Miss Vanessa Mockaddam
Teacher
Miss Vanessa Mockaddam is a dance teacher and school teacher. She draws parallels between the art of teaching dance and the profession of teaching school. She focuses on the whole-student, prioritizing creative movement, a positive attitude, and a welcoming space for learning. Miss Vanessa chose to pursue dance because she was drawn to its artistry and creativity. She has successfully completed Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers (ADAPT) jazz examinations, Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) advanced graded ballet examinations, and Al Gilbert tap dance examinations. She has also studied hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, musical theatre, and pointe. Further, she has been awarded the Yellow CanGym Badge in gymnastics.
Miss Vanessa has worked in the dance studio environment for four years, during which she taught competitive hip hop and recreational jazz, acro, ballet, and hip hop. She has also been a school teacher for four years now and has had the opportunity to develop a dance program for her school, offering hip
hop, jazz, and lyrical classes to junior high students. Pursuing the art of teaching dance deeply inspires Vanessa, bringing forth her creativity and zeal. Building choreography and preparing students for performance are some of her favourite elements of the dance journey.
1st Season
Miss Vanessa has trained under Tara Wilson, one of the pioneers of hip hop and street dance in Calgary. Thanks to this training, she has built expertise around foundational hip hop styles such as popping, locking, breakdance, and party dances. This led her to teaching competitive hip hop classes. At competition, she has been awarded the “Most innovative choreography” award and prize money that she has shared with her students. Furthermore, her students have won first place medals as well as prestigious awards placing them as top winners in “overall” categories, awarding them trophies.
Miss Vanessa’s next ambitions include providing fun and upbeat classes for Tiny Tots, Kinder Kids, and Small & Tall classes, as well as choreographing competitive jazz and hip hop numbers. Vanessa is looking forward to sharing her love of teaching and movement with students of all ages and abilities. She cannot wait for her first year joining the uplifting Diversity team!