Team — Arise School of Dance

Meet Our Team

Naomi Gilman

Naomi Gilman trained at some of the top dance schools in Vancouver, Montreal, and Ottawa in ballet, jazz, and modern, completing all the Royal Academy of Dance Ballet Examinations. At 11 years old, she started assistant teaching younger students, and was given her own class to teach two years later. By 15 years old, Naomi was highly sought after within the Christian community, teaching, choreographing, and performing across Canada and internationally. After graduation, Naomi spent 4 years training with the world’s premier Christian Ballet Company, Ballet Magnificat, after which she was hired as Road Manager for their touring company. She returned to Ottawa in 2010 and started working for Arise School of Dance as an administrator and teacher. For the next five years, Naomi’s passion for teaching grew as she saw the impact it had in the lives of her students. Not only did she see the success of her students as they received high marks on their ballet exams, but she also saw how sharing her love for the Lord and His word impacted their lives. In 2015, Naomi, along with her fellow Arise teacher Jennifer Turco, took over ownership of Arise School of Dance with the desire to see it reach its full potential in the Lord.

Jennifer Turco

Jennifer Turco has spent most of her life in the studio either dancing or teaching. As a child, she received top marks in her Royal Academy of Dance grade exams and her Intermediate and Advanced 1 vocational exams with the Cecchetti Society of Canada. She spent a year with La Jeunesse Classique youth ballet company in Calgary. Upon returning home to Ottawa, Jennifer spent three years in the teacher’s training programme at The School of Dance and was awarded her Associates Diploma with the Cecchetti Society. Jennifer’s teaching repertoire includes a vast array of styles ranging from creative movement for preschoolers, classical ballet for all ages and abilities, along with jazz, hip hop and contemporary. She also choreographs for the Arise Youth Ballet. Dance has always been a driving force for Jennifer, but it wasn’t until finding the Lord as a young adult that she really understood the greatness and the impact that dance can have when it is used to glorify Him. With three children of her own, she understands the importance of an environment that nurtures and uplifts truth, while also teaching excellence and perseverance.

Maggie Shew

Maggie began dancing at Arise School of Dance at the age of 10, training in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, and Hip Hop; she was also a member of the Youth Ballet from 2015-2017. Graduating from Arise in 2017, she received Distinction in her Royal Academy of Dance Intermediate Ballet Examination. Maggie graduated from the Contemporary Dance Diploma Program at The School of Dance (Ottawa) in 2020 and was awarded the 2019 Rich Little Endowment Fund for the Performing Arts. Since then, she has had the pleasure of working with choreographers such as Jocelyn Todd (through Ottawa Dance Directive), Elizabeth Emond-Stevenson (TAKE UP SPACE), Sylvie Desrosiers (Dorsale Danse), and currently performs with company Tara Luz Danse under the direction of Anik Bouvrette. Maggie has had the opportunity to teach and choreograph for various dance schools and community events in the National Capital Region over the years. She began teaching at Arise in 2014, and loves sharing with her students her passion for movement, choreography, and how it can all be used to worship the Lord.

Julia Bursey

Julia Bursey began dancing at the age of five, training extensively in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and tap at the Canadian School of Dance and at Dana Hanes’ Dance Company. She was a competitive dancer for eight years, and completed her Advanced 1 Ballet RAD Exam and ADAPT Tap and Jazz exams with high scores before graduating high school in 2018. Throughout university, she has continued dancing on competitive varsity teams, and has choreographed and performed for several conferences and events with the creative arts company A Glimpse Co. Julia is passionate about glorifying God through the creative arts. With a love for dance, writing, and music, she hopes to one day bridge the gap between faith, therapy and the arts to help those who are struggling with mental health and trauma. To that end, she has completed her BSc in Cognitive Science at Carleton University. She is currently teaching ballet, jazz, and contemporary at Arise.

Noelle Klassen

Noelle Klassen began dancing at the age of six, but started her serious training when she moved to Ottawa and joined Arise School of Dance. Noelle trained extensively in ballet, jazz, and contemporary. She trained to the level of Advanced 2 and graduated in the spring of 2021. Noelle was part of the Arise Youth Ballet from 2016-2021 and held the peer mentorship position of Company Captain from 2019 until her graduation. Noelle has a huge heart for children and lots of experience working with them through Child Evangelism Fellowship: an organization that ministers to children in at-risk communities. Noelle has also organized and choreographed several plays and performances. With a passion for creativity and an eye for detail, Noelle graduated with a BSc in English with Honors at Liberty University. Noelle began teaching at Arise in the fall of 2019 and has also taken a second teaching position in Ottawa since then. She began working as Arise Support Staff in 2019, and took on the role of Administrator in the winter of 2020. Noelle enjoys organizing and overseeing all the everyday tasks that keep Arise running smoothly, and she can’t wait to pour into her students.

Baylie Karperien

Baylie Karperien began studying dance at the age of thirteen, after years of dreaming of dancing. She trained extensively in ballet, while also studying contemporary, jazz, acro, and other styles. She has studied in multiple cities across Ontario and British Columbia and attended pre-professional summer intensives with the Victoria Academy of Ballet and the School of Nashville Ballet. She began her post-secondary degree as a dance major at Simon Fraser University, but she graduated from the University of Ottawa as an English major with a Minor in Creative Writing. Since then, she has taught at multiple studios in Ottawa and is excited to combine her passion for Christ and her passion for dance at Arise. She hopes to see her students thrive in their technical and artistic development, as well as whole human beings and children of God. In addition to teaching dance, Baylie is an author and illustrator pursuing a career in literature for children and young adults. She desires to shape and inspire the hearts of future generations through her art, whatever form it may take. She is currently teaching ballet and jazz at Arise.

Anika Bhatnagar

Anika Bhatnagar began dancing at the age of two at Greta Leeming Studio of Dance in Ottawa. She trained in a variety of styles, including ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, tap, and acro. After attending the Arise Summer Dance and Ministry Intensive in 2017, she switched studios and enrolled at Arise School of Dance. Throughout Anika’s training, she has completed seven Royal Academy of Dance ballet exams, achieving her Advanced 1 exam in the Fall of 2022. Over the years, she has attended multiple summer intensives and was recently awarded a scholarship for "displaying the qualities of a professional dancer" from The Ballet Lab. Anika has been dancing with the Arise Youth Ballet Company for 5 years and has been awarded the peer mentorship position of Youth Ballet Captain for the second year in a row. Currently, in her last year of high school, Anika is training extensively for her Advanced 2 RAD ballet exam along with her work in jazz and contemporary. Arise has significantly impacted Anika's own journey and she loves that the studio is passionate about the Lord. After assistant teaching for four years, Anika started teaching her own classes at Arise this summer with rousing success. She is excited to help students discover their purpose and learn to glorify God through dance.

Merry Macuzzi

Merry Macuzzi is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, where she received her ballet training from Gen Horiuchi, Paul Gartland, Margilyn Valle, and Irina Zykova. She trained in Jazz and Modern dance under Cecil Slaughter, and was the St. Louis delegate to the National Society of Arts and Letters Competition in Dance during her last year of high school. Merry began teaching at Academy of Dance, and then later taught at Ballet Midwest. She has always had a love of choreography, and has directed four original children’s ballets. Wanting to use ballet to share the love of Jesus, Merry entered the Ballet Magnificat! Trainee Program in 2006 and was promoted to Company Artist and Soloist in 2009. Merry’s many performances with the company took her on tour throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Israel, and Africa. During this time, Merry saw firsthand how dance can communicate beyond spoken language, and can impact people from all walks of life. While on the road with Ballet Magnificat!, Merry taught master classes and workshops to students of all levels and ages worldwide. It was on a Canadian tour that Merry met her future husband. She married him and moved to Ottawa in 2013 where she has been a part of the Arise School of Dance faculty ever since. She recently welcomed a new baby into her family, but will still be around the studio substitute teaching classes and running birthday parties.

Support Staff

Maryann Campbell

Support Staff

Maryann is a mother of two little dancers at Arise School of Dance and they have been part of the Arise family since 2019 when her older daughter enrolled in a Ballet class. The following year, her younger daughter also enrolled in dance classes. Although Maryann never had any formal training, she has always appreciated dance. Maryann grew up in the church and has volunteered in various ministries over the years from babies to youth to adults, and she continues to serve in the church today. She worked for the federal government in the national parks and heritage sector for over fifteen years before becoming a stay-at-home mother to two daughters. Maryann is happy to combine her work and volunteer experiences with her experience of being a dance mom in order to serve the dancers and families at Arise by working at the front desk on Saturdays and Mondays.

Robin Gilman

Support Staff

Back in the early nineties, Robin and her husband, Alan, were introduced to the power that dance has when it is used for the glory of God. Robin's encouragement of her ten children in this direction led several of her daughters to pursue professional careers in the performing arts. Twenty-five years ago, Robin started hosting a variety of dance classes in her home when friends and neighbours asked her daughters to teach their children in a family-friendly atmosphere. Robin was chatting with mothers, taking payments, and helping organize recitals long before Arise was ever named Arise School of Dance. In 2015, Robin and Alan Gilman passed the ownership of Arise School of Dance to their daughter Naomi and fellow dance teacher, Jennifer, but Robin has continued to invest herself in Arise as a mother and grandmother. Robin starting working in an official capacity as a part of the Arise Support Staff in 2021 and she loves serving all who enter the doors of Arise.

Caelah Lekovic

Support Staff

Caelah has been dancing around her house since the time she could walk. At the age seven, her mother decided to enroll her in a hip hop class at the local community center followed by recreational classes at a small Christian dance studio. In 2013, Caelah enrolled at Arise School of Dance after her mother witnessed the Arise Youth Ballet at a women's Bible study. She trained extensively at Arise in jazz and ballet, performed with the Arise Youth Ballet for two seasons, and completed her Royal Academy of Dance ballet exams up to the Advanced 1 level. After Caelah graduated high school, she went on to study design at Algonquin College for a year before switching to a computer engineering program. During this period, she gained lots of experience working with children through her work as a nanny and as a manager and program director at a local gymnastics facility. Recently, Caelah felt the Lord calling her to leave her other jobs to open herself up to new possibilities to serve Him. She was thrilled to receive a call from Naomi and Jennifer asking if she'd be interested in returning to Arise on staff. Caelah will be assistant teaching and working with the Youth Ballet Company, as well as helping with photography, costuming, and more.

Makayla DeJong

Support Staff

Makayla DeJong began dancing at a recreational ballet program in her neighbourhood when she was around five years old. A few years later, Makayla watched her younger sister's recital at Arise School of Dance and decided she wanted to try dance again—this time hip hop. At the age of 8, Makayla started training in hip hop at Arise, and her love for dance flourished and blossomed. Arise also encouraged Makayla's faith in the Lord and her passion for the Lord has only grown from there! She has taken three Royal Academy of Dance ballet exams and she most recently completed her Advanced Foundations ballet exam. She has also trained extensively in contemporary, jazz, and hip hop and has attended multiple summer intensives. Makayla began dancing with the Arise Youth Ballet in 2019 and has been awarded the peer mentorship position of Youth Ballet Captain for the second year in a row. This year, Makyala will be training in jazz and contemporary and will prepare for her RAD Advanced 1 ballet exam. Makayla is excited to assist teach on Thursday mornings and work at the front desk on Friday nights. She is excited for the opportunity to serve at Arise in this capacity and further the gospel through the art of dance!