Wade Dance Camp at Asessippi

Belva Wade Zentner
Artistic Director & Instructor

Belva Wade Zentner began dance training as a child at the Fleita Tutte School of Dance in Chilliwack, BC. In the ensuing years she trained in Los Angeles, at the University of California at Long Beach and at the Merce Cunnigham Dance School in New York. She returned to Canada and settled in Vancouver, BC to continue her dance training at Simon Fraser University. She then joined the Paula Ross Dance Company where she taught Contemporary and Jazz Dance classes and became a principal dancer, performing and touring with the Paula Ross Dance Company, the Jack Card Dancers and the Main Street Dancers, including television performances and Adagio work with her dance partners Paul Tahoe and Les Link. Her training is based in Contemporary, Ballet and Jazz Dance. She currently resides near Russell, MB where she is artistic director of Wade Dance Centre in Russell, MB, Wade Dance Centre in Esterhazy, SK and Wade Dance Camp at Asessippi where she teaches and choreographs.

Vancouver Sun Dance Critic-Max Wyman writes, (performance at the University of B.C.’s theatre)
“ Belva Wade was the stand-out performing star of the evening and even if there were nothing else on the program worth seeing (which is by no means the case) I would strongly recommend that your try to catch her in the repeat performance at UBC tonight. She dances from the tips of her toes to the end of her blonde hair and she projects from the moment she leaves it. Already she has a neat and smooth technical reliability and a fresh, clean style that blends feeling and innocence, a youth-glow.“

“I strongly believe in a solid platform of dance techniques as the basis from which to grow. With that firmly in place, dancers can perform the movements confidently and place more energy in to the soul of dance as an expression of their emotions and spirit.” - Belva Wade Zentner

Tamara Topsnik Hicks
Instructor

Tamara Topsnik Hicks R.A.D.R.T.S. moved to Brandon in 1993 after teaching for four years in British Columbia at her own school, Marpole Studio of Dance.

She is a graduate of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet professional Division.

Tamara Topsnik Hicks performed with the Royal Winnipeg in their productions of Swan Lake, Nutcracker and Giselle in 1988. She toured with the R.W.B. to Japan. In 1989 she danced in Germany in the “Nick Haberstich Ballet Company”.

Mrs. Hicks is a registered Royal Academy of Dance teacher and is qualified to enter students in R.A.D. exams. She has been an adjudicator with A.M.A.F. since 1995 and has loved every opportunity of sharing her knowledge with others. She currently teaches for several dance schools in Brandon.

Linda Keams
Instructor

Linda Kearns is presently the owner/director of Dance Images Studio in Brandon, Manitoba. Linda has an extensive background in Theatre Dance, Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Modern and other dance forms. She is Cecchetti trained and had the opportunity to study under Amelia Jackson, Rachel Browne, Al Gilbert, Arnold Spohr, Luigi, Paul Draper, Gus Glordano, Ron Forello and many other wonderful teachers.

Linda has had the honour to be the choreographer to the junior dancers for the Canada Summer games held in Brandon. Several of Linda’s students have gone on to professional careers in dance and theatre.

She continues to study and learn at the Broadway Dance Centre and Steps as well as Dance Manitoba sponsored workshops and other dance opportunities.