Mary-Ellen is a graduate of McMaster University with a Bachelor of Arts, Honours French Degree. As a full member of the Canadian Dance Teachers Association in the Stage Division, and a fully certified bootybarre® Instructor, she has taught a variety of disciplines to ages ranging from 2 to 82, and has been involved in numerous shows and competitions over the course of her 3 decades of dance training. After years of being in the dance industry and developing a strong passion for both ballet and fitness, Mary-Ellen realized how important it was to explore other aspects of the fitness world, and try to find new ways to incorporate her passion for ballet and dance, into her new love of fitness. This led her to the discovery of The Booty Barre® program. This perfect fusion of fitness, dance, Pilates, yoga and cardio offered an excellent solution for staying in shape, while still giving her the ability to continue pursuing ballet and dance based training. In July 2012, she traveled to Baltimore, MD. to do just that, and became one of Ontario's first two bootybarre® instructors, bringing the hottest new trend in barre fitness from California to Southern Ontario! Since the introduction of the Booty Barre® program in fall 2012 to Burlington and surrounding area residents, Mary-Ellen has been excited to share this new and exciting program with all of the participants who have come out to enjoy the classes, and looks forward to continuing the experience for both new and returning participants alike.
Melanie Sayers
Melanie is a Full Member of the Canadian Dance Teachers' Association (C.D.T.A.), Stage Division and a Certified bootybarre® Instructor. She is a graduate of Ryerson University obtaining a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Comm) degree and is a Member of The Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario (I.L.C.O.). Melanie has taught a variety of classes including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, C.D.T.A. examination and adult programs in her 25+ years of teaching experience. Melanie's passion for dance is evident in every class she teaches. Her personal dance training encompasses many disciplines including ballet, pointe, lyrical, contemporary, tap and jazz. She believes strongly in dance as an expressive art form, but also believes it is essential to maintaining a centered mind and a physically fit body. It is these beliefs that prompted her to seek out a program that combined her love of dance with a greater focus on fitness and she found it in the the bootybarre® program. A perfect complement to her philosophy, this program is dance based as well as being a fantastic workout. Melanie traveled to Baltimore, MD for primary instructor training in their two signature programs Plus® and Flex & Flow®. She was thrilled to become one of the first two instructors in Ontario to be certified. Melanie always creates a fun, safe and relaxed class environment ensuring participants reach their individual goals.