JACQUELINE THAIR

Stories & Testimonials

JACQUELINE THAIR

Niagara on the Lake, ON
Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theatre
Career Pathway: Teaching

Jacqueline Thair: Seventeen seasons at the Shaw Festival. Most recently, the 2024 productions of The Secret Garden and My Fair Lady. Some of the most extraordinary teachers I’ve had in my life were my fellow ensemble members, and I am grateful for that. Some favorite productions over the years include The Secret Garden, The Light in the Piazza, Cabaret, Maria Severa, and The Lady from the Sea. Additionally, I enjoyed studying some of Shaw’s Life Force characters like Eliza Doolittle, Raina, and Lavinia.

JACQUELINE’S STORY

“My second career choice, when the day comes to retire from dancing, will be teaching. I’ve always taught drama and dance, but having my daughter has really awakened a joy and passion for teaching and witnessing growth. My current circumstances have made sustaining a career in dancing increasingly challenging. My decision to pursue an alternative occupational route involved several factors, such as lack of stability, new life responsibilities, work-life balance, financial security, injury/health, age, and satisfaction. Lastly, there is an innovative and spontaneous aspect to teaching, not unlike performance, that I feel both familiar with and invigorated by through engaging and motivating students. Since joining DTRC, I’ve been so lucky to have been awarded counseling, a skills grant, subsistence, and a retraining grant. I’m excited to give back and aspire to be that teacher who makes the difference.

Having already experienced being in student debt from earning my Performing Arts diploma, I couldn’t afford to be at such a deficit again. Fortunately, a colleague of mine mentioned DTRC and that it might be helpful with my educational goals. Curious, I contacted the organization and was immediately impressed with the interest and care the staff offered.

Thanks to DTRC, I’m able to have peace of mind during a stressful life transition. I feel a great relief in having DTRC’s support to achieve my goals and new career.”

DTRC’S SUPPORT

Counselling
Skills Grant
Retraining (Study) Grant
Subsistence: Parallel Pathway Grant

National Office

The Lynda Hamilton Centre
Suite 303
1000 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M4W 2K2

Phone: 416-595-5655

nationaloffice@dtrc.ca

Office Hours:
By Appointment Only – Please contact nationaloffice@dtrc.ca

*Wheelchair accessible

BC Office

The BC office runs as a virtual office and is open on a part-time basis, according to a variable schedule.

bcoffice@dtrc.ca

Regional Reps

British Columbia
Mika Manning
bcrep@dtrc.ca

Alberta
abrep@dtrc.ca

Manitoba
Eugene “GeNie” Baffoe
mbrep@dtrc.ca

Atlantic
Sydney Ewert
atlantic@dtrc.ca

Toll-free: 1-800-667-0851

Territory Acknowledgment

We acknowledge the lands, waterways, languages, and Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island – First Nations, Inuit and Métis – who have been living on these lands since time immemorial. As we carry out our work, digitally and in person across many distinct territories, we offer our recognition and respect to all the peoples and places that are connected through our engagement together. We, at the Dancer Transition Resource Centre, commit to the ongoing work and learning required of all of us to address past and persistent harms. We continue to deepen our understanding and we welcome dialogue as we strive to move into better relations with Indigenous peoples and with the land.