She studied piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and ballet with Heino Heiden [de] and Lydia Karpova in Vancouver, with Wynne Shaw in Victoria, with Audrey de Vos and Errol Addison in London, with Felia Doubrovska in New York City, with Natalia Dudinskaya in Leningrad and with Karel Shook in Amsterdam.
[4] Holmes danced a pas de deux with her husband in Norman McLaren's award-winning film Ballet Adagio.
[3] The pair were also featured in Grant Munro's documentary Tour en l'air, which won first prize in its category at the American Film Festival.
[6] Holmes is known for her restagings of classic ballets, particularly those from Russia, such as Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère and The Nutcracker.
[5] Various choreographers including Agnes de Mille, Peter Darrell and Ruth Page have created works for her.