Takeoff 2026 Masterclass

Tanya Howard

Tanya Howard was born in Uitenhage, South Africa and trained at The National School of the Arts in South Africa and Canada’s National Ballet School. She joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1998 and was promoted to First Soloist in 2007. Tanya’s repertoire includes Alice and the Queen of Hearts in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Stepsister in Cinderella, Paulina in The Winter’s Tale, Summer and Autumn in The Four Seasons, La Rose in the world premiere of Le Petit Prince, Ren in the world premiere of MADDADDAM, Snow Queen in The Nutcracker and the female lead in Voluntaries. Her repertoire also includes feature roles in Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Anna Karenina, The Merry Widow, Don Quixote, The Taming of the Shrew, Frame by Frame, Les Sylphides, Opus 19/The Dreamer, Elite Syncopations, Serenade, Jewels, Symphony in C, Monotones II, Désir, The Four Temperaments, Glass Pieces, Paquita, The Second Detail, Approximate Sonata 2016, Chroma, Genus, Angels’ Atlas, Being and Nothingness, Concerto, On Solid Ground, Night and Trase Pa. In 2016, Tanya was awarded the David Tory award and was awarded the William Marrié Award for Dramatic Excellence for her role as the Queen of Hearts in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 2011.

Martha Hart

Martha Hart is a Dora-nominated dance artist, choreographer, and educator based in Tkaronto/Toronto. A graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School, Palucca Schule Dresden, L’École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec, and Arts Umbrella Dance, she began her professional career with the Dresden Semperoper Ballet in Germany. Since returning to Canada in 2010, she has performed and collaborated with companies and creators including Côté Danse, Human Body Expression, iskwē, Nicole von Arx, TranscenDance Project, Eilers Dance Theatre, ACE Dance Theatre, The Garage, Hit & Run Dance Productions, Mascall Dance, the Broadbent Sisters, and Project20 in Montréal, Vancouver, and Toronto.

From 2015–2016, Martha toured Mexico, Spain, and Italy as a member of the Metamorphosis Dance Collective under the direction of Iratxe Ansa and Igor Bacovich, later producing Metamorphosis Method workshops in Toronto from 2017 to 2020. In 2020, she founded hART dance, a collaborative platform for her choreographic work. Her creations have been presented in Jessie Reyez’s music video Mutual Friend, at Stackt Market, Nuit Blanche, and in Oasis, a short film produced through the Canadian Film Centre.

A certified examiner with the IDA Ballet Syllabus, Martha is passionate about sharing the art of ballet with dancers of all ages. She continues to champion new performance opportunities within the Toronto dance community and to foster meaningful connections across artistic disciplines.

Sarah Kirkness

Sarah Kirkness is the founder of Prima Ballet Co. and is a ballet specialist and award-winning competitive choreographer whose work spans classical, contemporary, and theatrical stages. Trained a Canada’s National Ballet School’s Teacher Training Program and Ryerson University’s (now TMU) Fine Arts Dance Program, she holds associate teaching qualifications with Cecchetti Canada and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, and is an affiliate of the Professional Adjudicators Alliance. With a background in Cecchetti, RAD, and Vaganova techniques, Sarah blends historical foundations with a modern, inclusive approach to training. Her choreography is celebrated for its artistry, storytelling, and ability to inspire dancers to perform at their highest potential.