Faculty
Our Staff - Our Reputation!
The Director and our qualified instructors are responsible for creating andmaintaining the professional environment that ensures your child's dance learning experience is caring, focused, challenging and has that "touch of fun" added.
The office staff is there to answer any questions you may have about schedule, dress requirements, competitions and more.
Our Office Manager ensures that the studio functions smoothly. She is available to discuss any questions or concerns you
may have related to the studio, dance program or fees.
Check us out...
Tracy Sobolewski – RAD, A.I.S.T.D, (Ballet, Lyrical, Modern) ACTING DIRECTOR
Miss Tracy hails from the East Coast, and is the studio's Acting Director. Tracy has been a teacher for over 20 years, specializing in ballet and modern. She has obtained her RAD teaching certificate, ISTD Cecchetti associate, as well as CDTA ballet. Throughout her teaching years, Tracy has taught both competitive and non-competitive students, with students ranging in ages from 2 to 72. She has choreographed and performed in local theatre productions, commercials, community events, and much more. Tracy has been a guest in house ballet examiner at a variety of studios throughout Alberta, a festival adjudicator, and a guest instructor for classes, workshops and seminars.
Prior to becoming a dance teacher, Tracy trained at the Alberta Ballet School in Edmonton, in the Professional division. This gave her many opportunities to perform and tour with the Alberta Ballet Company. During this time, she was lucky enough to work with renowned dancers such as Evelyn Hart, Veronica Tennant, and Karen Kain. Tracy also attended the National Ballet School, enrolled the teacher-training program.
As a dancer, teacher and former studio owner, Tracy is proud and excited to be a member of the Starcast faculty, and is looking forward to sharing her love of dance with your child.
Melanie Heemeryck - Studio Owner, Preschool Teacher 
Miss Melanie is the Studio Director of Starcast Dance Productions. She has many years of teaching and performing experience. She has attended many teaching workshops and seminars including those of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the National Ballet School of Canada, the Ballet Arts in Minnesota as well as seminars in Toronto, Los Angeles and Chicago. She has also assisted teaching classes with the Dance Educators of America. Miss Melanie's students have brought back some of the highest awards achievable in various competitions at home and abroad.
Miss Melanie is also a retired Figure Skating Instructor, who has trained competitive soloists as well as Precision Figure Skating Teams. She was a Pairs Figure Skater and has taught off-ice classes and lift classes at Skating Clubs in Winnipeg. One of her favourite childhood memories was winning the World Baton Twirling Corp Championships in South Bend Indiana in 1979. Later, as a teen, Miss Melanie enjoyed modelling and gained experience in runway, print work, local television and radio. The highlight in her modelling career was a runway show by the Japanese Fashion Designer Aiko Murato, with invitees such as the Premier of Manitoba and Evelyn Hart. Miss Melanie enjoys the challenges of owning and running a successful Dance Studio and continuing to educate students in the discipline of dance.
Ben Perrin – Hip Hop 
Ben began in the performing arts at the age of 15, when he was accepted in to the Young Canadians School of Performing Arts. There he was trained in voice, jazz, ballet, hiphop, musical theatre, and acrobatics. After four years in the program, he received the BP Amaco Young Canadian Scholarship.
After Young Canadians, Ben went on to teach hip-hop at various studios and schools around Calgary. He also started Calgary a cappella act The A Cappella Fellas, and continues to sing with them to this day.
He continues to be involved with Calgary-based performance troupe "Wildcard Productions" and has taken part in various corporate/private functions with them.
After performing in the '06 run of the "Oh Canada Eh!?" dinner theatre in Canmore, Alberta, Ben has most recently completed a 6 month tour of Australia, where he taught hiphop workshops across the country.
Jamie Marshall
Jamie Marshall has been dancing and performing around Calgary for 17 years. Beginning at 3 years old, she has received extensive training in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Tap, Acro, Musical Theatre, partnering, and most recently Modern dance. She has been involved with various different companies and studios around Calgary including: Dynamic Dance, Drewitz Dance Productions and The Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede. During her years of studio dancing, she performed in the 2000 Grey Cup half time show, the Grandstand show of the stampede and in May 2005 she performed for her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in the centennial show at the Saddledome. She moved on to complete two years in the University of Calgary’s contemporary Dance Program and is currently in her first year of Kinesiology at the University. Her goal is to graduate with a Bachelor of Kinesiology and move on to attend Dalhousie University to work towards a Masters in Physiotherapy. This is Jamie’s second year teaching at Starcast!
Jacquey Morison
Miss Jacquey dances with Tyler, Ben and Matt (our past Hip Hop teachers) in their dance company. She is an in-demand diva as a Hip Hop teacher in Calgary and we are so lucky to have her come out to Okotoks to teach us dance!