About our Acro Intensives
At CCPAC, our Acro Intensives are an exciting opportunity for dancers to elevate their skills with the help of incredible guest teachers. Designed for students of all levels, this program focuses on mastering new techniques, building strength, improving flexibility, and enhancing overall performance ability. It’s the perfect environment to grow, connect, and be inspired - all while training in a supportive and dynamic space dedicated to artistic excellence!
This weeks Schedule
Our schedule is filled with great guest instructors from across the city. Find out more about them below.
Layla Cornacchia
Ms Layla has been a dancer of the Durham Region for the past 15 years. She began her dance training in Ballet, Jazz, and Tap at the age of 5 and eventually went on to find a passion for many styles such as: hip hop, modern, lyrical, contemporary, acro, and musical theatre.
Layla’s successes in the competitive dance world inspired her to continue her education at the prestigious Randolph Academy For The Performing Arts in Toronto where she trained in acting, dancing, and singing. As a result, she landed principle roles in productions such as, The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot (The Annex Theater) and Legally Blonde: The Musical (The Randolph Theater). Layla has been teaching since the age of 15 and loves sharing her passion with the next generation of performers.
Layla is an Acrobatic Arts certified teacher and is currently obtaining her Associated Dance Arts For Professional Teachers (ADAPT) certification. Layla is an award winning choreographer and has created unique and successful routines for reputable studios across the Durham Region. Above all, Layla aspires to uplift and inspire the dancers she works with and create relevant and innovative art.
Quinton Addae
Quinton Addae, an award-winning dancer and acrobat from Pickering, Ontario, is a highly regarded acrobatic coach and choreographer. With a decade of training in various dance styles (jazz, lyrical, modern, contemporary, ballet etc.) and a profound love for acrobatics, Quinton brings a unique sense of accomplishment and confidence to his students and teaching. Aside from his many accolades from competition dance, Quinton holds three gold medals from the 2021 Dance World Cup, showcasing his exceptional talent in Contemporary and Acro dance genres. Having graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance (specialization in dance education) from York University in 2024, Quinton continues to pursue a Bachelor of Education in York's Teachers College program. Certified by the Performing Arts Educators of Canada (PAEC), He hopes to empower his students to excel in dance, Acro, and life beyond the studio through a persistent blend of expertise and passion for teaching.
Mark Kay
Mark has always had gymnastics and dance in his blood. He started in the world of gymnastics at the age of 6. He trained and competed till the age of 19. Within that time, he also showed a great interest in dance and took acro classes. It wasn’t till he was an older teen that he took classes in a variety of dance disciplines.
From there, he became focused solely on dance. He’s proficient in teaching acrobatics, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, and stretch/conditioning classes. He works with all levels of dancers and has a vast experience of teaching little kids all the way up to young adults. He thrives off of helping dancers achieve their personal goals and highlighting their individual strengths.
Before teaching full time, he performed at various bar/bat mitzvahs, parties, and local charities. One of his highlight performances was being a backup dancer for the Neil Young concert at the Air Canada Centre in 2003.
He was featured in an article about boys and dance and his experience with getting into the dance world. The article explored how television shows are showing boys that it’s okay to dance.
For over 20 years, Mark has become a well renowned choreographer, competitive director, guest teacher, and educator. Most recently, he ran a competitive program in Aurora, Ontario for 11 years. Under his direction, he helped the team win top studio for many consecutive years. His choreography has won him many top choreography awards, national titles, and first overalls. Many of his dancers have gone on to pursue dance professionally.
Mark’s work is said to be creative, outside the box, and makes you feel something. His goal is to inspire the next generation of dancers to be the best they can be, while instilling confidence from the inside out. His infectious energy, passion, and dedication truly shows in every class.
Activate DS- Amanda Romano
Amanda is a passionate educator, choreographer, and lifelong learner, dedicated to nurturing the next generation of dancers and performers. She is a certified personal trainer through ISSA, and holds certifications through Acrobatic Arts (Module 2), and in Aerial Hoop, and continually seeks opportunities to grow both artistically and technically. Amanda believes in fostering a studio environment that celebrates dancers as both artists and athletes.
In the winter of 2024, Amanda founded Activate Dance and Circus School, opening its first location in 2025 with a vision to create an inclusive, innovative space for movement and creativity.
Amanda’s dance journey began at the age of 3 in her hometown of Hamilton. She started competing at 7 and continued through to the end of high school, training extensively in jazz, tap, ballet, acro, hip hop, musical theatre, lyrical, and contemporary. She completed her Advanced PAEC exams in jazz, tap, and ballet, and had the opportunity to perform internationally in Italy and Spain.
As a competitive dancer, Amanda earned numerous awards, scholarships, and accolades—success she now shares with her students, many of whom she has coached to similar achievements. She was actively involved in her studio’s assistant teacher program, eventually becoming a full instructor by her graduating year, and also contributed to her high school’s competitive dance team.
In November 2024, Amanda took the stage as Fritzie in KW Musical Productions’ rendition of Cabaret, showcasing her versatility as a performer.
Outside the studio, Amanda holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in Entrepreneurship and a minor in Education from Wilfrid Laurier University. She is thrilled to combine her love of dance, circus, and business to bring Activate Dance and Circus School to life.
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