Afro Contemporary Dance

Dawn developed a love for teaching many years ago and specializes in numerous styles including Tap, HipHop, Afro Jazz, Musical Theatre, Caribbean Movement, Lyrical and Contemporary. She trained with the Bahamas Dance Theatre and The Allegro School of Music where she developed her love for the stage. She’s an alumnus of both the Theatre Performance and Dance Performance programs at Holland College, and studied Theatre Production, English Literature and Sociology at Acadia University. Dawn has also completed levels 1-8 with The Royal Conservatory of Music. She has obtained certification in African Dance and Education, Stage and Drag Makeup Artistry, and Acrobatics. Dawn has shared the stage with many artists such as Popcaan, Destra Garcia, Cardi B, and has featured in multiple stage productions in the last decade such as Oliver Twist, Dreamgirls, & Hairspray. In 2014, she founded the Hurricanes Dance Team at Holland College, where she coached for 7 years. After moving permanently to PEI in 2018 with her husband, Joe Dames, and daughter, Dior Dames, the dynamic pair have cemented themselves as key figures in the Charlottetown arts landscape. They remain dedicated to elevating and diversifying the styles taught, practiced, and performed on Prince Edward Island. Dawn has directed and performed in shows on the Island such as Kings and Queens with The Island Fringe Festival and Street Fusion, Munschables & Island Vibe with The Confederation Centre of the Arts, where she was recently appointed the new Associate Artistic Director for the Charlottetown Festival. She is also Co-choreographer of black owned dance company, Xclusiv Crew, along side her husband. They both recently had the opportunity to choreograph and perform for the 2023 Canada Games. Dawn recently played the role of “Annie” in The Play That Goes Wrong, served as one of the writers for I’m Every Woman, and was the co-director and choreographer for Munschables at the 2023 Charlottetown Festival.