BASIC ATTITUDE dance company
PROFESSIONAL DANCE TEACHING STAFF
Sherri Cook-Chaffey RAD(TD), CDTA, DMA
PRINCIPAL/OWNER
TEACHER/CHOREOGRAPHER
Ryerson University - Professional Dance Teaching
Sherri Cook-Chaffey has been training since the age of four in tap, jazz, ballet, acrobatics modern, lyrical, musical theatre, and various other forms of dance in Alberta with the well respected Eileen Dodds - Sherwood Park School of Dancing founder of the Alberta Dance Festival. She trained in RAD, Western Board Examinations, Brian Foley Examinations, as well as trained extensively in figure skating and gymnastics both competitively and testing. After moving to Ontario, she went on to first teach at studios in Southwestern Ontario winning various nationally & internationally awards for her choreography.
Professionally she auditioned and trained at Ryerson University in the Professional Dance Teacher Training Program, training with world reknowned principal dancers, teachers, and choreographers.
She trained in the Royal Academy of Dancing Teaching Program to achieve her RAD Dance Teaching Certificate and Diploma - RAD(TC)(TD). She also became certified in the Canadian Dance Teacher's Association - CDTA and Dance Master's of America - Certified By Test To Teach Program - DMA.
Sherri has been professionally teaching for twenty years and with her extensive knowledge of dance, has developed many students in proper dance technique, discipline, and training in tap, jazz, ballet, acrobatics, modern, lyrical, and musical theatre. As a teacher she has won numerous scholarships, teaching awards and choreography award for her competitive training in Canada and the United States. She has choreographed various shows, worked with both on ice and off ice skater's and gymasts both technically and choreographically.
Many of her dancer's have won scholarships, attained high marks in tap, jazz, ballet, and acrobatic examinations and overall awards both nationally and internationally some of which have gone on to careers in dance in many fields such as commercial dance, cruise lines, dance production, and professional musical theatre shows. Sherri has also worked with many students who have become accomplished in many university degrees and college diplomas due to the discipline they have learned through their training they received through her dance training...Many attribute their success to the ideas and philosophy Sherri trains at BASIC ATTITUDE.
Autumn Fernandes IRAD, RMT
TEACHER/CHOREOGRAPHER
George Brown University - Dance Diploma
Autumn Fernandes graduated from the George Brown Professional Dance Program in 2001. She has trained in tap, jazz, ballet, modern, hip hop and various other styles throughout her career in dance. She has trained in New York City at the the Broadway Dance Centre and holds her Intermediate Royal Academy of Dancing Executant Ballet Examination.
She is a fully licensed Registered Massage Therapist specializing in dancer's, post-natal, pregnancy, & infant massage, and also owns her own Natural Health Care Clinic. She has also been certified as a Personal Trainer through Can-Fit-Pro. Autumn has a very extensive knowledge of anatomy, physiology, safe stretching, red cross life saving skills, physchology, and kinesiology due to her training both as a registered massage therapist and personal trainer. She uses this knowledge in the dance class to help her students have a better understanding of how their body, muscles, and mind all contribute to the movements and technique they develop in their dance class.
Autumn has worked at many other dance schools in Ontario and now is with BASIC ATTITUDE dance company exclusively...
We are honoured to have such a amazingly motivated and dedicated professional trained dance teacher on our staff!
STUDIO ASSISTANTS
2009
Keli Smith
Angel Borland
Crystal Finn-Dunn
Vanessa Ironside
Hillary O'Brien
Nivala Persad-Maharaj
Nevesha Persad- Maharaj
Shasthi Maharaj
Nathaniel Andrew
BASIC ATTITUDE dance company
TAP JAZZ BALLET ACRO LYRICAL MODERN MUSICAL THEATRE
"DANCE IS MY PASSION....
....I WILL NEVER STOP!"
Autumn Fernandes
"WE TRAIN QUALITY... NOT QUANTITY IN EVERY ONE OUR DANCERS!"
Sherri Cook-Chaffey
INTRODUCING OUR STUDIO ASSISTANTS
All have trained under BAdc professionally trained teachers and are all excited to be assisting you along with your teacher in your dance classes...
Our BAdc Student Teachers will make your classes enthusiastic by inspiring and encouraging you to do your best and have fun!
Our student assistants receive volunteering hours for high school!
Emily Goodwill IRAD
TEACHER/CHOREOGRAPHER
We would like to welcome Emily Goodwill to our staff of dance teachers in the fall of 2008. She has trained as a child exclusively through BASIC ATTITUDE dance company and holds her ELEMENTARY EXCUTANT EXAMINATION with the ROYAL ACADEMY OF DANCE. She has extensive background in the competitive field winning many overall awards throughout her years. She has further trained in NEW YORK CITY with the Broadway Dance Center as well as trained with choreographers such as Shane Sparks,Brian Friedman and other choreographers from the " So You Think You Can Dance!" program. Emily's versatilaty for caring and sharing her spirit through her dance teaching will be an asset to our classes here at BASIC ATTITUDE. Continuing through this nurturing side of her personality as a assistant teacher now dance teacher she is happy and excited to be studying PRACTICAL NURSING in the fall at Conestoga College. We look forward to her great energy and enthusiasum joining our staff in the FALL of 2008.
