OUR FACULTY
Jodi Scambler
Founder/Owner
I started dancing at the age of 7 with Rod Schultz. With Rod, I studied Acro, Gymnastics, Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz, and my favorite, Tap.
When I was 11 years old I started student teaching with Rod, and knew at the young age of 11, that I would somehow make this my career. My Dad always told me "Find something that you love, and make it your life.".
At 12, I danced at Expo '86, and from then on continued performing. I have completed my Jazz, Tap, and Ballet exams with Al Guilbert. After high school I studied Theatre and Stagecraft, and Stagemanaged many theatre productions.
Throughout this time I continued my training, as well as instructed throughout the lower mainland at various dance studios. I hope that my love and passion for the arts shows through in all of my students, as well as Just for Kicks.
Isabelle Bystrom
Hip Hop/Jazz/Acro/ Muscial Theatre
Isabelle was introduced to dance at the age of seven. Since then she has trained at Just For Kicks and competed in styles such as jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and musical theatre. At the age of thirteen Isabelle was already eager to teach dance and volunteer within the dance community. She has found great passion in giving young dancers the ability to grow as a performer. Isabelle strives to show children the expression and love she has found through dance at the studio and on stage and share her passions while teaching.
Amy Burns
Tap
Amy has trained and performed extensively in Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Modern Contemporary & Lyrical Jazz from a very young age, and has been teaching and choreographing Tap full-time for 26 years throughout the Lower Mainland, Northern B.C. (Smithers) and annual Summer School programs on Vancouver Island. She has a long list of accomplishments and award-winning competitive performances in Canada and the U.S. In July of 2009, it was with great excitement that she and 22 of her students participated in the “New York City Tap Festival” where they trained with world-renowned Masters and by audition, were chosen to perform their award-winning routines “Off Broadway” to a sold-out theatre. That evening Amy was honored with being chosen as the recipient of the “2009 NYC Tap Festival Outstanding Teacher/Choreographer Award” for her “Outstanding Dedication and Commitment to the Art of Tap Dancing”. It is with great joy and pride that Amy was able to nourish her own heartfelt passion and love of Tap for many years amid her hectic schedule, to perform professionally as a member of Vancouver’s “Urban Tap Squad Company”, throughout British Columbia and beyond. In September 2006 they showcased part of their tour show, “Urban Interludes” to sold-out audiences at The Vancouver Roundhouse.
It is Amy’s desire to share with her students of all ages, her diversified training, technique, musicality and rhythm, and most of all, her genuine love and passion for Tap Dance. Her renowned and unique choreography comes from within her soul and captures the very essence of “Tap” and its beautiful rhythms speak to this beautiful and historical language. With her love of teaching children of all ages and adults, she foremost encourages fun and embracing the love and joy of “Tap”, with patience and positivity. She teaches and encourages her students to “un-tap” the joy of this wonderful instrument and music within them and to truly hear and articulate their own “joyful noise”.
Jayda Bhinder
Hip-Hop
Jayda Bhinder is a passionate dancer and performer. She started dancing when she was 6 years old, training in many different genres such as Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Lyrical, Tap, and Hip Hop. At the age of 10 she began to specialize in Hip Hop. Since then Jayda has trained with the top Hip Hop teachers locally and across Canada and the US. Her many styles include waacking, popping, animation, old school and new school. She maintains a very strong presence in both the choreography and battles scene. In 2022 she came top 4 in the Red Bull battle in Vancouver which advanced her to the Red Bull nationals in Toronto. She has taken her unique style to battles across North America including World of Dance Arizona, Monsters Hip Hop, Versa Style LA, 36 Chambers New York and Vancouver street Dance Festival to name a few.
She is also a dynamic performer that has had immense success with her team Megabots and her duo DJC. DJC had the amazing opportunity to compete on season 2 of Canda's got Talent. They wowed the judges with their skill and chemistry as a dynamic duo!
Jayda has also represented Team Canada Hip Hop in Denmark as a junior and and in 2023 return to Team Canada Hip Hop where her large group achieved 2nd place overall and she placed 10th in the world for popping and hip hop solo.
She enjoys working with younger dancers and choreographing. Jayda has a wide range of hip hop knowledge to share with her students. She is very excited and passionate about growing the next generation of Hip Hop dancers!
Brenna Banks
Acro
Brenna began dancing at the age of 6 and immediately fell in love with it. She trained in CDTA Acro, Jazz, Tap, and Chechetti Ballet, but Acrobatics quickly became her passion. At 17, she embarked on her teaching journey and is now a certified Acrobatic Arts instructor.
Brenna has enriched her skills by attending workshops and master classes, including The Dance Teachers Summit in NYC, the Northern Movement Acro Conference, and The Vancouver Yoga Conference. Her choreography has been recognized with awards at Dream Team Dance Festival, Peak Invitational Dance Competition, Dance Power, and Synergy. Brenna's students have also earned numerous accolades, including High Scores, Judges' Choice, and Overall Acro of the Year.
Keira Bach
Ballet
Originally from Regina, Saskatchewan, Keira found her passion for dance at the age of 5. She has trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary, as well as dabbled in acro, ballroom, and
musical theatre.
She began competing at age 14 and joined Just For Kicks at age 17. J4K quickly became her second home as she assisted with classes and became a substitute instructor with her Primary and Level 1 Ballet Canadian Dance Teacher Association certificate. In her time outside of the studio, Keira works as an elementary education assistant and enjoys building Lego and playing with her cat, Popcorn.
Grace Sabatini
Acro/Hiphop-Jazz/Lyrical
I’ve been dancing for just over 17 years now and I actually started right here at Just For Kicks! I trained in many styles, such as lyrical, jazz, ballet, hip hop, acro and contemporary. I trained at a competitive level starting at the age of 8. Dance has created so many unforgettable experiences for me, such as dancing in Las Vegas, Disneyland, and all over the Lower Mainland of B.C.
This studio is very much so a part of me, and the reason I am who I am today. Here is where I was introduced to the best people I’ve ever met, and they are still my best friends today. I was exposed to amazing training of all different styles. I grew up with so many motivational and inspiring teachers and I wanted to make sure that I could be that for my students. Being a dancer means so much more than just training and performing. It’s about learning to love and trust the people around you, as well as yourself. In my classes I really focus on teaching self-love, goal setting, and teamwork, as well as dance. I believe it’s some of the most important things to learn as a young person.
I love teaching and building relationships with my students, and helping them achieve their goals and chase their dreams!
Morgan Blair
Ballet
Morgan’s love of dance has been with her since the age of 3, when she took her first ballet class. Awarded “Distinction” in all her ballet exams with Royal Academy of Dance, including her Advanced 2 exam; her passion does not stop there. Along with a strong classical background in Ballet, Morgan has had extensive training in Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Modern, Salsa and Irish over the years. She has trained and performed with some of the best in North America
including San Francisco’s Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet School, Banff Centre for the Arts, Alberta Ballet and Royal Winnipeg. In the lower mainland, Morgan has been a dancer with The Source and Lamondance companies, has performed on Once Upon a Time tv series and was Clara for 3 years for Alberta Ballet Nutcracker. She has taught ballet, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, barre and Zumba throughout the lower mainland. Morgan has recently returned after teaching English and dance at a University in Oaxaca, Mexico for the last 5 years.
Anja Marcetic
Contemporary/Jazz/Lyrical/ Acro
Anja Marcetic (she/her) is a Serbian-born dancer, choreographer, dance educator, actress, and model who currently resides in Vancouver, Canada. She embarked on her dance career at the age of three in one of the finest dance studios in Serbia. Growing up, she was instilled with the motto, "If you can't do it, feel free to leave!", and the strictness and mindset enforced by her Serbian coaches and mentors shaped her into the dancer she is today. After years of competing and dancing professionally, Anja ventured into teaching, instructing, and choreographing at the age of sixteen. She received formal training in Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Modern, Hip Hop, Acro, and Lyrical dance styles. In addition to participating in numerous National, European, and World Championships, she has graced the stages of Serbia in over thirty dance shows and musicals. Her creative expertise extends to designing choreography for individual dancers, dance companies, musical theater productions, dance shows, celebrities, television productions, and special events. Throughout her dance journey, Anja also pursued acting, attending an acting school in Serbia for years. Dancing, singing, and acting are her greatest passions. She has continued her acting career after relocating to Vancouver, participating in several short and feature films. Driven by ambition, energy, and a strong desire for success, Anja made the decision to follow her dreams and share her passion with the world. Taking the first step towards her goals, she relocated to Vancouver in early 2023.
Kelsey Ziegler
Ballet/Contemporary/Technique/Jazz/
Lyrical
Miss Kelsey has over 20 years of dance training and performing. She started dancing at the age of 3 and hasn’t been able to stop since. Kelsey is trained in jazz,lyrical, contemporary and RAD Ballet. Kelsey has successfully competed in festivals and competitions in Canada and the United States of America while also performing in the Nutcracker for multiple years.
Kelsey strives to help dancers find who they are through dance. She has a strong passion for dance which is strongly emphasized in her dance classes. She makes sure her students learn everything to the best of their ability and perform on stage and in the classroom.