Meet The Team

Christie Lee Manning - Creator/Editor in Chief

Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Christie Lee Manning has established herself as a a very talented, upcoming artist. Trained in Classical Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Tap, Musical Theatre, and Ballroom, Christie graduated from the Langley Fine Arts School as a Dance Major after performing with the school’s modern based dance company, Esprit De Corps. She then moved on to become a member of The Source Dance Company, and most recently Lamondance Company, a brazilian contemporary company based out of Vancouver, BC. Christie has performed for various events such as the CFL Grey Cup Halftime Show with Nelly Furtado and Lenny Kravitz, as well as the 2010 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremonies with Michael Buble. She has appeared in such feature films as ‘White Chicks’ and MTV’s ’2gether’, and recently choreographed the video ‘Your Hands (Together) for the New Pornographers. Christie just completed a contract performing as a Principal Dancer for a new musical entitled ‘Sweet Mystery’. Her passion for journalism and art has led her to launch INDUSTRY Dance Magazine. Christie hopes to make a great impact on the Canadian Dance Industry and strengthen our dancers’ knowledge, awareness, and professionalism.

Kelsey Jorssen – Online Marketing/Editor

Kelsey Jorssen, born in Ottawa, Ontario grew up studying classical ballet in Vaganova and Cecchetti methods in pre-professional ballet schools. When she was seventeen, she moved to Calgary to obtain her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance at the University of Calgary. Firstly a ballet major with the Alberta ballet (RAD), she spent her other three years majoring in contemporary dance in collaboration with studies in kinesiology. While in school, Kelsey had the opportunity to research dance in the not-for-profit sector and later decided to move to Vancouver to further study the business of the non-profit arts and study yoga. She performed in the closing ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and began exploring the fashion industry such as Eco Fashion Forward and Vancouver Eco Fashion Week by coordinating and choreographing performances. Kelsey is currently working at the Scotiabank Dance Centre (non-profit) and is working towards obtaining her teaching certificate in yoga in January 2011.

Nishga Hotz Felder – Calgary Representative/Editor

Nishga was born in New York City, NY and spent the majority of her youth training as a Rhythmic Gymnast in Vancouver, B.C. She ranked 7th at Elite Canada 2001, earning her a spot on the Canadian National Team and competed and trained all over Canada, as well as Los Angeles, San Fransisco and Moscow. She now resides in Calgary, AB, where she is completing a B.A, as well as two minors, one being Contemporary Dance. Having been in various nationally broadcasted commercials, T.V shows and movies, she continues to work on local productions and teaches at Alive Danceworks.

Vanessa Young - Toronto Representative/Editor

Vanessa has been a performer for her entire life, and currently holds a Diploma in Dance and a Certificate in Performing Arts. In the past 5 years this 24 year old powerhouse has become a “Global Dance Citizen”, training and performing in Mexico, Europe, USA and Australia where she is currently producing her first large-scale show. Her performance credits include shows with Canadian Showgirlz Dance Company, The Dolls, Wildcard Productions, Superfly Entertainment and more. Recently, you may have seen her in the online reality series Jaclife (Canwest) featured on Slice.ca. She has choreographed for such artists as T-Nile, The Midway State and Addictiv and is curently the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of “EVE Dance Company” based out of Toronto.

Christel Laycock - Vancouver Editor

Christel is a resident of Vancouver, and after eight years considers it her new home town. She grew up in Edmonton where as a child she spent six years taking Jazz and Tap. One of her favourite things about Vancouver is the opportunity she has had to try different dance styles, and has trained in Jazz, Modern, Burlesque, Ballroom, Bollywood, Bhangra, Belly Dancing and Capoeira. She is a writer and a photographer, and is excited to be a part of the Industry team.

Debbie Schneider – New York Representative/Editor

Debbie Schneider grew up in Martinsville, New Jersey, and began her dance training with Helena Baron, Brunilda Ruiz, Paul Sutherland, and Nancy Dow. She studied Dance and French Literature at Cornell University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 2010. Debbie has performed with Baron Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Impact Dance Troupe, and Palante Salsa en Rueda Dance Troupe. She has also performed in choral concerts, acting showcases and musical theater productions, including Bye Bye Birdie and Working and with the 2006 NJ All State Chorus. Since coming to New York City, she has been studying with Diane McCarthy, Graciela Kozak, Bill Hastings, Germaine Salsberg, and Beth Goheen, and has written articles for Dance Magazine. Upcoming projects include work with Megan Doyle and Community Dance Project, and Giada Ferrone’s Contemporary Nutcracker.

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Phone: 778-908-0904

Email: info@industrydancemagazine.com