Four friends with one vision.


Stephanie Thompson


Andrea Thompson


Heather Renzella

Sylvia van Helden


van Helden

In 2009, four friends, Stephanie, Heather, Andrea and Sylvia decided to form their own dance company. While they all had dance backgrounds, they we also working professionals who longed for a creative, supportive and collaborative space to dance, teach, choreograph and perform.


Their vision was unique, as there were limited options for non-professional dancers to still pursue their passion on and off the stage with high performance quality. Since then, Momentum Dance Toronto has exceeded their wildest dreams. MDT has become an integral part of the Toronto dance community, with a focus in inclusivity and creative expression while showcasing immense talent on the stage.  


*click their headshot to see their bios!*



Kathryn Barban



Kathryn’s passion for dance began as a student at the Harrison School of Dance in her hometown in New Hampshire. After graduating high school, she attended Western University where she began a seven-year hiatus from dancing. It wasn’t until after graduating, moving to Toronto, and attending drop-in classes throughout the city that she realized how much she had been missing dance and craved the opportunity to once again perform. After being introduced to Momentum through a close friend, she was thrilled to join the company in its second season and has been hooked ever since!


Outside the dance studio, she is a Marketing Director for a fintech company. Kathryn loves the creative outlet and the community of fellow dancers that MDT has created. She is honoured to continue as an executive member in MDT's tenth season.  

Kristen Wagner




Gendron Montes



Danielle fell in love with dance while watching Michael Jackson music videos in the late 1980’s. She began taking class at 6 years old and was on the competitive team with a prominent dance studio in Newmarket, Ontario during middle school and high school. Danielle continued to dance throughout University, where she was a member of the University of Guelph Dance Pak. It was through this dance group that she met co founder Stephanie Thompson, who introduced her to MDT after its inception several years later.   

Danielle joined MDT during the company’s 3rd season and has been dancing and choreographing ever since. Danielle is a lawyer, mother and now the Administrative Director of Momentum Dance Toronto.  She is beyond excited to have this new role with the company which has become an integral part of her life.


Kristen began dancing when she was 6 years old, and joined a competitive dance team at age 8, which quickly became her second family. Her love for dance continued throughout high school, where she began to teach recreational classes, and in university as a member of the dance team. After obtaining her degree in forensic science at Trent University, she moved back to Toronto and began working as a genetic technologist. She was eager to find an outlet to continue her passion for dance, and was ecstatic when she was accepted as a member of Momentum!


This will be her first year as Technical Director for MDT and she is looking forward to lighting up her fellow dancers in the year end show!