Co-Founders of Harbour Dance Centre on Granville Celebrate its 40th Anniversary This Year
The BC Entertainment Hall of Fame (BCEHOF) is pleased to invite the public to the StarWalk induction ceremony for Pamela Rosa and Danielle Clifford on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Harbour Dance Centre (HDC) on Granville Street—a place that has become “home” to countless dancers. From the beginning, Rosa and Clifford created an environment where everyone felt safe, supported, and inspired. They dedicated their lives not to performance, but to teaching, mentoring, and empowering dancers to become their best selves. Dancers around North America who trained at HDC in their youth and credited these two remarkable women for helping them achieve incredible career milestones.
Rosa and Clifford will join the 300+ previous inductees who have been recognized for their significant contribution to the province’s entertainment industry and cultural landscape.
The public and media are invited to attend the presentation:
- Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at 3:30pm
- 927 Granville Street in front of Harbour Dance
- Follow Harbour Dance Centre on Instagram for a Live Stream
“The importance of Harbour Dance, along with Pam and Danielle’s contribution to Vancouver’s cultural landscape, cannot be overstated,” says Bill Allman, President of the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame. “The centre has given birth to innumerable professional careers and allowed every Vancouverite with the need to express themselves through movement to enjoy a safe, inclusive space with a host of teachers whose experience in world-class dance careers has been both nurturing and inspiring! Kudos to Harbour Dance for bringing international quality to our boards!”
“HDC has always been a welcoming, inclusive space where any adult regardless of experience, shape, or ability—can learn to dance,” says Su Bailey, Artist Manager & Promotions. “That legacy continues in Pam and Danielle’s classes today, where you’ll find longtime students like me, who have been attending for more than three decades, dancing alongside newcomers just beginning their journeys. All of us carry forward the same hope: to grow, to express ourselves, and to honour the foundation Rosa and Clifford built with such dedication and heart.”
About the Inductees
Founder and co-owner of the internationally known Harbour Dance Center (HDC) located in Downtown Vancouver, Pamela Rosa has been entrenched in the dance world from a young age. After completing her first tour at 14, Pamela continued to perform and tour in various productions over the years, honing her skills at the same time, largely in Vancouver, Los Angeles, and New York. It was in New York that she trained with the highly acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, in addition to dancing at Broadway Dance Centre and Steps. In Canada, she has performed in several shows at the Arts Club Theatre, the Vancouver Playhouse, Barkerville’s Theatre Royal, Dawson City, Yukon and led the Follies in Whitehorse, and more. She was also a guest artist with the since-defunct GYRUS dance company, based in Vancouver. She has performed and choreographed for a variety of Canadian and US film productions, notably a recurring dancer on CBC’s Paula Anka Series and in many CBC Specials. Today, Pamela’s main dedication is to continue providing top-tier dance training for beginners and seasoned professionals alike in a relaxing, authentic, and fun atmosphere at HDC.
“Pam’s dedication and exceptional talent as a professional dancer, teacher, and business owner continually inspire me to pursue my own dreams,” says Artistic and Creative Director Sandi Croft (Cirque Du Soleil, Celine Dion, Shania Twain). “Her belief in me—paired with her unwavering support—has empowered me to push past my limits and achieve things I once thought were impossible. Harbour Dance Center, created by Pam Rosa and Danielle Clifford, has always been more than a studio; it is a true home. It’s a community that embraces dancers of all ages, backgrounds, and aspirations, and I am profoundly grateful to be part of.”
Danielle Clifford toured across Europe as a principal dancer with the Grand Théâtre de Nancy and as a soloist with the Opéra de Nice during the 1950s and 1970s. Shortly after moving to Canada in 1970, she opened the Ballet Studio in North Vancouver. Danielle has worked as ballet mistress at Anna Wyman Dance Company, completed the teacher training seminar at the National Ballet School of Canada, and has adjudicated numerous competitions throughout the province. She was featured in Van Dance Magazine for her extensive experiences.
Danielle was cast as the ballet mistress in the 1989 American romantic comedy film Cousins, starring Ted Danson & Isabella Rossellini played the same character in several advertisements, including one for Bose, and most recently in a music video for the New York-based band Knocks & Powers. Danielle is the co-founder of Harbour Dance, established in 1985. She officially retired as an owner in 2011, but continues to teach at least once a week at age 83. Danielle has inspired and trained too many dancers to count throughout her remarkable, successful career.
“I still believe Danielle’s the best ballet teacher on earth,” says Moe Brody, HDC Partner & Director of ITP (Intensive Training Program). “Nobody teaches with her mix of humour, patience, and ability to go right back to first position again and again and again for every new dancer who walks through the door. To say she has patience is an understatement; she could probably teach a class of cats and still smile through it. That’s the essence.”
