Our Board Members
The Board of the National Dance School of Canada is composed of recognized and respected professionals in a variety of fields related to the arts, culture and business management. Wishing to put their experience to good use in this significant cultural project, they have enthusiastically joined the institution.
ADMINISTRATOR - PRESIDENT OF THE BENEFIT EVENING
Architect, high-level athlete and consultant
Isabelle Le Clair
Isabelle's professional background includes 10 years in the financial industry and 20 years in architecture. She currently holds the position of Senior Project Manager in an architectural firm.
Isabelle is also actively involved in her children's education, having been a member of the school's parent council for 10 years. She has also been a board member of the Las Piernas tango school for 6 years.
Finally, Isabelle has been working with "Audace au Féminin" for 3 years as a consultant for the SIFN, offering coaching to businesswomen in areas related to their personal image, presentation skills and perception.
On a personal note, Isabelle is related to student athletes, one of her children aspiring to be a dancer and the other excelling in basketball. In her younger years, Isabelle was an athlete herself, competing in swimming and triathlon.
Isabelle likes to say that her journey continues to be one of learning, growth and community involvement.
ADMINISTRATOR & AMBASSADOR
Artistic director, multidisciplinary artist, mentorand former President of ACTRA
Don Jordan
Don is a leading figure in the Montreal arts scene. A multi-talented artist, he has built a rich career spanning more than 60 years on stage and screen as a dancer, choreographer, actor and voice actor for film, television and the gaming industry, and is a past president and life member of ACTRA Montréal. He made his debut in the 1960s as principal dancer on Jim McKenna's Like Young, and became the first black model to grace the cover of a magazine in Canadian fashion history.
He co-founded the Jazz Dance Factory Inc. with Phillip Cole, a gifted American dancer based in Montreal, where professional dancers, actors and singers, as well as amateur dancers with a passion for the art of movement, met for almost 20 years. As Artistic Director of the Black Theatre Workshop, Don's work includes a production of For Coloured Girls at the Centaur Theatre, unanimously acclaimed by critics and audiences alike.
Don's acting credits include work with Ashley Judd, Eric Roberts, Ewan Mac Gregor and, most recently, Tom Holland and Daisy Reiley in Chaos Walking. To date, he has appeared in over 80 film and TV productions.
Don is also a voice actor for commercials, documentaries and popular video games such as Splinter Cell (voice of Irving Lambert) and Deus Ex (voice of General Sheppard and Morgan Everett).
Don has received many awards throughout his incredible career: he was the first black president of ACTRA (Association of Canadian Cinema Television and Radio Artists) for 9 years. He also received the 2010 Black History Award for his achievements in the arts, presented by the City of Montreal and the Montreal Black History Month Round Table. Finally, he was honored in 2018 as the recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award.
ADMINISTRATOR
AI entrepreneur, producer and multidisciplinary artist
Evelyne Chevry
Evelyne is a visionary entrepreneur recognized for her expertise in artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technologies. With a wealth of experience in harnessing these innovations for the entertainment industry, she is also an artist at heart Maeyva Production to champion a vision of empowering humanity through transformative performances.
Inspired by her own identity journey, her commitment to diversity and inclusion is reflected in her activism and public statements. A spokesperson for causes such as neurodiversity, LGBTQ2IA communities, feminism, BIPOC reality, sustainable development and social innovation, Evelyne combines professionalism, innovation, art and social commitment to contribute to a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable society.
ADMINISTRATOR & AMBASSADOR
Dancer-choreographer and founder of Compagnie ILL-Abilities and Mouvement No Excuses No Limits
Luca Lazylegz Patuelli
Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli has been dancing (B-boying) since he was 15-years-old. He has developed a unique dance style incorporating his crutches and the strength in his arms, that has gotten him worldwide recognition. Lazylegz has been featured on Ellen, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, America’s Got Talent, and many more. Luca was the segment director and lead performer for the 2010 Vancouver Paralympic Opening Ceremonies. Luca is the founder and creator of the ILL-Abilities™ Crew, an international B-boy crew comprised of the world’s best “ILL-Abled” dancers. Luca also co-founded Projet RAD which was Canada’s first inclusive urban dance program offering people of all ages, all abilities the possibility to participate in accessible dance studios. Luca has been recognized as the Canadian Ambassador for Dance and received a Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada for his dance outreach programs. He also is the recipient of the Jacqueline Lemieux Prize from the Canada Council for his significant contribution to dance in Canada.
ADMINISTRATOR & AMBASSADOR
Dancer-choreographer, mentor and lecturer
Kim Gingras
Kim is an award-winning artist with an outstanding career as a dancer, choreographer, educator, speaker and television personality. This Montreal native is internationally recognized for her involvement both in front of and behind the camera. Having worked with such icons as Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Madonna and having performed on the world's most prestigious stages such as the Super Bowl halftime show, the Grammys, the MTV Movie Awards, The Voice, Ellen DeGeneres, American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, X-Factor, and Coachella, Kim has accumulated a prodigious amount of knowledge and experience over the course of her long career.
ADMINISTRATOR
Musician and producer
Curtis Patterson
Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and now residing in Montreal, Quebec, Curtis is the founder and CEO of Entertainment Central. The company is one of the premiere suppliers of live entertainment for casinos, theatres, corporate events, festivals, and 5-star hotels throughout Southeast Asia, Middle East and Morocco.
The company takes pride in obtaining first-class talent from all over the world for the various clients that we represent. Whether it is major recording artists, musicals, dance productions, or cover bands, Entertainment Central has a library of talent to fulfill any client's request. Having satellite offices in Hong Kong and a network of talent scouts in the U.S., Europe, and South Africa enables Entertainment Central to stay constantly in touch with the new and changing trends in the entertainment business, therefore providing its clients with the best in world-class entertainment.
Entertainment Central has established business relationships with major U.S. talent agencies and managers, with the company being requested to book artists and production shows such as Lady Gaga, Lionel Richie, Snoop Dogg, Boyz II Men, Brandy, Kool & The Gang, Earth, Wind & Fire and Hairspray, to name a few.
An integral part of the business is musical productions, having created musical productions for the commercial, corporate, and fundraising sectors. Mr. Patterson's most fulfilling contribution is the projects the company has produced for various charitable organizations in support of children and women's health care services, cancer research, and mental health, helping to raise funding for such noteworthy causes. He is proud to have been and will continue to be part of such inspiring and much-needed initiatives.
Two of Entertainment Central’s most recent productions are “The Beat of the Street” (2019), which had its debut performance at Place des Arts (Theatre Maisonneuve Montreal), and “Latin n’ Soul Take Manhattan” (2021), a musical concert in film that premiered at Guzzo Cinemas, a prominent chain of movie theatres in the province of Quebec. Both productions raised over $1.7M and $2M, respectively, for fundraising events hosted by the Jewish General Hospital Foundation.
