Hello Toronto !
Train. Sweat. Perform.
ARMY of SASS is a training and performance program for all levels, designed to build confidence and gain physical strength while developing sassy dance skills in heels.
There are 3 different 10-week sessions per year: Fall, Winter, and Spring. Every week you will train for 2 hours on drills and choreography. At the end of the session, you will showcase your new sassy moves in a themed performance with your fellow AOS dancers!
Your week just got a whole lot SASSIER!
This session, join 2000+ dancers across North America as we train together and perform together in a LIVE, original show!
REGISTRATION DATES
• Winter 2019 session runs from January to April. Program & registration dates vary by location.
• Early bird registration for Winter Session opens on November 18th.
• Regular registration for Winter Session opens on December 4.
Join us and be part of this growing community and movement!
All Skill Levels
LEVEL 1 • PRIVATES
Absolute Beginners to Beginner-Trained Dancers
LEVEL 2 • CORPORALS
Intermediate to Advanced in Heels Dance
LEVEL 3 • LIEUTENANTS
Advanced to Professional in Jazz/Hip Hop/Heels Dance
• Classes •
Winter 2020 Session
10 weeks between January 26, 2020 and April 4, 2020
TUE • 6:15 PM - 8:15 PM
AOS Program Level 2 CorporalsINTERMEDIATE LEVEL 2 – “Corporals A” (Placement/Assessment may be required for this level)
Rosa Campagna
Luanda House Studio – 1474 St. Clair W
Register
TUE • 8:30 PM - 10:30 PM
AOS Program Level 1 PrivatesBEGINNER LEVEL 2 – “Privates A” (Placement/Assessment may be required for this level)
Sorina Matheson
Luanda House Studio – 1474 St. Clair W
Register
WED • 6:15 PM - 8:15 PM
AOS Program Level 1 PrivatesBEGINNER LEVEL 1 – “Privates B”
Sarah Johnsen
Luanda House Studio – 1474 St. Clair W
Register
WED • 8:30 PM - 10:30 PM
AOS Program Level 2 CorporalsINTERMEDIATE LEVEL 1 – “Corporals B” (Placement/Assessment may be required for this level)
Makenzie Smith
Luanda House Studio – 1474 St. Clair W
Register
THU • 6:15 PM - 8:15 PM
AOS Program Level 2 CorporalsINTERMEDIATE LEVEL 1 – “Corporals C” (Placement/Assessment may be required for this level)
Sorina Matheson
Luanda House Studio – 1474 St. Clair W
Register
THU • 8:30 PM - 10:30 PM
AOS Program Level 1 PrivatesBEGINNER LEVEL 1 – “Privates C”
Miggy Esteban
Luanda House Studio – 1474 St. Clair W
Register
SUN • 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
AOS Program Level 3 LieutenantsADVANCED LEVEL 2 “Lieutenants A” (Placement/Assessment may be required for this level)
Courtney Odelein
Luanda House Studio – 1474 St. Clair W
Register
SUN • 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM
AOS Program Level 3 LieutenantsADVANCED LEVEL 1 “Lieutenants B” (Placement/Assessment may be required for this level)
Courtney Odelein
Luanda House Studio – 1474 St. Clair W
Register
• Rates •
Full year • 3 sessions
Available June 10 - October 17$900 +tax
• Unlimited drop-in classes across Canada & US (space permitting; please contact individual locations regarding availability)
• Reserved spot for 'Full session' registration
• Valid for 3 sessions: Fall, Winter & Spring
Full session • Early bird
Available November 18 - December 3$260 +tax
• 2 hrs / week for 10 weeks
• 1 full cast rehearsal
• Performance
Full session • Regular
Available December 4 - February 14$285 +tax
• 2 hrs / week for 10 weeks
• 1 full cast rehearsal
• Performance
Drop-in
Contact us for current rates$15 to 30
• 1 hr class
• First come, first served
• Contact us for availability & payment options
• Shows •
Joie De Vivre…”The Joy Of Living”
Life is a journey. The ups, the downs, and everything in between tell a great story. Join us
as we recount a tale of love, heartbreak, and self-discovery. It’s all a part of the joy of
living
Featuring guest performers and the 150+ women and men of Army of Sass Toronto, with choreography by Courtney Odelein, Meghan Norah, Rosa Campagna, Sorina Matheson, Miggy Esteban, Makenzie Smith and Toya Bedeau!
Join Army of Sass for our original fall production featuring music from Janelle Monae, Rihanna, Miguel, Lana Del Rey, Meghan Norah and more!
Fri • December 6
Mod Club Theatre
19+$25 in advance • $30 at the door
Tickets available online or from dancers!
Buy tickets
Sat • December 7
Mod Club Theatre
All ages$25 in advance • $30 at the door
Tickets available online or from dancers!
Buy tickets
Sat • December 7
Mod Club Theatre
19+$25 in advance • $30 at the door
Tickets available online or from dancers!
Buy tickets
• Spotlight •
FALL 2019 DROP-IN SCHEDULE
FALL 2019 DROP-IN SCHEDULE
(Sept. 29th – Nov. 23rd)
SUNDAYS
5:30 – 7pm – ADVANCED with Courtney
TUESDAYS
7:15 – 8:15pm – INTERMEDIATE Level 2 with Rosa
8:30 – 9:30pm – BEGINNER Level 2 with Sorina
WEDNESDAYS
7:15 – 8:15pm – BEGINNER Level 1 with Miggy
8:30 – 9:30pm – INTERMEDIATE Level 1 with Makenzie
THURSDAYS
7:15 – 8:15pm – INTERMEDIATE Level 1 with Sorina
8:30 – 9:30pm – BEGINNER Level 1 with Courtney/Meghan
___________________________________________
CLASS RATES:
Single Drop In Class:
$15
Unlimited Class SASS PASS Early Bird Rate (Until Oct. 7)
$210 +hst
Unlimited Class SASS PASS Regular Rate (After Oct. 7):
$265 +hst
• AOS Toronto Team •
Carla Catherwood
Commander-in-chief (CEO & Founder)
ARMY of SASS™
Carla knows what it’s like to start from the bottom and work your way up.
Dedicated, focused and driven to detail best describe her work habits. With over 20 years professionally in the dance industry and over 10 years experience as a self-made entrepreneur, she has worked not only as a professional dancer, choreographer, and producer, but most importantly as an entrepreneur, teacher, and mentor to many developing up-and-comers.
Her mentoring and teaching style consists of clarifying and developing the direct abilities that are needed to become a successful performer, teacher, and AOS Licensee by educating them on function, technique, and leadership skills. She has a special talent in bringing out what is natural within each individual by pushing them into what she calls “The Pocket” of each movement, teaching method, or leadership goal.
Carla’s story: how it all started
It started with a twist of fate…
About 11 years ago I was out with some dance friends and a fellow teacher from LA in Vancouver. We were having a good time dancing the night away. Next thing you know… a shootout between two gangs erupted and there were some innocent victims caught in the crossfire. Luckily I was pushed out of the way and only grazed with a bullet (but don’t worry I’m ok! I was blessed enough that all I needed was a band aid on my wrist!) Unfortunately there were a few innocent victims… one of them being my friend from LA. I was blessed to have walked away pretty much unharmed considering what had happened. At that point I knew I needed to do something to help my friend.
Fast forward to one year after the incident, I joined forces with the pretty much the entire entertainment community of Vancouver to put together a fundraiser in honour our friend to help with his recovery process and costs. PS. he’s doing great now!
With it being the first show I had ever produced… and as a dancer and choreographer I naturally wanted to put together a piece of choreography for the show… but it needed to be DIFFERENT! Later that week I saw a cabaret burlesque-style dance troupe on TV and I said “YESSSSSS I’m going to do something like that!” I gathered 10 of my girls and we did a burlesque inspired piece for the fundraiser. Vancouver HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT! People went crazy! So I decided to keep doing it!
I created a dance crew called Burlesque Beauties with a few of my girls and had a ton of fun! We did everything from lounge gigs, to corporate events over the years and even performed at the infamous Playboy Mansion! As time went on I wanted to perform less and teach more so I coined the style “Nuvo-Burlesque” and started to teach the heel’s style to dancers of all levels.
The day before I moved from Vancouver to Toronto in 2010 I was in a car accident and my injury made performing a challenge so at the age of 29 rolling on 30 I knew it was time to throw in the ‘performing towel’ and go full speed ahead with producing, choreography, and teaching.
So there I was… alone in a new city and not sure where to start. I got a call from my mom and she reminded me I was doing cabaret and shows, she said “why don’t you put together a program for your students and have them be part of your show”. So, “DING”, a light went off! Great idea mom! I’ll do that!!! So there it all began!
- It started with 12 girls in Toronto under the “Nuvo-Burlesque Performance & Training Group”
- After a year I created the first satellite program in Vancouver
- I was building something and it was time to come up with a better name!
- So while in class with 25 plus women strutting towards me… “DING” again! They just looked like an ARMY OF SASS!
- And that was it; yep that’s the name! The ARMY of SASS was born and there was no turning back!
As of the beginning of 2015, just over 10 years from when I began all of this, we have over 275 registered students across the country with over 100 in Toronto and the rest in our satellite cities Vancouver, Abbotsford, Penticton, Kelowna and Calgary! I am so HAPPY to be able to share my wealth of knowledge about not only running a sustainable and profitable business but also sharing the personal lessons I’ve learned along the way…
For all of my dancers out there wanting to build something of your own but don’t know the steps to get there… I hear you and I feel you! I’ve been there… Please understand that: I know what it’s like to have a dream and not have the funds to do it, to be broke, to be on your own, to grow up in a small town and want more. I’ve lived through tragedy and setbacks, but most importantly I’ve learned to overcome all of them to get to where I am today and that is why I am doing this licensing program with a free education portion. It was built so my AOS team and me can help eliminate the struggle for you to build and achieve your dreams!
If your dream is to run your own AOS program, we look forward to helping you do that!
I’m here to EDUCATE, CREATE and PAY IT FORWARD to my dance community. It doesn’t matter if 5 or 500 people license this program, what matters to me is to be able to provide a FREE and strong education program to help those that wish to do what I do without the personal, physical, financial, and educational struggle I had endured.
If I can leave you with any form of advise it’s simply this… “There’s a solution to every problem and if there’s a solution… there’s no problem!”
Jennifer Long
General Manager
ARMY of SASS™
Jennifer Long proudly brings over 15 years of diverse management and marketing experience to every project she tackles.
Hailing from the lush hills of Prince Edward Island, Jennifer is pleased to now call Vancouver home. A graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts, Jennifer has been an entertainer since the age of three! Her first job at age 13 was definitely unusual; at a family friend’s suggestion, she auditioned for (and was subsequently hired to play) the leading character at Canadian World Theme Park in Japan. After pursuing a decade-long professional career in the arts, she decided to focus her talents on the behind-the-scenes world of arts management, including contracts with Canadian Idol, Canada Games, Vancouver Circus School, and Army of Sass Canada.
A self-professed “life long learner”, Jennifer holds a variety of post-secondary and continuing studies certifications including Event Management (Holland College), Professional Bookkeeper (Langara College), and is currently working towards her CPA designation in British Columbia.
Meghan Norah
General (AOS Location Licensee)
A Toronto gal since birth, Meghan grew up honing her love for Musical Theatre – and all things singing, dance and theatrics! She graduated from George Brown College in 2007 and since then her dance training and performance experience has spanned various styles including ballet, jazz, contemporary, latin, nuvo-burlesque, hip hop, dancehall, go-go and disco. She has had the opportunity to sing, dance, and perform aerial circus in countless shows and festivals across Canada. Her deep love affair with music has lead her to host Open Mics, front a classic rock band, sing and star in countless live productions, and pursue various singer/songwriter ventures! Some highlights include performances with Army Of Sass, The Lovers Cabaret (Vancouver), Love Letters Cabaret, Curtain Call Players, Buskerfest, Choreographers Ball, TIFF and the Hard Rock Cafe. Along with her extensive work in performance arts, she is also a skilled digital video editor and videographer.
In the Army of Sass world, Meghan began as a student in the first ever session with Carla Catherwood, and worked her way up over the years to be an Assistant, a Sergeant of Sass, Director and Producer for the Toronto location shows, and Location Licensee! The confidence and skills that she has gained from being involved with Army of Sass over the years have made her the leader and performer that she is today!
Courtney Odelein
General (AOS Location Licensee)
Courtney’s love of dance began at the age of three with Quill Lake School of Dance. She has been trained under the RAD, ADAPT, CDTA, and NHDA dance syllabus. During high school, she worked with Annie Woods in the jazz/contemporary company Dare to Dance: Instincts. After graduation, Courtney travelled to Vancouver to dance with Harbour Dance Centre’s Intensive Training Program. Courtney soon moved to Toronto, Ontario and trained with Scholarship Dance Program, Army of Sass, and BOSS Dance Company. She is a faculty member for Lisa Stevens and Heidi Ford’s Broadway Bound International Dance Convention and Fayez1 Productions with Faye Rauw. Courtney has the pleasure of working as head choreographer and back up dancer for recording artist Julia Tynes. She’s is also a full time faculty member of The Underground Dance Centre and The Pink Studio. You can see her in videos for artists such as; V Sevani, Wanting Q, Diana Viselli, Ain’t No Love, Sonder Collective: Human Diaries and RIVERSE. She has appeared in numerous shows, events and productions all over Canada, such as, Vancity Project, Tapistry, The GREAT Campaign, Dance Ontario, REVEALED, The Box Presents: Evoke, A Night of Sonder, Wayne Gretzky’s 99 Release Party, DUALITY and many, many Army of Sass Shows. Her T.V. credits include; Canada Summer Games ceremonies, Extra, TSN, Coors Light, the Marilyn Denis Show and CTV.
She has several teaching certifications with ADAPT, Acrobatique, Acrobatic Arts and is a contributing member to the Heels 101 certification.
Courtney has a genuine love of dancing, teaching and performing and is very grateful to now have the opportunity to lead part of the Army of Sass Community.
Rosa Campagna
Sergeant (AOS Teacher)
Discovering dance at an early age, Rosa Campagna began her journey with Soul in Motion as a member of the competive team. She then decided to further her education at York University as a dance minor. During this time she trained with arists such as Helen Jones, and Susan Lee in modern/contemporary techniques. Furthering her passion for dance, Rosa enlisted herself in Army of Sass in 2015. Her AOS training has given her the opportunity to work closely with leading heels choreographers such as Kaela Faloon and Kiana Smith. She also trains with DARK Dance Company under Lineen Doung and Allison Bradley, working on hip-hop/contemporary styles of movement. Now a Sergeant of Sass, Rosa hopes to share her wealth of knowledge with her students and her passion for dancing in heels!
Sorina Matheson
Sergeant (AOS Teacher)
Sorina Matheson is a 26 year old Early Childhood Studies student born in Romania and raised in Toronto. Dance is not only a part of Sorina’s life, it IS Sorina’s life. Though she has been dancing for 24 years and teaching dance for 10, when she discovered Army of Sass and heels dance in 2014, she knew she had found her true home in the dance world. Sorina is head over heels in love with the Army of Sass community and the opportunities it offers for women from all backgrounds. “NO GOOD WOMAN LEFT BEHIND” has become one of her life philosophies that she has adapted thanks to Army of Sass. She feels that it is so important for every woman to feel that they are part of a supportive community like Army of Sass.
Makenzie Smith
Sergeant (AOS Teacher)
Dancing since the age of three and falling in love with Musical Theatre pretty much around the same time, Makenzie’s passion for performance lies in character and technique. She has been lucky enough to be able to travel across the world, dancing with some of the most well known EDM artists in amazing places like Seoul, Korea and Monterrey, Mexico. She’s also a giant nerd who dresses up like comic book characters as her main hustle.
This will be Makenzie’s fourth season teaching for AOS and she couldn’t be more excited to step into the Corporals Level!
Miggy Esteban
Sergeant (AOS Teacher)
Miggy is very excited to continue exploring his sassy, classy and confident self with AOS Toronto. Two years ago he won a free sass pass and he’s been hooked ever since, feeling incredibly lucky to be able to share this new passion with the whole community! Outside of AOS, Miggy is a contemporary dancer and performance artist creating and performing works through Impetus Movement Project. He is also currently exploring the relationship between dance and disability through his Masters of Social Justice Education research.
• FAQ •
Check out these frequently asked questions, or contact us using the form below.
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Do I need dance experience to join the ARMY of SASS?
NOT AT ALL! We have classes in 3 different levels:
• Beginner (and yes we mean absolute, never been in a dance class kind of beginner)
• Intermediate
• Advanced & professional -
What do I wear?
• For training: stretchy, comfortable and SASSY clothes that you feel fabulous in!
• For performance: costumes will depend on the production theme for that term. -
What kind of shoes do I wear?
Comfortable, CLEAN, and thick heeled indoor shoes! Doesn’t matter what height of heel, just as long as you are comfortable! Be mindful of stilettos… they may look fabulous for a night out, but wearing them while trying to execute the AOS moves for two hours can be difficult. If you’re first starting out we suggest a good pair of kitten heels or sneaker wedges!
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How much is the ARMY of SASS program?
The program is currently $285.00 plus taxes and fees for each 10-week program where you receive 2 hours/week of training, an all-cast rehearsal, and a session end performance.
That comes out to $13.75/class! Normally in the dance/fitness industry, drop-in classes are $20.00. That is a savings of $6.25/class!
Please note: registration fees are non-refundable. -
How much are the drop-in Sass classes?
Drop-in pricing will vary by location; generally classes are $15-$30. Please contact the location leader for pricing information.
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Can I try my first class for FREE?
YES! Contact us using the contact form below to get your FREE pass to a Sass class in your area!
NOTE: this promotion is for first-time students only.
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How can I pay for the program or drop-in?
Drop-ins are generally cash only, payable when you arrive at the drop-in class; first-come, first-served. Contact a location near you for info!
Program payments are generally accepted via Paypal, Visa, and Mastercard, cash, and cheque. Payment types may vary by location; click “Register now” for full details.
Please take note that some AOS locations do charge taxes, where applicable. -
Do we have class cards for drop-in Sass classes?
Some locations do, but not all. Please reach out to a location near you for info; you can use the online contact form below to do so.
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Are there any other costs incurred by the AOS Program?
YES! Just one. It is for the costume that you will be performing in. NOTE: We often use many of the same pieces over and over again, and just layer them with different affordable accessories or pieces so you don’t have to spend too much money. If it is your first time we would safely say you will end up spending roughly $80.00-$100.00 on your costume (getting your staple pieces: fishnets, thigh high socks, and bodysuit or dress).
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Are there financing/payment plans available for the program?
Payment plans may vary by location. Please use the online contact form below to speak with a location near you!
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Can anyone take a class?
EVERYONE who is willing to dance and be fabulous in heels is welcome in our classes! Army of Sass is open to anyone of legal age in their province/state, all abilities, and all genders.
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Can people watch?
Not the whole class. If someone is picking one of you up after class and the door is open or there is a viewing mirror in the studio, yes they can watch at the end.
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Questions or comments ? Contact us here !
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