Faculty
NICOLE JACKLIN BLAKE R.A.D., C.D.T.A., Jr. Int. Acrobatique
Nicole grew up competing and taking dance exams under the instruction of Joan Dorothy and Sheila Vecchiarelli at the Simcoe Dance Academy. She successfully completed exams with the Royal Academy of Dance, Imperial Society of Dance, and Canadian Dance Teachers Association in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Modern. Nicole began her teaching qualifications with the Royal Academy of Dance and the Canadian Dance Teachers Association in 1998 at which time she was teaching for Simcoe Dance Academy and The Village Dance and Theatre School. Recognizing a need for competitive and exam based dancing in Alliston and Tottenham she founded the Nicole Jacklin School of Dance in 1999. She has since entered hundreds of successful students into dance exams as well as choreographed numerous award winning competitive routines. Under her instruction students have auditioned and been accepted into several prestigious dance programs with the National Ballet of Canada, Sundance, Quinte Ballet School, George Brown Collage, and York University, to name a few. Nicole has over 17 years of experience educating and inspiring children in dance. She has worked with numerous dance professionals in both the commercial and classical dance. Nicole's choreography has been recognized at several competitions winning best choreography and most entertaining awards. Nicole is continuously upgrading and evolving her technical, creative, and performance skills by attending conventions, workshops, as well as finalizing her Acrobatique certification. Nicole's love of dance began when she was 5 years old, she feels incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to pass this love and passion onto her students.
EMILY BRUNO A.R.A.D.
Raised in Tottenham Ontario, Emily’s passion for dance started at the young age of 3. She trained at Nicole Jacklin School of Dance for 15 years and became a teacher in 2011. During this time she completed several R.A.D Ballet exams including Advanced 2. She attended various summer programs including the Canadian’s Children’s Dance Theatre, Canada’s National Ballet School and The American Ballet Theatre. After high school, Emily attended George Brown College and graduated from the Dance Performance Studies program in 2015 with honours. Continuing her professional development, Emily performed as a member of Danza Corpus Toronto in their 2016 season and trained with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks in Calgary, Alberta in 2017. Always striving to develop her teaching skills, Emily has most recently completed the Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies with the Royal Academy of Dance and is now a certified teacher. Emily teaches all styles of dance and is certified as a Junior Level 3 Acro teacher with the Acro Dance Teachers Association. A new pathway for Emily has lead her to study Pilates with the Merrithew Institute. She is certified in STOTT Pilates Matwork and is excited to integrate her dance background into the world of fitness with all ages.
KELSEY LEONARD Jr. Inter. Acrobatique
Kelsey has been dancing since she was old enough to stand on two feet. It all began in 1999 when Nicole Jacklin School of Dance first opened their doors. After many years of training in ballet, modern, lyrical, jazz, musical theatre, tap, acro, and hiphop, she decided to pursue dance at a competitive level. She has completed many C.D.T.A. and R.A.D. exams including her Advanced 1 R.A.D. ballet exam. At the age of 14, she became a student teacher. This experience inspired her to become a full-time teacher and competitive choreographer. On many occasions, she has won awards for her unique choreography. Kelsey has most recently been certified as a Junior Acrobatique Acro/Dance Teacher. She is working towards completing the Intermediate Acrobatique Acro/Dance Teacher certification and the I.S.S.A. personal training certification. Kelsey is very excited to be sharing her love and passion for dance with her students.
ALYSSA NUNZIATO B.F.A.H.
Originally from Barrie, Ontario, Alyssa is an emerging choreographer, teacher and performer. She has trained in styles including RAD ballet, modern, contemporary, tap and jazz. Alyssa has recently graduated with Honours from York University with a BFA specializing in choreography and performance. She had the opportunity to train with renowned dance artists including Susan Lee, Tracey Norman, Syreeta Hector and Dr, Jennifer Bolt. In recent years she has collaborated and performed in student productions including Dance Innovations and York Dances. In Addition to performance, Alyssa has had the opportunity to work as a lighting technician for the Dance Department showcase, abunDance 2019 and will pursue lighting design in the future. Going forward Alyssa aims to create a portfolio career in performance and choreography, teaching, production and advocacy for fellow artists. She is excited to be part of the NJSD team and looking forward to sharing her love of dance with her students.
JILLIAN EISENER B.F.A., B.Ed.
Contemporary dance artist, arts-based educator and dance instructor, Jillian Eisener has a thriving passion for dance. She started dancing in her hometown of Alliston with the Nicole Jacklin School of Dance with a focus on ballet technique. She studied various forms of dance and completed several exams with the Canadian Dance Teacher's Association, and the Royal Academy of Dance. With a keen interest in expanding her dance knowledge, Eisener trained with the Quinte Ballet School, Toronto Dance Theatre and internationally at the ImPulsTanz Dance Festival in Vienna, Austria. Eisener continued her education at York University where she completed her Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts degree specializing in Dance. While there she found a love for contemporary and modern dance and had the opportunity to perform as a member of the York Dance Ensemble, York University's preprofessional dance company. Throughout her education, she was inspired by artists Julia Sasso, Darcey Callison, Holly Small, and John Ottmann, to name a few. Upon graduation, Jillian has continued dancing as a freelance artist, some of her jobs including working with choreographer Catherine Murray, Simcoe Contemporary Dancers, and as a performer for the international hit band Dragonette. In 2014, Jillian graduated from York University's Bachelor of Education program where she focused on integrating the arts into the elementary classroom. She is now a certified teacher and hopes to continue her career teaching dance both in the studio and school setting. Sharing her passion for dance is Jillian's raison d'être and she looks forward to a long career calling out “5, 6, 7, 8!”
NADIA RUFFIEUX Acrobatic Arts Certified
Nadia began dancing at the tender age of 6 at Simcoe Dance Academy, located in Bradford, Ontario. Always eager to push herself in a bid to grow and improve as a dancer, Nadia would spend 4 of those years as a teacher/assistant, lending her experience and talent to the younger members of the Academy, always impressing with her passion for the art of dance. As a dancer, Nadia boasts talents for a broad range of styles, including ballet, modern, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and acro, which makes her an incredibly well-rounded performer and teacher. The versatility has served her well in her live performances, which include On The Floor’s 2018 A Night for Sick Kids Gala (directed by Mitchell Jackson and Derek Piquette), the 2015 and 2016 Bradford’s Business Awards In addition to being Acrobatic Arts Certified, Nadia recently completed her training at Intrepid Dance Company, where she trained under a renowned faculty that includes Derek Piquette, Mitchell Jackson, Linda Garneau, Kelly Shaw, Alisha Lucchese, Edgar Hpa, Angelina Leofanti, Tara Pillion, Christina Kotsopoulos, and Derick Robinson. Nadia is happy to be part of the Nicole Jacklin School of Dance family and to be able to focus on the next steps of her career as a performer/teacher. There is nothing more rewarding then watching a dancer achieve their personal best and she is excited to be part of that.
