Maria Tereshchenko - Contemporary

Maria Tereshchenko is a contemporary dancer originally from the small town of Protvino, Russia. After moving to Toronto at the age of seven, she started her dance journey with ballet training at the Shevchenko School of Ballet, where she continued to dance through her formative years. She began to explore other styles of dance, including contemporary and jazz, after graduating high school. During her time studying biochemistry at the University of Toronto, she danced, choreographed, and performed with the Victoria College Dance Team (Vic Dance) and the Only Human Dance Collective. Her time with these collectives gave her the opportunity to work with and teach dancers of various backgrounds and levels, which sparked her love for inspiring others to use dance as a means of self-expression and emotional release.

Currently, Maria dances with the Unapologetic Dance Collective under the artistic direction of Kahvontay Willis-Slaughter, and regularly takes classes at CDC herself. She strongly believes in continuing her artistic growth through learning from others, and aims to foster an environment in her classes where every dancer feels supported and fulfilled in exploring their unique stories and artistry. Maria is grateful to be part of the CDC family, and is excited to share her love of movement with the community.