About Us
Ashley Brodeur (she/her) - Director & Instructor
Creator and Director of Maven Movement, providing professional level performance and training opportunities on an equitable scale has been Ashley’s focus for the past 9 years. She believes it is essential to ensuring high caliber performance opportunities are available to all, especially those underrepresented in traditional professional atmospheres and is currently the Manager of Performing Arts at the National accessArts Centre.
An attendee of the BFA Dance Program at York University, the Commercial Dance Program at George Brown College and the Professional Training Program at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, she has actively trained in Los Angeles, Toronto and Saint Petersburg, Russia. Previously, she has taught coast to coast in Canada, the Dominican Republic and has shared her skills with hundreds of students throughout various school residency programs. A long-time faculty member at the School of Decidedly Jazz and iLLFX Education, she has also guest taught at numerous dance studios throughout Ontario and Alberta resulting in an extensive wealth of knowledge and adaptability to dance and the performing arts.
Professional performance credits include: Culture Shock Washington, D.C., the Dubai Shopping Festival, The Fringe Festival, TIFF, BravoFact!, collaborations with brands such as Loreal, Labatt and XBox, Toronto’s Choreographer’s Ball and the Much Music Video Awards with PSY.
Jane Mitton (she/her) - Instructor
Introducing Jane (she/her): a dance aficionado and an impressive choreographer. Her genuine love for dance is evident as she glides through a diverse range of styles – from jazz, ballet, tap, and hip-hop to heels, lyrical, contemporary, and jazz funk. She even explores the realms of acrobatics and musical theatre, adding a unique flair to her repertoire.
Since 2018, Jane has been making waves as an integral part of the Maven Movement squad. With a flick of her wrist and a graceful spin in her high heels, she motivates and captivates adult dancers of all levels, from those taking their first struts into the world of dance to those already well-versed and experienced.
Jane isn't just a dance instructor; she's a contagiously passionate mentor. Her energy is infectious, sparking a fire within each dancer she encounters. Maven Movement isn't just about dance—it's about empowerment. It's about celebrating every race, every gender, every sexuality, all together under the dazzling umbrella of dance. Amidst her dedicated team, Jane positions herself as one of the many guiding lights, infusing each individual with limitless passion and unwavering encouragement. Anticipating yet another amazing season with Maven Movement, she's eager to pirouette back into the studio and onto the stage.
Kirstin Wilson (she/her) - Instructor
Born and raised in Calgary Alberta, Kirstin (She/Her) has been dancing majority of her life.
Kirstin started her dance training at the age of 4 in Highland Dancing and competed in this style for 19 years.
Kirstin attended Central memorial high school and was accepted in the Performing and Visuals arts program for Dance. Throughout her high school years this brought more training in a variety of styles like Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, West African, Hip hop and many other styles.
Kirstin continued to train out of high school at Decidedly jazz Danceworks, Pulse studios and IllFx education. This is where she found her passion for hip hop, femme styles and dancehall.
The studio and stage is where she became a confident dancer, teacher and individual and she looks forward to inspiring others the same way.
Shelby Benson (she/her) - Assistant & Instructor
Shelby started dancing in Edmonton when she was 3 years old. Expanding into many different disciplines in dance such as tap, musical theatre, cecchetti and many others competitively. As Shelby got older she expended into Pom and dancing on the Edmonton Prospect’s dance team. During this time Shelby studied human kinetics and obtained a kinesiology degree at the University of Alberta. After moving to Calgary in late 2018 she quickly found Maven Movement (formerly AOS Calgary) and has been hooked on the performance program, technical growth and community ever since.
Dancing with Maven is always the highlight of her week.
Samantha Ashley (they/she) - Instructor
Sam (they/she) brings over a decade of dance training and teaching in a variety of styles and settings. From dance theatre, to competition hip hop crews, and special event dance performances, Sam’s dancing is deeply rooted in full body performance and playful energy.
Growing up in Windsor, Ontario allowed Sam to dance with the sounds of Detroit techno from a very young age. Annual visits to the Detroit Electronic Musical Festival (now called “Movement”) with their Dad and brother heavily influenced Sam’s movement quality and freedom of expression. Movement is one of the longest running dance music events in the world bringing opportunities to discover and share the body’s natural movement qualities with movers from around the globe.
While completing their Bachelor of Arts in Drama & Community, Sam was a member of the Lancer Competitive Dance Company Hip Hop Crew, Lead Choreographer and Artistic Director of The Drama Space (a children’s theatre company), Senior Choreographer and Dancer for Windsor Dance eXperience, and Lead Dancer for the Windsor Express Dance Team. They also had the opportunity to perform in the opening ceremonies of The International Children’s Games and various local event performances.
As Sam began to relocate across Canada, they trained with the Niagara region’s Army of Sass (now known as “Strut”), Toronto’s Underground Dance Centre, and various workshops in Montréal, Vancouver, and San Francisco. Now living in Calgary as of July 2023, Sam connected with the Maven community and their desire to return to the world of dance as an established performer and teacher of movement. Sam has enjoyed meeting everyone in the Maven community and is grateful to have found a space to share their love of moving in a welcoming and supportive environment.
Laurisa Buydens (she/her) - Assistant
Dance has been a part of Laurisa's life from a very young age. Starting with all the fundamentals including ballet, jazz, hip hop, and tap, and moving through lyrical, contemporary, and into a strong passion for musical theater in her later teen years, Laurisa has always found connection through the art of movement and artistic expression. Following high school, Laurisa revisited competitive dance briefly before moving away to focus on her master's in Speech-Language Pathology.
After graduating and moving to Calgary for work, she discovered Maven Movement through a fellow Maven and has never looked back. Joining Maven in 2022 has re-lit a passion for dance Laurisa didn't realize she missed and considers it an integral part of her week. Through Maven Laurisa feels she can escape from the hectic day-to-day life, dive into self-expression, meet wonderful new people, and continue exploring her self-confidence and discovery.
Joining Maven was one of the best decisions Laurisa has felt she has made since moving to Calgary and looks forward to continue growing her skills and the community in many sessions to come!