When you meet Diana Fiddler, her energy and warmth make an immediate impression. For the past three years, she’s been the business manager at Ambition Performing Arts, connecting families, inspiring students and building community through the power of the dance.
“I don’t feel like I’m selling dance,” she says. “I’m presenting people with an opportunity. I know the amazing transformations that happen when students find the thing that they love. I love watching their confidence grow and see them build lifelong friendships.”
Her nominator, Tara Pickford, calls her an extraordinary employee “whose skill, heart and enthusiasm make her a standout member of our team and a role model for those around her.
“She doesn’t approach sales as a transaction, but as a chance to connect, inspire and build lasting relationships.”
That philosophy carries through everything Fiddler does, whether championing the studio’s leaders in training program, welcoming new families or volunteering as co-chair of the Southern Alberta Ukrainian Dance Festival.
“I see the students who come through our door grow into confident leaders,” says Fiddler. “They make me want to be a better leader not only in the studio but in the community, as well. When creativity and community come together, amazing things happen.”
The AAWAs are celebrating their Sweet 16 in 2026. What advice would you give to your 16-year-old self?
I would tell myself to take more leaps. Do not worry about what other people are thinking. Be more confident and do more of what you believe in.