Jennifer James

Jennifer James started dancing when she was 7 years old at Celebration Company which later became Masterworks Studio. She trained in Jazz, Ballet, Musical Theatre and Modern and after completing the Teaching Synthesis program at Masterworks, became an apprentice and later teacher.

She is so excited to see the direction that Masterworks is heading in and loves to see new faces come in and discover the joy of dance.

Jennifer has also completed her Associate Degree in Science in Midwifery in Idaho and is currently working on becoming a registered midwife in Canada.

Her favorite scripture is: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:6-7

Patty-Jean St. Hilaire

Patty-Jean's background is in both dance and music. Dancing for over 20 years, she studied Modern and Ballet at the School of Contemporary Dancers in both of their Junior and Senior Professional programs. Other studies have included various styles of dance, pedagogy, music(voice, piano, guitar, and bodrahn). She has received training from the following, Stouffville's Dance Centre, RWB's Summer Teacher's course, Granville Ferry Summer Dance Program, both of the University of Winnipeg's Faculties of Music and Dance, as well as attaining her accreditation in Kindermusik.

Patty-Jean has been teaching, performing, directing, and doing choreography for over 10 years, in studios, schools, churches, day cares, and camps, which includes the former Celebration Company and Masterworks Studio.

Patty-Jean and her husband Rene, and their two children, Selah and Joash are apart of Gateway Christian Community South. Gateway has been Patty-Jean's church home for over 15 years, which is where she completed the King's Commission Bible Institute.

Her heart's desire is to seek the true meaning of Worship, the kind Jesus talked about with the women at the well - she is passionate about "art that transcends glorifying the creation to that which imparts awe and wonder of the blessed Creator that is reflected through the wonders of His creation."(Rick Joyner, The Harvest)

Sue Thiessen

Sue Thiessen started dance lessons when she was 3 years old and continued throughout high school. Dance soon took a back seat to other pursuits such as synchronized swimming in university, teaching aerobics and aqua fitness for 15 years, serving as a Communicator in Children's Ministry for 8 years. and being a full-time wife and Mom.

Finally, 20 years later, Sue was ready to try dance again.

After a few years back into the secular world of dance, Sue was introduced to Masterworks, which had just been born out of Celebration Company. She soon realized that dancing for more than just the sake of dance alone blesses one so much more when the goals of worship, uniquely sharing God's message, fellowship, fun and exercise are part of a dancer's experience.

Being part of the Masterworks family for the past 10 years as a student, and as a teacher of Adult Beginner Jazz for the past 1-1/2 years, has been a rewarding, challenging and encouraging experience for which she is extremely grateful.

Sue's favourite verse is Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Alessandra Jane Pauls

Alessandra cannot remember life without dance. Ever since she was a little girl, dance has been her passion, her form of communication and her worship.

Alessandra trained professionally with Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, completed an honours degree in Theatre and Directing and became an associate member of the Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association. Alessandra has also written musicals, recorded a CD and is currently enrolled at the University of Winnipeg where she is obtaining a second degree in the field of Kinesiology.

Alessandra has worked at many different dance studios but regards Masterworks as her home away from home. She started teaching at Masterworks when she was just eighteen years old and ten years later, she cannot imagine what her life would be like without Masterworks. Her best memories, closest friends and deepest spiritual revelations can all be attributed to the time she has spent teaching at Masterworks.

Victoria James

Victoria James grew up in inner city Chicago. There she studied Ballet, Jazz, Drama and Art for six years at the Lincoln Park Cultural Arts Centre from ages 8-14, including being the youngest ever member of the Lincoln Park Ballet Ensemble from ages 12-14. Her summers were spent studying and performing in Cape Cod with John Kelly. Moving to the Chicago suburbs at age 14 she furthered her dance studies, now including tap and modern with Pam Mader (protégé of Gus Giordano). Another move at age 16 to Connecticut began study with the Hartford Ballet among others, and later, full time studies at the Hartford Conservatory, with summers at the Boston Ballet.

Since age 14, Victoria performed in numerous community and touring musical theatre productions. Finding emptiness in her life that dance could no longer fill, as well as the pressure of weight control leading to anorexia and bulimia (before those words were coined) and demoralizing instruction she abruptly quit dancing and searched for God. In spite of winding roads that lead her through various New Age and occult belief systems – as well as to Canada - , she ultimately met the living God and has never looked back.

After marrying her husband, Don, and four children (Brian 29, Michael 26, Jennifer, 21 – also a Masterworks instructor, and Hilary, 13) Victoria thought her dance years were over and pursued her other great love, singing, becoming an accomplished singer, with the Manitoba Opera Chorus, among other groups. God kept “rolling” dance back into her life and now that she was a Christian had a desire to see excellence in dance and the arts without all the negative pressures that were prevalent in the dance world – as well as a much more profound and life giving themes to inspire works of art.

She taught with the Celebration Company, based at the Meeting Place in Winnipeg for four years. When the Director, Kalyn Falk, felt the need to close the ministry, the remaining students and teachers, with Kalyn’s blessing, started Masterworks Studio, with Victoria as Director from 1998 to 2005. She is happy to still have her “toe in the door” and is excited about all that God has done and will do through Masterworks.

Kristie Sidwall

Kristie has always had a passion for movement and expression.

She began exploring dance with Musical Theatre at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. She eventually realized that her favourite part of the class was dancing and sharing emotions through stories. She set her mind to becoming a dancer.

She trained in all the disciplines she could at age 16. (Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theatre, and was placed in the Performance Group.)Once she was old enough she took the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Teacher Course for two summers and caught up in the areas she hadn’t been taught yet. From there she was accepted into Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers Senior Professional Program and completed her BA in Dance through the University of Winnipeg.

Kristie knew dance was an integral part in her life, but she longed for more. The emptiness she experienced lead her to finding Christ. Her love for God took over everything! She went to South Africa for a year on a Discipleship Training Program, in 2001.When she returned she joined Masterworks to worship God in the way she knew best. Soon she became a teacher. Then Kristie had the privilege to be the administrator under Victoria James, years later she would do the same under Alessandra Pauls.

From there she continued in her leadership and creativity growth by becoming the Creative Arts Coordinator at The Meeting Place.

Kristie has been with Masterworks for 8 years and has just moved into the exciting roll of Director. This year, her and her husband will be having their first child “I have never been so happy!” God is good.

Kim Sawatzky

Kim Sawatzky has been dancing at Masterworks since she was 7 years old. She trained in Jazz, Ballet, Modern, and Hip Hop. Throughout her years at Masterworks she always dreamed she would be a teacher. After high school, she attended Capernwray Bible School in Austria for 3 months, and traveled Europe for a month after. When she came back she started teaching the Hip Hop classes at Masterworks, and has been teaching ever since. She teaches Hip Hop for Jr. and Sr. High students, Ballet, Jazz, and Modern for 9-12 year olds, as well as Beginner Ballet, Mix ‘n’ Match and Kids Hip Hop for ages 6-8.

This past summer she completed her Teacher’s Summer Seminar at The Royal Winnipeg Ballet. She is currently a part time Theatre student at the University of Winnipeg and is gearing to get her 4 year degree in Directing. She is so excited to be a part of Masterworks and the potential it has for the future. She is extremely excited in introducing inner-city kids in the program. Having volunteered in the inner-city of Winnipeg for 4 years, God has developed in her, a heart for these kids and to be able to combine her two passions is just AWESOME!

“Trust steadily in God, Hope unswervingly, Love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (The Message)