Lisa Wickwire

Dance/Music/Drama Instructor

Lisa has spent her life immersed in the performing arts. Born and raised in Calgary, she grew up as a competitive dancer and, at age fourteen, started her own dance company. At sixteen, she received a Triple Threat scholarship from the Los Angeles Dance Force, which fueled her desire to pursue a professional career in the arts. She moved to Toronto to attend the Randolph College of Performing Arts, where she graduated as class president. There, she appeared in the television series Class Act and was featured in a tap workshop with the late dance legend Gregory Hines. She performed in many plays and musicals, but her favourite to date was playing the role of Rosalia in West Side Story!

Lisa went on to spend a decade abroad, where she performed and participated in a wide variety of classes and workshops to broaden her repertoire. Some highlights include taking flamenco classes in Spain, earning a Tap Diploma from the Dance Life Retreat Centre in Boston, receiving her Ballroom Dance Certification, dancing aboard a cruise ship in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, performing in a magic show, and dancing at resorts in Mexico!

As an educator, she has taught extensively across the USA and Canada. Her students have gone on to prestigious theatre schools in New York and Los Angeles, and her choreography has won competitive awards. Lisa served as artistic director for the Calgary Dance Express, where she shared her love of travel and dance with her students, taking the troupe to perform in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France. Lisa has taught, directed, and choreographed for many dance companies and has staged an impressive number of recitals and musicals.

Lisa now shares her passion and vast repertoire with the students at Tanbridge Academy. She instructs dance, music, and drama for kindergarten to grade nine. She has grown the dance program into a troupe with three divisions, where students learn an array of styles and perform for their peers and community. Lisa enjoys Tanbridge Academy’s warm atmosphere and loves to start her day with eager students! She believes that each student has a different gift, and she is dedicated to developing each student’s potential. She has a saying in the studio – “If you can say it, you can do it!” Her proudest accomplishment at Tanbridge thus far is seeing ALL the students perform on stage at school concerts. Whether they are dancing, playing an instrument, or acting out a fun skit, she loves to see her students challenge themselves and have fun doing it!

As Lisa encourages her students to grow in their learning, she recently did so herself and became a published author. She resides in Calgary with her beautiful daughter, precious pup, and her husband – whom she met on the cruise ship!