For 45 years Denise Lester was the Owner/Director of the Denise Lester Dance Academy. Now, enjoying retirement from studio ownership she continues to teach for DLDA and enjoys great opportunities such as judging for Competitions. She holds a Fellowship with the BATD and teaches Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Acro, Contemporary and Musical Theatre to 3 year olds-adult.

Now with over 50 years teaching experience Denise continues to enjoy entering students in competitions both locally and internationally returning home with extraordinary successes.  As an exam teacher she has trained many, many dancers to become qualified teachers and is proud to say includes all of the teachers now teaching at DLDA.

Denise’s alumni are dancing on professional stages in Las Vegas, Broadway, Stratford, Toronto and  Mexico.  Perform and choreograph for Disney, Paramount Canada’s Wonderland, cruise ships, Toronto Raptors and music videos….  On the hit shows So You Think You Can Dance, Degrassi, The Next Step and Backstage.  Many alumni own and operate studios in Durham, Ireland, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

But Denise feels her biggest success is the wonderful life long relationships she has developed with students past and present.  The memories from the 1,000’s of hours spent with 1000’s of dancers over

the decades are irreplaceable.

“I have enjoyed every moment spent with every student.  I hold all of those memories close to my heart”