Kingston Community Ballet Association

Known as the Kingston School of Dance

EST 1974

The Kingston School of Dance (KSD) was founded by the Kingston Community Ballet Association (a non-profit organization) to provide quality dance education in the Kingston Area.  Classes began in the fall of 1967 in space provided by the City of Kingston – under the dome of City Hall.  The studios at the J. K. Tett Centre, 370 King Street West have been home to the Kingston School of Dance since the early ’70s. Over the course of its rebuilding from 2019-2015, the School had operated from various locations in the city. 

Founder, Leonard Stepanick became Ballet Master and Artistic Director in 1972.  Mr. Stepanick danced for thirteen years with the National Ballet of Canada and was a Licentiate of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (Cecchetti Branch).  It was his enthusiasm together with that of the volunteer Board of Directors which maintained the strength and the spirit of the School.

Len Stepanik retired in 2003 and was replaced by Dianne Denning, the school’s second Artistic Director, and previous student of KSD. Dianne brought her skill of Cecchetti Ballet and combined it with her talent for instructing young children. Under Dianne’s direction, we saw both the maintenance of our older dancers and the development of our children’s dance classes. Around this time, Ebon Gage joined the Kingston School of Dance as an instructor. When Dianne stepped down to attend to the needs of her family in 2008, Ebon Gage was hired as the School’s third Artistic Director. Ebon held a long-term contract with the School. His leadership demonstrated his commitment to both the Kingston School of Dance and the Arts Community in Kingston. In 2018 Andrea Palmer became the 4th Artistic Director of the Kingston School of Dance, welcoming our ‘Aspiring Dancer Program’, our pre-professional performance company the ”Kingston Youth Dance Ensemble”, and most importantly, the return of focus in the Cecchetti Ballet Method.

In 2021, we welcome our new Artistic Director, Kay Kenney. A professional contemporary dance artist and choreographer, and KSD alumnae, who has been nurturing a home for professional dance in Kingston since her return in 2016. As the founder of Movement Market Collective and recipient of the 2020 Kingston Mayors Arts Award Kay has been thoroughly invested in the growth of arts and culture in Kingston and believes that the Kingston School of Dance is at the centre of that growth.

The Kingston School of Dance has both the pride and pleasure of reporting that a great many of our students have graduated to professional careers in dance and theatre including:

Anthony Alexander / Contemporary dancer in California and New York City. He founded dance companies in New York City and Miami.

Rosemary Doyle / Artistic Director of Theatre Kingston.

Nadine Drouin / Dancer with the National Ballet of Canada and Dutch National Ballet.

Sophia Fabilli / Actress and Artistic Director of the Thousand Island Playhouse

Polly Forsdyke / Danced with National Ballet of Canada, the Bordeaux Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, and was cast in dance productions on major cruise lines where she became a choreographer and a director.

Melanie Kamphuis / Theatre Administrator at Stratford.

Chilina Kennedy / Dancer, actress, and a singer.  Performed in the Charlottetown production of Anne of Green Gables as the lead.  Joined the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Played Maria in West Side Story in Stratford, Ontario.

Kay Kenney / Company Dance for Ottawa Dance Directive & Social Growl Dance, Founder of Movement Market Collective and the Ground UP Dance Festival(Kingston), appointed as KSD’s Artistic Director 2021

Peter Locke / Danced with Ballet Ys, Netherlands Dance Theatre, and after retirement from dance became a Chiropractor.

Allison McCreary / Danced with the Alberta Ballet Company and Les Grands Ballet Canadiens.