professional and professional career, including contemporary, jazz, tap, hip hop, acro and improvisation.

During her time with First City’s Company, Arwen has worked alongside artists such as Darryl Tracey, Sarah Prosper, and Meredith Kalaman. With the creative guidance of Marcia Dysart, Arwen has now taken two pieces to the professional stage, made possible by Connection Dance Works.

Outside of studio, Arwen carries her love of art and of creating across mediums including, jewelry, beadwork, felt art, quilting, drawing and painting.

At the core of Arwen’s artistic approach is a curiosity and openness about the potentialities within the movement, within the space. Inspired by the vitality and connectedness expressed in the art of movement, Arwen hopes to share in her curiosity in class - opening an artistic dialogue among dancers.

Classes begin September 14th, and it’s not too late to register! We’re getting ready to welcome new and returning dancers to our two beautiful locations in Saint John and Quispamsis.

From our littlest dancers to adults, there’s something for everyone, with classes and programs designed for every age, stage and level of experience.

There’s still time to join the First City Community. We’d love to dance with you!

Visit our website for the full class schedule, program details and registration.

Our hip hop team is complete with Amanda. A captivating performer who is completely immersed in her craft, Amanda brings that same energy, passion, and care to every class.

Our dancers love her positivity, encouragement, and the way she makes everyone feel welcome. We’re incredibly fortunate to have her on our team. ❤️

Amanda is a passionate dancer specializing in Hip-hop, and Urban Heels. She also brings a background of teaching Zumba, and GROOV3. A true highlight of her dance journey has been teaching kids Hiphop- so full of energy and heart! With a lifelong foundation in movement, Amanda began as a competitive Figure Skater, where she had the privilege of competing at Nationals. She spent 2 decades on the ice through competitions, ice shows, synchronized skating, coaching, and completing all her gold-level tests. A little late to the dance world, she discovered a creative outlet through Akrew, where her journey took her to a new purpose— igniting a fire that’s never stopped burning. A space that made her stage dreams to come true. Amanda trains and competes with Akrew’s competitive teams in Hip-hop and Heels. Grateful for mentorships from artists Angelina Cyr, and breakdancing with Terry Du. In addition to performing, Amanda brings over 10 years experience in Education, and is passionate about helping children with disabilities. Her teaching blends technical skill with empathy. Fostering a safe, positive, and empowering space for all ages to explore. Driven by a desire to keep the dance culture growing, and uplifting others —especially the next generation of dancers. Whether on stage, in the studio, or cheering from the sidelines, she’s committed to building community, confidence, and creativity through dance.

An experienced educator with our youngest dancers, bringing patience, care, and a thoughtful understanding of how little dancers learn best. We create a joyful foundation for their first experiences in dance.

Our adult Tap and Jazz programming is thriving because of Melissa. Never taken a dance class before? Her classes are fun, accessible, and entertaining. Her Jazz and Tap choreography is unmatched, and our dancers love learning her combos and choreography every week.

If you haven’t tried an adult dance class yet, this might be your sign. Come take a class with Melissa—you’ll be glad you did!

Melissa has been tapping for over four decades, and her depth of experience, knowledge and love for the art form are evident in every class she teaches. Her initial training was with the Eileen McGrath School of Dance, where she completed the Al Gilbert Tap Technique examinations through Grade 6. She went on to teach the Sussex branch of the school for two years.

Throughout university, Melissa continued her tap training while choreographing high school and university musicals and a variety of dance-related events. Her training and experience also extend to jazz, Irish hard and soft shoe, Highland and ballroom dance.

Melissa continues to develop her craft through workshops and classes with Shawn Byfield in Toronto and at Steps on Broadway in New York, as well as through the Intermediate-Advanced Tap syllabus offered by United Taps. She will complete her CDTA certification in Tap Education this fall.

Her choreography credits include productions with Saint John Theatre Company, including Mary Poppins, as well as work with our very own First City Young Company. Whether she’s teaching our youngest dancers, working with adults, or creating choreography, Melissa brings a rare combination of experience, musicality, humour and genuine joy to tap and jazz.

Meet your 2026–2027 Teaching Assistants! ✨

We say it all the time, but we truly couldn’t run our school without them. They’re an essential part of our dance community—supporting our teachers, encouraging our dancers, and helping make each class a little more special.

We’re so lucky to have them!

Both our youngest dancers and our adults should experience a class with Jocelyn at some point. She’s a true educator who understands not only what we teach, but the pedagogy behind how we teach it.

From tap and jazz with our littlest dancers to classes for grown-ups, Jocelyn brings knowledge, energy, and a genuine understanding of how people learn. She also directs our First City Performance Ensemble and assists with our Winter Solstice production, bringing her creativity and expertise to so many facets of our studio.

We’re incredibly fortunate to have her on our team.

Jocelyn has been dancing since she was 5 years old. Her initial training was with Eileen McGrath School of Dance where she completed the Al Gilbert tap technique exams and was a part of a competitive troupe that performed in tap, jazz, and lyrical styles. Jocelyn has always had a love of music and percussion and has explored that through music lessons over the years (piano and drums) as well as through her love of tap and more recently hip hop. She continues to develop her own dance repertoire through adult classes with First City School of Dance, her role on a competitive hip hop team with A-Krew Dance, and workshops in various styles, having taken class with the likes of Raoul Wilke, The Rockwell Family, Matt Marr, & Mackenzie Greenwall. She has recently lived a tap dream of performing as a Chimney Sweep in SJTC’s Mary Poppins. Jocelyn has a Masters in Education, with 16 years of experience working with both Elementary students and teachers in Anglophone South as a classroom teacher and Literacy Coach.