Dance Adjudicators
We are excited to share the bios of the extraordinary people who will be adjudicating at the 2024 Toronto Kiwanis Festival Dance!
Maria Cavazzon
Maria has been involved in dance education for the past 30 years. She is a Life Member of The British Association of Teachers of Dancing (B.A.T.D) in the areas of Ballet, Jazz, Stage, and Modern Jazz and is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT). Additional certifications include Acrobatic Arts (Module 2), Acrobatic certification through the Canadian Dance Teachers Association (C.D.T.A), and Alixa Flexibility (Module 2). Maria is also a certified Dance Adjudicator holding memberships with Professional Adjudicators Alliance and Acro Dance Adjudicators by Acro Dance Teachers Association. Maria is also a Special Educational Assistant with the Toronto District School Board.
She began her career teaching recreational dance at the local community center. From there she went on to teach at various studios throughout the GTA at recreational, part time and competitive levels. Maria also carefully prepares her students for annual B.A.T.D Ballet and Modern exams up to and including Professional Examinations.
She continues to expand her knowledge and training by attending workshops, seminars and courses each year to continue to grow as a teacher and pass along her knowledge to her students.
Maria has adjudicated throughout Ontario and British Columbia. She is excited to adjudicate and hopes to educate, inspire and encourage dancers to continue to work with care and perseverance to reach their full potential.
Kerry Gage
Kerry currently resides in Toronto and is a professional Director and Choreographer. She is a 2019 Dora Award recipient for outstanding original choreography.
Kerry has spent nine seasons at the Stratford Festival. Productions she has worked on include: HMS Pinafore, Crazy For You, Fiddler On The Roof, 42nd Street, Camelot and Two Gentlemen of Verona.
She was also the Children's Casting and Resident Director for the North American premier of The Sound of Music with Mirvish.
She has spent 13 seasons at the Charlottetown Festival as part of the creative team and the Director/ Choreographer of the Confederation Centre Young Company.
Her choreographic credits include: Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast, Mamma Mia, Shrek-the Musical, Elf-the Musical, Rocky Horror, Cinderella, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Wizard of Oz, Anne of Green Gables, Forever Plaid, Annie, the Canadian premier of Batboy – The Musical, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, Hello Dolly and Songs for a New World.
She has taught for many institutions such as Sheridan College, Randolph Academy, St. Clair College, St. Lawrence College and Etobicoke School of The Arts.
Kerry has been an adjudicator across Canada for over twenty years.
"Remember all things are possible for those who believe".
Rhonda Roberts
Rhonda Roberts is an accomplished performer, educator and adjudicator of dance who has appeared in productions across North America and Europe.
She was awarded a full scholarship and later the triple threat award from the acclaimed Randolph College for the Performing Arts in Toronto.
Rhonda has performed in numerous stage productions. Most notably she danced in the Broadway show Disney's Beauty and the Beast, toured with the U.S. National company of the Tony® Award-winning musical Ragtime, played the role of Shenzi in the Tony Award-winning show Disney's The Lion King at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre and performed in Guys and Dolls and Anything Goes at the Stratford Festival.
On screen Ms. Roberts has appeared in the #1 Amazon Prime hit, The Boys, the Academy Award®-winning film Chicago, the New Line Cinema release Hairspray The Movie, along with a list of other film and recurring TV roles.
She has been teaching for more than 35 years and adjudicating for 20 years. Her résumé includes seven years of instructing at University of Toronto, and recurring posts at McMaster University, O.I.P, Steps Performing Arts Centre in Hamilton, National Dance Theatre and Randolph College for the Performing Arts in Toronto. She has been an adjudicator for Terpsichore Dance Celebration, American Dance Awards, Onstage and The World Dance Championships in Orlando, Florida, to name only a few.
She currently has recurring choreography engagements at Etobicoke School of the Arts and has been guest instructing at Canada's National Ballet School.
In 2012, Rhonda opened her own studio called The Art of Balance (TAB). Here she is combining the worlds of dance, fitness and other mind–body practices to promote a sense of homeostasis in the body.
In 2016 Rhonda was named one of CanFitPro's Top 3 Fitness Professionals.
Ms. Roberts is also a member of the Professional Adjudicators Alliance, and is a board member at Healthy Dancer Canada as well as chairing its BIPOC Advocacy Working Group committee.
She holds a degree in Sociology from McMaster University and a music theatre diploma from Randolph College for the Performing Arts.