Elena, the driving force behind Atlantic Acro, (daughter of co-founder, Sheena), loves all dance genres but finds her true passion in Acro Dance .

Dancing & flipping before she could walk, Elena began her training at 3 years old. She started competing and examining her acro strengths with the Acrobtic Arts syllabus under Jayde MacDougall, in her early teen years. She also carved out time to personally train with Coach Derek Wist, taking in all he had to offer in tumbling and balancing techniques. Elena has many examination levels in Acrobatic Arts, is certified in the teacher training course, and is certified in Acrobatic Arts Module 1 Teaching.

To further perfect the art of acro dance, she moved her full-time training to Elle Dance Academy and, with their support, launched Atlantic Acro workshops to bring all of her coaches and fellow tumbling/acro enthusiasts together. It has been upward and onward ever since!!

@_elenabonin on Insta & Facebook!

Maya started dance and gymnastics at the age of two and fell in love with them both! A natural performer, she began dancing competitively at age 6 and immediately loved being in front of an audience.

Maya has competed in both dance and acro along side of Elena at Elle Dance Academy. She has extensive experience teaching acro and dance to young aspiring dancers and tumblers.

She is working on her Acrobatic Arts Teacher Certification and is certified in acro student teaching.

@_maya.dances on Insta

Dakota was born to compete on stage and started dancing at the early age of three. Dakota has been competing in dance for the past six years with numerous acro solos, achieving top marks and winning many judges special awards.

Dakota has a passion for acro and has taken many opportunities to sharpen her skills, including completing two years of tumbling training at Alta Gymnastics, acro training at Stars of Tomorrow Dance Academy, and attending a variety of workshops and private lessons.

Through her love of dancing and tumbling, Dakota has developed a passion for teaching acro. Over the past three years she’s led multiple weekly acro classes, trained a number of future acro stars, and continues to pass on her knowledge in both public and private settings.

@dakota.kendell on Insta & Facebook

Kelly has always had a passion for dance and movement. She studied dance at Cawthra Park Secondary School and kinesiology at York University to fully understand the art of dance.

Her passion has guided her to work in the fitness and health industry for over 20 years as a certified GoodLife Fitness personal trainer, yoga instructor and holistic lifestyle coach, and now Acrobatic Arts Module 1 Certified.

Kelly’s strong roots in anatomy assists her in teaching students to work within safe physical limits, and encourages them to explore while having fun in their movement journey. Kelly incorporates yoga breathing techniques into her teaching, which helps students focus and prepare for competition. Kelly strongly believes there is a connection between eating habits, stress, sleep, hydration and performance. 

@kellyjfit on Insta & Facebook

Derek Wist is known as our safety guru! Derek attends workshops, ensuring correct form and consistency in technique.

With over 30 years experience, Derek works with coaches, yogis and teachers to help build our team and morale. Derek has a background in gymnastics, competitive trampoline, martial arts and power tumbling, making him a jack of all trades in the industry.

He started coaching at the young age of 14.

With Derek’s dedication, experience and knowledge, he has truly helped students master their skills. 

@derekwist on Facebook

Rachel has been coaching gymnastics for over 20 years. She coached in New Brunswick and at three clubs in Halifax.

She has experience coaching teams, specifically cheerleading, but is very excited to bring the tumble and acrobatic components to our dancers.

Rachel and her daughter Ellie joined our workshop in October 2020 and became very excited to work with Derek, Kelly, Rose and Melissa.

Together they offer powerful and fun workshops for everyone! 

@rachelmorse on Insta & Facebook