Faculty 

Sara Giffin

Dance Instructor: Funky Kids, Boogie with my Buddy, Mini Ballet, Mini Tap, Junior Tap, Mini Jazz, Junior Ballet

Sara was born and raised in Portage la Prairie. She began dancing at the age of 6 at the Portage Arts Centre. After a few years of studying only Tap, she began taking classes in many other disciplines including jazz, ballet, and lyrical. At the age of 14 she began taking classes several days a week in Brandon, Manitoba, while still taking and teaching tap dancing with her mom Ally, in Portage.  Sara moved to Brandon at the age of 18 to attend Brandon University where she obtained a bachelors degree in Psychology. Throughout university, she continued to take dance classes as well as perform in several musical theatre shows. Sara now lives back in Portage where she works on Mayfair Farm, which her family owns and operates. She is excited to be teaching!

Anthony Ferens

Dance Instructor: Intro to Musical Theatre, Musical Theatre, Intermediate Ballet, Broadway Dance

Anthony has trained at Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet Recreational Division, Winnipeg Studio Works Academy, and holds a BA Hon. Degree from the University of Winnipeg. Anthony is the Artistic Director at Antonius Art Studio, where he paints and shares artwork with others, and Enigma Performance Company, a teaching studio to focus on create new work.

Rachelle Sissons

Dance Instructor: Mini Hip Hop

Rachelle is a busy mom of two girls and loves to keep busy with creativity. She has a wide range of experience in all types of dance but Hip Hop is a favourite. She wants every child to feel safe and accepting in the dance studio. Teaching basics is a must but the most important is confidence. When in doubt, feel the music and freestyle. That is what dance is all about!

Jen Roy

Visual Arts Instructor: After School Art Session 2 & 3

Jennifer works for the Portage La Prairie School Division as a Clerical Assistant at LVS, volunteers with the Local Girl Guide Units and a mom of 3 amazing ladies. When time allows Jen enjoys gardening,  hiking, exploring or starting new crafting projects. Jen is self taught and dabbles in a bit of sketching, painting, quilting, woodturning and other arts and crafts. Jen will be teaching Session 2 and Session 3 of our After School Art programs.

Heather Martens Rempel

Visual Arts Instructor: Mono Print and Collage

Before becoming an “artist in the community” in 2016, Heather Martens Rempel taught junior high and high school art for over 18 years. While enjoying creating and teaching in many mediums, Heather has found the gel-plate to be the most accessible medium for students of all ages and abilities. She has been able to spread the joy of mono-printing with a gel-plate in schools and community art centers  across the country. Heather takes great inspiration as a teaching artist in the power to open others’ eyes to the visual beauty and utility of found objects in nature and the built environment. In her own practice she creates large collaged pieces made from gel-prints and has shown her work and won awards in Manitoba art shows.

Aaron Pierre 

Dance Instructor: Ukrainian

Mr (Pann) Aaron was part of the AUUC, Association of United Ukrainian Canadians, attached to the Ivan Franko Manor in Winnipeg for about 14 years. While part of the Yunist Dance Ensemble he performed during Folklarama and also had the privilege of being involved in the 100th anniversary of Alberta and Saskatchewan joining confederation. He has been instructing the Portage Vesna Dancers since 2022.

Mike Blume

Visual Arts Instructor: Drawing

Mike Blume has been drawing with pencil and charcoal since he was in elementary school, and then began acrylic painting after moving to Portage. He focuses on realistic art and is known for his high-realism drawings and paintings. He enjoys drawing as he finds it very relaxing. Mike shares his knowledge and techniques in drawing with students of all ages, teaching both the children drawing classes and the adult drawing classes.

Cora Pohl

Visual Arts Instructor: Kids Pottery C and Parent and child pottery

Cora is a naturally creative individual who stumbled upon the enchanting world of pottery in 2020. Instantly smitten, she found in pottery not just a medium for expression but a profound passion that ignited her artistic journey. With an innate desire to share her newfound love, Cora embarked on a mission to teach and impart her knowledge to children, recognizing the transformative power of art in young minds. Cora's journey as an artist is a testament to the boundless possibilities of creativity and the transformative power of art. Through her teachings, she hopes to ignite the spark of imagination in others, encouraging them to embrace their own creative potential and embark on their own artistic odyssey.

Lorna Knight

Visual Arts Instructor: Snacktime Fun, STEAM

Lorna has had a passion for working with children and youth her entire life, whether as a recreational sport coach, with tailored programming or with family events- she believes that fun can be found in nearly anything you do. With her extensive experience as an educator across various subjects, she embraces the curious nature of learning, drawing on her background in crafting, experimentation, and nutrition to enrich her teaching approach.  Lorna is excited to work with young people, inspiring them to engage in creative learning within a fun and dynamic environment.

Cathy Painter

Visual Arts Instructor: Adult Art nights and watercolour

I am focusing more now on teaching and passing on what I have learned to others. I instruct for Prairie Fusion Arts and Entertainment, volunteer teaching seniors at Dufferin Villa and for the care homes here in Portage. I will be doing some small fun exhibits at the Villa and at the MacGregor Library. And lastly I am a new board member for Prairie Fusion Arts and Entertainment which I am very much enjoying as I am learning more about the arts community in general and hopefully able to contribute to it. 

Cynthia Keith

Visual Arts Instructor: After School Art Session 1

Cynthia started painting acrylic folk art. She found it enjoyable but slowly was drawn into the magic of watercolour painting! She gets so much enjoyment seeing her grand children learn and enjoy painting along with her. Cynthia is looking forward to seeing the creative ideas that the students have. She will be introducing the children to techniques in watercolour and acrylic, allowing the students to learn and grow their creative abilities while having fun.

Annie Beach

Visual Arts Instructor: After School Art Session 4

Annie Beach is a visual artist, muralist and instructor with Cree/Saulteaux/Ukrainian relations and belongs to Peguis First Nation. Beach works with a variety of youth, community arts and cultural-based organizations, to engage and uplift others in imagining a more vibrant, radiant, and tender world for the next seven generations. Annie Beach will be teaching Session 4 of our After School Art programs.

Elizabeth Mandziuk 

Dance Instructor: Ukrainian

Miss (Panna) Liz will be back this year to assist with instruction. Liz is a former member of the Sandy Lake Shevchenko Dancers and has been assisting with the Portage Vesna dancers for the past decade.

Gabriele Neuschwander

Visual Arts Instructor: Pottery (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) Clay & Fibre

Gabriele Neuschwander was born and raised in Germany. She grew up in an environment where Oma's would sit together, knitting socks in front of the wood stove, and the women in the village baked bread in the community wood-fired Bakofen. This shaped her love and appreciation for “Back to Basics” skills, and since her childhood, she's been busy learning and experimenting with different forms of Arts and Crafts such as spinning, weaving, sewing and of course pottery. For the last 30+ years Gabriele has been actively pursing her fascination with pottery, an obsession that just won't leave her alone. Her stoneware is mostly functional, and she has now been focusing more on the decoration aspect of pottery. Some of the techniques she has been incorporating are the wax-resist glazing, and carving on porcelain clay. Gabriele has been apart of several group exhibitions. Is an active member of the “Moderne Muse”, a group of artists at the Helma Rouge Raiders Gallery in Winnipeg Beach.