Our Story
Who We Are
The mission of On The Floor® (OTF) is to run a family-friendly, state-of-the-art competition where all participants leave feeling motivated and inspired. With unique concepts and high-quality adjudication, OTF strives to be the industry’s leading dance competition. Mitchell Jackson and Lisa Hupé always dreamed of creating a dance competition. They worked continuously to develop a competition like no other. The end result was OTF.
Since its inception in 2012, Mitchell and Lisa’s number one goal has always been to make OTF a rewarding and fun experience for all participants. With their strong backgrounds in dance, Mitchell and Lisa wanted to build a competition that would give dancers the chance to win scholarships to prestigious dance institutions while connecting with and learning from industry professionals. Creating the perfect team was essential to establishing Canada’s leading dance competition. Mitchell and Lisa have hired the most prestigious faculty, consisting of the industry’s top leading professionals, creating tremendous opportunities for OTF competitors.
“It’s the people that make a difference. Our judges and faculty are such an incredible group of professionals. They work overtime to ensure a rewarding, positive experience for all of our dancers.”
- Lisa Hupé
31
Competitions
30,000+
Participants
59
Events
Our Team
Mitchell Jackson
Founder & Director
Mitchell began dancing in his hometown of Sudbury, Ontario where he trained in jazz, ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, and musical theatre. Within two years as a competitive dancer, he had won multiple awards. Seeking to develop his talent, he moved to Toronto and later trained in New York and Los Angeles. As a dancer, he appeared in multiple television shows and music videos by leading artists. In Los Angeles, he taught at the Millennium Dance Complex. His students went on to perform with music stars like Carly Rae Jepsen and Justin Bieber and appear on So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Mitchell continues to work with dance studios and competitions across North America as a choreographer, teacher, and adjudicator. After many years of exploring the art of dance, he partnered with Lisa Hupe to create a new kind of dance competition. The result was OTF – The Ultimate Dance Experience®. Mitchell is incredibly proud of OTF’s success and the opportunities it has given young dancers.
Our Team
Lisa Hupé
Founder & Director
A former competitive dancer, Lisa taught dance to children in her hometown of Markham, Ontario for over 30 years. Wanting to give young dancers a new and different competitive experience, she partnered with her best friend Mitchell Jackson to launch OTF. Along with her passion for dance, Lisa brings OTF business, marketing, and planning expertise she has gained from owning and managing her own hair salon. Through the salon and OTF, Lisa has established a tradition of giving back by organizing many fundraisers for SickKids Hospital and involving OTF competitors and faculty in events that benefit the patients at the hospital. She is thrilled that OTF has come so far in such a short time, and even more excited about the experiences and opportunities it has given today’s rising stars.
Our Team
Kerri Gallinger
Director of Operations
Like her sister, Lisa Hupé, Kerri has an extensive background in dance. Growing up, she was a provincial-level gymnast – also competing in dance and diving. Kerri became certified in dance and gymnastics to pursue teaching and coaching. For many years, she taught young children her love of both sports. Her own children have followed in her footsteps – one as a competitive swimmer and the other as a competitive dancer. Along with her background in competitive dance, Kerri brings many years of office management experience to OTF. Kerri manages the business side of OTF, including sponsorships and fundraising. She is passionate about her work and loves the fact that she is able to share her love for dance and giving back through OTF.
Our Team
Meet Our Leading Faculty
OTF is proud to have the most prestigious faculty, consisting of the industry’s top professionals, as part of our team.