Born in Winter Park, Florida, Sasha De Sola trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. on full merit scholarship where she studied under the guidance of Ludmila Morkovina and Anatoli Kucheruk.  In 2004, Ms. De Sola received a scholarship for studies at the Paris Opera Ballet School.

At the age of 17, Ms. De Sola joined San Francisco Ballet where she rose through the ranks and was promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer in 2017.

Sasha De Sola has danced many leading roles with the San Francisco Ballet. Highlights include Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty; Kitri in Don Quixote; Myrtha in Giselle; Cinderella in Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella; Olga in John Cranko's Onegin; Princess Henriette in John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid; George Balanchine’s Diamonds, Divertimento No. 15, Tarantella, Serenade, Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, Agon, and Symphony in Three Movements; Alexei Ratmansky’s Chamber Symphony, Symphony No. 9, and From Foreign Lands; Harald Lander’s Etudes; Serge Lifar’s Suite en Blanc; Jerome Robbins’s In the Night, Other Dances, Fancy Free and Dances at a Gathering; Helgi Tomasson’s On a Theme of Paganini, Haffner Symphony and Trio; and William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude and Pas/Parts 2016.

She has originated featured roles in works by Christopher Wheeldon, Helgi Tomasson, Val Caniparoli, Liam Scarlett, Yuri Possokhov, Myles Thatcher, Trey McIntyre, Stanton Welch, and Dwight Rhoden.

Ms. De Sola has appeared as a guest artist in several galas around the world and was also awarded the Junior division Bronze Medal at the Youth America Grand Prix (2004); the Best Junior Couple prize at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi (2006); the Junior division Bronze Medal at Varna International Ballet Competition (2006); and the Silver Medal at World Ballet Competition (2008).

On Tiptoes - De Puntitas, an illustrated bilingual children’s book based on the life of Ms. De Sola, was released in November of 2018.

In November of 2019, Sasha De Sola announced the launch of The Ascendant: a charity initiative in which she collaborated with the San Francisco based jewelry store, Fiat Lux. Together they released a jointly designed, dance-inspired jewelry line where all profits benefit San Francisco Ballet, a nonprofit organization that is exceptionally dear to her heart.

TDSB Certified teacher

Ms. Jones was born and raised in Miami, FL. Is an alumnus of New World School of the Arts. After graduating, she began her dance career at Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she assended the ranks from professional training program to Principal Dancer. From there, she worked in various ballet, contemporary and dance theatre companies nationally and internationally. During her ever expanding career, she's developed a love for ballet/dance instruction, Yoga, GYROKINESIS® and overall well being. She has a desire to further her studies within these areas and to continue blooming artistically. Which include continuing to cultivate her own Dance/Performance Art Company.

TCDSB Certified Teacher

YRDSB Certified teacher

Greta Hodgkinson, OOnt

Born in Providence, Rhode Island and trained at The National Ballet School, Greta Hodgkinson joined The National Ballet of Canada, where she has been a Principal Dancer since 1996.  An artist acclaimed for her dazzling technical virtuosity, dramatic intensity and articulate characterization, she is the complete ballerina, par excellence.  Ms. Hodgkinson has performed every leading role in the classical repertoire and her talents extend to the contemporary repertoire as well.  She has had numerous roles created for her by world renowned choreographers and has worked closely with such icons as William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Glen Tetley, John Neumeier, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, James Kudelka and Crystal Pite. 

As a guest artist, Ms. Hodgkinson has appeared with The Mariinsky Ballet, Teatro alla Scala, The Australian Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Munich Ballet and Teatro Comunale di Firenze.  She has also performed at the World Ballet Festival in Tokyo, the State Kremlin Palace, Moscow, the Gala des Etoiles, Stars of the 21^st Century and International Ballet Galas in the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia and Europe. Ms. Hodgkinson has also worked extensively in film and has been featured in numerous dance and fashion magazines.

 In 2000, Ms. Hodgkinson was nominated for the prestigious Prix Benois de la Danse for her role as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake.  In 2017, Ms. Hodgkinson was appointed to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest honour which recognizes individuals whose exceptional achievement in their fields have left a lasting legacy in the province, Canada and beyond.  Ms. Hodgkinson has received two Citations from the State of Rhode Island in recognition of her extraordinary talents and accomplishments as a world class prima ballerina and her outstanding contribution to arts and culture in the United States.

Ms. Hodgkinson is an inspirational teacher and coach, working with professional dancers and students.  In 2020, after an extraordinary 30 years as a ballerina with The National Ballet of Canada, Ms. Hodgkinson was appointed to Artist in Residence with the company.    

American Ballet Theatre Soloist

Ilze Titova was born in Latvia, where she received her professional ballet training at the

Riga Choreography School. Ilze began her professional dance career at the Latvian

National Opera & Ballet Company in 1994, performing multiple roles in a wide variety of

classical and contemporary repertoire and touring extensively throughout Europe.

In 2005, Ilze began the Teacher Training Program for former professional dancers at

Canada’s National Ballet School. She graduated with Distinction, became a Registered

Teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance, and was selected by the faculty as the

recipient of the Betty Oliphant Award.

Immediately after graduation, Ilze began teaching at Canada's National Ballet School

where she taught Ballet Technique, Pointe, and Repertoire to male and female students

of all ages in both the Professional and Associates Programs.

Ilze has been a regular juror on the National Ballet School’s national audition tour

and has served on the jury of the Universal Ballet Competition in Florida, the Asian

Grand Prix in Hong Kong and the Surrey Festival of Dance in British Colombia. Since

2017 Ilze has been teaching company classes at Canada’s Ballet Jörgen. 

Alysa Pires

Choreographic Associate, National Ballet of Canada

Choreographer Alysa Pires has created works for companies such as the National Ballet of Canada, Ballet Kelowna, Ballet Edmonton, Canada’s Ballet Jörgen, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, Ryerson University, and more.

Alysa was one of the 2017 winners of Northwest Dance Project’s International Choreographic Competition. Pires began working with the National Ballet of Canada as part of their Choreographic Workshop. Over the course of two seasons Pires developed In Between, which premiered as part of FIVE CREATIONS in January 2018 and was subsequently performed at the MADHOTBALLET Gala that June.

Alysa was commissioned to create a new work for the 13th International Competition for the Erik Bruhn Prize and was appointed Choreographic Associate in 2019. Alysa is an Honours BFA graduate from the Ryerson School of Performance and was the recipient of the 2015 Jack McAllister Award, which recognizes alumni accomplishment. For more information, visit  or follow Alysa on social media @alysapiresdanceproject

Giorgio Galli was born in Carate Brianza, Italy and trained at Teatro alla Scala Ballet School in Italy and The Royal Ballet School in England. Mr. Galli joined The National Ballet of Canada as a RBC Apprentice in 2009 and became a member of the Corps de Ballet in 2010. 

Mr. Galli’s repertoire includes Paris in Romeo and Juliet, Laertes and Horatio in Hamlet, Diamond Man in The Sleeping Beauty and Fox and Icicle in The Nutcracker. He has danced roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, Cinderella, Onegin, Don Quixote, Pinocchio, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Winter’s Tale, Nijinsky, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Seagull, Manon, La Fille mal gardée, La Sylphide, Elite Syncopations, The Four Seasons, Theme and Variations, The Second Detail, West Side Story Suite, The Concert, Diamonds, Rubies, The Four Temperaments, Opus 19/The Dreamer, Chroma, Genus, Carousel (A Dance), Symphony #9, Emergence, Cacti, Being and Nothingness and Paz de la Jolla.

As a guest artist with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet in 2016, Mr. Galli danced roles in Dances Concertantes, Gounod Symphony and Stars and Strips. Promoted to Soloist in 2017, Mr. Galli danced roles in Chaconne.

During his training, Mr. Galli received a full scholarship to The Royal Ballet School. He was awarded the Choreographic Development Award in 2006, the John McAsIan Family Trust Prize in 2006, the Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers Award in 2009, the 2015/16 Patron Award of Merit by the Patron’s Council Committee of The National Ballet of Canada and most recently was the recipient of the 2016/17 David Tory Award.  

Mr. Galli has been an instructor for In Studio, the company’s adult and fitness programme since 2014 and is also a guest instructor across the Greater Toronto Area. He has been teaching company class for The National Ballet of Canada since 2017.

Lauren was first exposed to meditation as part of her figure skating training as a child and she has used conscious relaxation and visualization techniques ever since.   As the Mindfulness and Meditation Programming Coordinator for the University of Toronto she leads meditations within and beyond the classroom for students and staff.     She has also taught mindfulness and yoga in the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board and through numerous yoga studios.  Lauren is a Yoga Alliance registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) and Applied Mindfulness Meditation Specialist (U of T) with over 1000 hours of teaching experience.  She is currently pursuing a Masters of Education at the University of Toronto where she studies well-being and meditation in higher education.