MFSD - Staff

Maureen Fraser - Director/Owner

Maureen has been teaching dance for over 33 years. She began taking lessons in early childhood and continues to the present day, attending seminars and workshops. Maureen has performed in local theatre productions, including “Music of the Night”(dancer and choreographer) and “Women of Antigonish”(dancer, actor and choreographer), the “Keppoch Wedding” (dancer and actor) and Save Our Keppoch School (dance, choreographer and actor).

In recent years she has studied tap privately with Josh Hilberman(tap teacher at the Boston Conservatory)and Heather Cornell(director of Manhattan Tap). As well as having a week long private tap residency in 2007 with Heather at her home in Nyack, Maureen traveled to New York again in 2010 for a two week Rhythmn Intensive Workshop taught by Heather. Maureen was selected as the only Canadian to participate in the group of 20 tap dancers from Brazil, England, Russian, Denmark, etc. Maureen has also taken private Swing dance lessons in NY from Margaret Batiuchok (founder of NYC Swing Dance Society) and Arthur Murray Ballroom dance school in Sherman Oaks, LA in 2017.

Maureen has step danced in various concerts throughout the Maritimes (Breakfast Television on the ASN television network), has adjudicated step festivals in PEI and was the director of the Antigonish Highland Games “Concert Under the Stars” from 2008-2013. Maureen step danced in Celtic Colors 2008 with well known dancers, Mary Janet MacDonald, Minnie MacMaster and Jean MacNeil in a concert called “Mary Janet’s Bunch”. She also danced Celtic Colours 2010 “Close to the Floor” show and again in 2018 as a solo step dancer.

Maureen had the privledge of taking private tap lessons from dance master, Brenda Buffalino, founder of the American Tap Dance Foundation. Maureen has earned her teaching diploma in Stage and Tap from BATD (British Association of Teachers of Dance). Currently, Maureen teaches step, tap and swing dance styles .

Audrey Cochrane – Artistic Director/Choreographer

Audrey Cochrane has been teaching dance for 10 yrs. Dance styles that she is trained in are ballet, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, Cape Breton step, musical theatre, heels, contemporary, poms and acro.

She auditioned for and was accepted in the Broadway Triple Threat Summer Intensive in 2015 in NY. She competed with the StFX University Dance Team, coached and choreographed for the MFSD Competitive Teams with award winning solos and was a member of and choreographed a routine for the professional sports dance team – The Halifax Thunderbirds.

Audrey completed an intensive, certified dance program at the Broadway Dance Center in NY. She also completed Acrobatic Arts Module 1, Module 2, is a certified Acrobatic Arts adjudicator and ADAPT instructor.

Cecelia d'Entremont - Office & Social Media Manager/Graphic Designer

Cecelia d'Entremont has over 10 years of dance experience in; ballet, Highland, and step. She was a performer in the Scotia Highland Dancers travelling dance troupe, in the 1990's.

She graduated from the "Make up Artistry & Design Course" at Compu College in Dartmouth (Class of 2010). She has worked for "Clinique", and was a Makeup Artist/Demonstrator for "Lise Watier".

Cecelia attended a course through the Atlantic Film makers Co-operative, where she assisted (lighting & grip) with creating a short film "A Thin Dry Roar". The film was screened at the 2007 Atlantic Film Festival & the Montreal World Film Festival.

She has done volunteer work (Make up application) for the televised event "Bust a Move" *with special guest Richard Simmons (IWK Breast Cancer Fundraiser). She also volunteered at Eastlink Television & Theatre Antigonish with set dressing, props & decor.

Cecelia has been enjoying doing administrative and creative work for Maureen Fraser school of dance for the past 7+ years.

Chloe Rogers - Summer Dance Program Instructor

Chloe Rogers is a passionate and experienced dancer from Quispamsis, New Brunswick, with over 17 years of training in a wide variety of styles including hip hop, contemporary, jazz, acro, musical theatre, and more.

During her four years at St. Francis Xavier University, Chloe was a dedicated member of the StFX Dance Team, serving as team captain in her final year.

Throughout her competitive dance career, Chloe has performed at numerous competitions across New Brunswick, earning several overall titles. In 2019, she was awarded a scholarship granting her automatic placement on the World Performers Canada International Team. As part of this team, she traveled to Portugal to represent Canada at the Dance World Cup, competing in hip hop, contemporary, and acro.

In addition to her dance background, Chloe is deeply involved in the local community theatre. She was a featured dancer in all of her high school musical productions, including Footloose and The Wizard of Oz, and has performed in several community theatre productions with KV Players such as Newsies, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Frozen Jr. Most recently, she contributed as a choreographer for KV Players’ productions of Hello, Dolly! and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Chloe has been certified in Acrobatic Arts and is currently working toward a certification in ADAPT.

Chloe has also been teaching dance for the past seven years, working with students of all ages—from toddlers to adults—across various styles and levels. Her love for dance shines through in every class she teaches, and she is thrilled to continue sharing her passion with the dancers at MFSD!

Maria Bond - Summer Dance Program Instructor

Maria is currently working as a professional dancer for Major League Baseball in Toronto Ontario. Maria is also pursuing dance at York University in Toronto with a focus on contemporary and ballet dance. At York University Maria is a member of the Dance Student Association, most recently having the role of Vice President of programming and was first year representative.

Maria trained with Maureen Fraser School of dance for 14 years starting at the age of 4. Maria’s passion for dance started by taking cape breton step dance which then led into training in a variety of styles including contemporary, jazz, tap, acro, ballet, hip hop, heels and musical theatre. Additionally in Maria’s training she has attended many summer dance intensives learning from professional dancers. As well as taking numerous drop in dance classes in Toronto to further her dance training.

In Maria’s competitive years she was successful in being awarded several special awards, overalls and scholarships. In 2022 Maria was Awarded the title of Senior crowned soloist. Maria is excited to be back at MFSD to share her love for dance this summer!

Jaide Russell

Jaide Russell is an honours student in the Applied Forensic Psychology Program at StFX University. Jaide is originally from Clarkes Beach, Newfoundland and has been dancing since the age of 3. Throughout the years, Jaide has trained in a wide variety of styles including Contemporary, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Jazz, Acro, Musical Theatre, Pointe and Tap. Additionally, she was trained in ballet using the Cecchetti Society of Canada syllabi and has completed up to the Intermediate Level in Modern Theatre Dance Examinations through the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD).

In 2019, Jaide began her journey as a competitive dancer. Through her years of competing, Jaide received multiple overall awards, attended iDance Conventions (2019, 2021 & 2022) and JUMP Dance Convention in Toronto where she trained under famous teachers such as J Blaze (Justin Bieber's choreographer) and Molly Long. Alongside these experiences, Jaide has been awarded $1000 scholarships for companies such as Limelight, SDF Tours, Dancer Palooza and more, and was also invited to compete with World Performers Team Canada at the Dance World Cup. She was also cast as a professional dancer in the production of Our Diva’s Do Christmas in 2022. Jaide continues to compete as a member of the StFX Dance team and is the team's Treasurer for the 2025-2026 season!

Jaide is now entering her fifth year of teaching competitive dance. She is a valued faculty member at her home studio, Creative Edge Dance Company in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland. Her love for dance has grown into an undeniable passion for teaching and choreographing. Thus far, Jaide has led students to winning solo titles, duo, trio and group overalls as well as choreography and special awards. Jaide is ecstatic to continue sharing her love for dance with the students at MFSD!

Sophia Bramwell

Sophia Bramwell is from St. John’s, Newfoundland and has been dancing for 17 years. She grew up dancing at The Dance Centre and is trained in a variety of styles such as ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop and pointe. She also completed the Cecchetti Method Ballet Examinations, completing her Advanced 1 in December 2022.

She expanded her horizons and began competing with Evolve Dance which provided countless opportunities to compete, take workshops and travel. She took extensive training in Honolulu, Hawaii with SDF Dance Tours in August 2022 from a $1000 scholarship awarded through 5678 Showtime. She competed as a soloist, duet partner, trio, small and large groups, winning several overall scores and categories throughout the years. She began assistant teaching in September 2017 and continued until the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

She also has performed in several theater productions in Newfoundland such as Scrooge (2015) and The Nutcracker (2015,2016,2017). She danced with Mosaic Dance Company, a contemporary/lyrical dance company in the summer of 2021. She then began teaching hip hop once the pandemic was over at Connie Parsons School of Dance. Sophia was offered numerous teaching opportunities in her hometown and taught hip hop intensives at Dance Studio East in the summer of 2023.

Aside from her dance background, Sophia was also a competitive gymnast in Newfoundland for 6 years at Cygnus & Campia Gymnastics.

She is currently a student at StFX completing a Bachelor of Arts & Science in Health with a major in Biomedical Science. Sophia is thrilled to teach this year at MFSD to share her knowledge with her students!

Makayla Tomlin

Makayla Tomlin began dancing at the age of three at Stars of Tomorrow dance academy. She has training in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, modern, acro, hip hop and musical theatre.

Throughout her years, Makayla has studied at various dance intensives and programs including the Paris, France dance tour and Canada’s Ballet Jörgen dance intensive in Toronto of 2018, The New York City Joffrey Intensive in 2019, and was part of the VIEW Dance Challenge Greece Intensive in 2022. Makayla is a very determined dancer and strives to always put her best foot forward. In doing this, Makayla has received many scholarships and awards; some being, ‘Senior Title Winner’ at Just Dance Competition, many ‘Be Discovered’ scholarships at various dance competitions, and ‘Most Potential’ at the VIEW Dance Challenge Intensive in 2021.

As well as dancing, Makayla also has a love for teaching. She takes joy in watching students find their passion in dance and wants to help them achieve further goals! Makayla is a certified Module 1 and Module 2 acrobatic arts teacher, and is currently taking a Teacher Training Program to become a certified ballet teacher through the Vaganova Syllabus of Classical Ballet.

Makayla is now at StFX University for a major in BSc Human Kinetics and minor in heath sciences and is the upcoming Co-Captain of the StFX competitive dance team!

Morganne Hartlen

Morganne Hartlen, from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, has been training in competitive dance for over 10 consecutive years. She is well trained in styles such as ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap and acrobatics.

Throughout her dance career, she has trained in Montreal with l’Ecole Nationale du Cirque, in combination with Cirque du Soleil, as well as with SDF Dance Tours in Paris, France.

Last year, she served as the Co-Captain of the StFX Dance team, with whom she has been dancing for the past three seasons. Through growing up in the competitive dance world, Morganne has found her love for teaching, and sharing her passion with the younger generation. She has worked hard towards teacher training with both Acrobatic Arts, as well as the Society of Classical Ballet. Morganne is excited to share her love of dance wih the dancers of MFSD, and looks forward to the seasons ahead!

Allison Foran

Allison Foran is from Halifax, Nova Scotia and has been dancing for 15 years. She is well versed in a variety of dance styles including jazz, contemporary and lyrical, however her primary focus is ballet.

Throughout her dance career she has had the opportunity to train in numerous professional ballet programs, including the Alberta Ballet School and the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, where she has competed ballet examinations in Cecchetti, RAD and Vaganova styles.

Allison has also had the privilege of completing three seasons as a cast member of Symphony Nova Scotia’s The Nutcracker, in partnership with Halifax Dance.

In addition to her love for dancing, Allison has found a passion for teaching the next generation of dancers and strives to maintain a hardworking and positive classroom environment. She has obtained her Pre- Associate membership with the Canadian Dance Teachers Association. Allison is excited for another season at MFSD and can’t wait to get dancing with everyone!

Abby Taylor

Abby has been dancing for as long as she can remember and hit the competition stage at just 7 years old. Since then, she’s trained in all styles including Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Acro, Tap, Musical Theatre, and Pointe — and loved every second of it (even the sore muscles and endless rehearsals!). She is originally from Fort St John, BC.

Now, with five years of teaching under her belt, Abby has found her true passion in sharing what she loves most about dance with her students. What really makes her proud is watching her dancers grow, improve, and have fun doing it.

In class, you can expect a mix of hard work, good vibes, and lots of laughs. Abby believes in pushing her dancers to be their best but also keeping things fun, fresh, and full of energy. She’s so excited to be back with the MFSD fam this season!

Hannah Chisholm

With over 15 years in the dance industry, Hannah Chisholm is a dynamic and accomplished dancer and teacher from Niagara, Ontario. Starting at the age of 3, she has trained and competed in many styles, including; Musical Theatre, Jazz, tap, Ballet, Lyrical, Acro and Contemporary.

Throughout her competitive dance career, Hannah competed across Ontario, earning many overall placements and special awards for her solos and duets/trios. She attended many conventions and workshops, learning from world-renowned choreographers. Hannah also trained at many intensives, including multiple annual ballet programs at the Niagara Ballet School. She has also earned many scholarships, including ones for Breaking Bounds and the Creo Dance Movement.

As a teacher, Hannah began assisting classes at the age of 13. Over the last 6 years, she has taught numerous classes of a variety of styles and ages in both the recreational and competitive streams. Her choreography has received many awards, most notable being “Judges' Choice” for a senior lyrical group at Dance Canada and “Best Choreography Under 12” for a mini hip hop solo at Inspire. Hannah has participated in many teacher conventions to expand her knowledge of the latest dance techniques, teaching methods, and industry trends and has earned a certificate in Early Childhood Dance. Her goal as a teacher is to create a positive environment encouraging growth and improvement, while nurturing her students' love for the art form.

Sadie Allen

Sadie Allen began her dance journey at the age of three at the Maureen Fraser School of Dance, initially focusing on ballet before expanding her training to include hip-hop, jazz, acro, contemporary, and heels. She also dedicated six years to training in Highland dance, which led to the opportunity to perform in Scotland.

In March 2019, Sadie was honored with the "Most Promising Novice Dancer" award at the Limelight Dance Competition. She also received the ‘Be Discovered’ scholarship, allowing her to dance down Main Street USA and perform on a Walt Disney World stage.

Sadie is enthusiastic about teaching and is committed to creating a positive and enjoyable environment for all her students.

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