Ms. Long has dedicated the past 15 years to dance and theatre education, accumulating a wealth of experience in choreographing, coaching, adjudicating, and overseeing classical and multi-disciplinary curriculums for schools in Ontario and the lower mainland of British Columbia since 1999. As the founder and artistic director of the Vancouver Junior Professional Division since 2005, she has been instrumental in shaping the institution's growth and development.
Ms. Long's educational background is marked by extensive training in Toronto, Ontario, under the guidance of esteemed instructors such as Sean Boutilier, Sheona Bell-Williston, Catherine Glasser, and Glenn Gilmour. Her academic achievements include receiving Honours on the Advanced Cecchetti exam at the age of 16, which paved the way for her further studies abroad in the United States, France, Switzerland, Chile, and York University's BFA Dance Program.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Ms. Long has also made a significant impact in Toronto's entertainment industry, earning two GEMINI nominations for her work in Canadian film and television. Her credits include leading roles in feature films and television series for renowned production companies such as Paramount Pictures, Alliance Atlantis, Disney Channel, CBC, FOX, ABC, and HBO.
Ms. Long's professional journey took a new turn when she moved to the west coast to accept an apprenticeship with Ballet BC. She went on to perform extensively as a soloist for four years with the Vancouver Goh Ballet Ensemble, and also had the privilege of touring with the Colorado Ballet Company and American Ballet Theatre before retiring in 2005 to pursue her long-held goal of founding a specialized junior training institute.
As the chief coordinator and founder of VJPD's eight levels and five disciplines of curriculum, Ms. Long is deeply passionate about early dance education. She travels annually to international teaching seminars to bring new and progressive resources to the forefront of VJPD's full-spectrum junior syllabi. Under her direction, VJPD has evolved into an extensive training environment where technical and artistic sensibilities can be instilled at the most foundational levels of training, resulting in the pure sense of technique and style evident in VJPD classrooms today.
