FACULTY
Angela Bosco
Co-Owner, Co-Director, Instructor, Choreographer
Angela’s love for teaching is as strong as her passion for dancing and performing. She has spent the last 20+ years loving every second she spends instructing and inspiring dancers to push themselves to their full potential while enjoying the time they spend in the studio. Angela's choreography has received various awards at dance competitions over the years and her routines have placed first overall at multiple competitions in the Greater Vancouver area. Angela's passion for movement and motivating others has also led her to become an expert barre and fitness instructor and she loves to incorporate this experience and expertise into her dance lessons. When Angela is not busy leading dance classes at IBDC, she is running and instructing classes at our sister fitness studio, Open Barre Co. Angela's fun-loving approach toward instructing is contagious and she loves to share it with Inspired By's students and their families.
Taryn Patterson
Co-Owner, Co-Director, Instructor, Choreographer
Taryn is dedicated to fostering creativity, discipline, and a love of movement as proud owner, founder and dance instructor at Inspired By Dance Company. With a deep passion for dance and over 20 years of experience, Taryn, along with Angela Bosco, has built a welcoming space where dancers of all ages and skill levels can grow, learn, and express themselves.
As a studio owner, Taryn is committed to providing a supportive, inclusive, and nurturing environment where every student can thrive. She believes in building strong relationships with students and their families and creating a community that celebrates diversity, passion, and hard work. Taryn is not only focused on developing dancers' technical abilities but also on helping them build confidence, resilience, and a lifelong love of movement. Whether through recreational classes, competitive teams, or performance opportunities, Inspired By Dance Company has become a place where students can discover their full potential, both as dancers and as individuals.
Outside of the studio, Taryn holds a Diploma in Costuming for Stage and Screen and works for a local school district. She enjoys spending time with her family and hiking the local trails on the North Shore. Taryn continues to be inspired by the endless possibilities within the world of dance and is excited to watch her students grow both on and off the stage.
Jen Harden
Preschool Dance, Jazz,
Tap & Company Instructor & Choreographer
Jen is an experienced teacher, choreographer and dancer from Kelowna, BC. She trained at the Canadian School of Ballet for 16 years, primarily in RAD ballet, tap and jazz, where she completed her RAD Advanced 1 ballet exam with excellent results. She also had the privilege of performing in 11 performances of The Nutcracker, including the role of “Arabian Queen” and has competed in various competitions around the Okanagan. Jen has always had a passion for working with kids and has been teaching dance for the past 6 years in tap and jazz. She has worked with both recreational and competitive students and loves every minute she gets in the studio with them! Jen holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education from UBC and currently works as an elementary school teacher. Jen is super excited to be sharing her love of dance with IBDC this year!
Montana Moore
Hip Hop & Company Instructor & Choreographer
Growing up on the North Shore, Montana’s passion for movement began at a very young age. She prides herself on her extensive training in a variety of styles including hiphop, jazz-funk, heels, contemporary, ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical, broadway and musical theatre. Montana has completed examinations up to Advanced 2 RAD Ballet and ISTD Ballet & Modern. She has trained with ITP, The Aviary, KTL and Illustrative Society under the direction of many well-known choreographers. Her devotion to dance has lead her to training abroad with Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Boston Ballet, Modas Dance Albuquerque as well as in programs in NYC, Seattle, and LA. Montana has completed four contracts with Royal Caribbean Cruises, touring and performing across the globe. Montana has also appeared in many recent television and film productions including Riverdale, The Man in the High Castle, Barbie (motion capture), and Zombie Apocalypse video game.
Montana is excited to share her passion for dance and bring her knowledge and experience as a dancer and choreographer to her students. Montana has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UBC and enjoys diverging both realms of work to create a safe learning environment within the studio. Montana was part of Inspired By Dance Company’s faculty in season one and is thrilled to be back!
Odea Crawley
Ballet Instructor
Odea began her ballet training at HZ Ballet Classique under the guidance of Heidi Zolty and Ania Storoszczuk-Smeets. Her training included the Cecchetti syllabus, Vaganova method, traditional folk dance, and modern dance. She has attended a range of prestigious ballet intensives, including Spring Seminar,
Arts Umbrella, Okanagan Summer Dance Intensive, Joffrey Ballet School, and Boston
Ballet. As part of her Cecchetti development, Odea took masterclasses with renowned Cecchetti members such as Jane Wooding, Glen Gilmour, and Sheila Kennedy. She was awarded first place in the Cecchetti Awards (senior category), receiving the Maria Lewis Scholarship. At age 15, she completed her Advanced 2 Cecchetti exam and was offered a scholarship to train at the Joffrey Ballet School the following year.
When she decided to pursue teacher training, Odea returned to study with Heidi Zolty, who leads one of BC’s top teacher training programs and is a Cecchetti Fellow and Examiner for Cecchetti USA. In 2020/21, Odea completed her Associate teaching qualifications and earned her Enrico Cecchetti Final Diploma. She has since achieved her Licentiate teaching exam and is now preparing for her final qualification to become a
Fellow. Odea is passionate about instilling a deep love of ballet in her students and creating a
class environment that is both joyful and rewarding.
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Gayatri Sood
Jazz, Ballet, Acro, Stage & Contemporary Instructor
Gayatri began her dance journey in Port Moody, where she discovered her love for Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip-Hop, Tap, Contemporary, and more. From a young age, she competed and developed an appreciation for both the technique and creativity of dance. She is now studying Psychology at Simon Fraser University while continuing to share her passion for dance through teaching. Gayatri has also completed her Acrobatic Arts Module 1 certification and is committed to creating a fun, inclusive space where dancers can connect, challenge themselves, and find joy in movement.
Paige Bokenfohr
Jazz, Lyrical, Parent & Tot and Preschool Dance Instructor
Paige McConnell began dancing at the age of 7, at her hometown studio The Guelph Academy of Dance, where she spent 11 years training in Ballet (RAD), Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, and Musical Theatre. She completed her Inter. foundation and Intermediate RAD Ballet Examinations, while also choreographing and performing with the CCVI Dance Inc. company! In September of 2017, Paige made the move to BC to enter the SFU Contemporary Dance BFA program, where she spent 4 years learning from distinguished dance artists such as Rob Kitsos, Megan Walker-Straight and Judith Garay! Paige spent several years at her hometown studio gaining experience as an assistant teacher before she began independently teaching classes full time for a variety of Summer Dance Camps! In 2020, Paige became a certified Yoga Instructor for both children and adults! She dove head first into her teaching career with a variety of dance studios and companies around Vancouver and is beyond excited to join the Inspired By team!
Ally Liu
Parent & Tot, Preschool Dance, Acro, Hip Hop Instructor
Ally began dancing at the age of 4 in Calgary, and prides herself in her variety with extensive training in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Hip Hop and Musical Theatre. She has been honoured to win overall scholarships to train with the School of Alberta Ballet Professional Division in Calgary. Ally went on to complete a dual degree program of Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Dance combined with a Bachelor of Kinesiology with Honours at the University of Calgary. She travelled to Ireland in 2022 to present her Honour’s thesis at the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science conference, where she was also presented with the Student Researcher Award. Ally has trained with dance professionally as an apprentice company member with W&M Dance Company by Melissa Monteros and Wojciech Mochniej in Calgary and with Quill Collective by Carlo Atienza in Vancouver. Ally has achieved many teaching certificates since she began teaching in 2018, including her Healthy Dance Practice Certificate, Acrobatic Arts Module 1, and ADAPT teacher certification. Ally is about to graduate with her Masters of Physical Therapy from UBC, which she hopes to use to become a Paediatric Physiotherapist with a special interest in helping young dancers with injury management and prevention. Ally is so excited to share her love for dance and inspire healthy and safe dance practice with IBDC this season!
Anna Muller
Preschool Dance Instructor
Anna has been dancing since childhood, developing a deep love for movement that has only grown stronger over the years. Her diverse background includes training in ballet, modern dance, and rhythmic gymnastics, giving her a well-rounded and expressive approach to both performance and instruction.
Anna brings a vibrant energy and unique perspective to the Vancouver dance and fitness scene. She’s passionate about helping students find confidence, joy, and connection through dance. Whether she's leading a barre class or introducing beginners to basic technique, Anna creates a supportive and engaging environment where everyone can thrive.
In addition to dance, Anna is a creative at heart—she enjoys knitting in her spare time and believes in the value of mindfulness, discipline, and self-expression across all art forms. Hailing from the desert country of Namibia, Vancouver’s rain brings her much joy!
Anna is always ready to share her love of movement, build community, and help her students grow—both on and off the dance floor.
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Tanner Plecas
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Guest Choreographer
Since retiring from dancing professionally, Tanner has been a full-time choreographer and dance instructor for the last 10 years. He is passionate about building strong technique in his dancers, and providing them with a understanding of what can be achieved through hard work and commitment. His award-winning choreography is remembered for its athleticism and inventive perspectives. Tanner is thrilled to be apart of this new journey of studio training.
Lexi Vajda
Guest Choreographer
Lexi Vajda is an independent dance artist and dance maker who has the privilege of living and working on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. She has interpreted and performed the works of various companies and choreographers across Canada. Her independent choreographies investigate alternative and peripheral spaces for choreography as well as collaborative creative practices. Lexi regularly teaches contemporary technique at various dance schools throughout the lower mainland, Modus Operandi and at Harbour Dance Centre and was the recipient of the 2016 Mayor’s Arts Award for emerging dance artist.
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