Justine Fraser

Originally from the Okanagan, Justine was introduced to dance at the age of three. Mentored by numerous great teachers and guest artists, Justine developed a movement foundation deeply rooted in both classical and stage dance. At the age of 14, Justine's passion and deep commitment to dance lead her to move to Vancouver BC, where she would begin her professional training, under the guidance of Beijing Dance Academy’s: Li Yaming.

As a student, Justine spent her summers training at a variety of schools under scholarship, including the Banff Centre for Performing Arts, Boston Ballet School, Ballet X Philadelphia, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

Under the mentorship of Li, Justine would go on to represent Canada as a finalist dancer in both the 2009 New York Grand Prix Finals, and as a semi-finalist in Beijing's International Ballet Competition in 2008.

Justine completed her postgraduate training in 2012, under the mentorship of Alonzo King in San Francisco CA, and has since performed on both national and international stages with numerous North American dance companies including Dawson Dance (Chicago), Les Petit Ballet (Ottawa), Ballet X (Philadelphia), Coastal City Ballet (Vancouver), to name a few.

In the fall of 2012, Justine joined Ballet Jörgen Canada, where she was a soloist dancer for Bengt Jörgen's 25th anniversary tour of Swan Lake.

During this time Justine was fortunate enough to work closely with both Mercedes and Jose Carret, the directors of  Danza Corpus, premiering the creation of the contemporary duet Last Encounter. It was during this process that Justine developed a hunger for new movement and an interest in alternative approaches to her classical foundation. This hunger lead Justine to return to Vancouver in the fall of 2013, where she would continue to investigate and research new ways to expand her classical training.

As a current educator and choreographer, Justine currently works with many training and post-graduate programs throughout British Columbia and abroad. She is an international teacher, choreographer, and dance adjudicator, and enjoys sharing her passion for dance, with students across North America.

Justine has recently completed a Master’s Level Postgraduate Teaching Diploma with the Royal Academy of Dance (RTS RAD). In addition to this, she is also certified in American Academy of Ballet’s Performance Award Program, Progressing Ballet Technique and Mental Skills Training for High Performance Athletes, with Lauren Ritchie.

Through her own dance experience, Justine has recognized that what she has learned through her commitment to dance transcends far past dancing itself. She is inspired by the idea that the creative process can be taken out of the studio setting and used as an educative tool to help people find and celebrate their individuality. She looks forward to sharing her passion for dance with the next generation of dancers.