Instructor Listings

Carley Melvin

Carley is a performing arts manager, technician, and artist in Toronto. She graduated from the Technical Production for the Performing Arts Industry Program at Sheridan College in 2022. Now, she loves bringing people together through theatre and different art forms. She also has a small painting business and loves to bake! Carley is excited by the opportunity to share her love of creating with the next generation through Explore It!

Katie Crompton

Katie (she/they) is an actor, singer, dancer, and educator originally from Coquitlam, BC. They are a graduate of Sheridan College with an Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance and have performed on stages across the Greater Vancouver area and the GTA. She has a passion for sharing her love of theatre and the arts with young people and has been a part of the Teaching Artist team at Bard on the Beach in Vancouver for almost three years. Aside from their love of all things performing arts, Katie is a hobby collector with a love of crafting. She loves crocheting, embroidery, clay jewelry making, and countless other creative projects. Katie is thrilled for the opportunity to share their love of creating with so many lovely young people through Explore It!

Aaron Alviano

Aaron is a visual artist with a B.A.,Hons. in Studio Arts from the University of Guelph. He currently resides in Toronto, where he produces art and teaches fine art (and many other) programs with Explore It! to children of all ages at schools throughout the GTA. Aaron is a veteran member of the Explore It! team and is highly appreciated for his positive attitude and ability to teach most any program. He's also a valuable asset in mentoring new instructors as they join the Explore It! team.

Makenzie Hay

Makenzie (she/her) is a performer, writer, costume designer and arts educator from Toronto. She recently graduated from the Second City Conservatory program where she was part of an ensemble that wrote, produced, and performed the original sketch show End of an Error. She attended Etobicoke School of the Arts where she majored in Drama, and Musical Theatre, all the while taking dance at her mom’s studio. This dance studio was where her passion for teaching sparked, and her very first job was assisting dance classes with kids ages 2+. Makenzie is an avid crafter, aspiring cat lady, and passionate movie watcher. She is thrilled to be working with the amazing Explore It team!

Bianca Heuvelmans

So this is Bianca- She's a passionate bilingual musical theatre performer and thrilled to be an instructor with the Explore It! team. She is a Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts graduate and has many years of experience in education/working with kids both in french and in english, which she hopes to continue for many years to come. Bianca believes in focus, discipline, learning from each other, having a laugh, and as Mrs. Frizzle would say; taking chances, making mistakes, and gettin' messy!

Katrina Creelman

Katrina has a strong passion for youth programming and education, drawing on her experience as both a camp counsellor and drama instructor with Theatre Orangeville. A graduate of Trent University with a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Cultural Studies, Katrina recently returned from a year living abroad in the UK where she further explored her love of theatre and film. Katrina is thrilled to begin her journey with Explore It! Inc. and is deeply committed to fostering inclusivity and creativity. Beyond her background in theatre, she has a vibrant interest in visual arts, crochet, dance, and community building. She eagerly anticipates the meaningful experiences and connections ahead with Explore It!

Almira Joyce Dungo

A child at heart, Almira is an undergraduate student at Toronto Metropolitan University pursuing a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and a double minor in Child and Youth Care as well as Disability Studies. She aspires to continue pursuing studies in programs relating to child and youth care and education after completing her undergraduate degree. Almira has a large passion for working with children, with extensive work and volunteer experience stemming all the way back from her early high school days. She hopes to advance her knowledge in the sectors of children and youth in education through the qualified position as an Explore It! Instructor.

Alexandra Bianco-Ivan

Working towards her Bachelor of Arts in Marketing with a minor in Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University, Alexandra’s second passion lies within working with children. With years of experience working in daycares and camps as a counsellor, Alexandra is excited to share the skills she learned through the Explore!It position. You can catch her being crafty with her crochet or active with her biking during her free time. Let’s welcome the age of exploring!

Maggie Koabel

Maggie Koabel is a dancer, choreographer and dance historian. She is a graduate of York University where she completed an Honours Double Major with a BFA in Dance and a BA in Religious Studies. Prior to attending York University, Maggie liked to think of herself as a ballerina, achieving her Advanced One in Cecchetti examinations and spending five seasons with the Greater Niagara Ballet Company in Niagara Falls, New York. Here she performed both as a soloist and a member of the company’s corps de ballet, expanding her repertoire to include a wide variety of both classical and contemporary ballets. In more recent years Maggie has become interested in interdisciplinary and collaborative art performances. As a student she took every opportunity to choreograph and perform in extracurricular creations including All You Can Eat which premiered at the Winchester Street Theatre in collaboration with rock ’n’ roll band Our History of Cowboys. Maggie believes in pushing the boundaries of dance and making movement more accessible to wider audiences and participants. Maggie is very excited to be an active part of the Explore It! community!

Kaela From

Kaela is a recent graduate from the University of Toronto with a HBSc in Neuroscience and Psychology. While they have always had a passion for studying the sciences, particularly biology, they absolutely love the arts and have plenty of experience in visual art and theatre. In their spare time, they delight in working on photography and textiles projects, dabbling in digital drawing, and exercising their creative muscles in a multitude of ways. While in school, they specialized in the topics of human biology, especially relating to the brain, mental health, and intersectionality in science. You can find their published scientific work in UofT’s Arbor Journal of Undergraduate Research and their artwork displayed in their parents’ dining room.