Adela Cleverley
Artistic Director
Adela Cleverley has been training in ballet and highland dance since the age of 9. She has performed in many shows with Ann Milne and the Owen Sound Academy of Performing Arts, including Dancing for Life and Dancing for Life... Because You Can. Adela is a competitive highland dancer and has been teaching competitive and recreational highland since 2008. In 2012, she became a fully qualified Member of the BATD for highland, and she is now a Member of the SDTA (Scottish Dance Teachers Alliance). Adela has also been teaching Ballet and Contemporary since 2012, and Adult Dance since 2015. In 2019, Adela completed her Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies with the RAD (Royal Academy of Dance), which qualifies the Owen Sound Dance Academy as an RAD registered school.
​
Adela graduated in 2016 after five years of training in the Dance program at York University in Toronto, having received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, as well as a concurrent Bachelor of Education at the Primary-Junior level. At York, Adela studied classical and contemporary ballet, improvisation and Skinner Release Technique, and a range of modern dance techniques including Graham and Limón. She was able to expand and enrich her dance background with studies in choreography, conditioning, dance history, and dance kinesiology, as well as courses in early child development
and motor learning for dance. In her time at York University, Adela also had the opportunity to perform twice in the school’s annual production of York Dances, and has been inspired by the countless professional modern dance and ballet shows she was able to attend each year.
​
Adela has had the pleasure of training under many notable Dance Artists, including Julia Sasso, John Ottman, Carol Anderson, Tracey Norman, and Helen Jones.
​
Until 2017, Adela taught Highland, Ballet and Contemporary at the Owen Sound Academy of Performing Arts, and she was honoured to become the owner and Artistic Director of the new Academy in August 2017. Since then, Adela has continued to train dancers in these styles as well as teaching Preschool, Adult Dance, and Parent & Tot. She has put 8 full dance recitals on stage, including The Nutcracker in 2018, 2022 and 2024 and the Academy's most recent production of Storybound this past June. In 2022 Adela began further outreach and contemporary dance artistry when she founded the youth dance company, Wildflower Dance Arts. Through her years of training at the OSAPA and York, Adela discovered a real passion for teaching and creating dance and is honoured to be able to continue sharing her art with this community.
​
Photo Credit: Candra Schank
Milo Mack
Assistant Director
Milo Mack grew up in Oakville and Mississauga and has been immersed in music for all of his life, playing a variety of instruments from a young age. In high school, a co-op placement at Rogers TV inspired in him a love of film-making, and he later attended Humber College to study film and television, graduating in 2016. Through this program he discovered a vibrant interest in working as a First Assistant Director—the people coordinator, the organizer, the planner and one of the most essential roles on a film set. After graduating, Milo switched gears to follow one of his other great passions, travel. He began working as a travel agent and continued to build valuable skills through 5 years of increasingly demanding and high profile work. But, Milo always missed the creative outlet he had found through music and filmmaking.
Milo discovered his love of dance as an adult, first through watching inspirational performances by the National Ballet and various contemporary dance companies in Toronto and New York, and then by taking classes himself. Milo has trained in ballet, contemporary and highland; he completed the RAD Intermediate Foundations exam this past spring and is currently working towards his Intermediate level exam.
In 2021, Milo moved up to Owen Sound to live with his then partner and now fiancée, Adela. He soon became immersed in the vibrant and bustling community of the Academy and began working with Adela to maintain and strengthen the growing studio. This soon led to a
myriad of roles including costume design, program design, Highland competition coordination, admin, educational and creative research, supply teaching, and coordinating volunteers and dancers as Assistant Director in the Academy's last 6 stage productions.
​
Alongside his own training and behind-the-scenes work, Milo began assisting with several levels of ballet classes in 2023, What started as working with dancers with higher support needs to help them have a fulfilling time at dance, grew into a love of teaching in general. Milo will be teaching the Elementary Ballet class this year and is excited to continue sharing his love of dance with all of the students of the Academy.
​
​
Leah Beamish
Professional Instructor
A graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School’s Teacher Training Program, Leah Beamish began her dance training at the Oakville School of Dance under Amanda Anderson-Bayliss and later went on to perform with the Oakville Ballet Company.
​
Leah holds teaching accreditations with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (National branch). Over the course of 12 years teaching full-time, she has worked with dancers of all levels, from recreational to pre-professional. Leah has been on faculty at Canada’s National Ballet School, where she taught in both the Professional and Associate Programs, and was a main ballet teacher at the Pia Bouman School of Ballet and Creative Movement. At Pia Bouman, she played a central role in guiding students through RAD examinations, as well as choreographing, organizing costumes, and staging major year-end performances.
​
In addition to her teaching, Leah has achieved high levels in her own training, completing RAD Advanced II, Cecchetti Advanced I, and ISTD National Advanced I. Though her first passion is ballet, Leah is also inspired by the heritage and vivacity of character dances from around the world. She has both taught character dance at Canada’s National Ballet School and performed with the Lithuanian folk ensemble Atzalynas.
In 2011, Leah was awarded a Special Mention from Canada’s National Ballet School in recognition of her exceptional progress in developing teaching skills.
Liisa Smith
Professional Instructor
Originating from the Canadian prairies, Liisa Smith's journey led her through the cultural landscapes of Pakistan and Switzerland during high school. She completed her BFA in Dance with a minor in Economics at York University in Toronto where she spent 15 years working, performing, teaching, and creating. Today, she thrives as a dance artist and electrical apprentice based in Sauble Beach, Ontario.
The creative force behind random acts of dance, Liisa founded this charitable organization dedicated to creating, performing, and producing contemporary dance, including multiple full-length works, site-specific pieces, tours, and the community-minded festival, Your Dance Fest. In her choreography and improvisation she is intrigued by the slightest gesture juxtaposed with grandiose movement. She fuses forms, melting different dance genres with spoken word and original sound scores. Liisa focuses heavily on building audiences and loves for art to surprise her, taking a huge interest in site-specific work.
​
Liisa loves sharing in the joy of dance through teaching and has completed certifications in C-I Training, Limon technique, ADAPT Tap and Jazz, and TDC Tap Syllabus. In rehearsals and classes, Liisa radiates a calming and grounding energy
that nurtures a creative environment. Her goals in teaching dance go beyond the steps as she strives to instill a life-long love of movement and a relish in hard work in her students.
​
Balancing her artistic pursuits and her apprenticeship, Liisa is a proud mother of two young kids. She finds joy in board games, delights in a cup of tea, and embraces the wonders of the outdoors. Liisa is excited to continue sharing her love of tap with our monthly tap program!
Kathleen Jerome is from Owen Sound and grew up training in ballet, highland and Irish dance at the Sheila Milne School of Dance and the Owen Sound Academy of Performing Arts. She has her Members Certificates for both Highland and National Dances under the BATD method. She earned her Intermediate certificates in both RAD and Cecchetti methods of ballet. Kathleen has successfully competed in solo and choreography competitions all over North America in both Highland and Irish dance styles. She has dabbled in jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, tap, and musical theatre and has trained under such notable teachers as Sheila and Ann Milne, Nadiene Gibney, Theodor Constant, Heather Dixon, and Paula Woodgate.
Kathleen attended Queen’s University for Drama and English, then completed her Master’s in Theatre History at the University of Victoria. She gained her Bachelor of Education back at Queen’s, and is now a full time English teacher at St. Mary’s High School, where she helps with Student Council, public speaking competitions, and their dramatic productions. Katie has taught various levels of ballet and highland in the past, and will be joining us to teach Preschool Highland this year!
Kathleen Jerome
Associate Teacher
Karina Welsh
Associate Teacher
Karina Welsh, originally from Owen Sound, has been dancing since the age of five and has trained in highland, ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, modern, and musical theatre. She competed in Highland dance for over 13 years, attending competitions and workshops across Canada, the U.S., and Scotland, and completed her Highland Associates’ exam with the BATD. She was accepted to both Canada’s National Ballet School Summer Program and the Quinte Ballet School, and has participated in many stage productions.
Karina has taught both Highland and Ballet to dancers of all ages, including at the Academy in 2019-2020. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics from the University of Guelph and a Master of Occupational Therapy from the University of Ottawa, and now works full time as an occupational therapist.
In her spare time, Karina loves spending time with her family, including her dog and newborn baby. She is excited to be back teaching at the Academy this season!
Ava Stutzman
Associate Teacher
Ava Stutzman is a champion highland dancer who has been dancing since the age of 3 and has been a competitive highland dancer since the age of 4. She also had a number of years of ballet training in the past, and over the years she has performed in many Academy shows and community performances. Through her dance career so far, Ava has had the opportunity to travel to many places including Scotland, Nashville and Pennsylvania, as well as having the opportunity to take workshops with world renowned judges Diane Krugh and Linda Armstrong and meeting multiple world champion highland dancers. A highlight in Ava's competitive career was placing top 6 overall in the USIR North American Championships in 2019.
Ava has received honours in every highland examination and has been nominated multiple times for BATD and SDTA North American Scholarship events. She began assisting with highland classes in 2022 and in April 2023, Ava passed her SDTA Highland Associates' exam and in 2025 she achieved her full Membership with the SDTA. In 2024 Ava was given the opportunity to travel to perform in the Royal Military Tattoo in Belgium, and in 2025 she began training for championships again, competing across Ontario including at the Canadian Championships in Ottawa. Ava is now studying medicine at McMaster University and will be teaching at the Academy on her school holidays.
Lila Warrilow
Student Teacher
Lila Warrilow has been dancing since the age of 3 and has trained in many styles of dance including highland, jazz, musical theatre, ballet, and contemporary. She has had the opportunity to learn from some amazing dance artists including Carol Anderson and Mateo Galindo Torres. Lila was a competitive highland dancer for a number of years and has received Honours through all of her highland theory examinations, which has nominated her for the SDTA North American Scholarship event twice. In 2023, Lila achieved Merit in her RAD Intermediate Ballet exam. Lila has performed in many shows and community performances with the Owen Sound Dance Academy and had the opportunity to expand her contemporary dance artistry by participating in the spring pilot program for Wildflower Dance Arts, culminating in a performance at Earth Day Grey Bruce in the spring of 2022. In both 2022 and 2024 Lila performed the title role of the Nutcracker in the Academy's production, and in the summer of 2023 she had the exciting opportunity to train in ballet and contemporary at the Dance Arts Institute's summer intensive in Toronto. Lila began assisting with ballet and highland classes in 2018 and began teaching her own classes in the fall of 2022. She is looking forward to continuing to share her love of dance with all of our new and returning dancers!
Ireland Kennedy
Student Teacher
Ireland Kennedy is a Premier Highland dancer who began her dance career taking highland dance lessons at the age of 6 in Stouffville, until she moved to Thornbury and joined the Owen Sound Dance Academy at the age of 8. Ireland started competing in Highland dance competitions when she was 9 and competed with much success, winning many awards all the way up to Premier level. She has achieved Honours in her SDTA highland and theory exams and attended the SDTA North American Scholarships in Halifax in 2022. Ireland has participated in many OSDA shows as well as community performances. She began assisting with Preschool, Primary and Beginner Highland classes in 2022 and is excited to continue to share her love of highland with young dancers at the Academy this year!