KELLY CANNONE

Kelly Cannone has been an arts educator for more than 25 years. She served on The Arts Advocate of RI, and is a Board Member of the Warwick Consortium of the Arts and Humanities. In 1981 she founded Dance Artistry, Inc. in Warwick, RI and became owner of the studio Dancer Magazine called "One of the four most successful studios in America." She started her own dance company, a non-profit organization, who performed internationally visiting Copenhagen, Denmark, and Minsk and Moscow, Russia. In order to expand her teaching opportunities to the martial arts, she earned her black belt in American Kenpo Karate.

Kelly has numerous career highlights, these include choreographing numerous corporate events, commercials, and music videos including the Miss R.I. pageant, Koch Eye Associates Promotional Video, Market America’s Regional Convention and many more. Kelly has appeared in several televisions commercials and theater productions. She has been on staff with Dance Olympus and Candance conventions. Kelly’s latest venture is writing motivational articles for children. Her work has been published in Dancer Magazine, The Gold Rush, Cheerleading Dance and Drill Magazine and Dance Studio Life. Kelly has been traveling around the country teaching dancers and dance teachers how to set goals in her Aspiring Dreamz Workshop.

This past year Kelly has published a book titled, "Aspiring Dreamz, Goal Setting For Dancers." Kelly has also written a children’s book titled "The Broken Doll" which is being considered for a ballet production in Rhode Island.

HOPE SPECHT

Hope Specht has an impeccable reputation in the New England dance world. She is known nationwide for her teaching and choreography, and is in constant demand as a teacher and adjudicator for dance competitions and conventions across the country. Having owned and operated her own dance school for over 15 years, Hope’s students have performed in commercials, Disney, The Macy’s Day Parade, Madison Square Garden, Times Square in New York, and the Broadway musicals: "ANNIE GET YOUR GUN" and touring with "FOSSE", also achieving 10 National Acro titles, 3 World Champions in Show Dance, GOLD & 2-TIME WORLD Silver medalists in Tap 2005-2006 in Riesa, Germany. Hope had the prestigious honor of being nominated and to perform her choreographed Acro-Gym production, "GLORY," for President Bush.

Hope has been teaching and choreographing at McKeon’s for the past 6 years. Her Acro – Gym routine “Battle Warriors” won the Xcalibur Award (the highest scoring routine in all categories of the competition) at Dance Xplosion Nationals this past summer.

DANIELLE BUHARALI

Danielle Buharali is an accomplished dancer, teacher and choreographer. She started at the McKeon School at age 3 and has never left. A National Dance Champion herself, Danielle was also a member of the McKeon Team Chosen to be part of the first United States delegation sent to participate in the “10th World Gymnaestrada” in Berlin Germany in 1995.This past summer her students received recognition at the Dance Xplosion National Championships winning the prestigious Xcalibur award in the Novice division along with several other Top Score and High Point awards.

As well as being an accomplished competition instructor, Danielle is one of the top recreational dance teachers in the area. She takes the same creative approach to all her classes, beginners through advanced.

CASEY LeBLANC

Casey LeBlanc was a member of the nationally-ranked McKeon Competitive Dance Team for 13 years. During her time, she won numerous regional titles as well as being crowned the 2011 Senior Miss Beyond The Stars for her performance at their national competition. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Business from Arizona State University, Class of 2015. In her junior and senior years she was awarded full scholarships to the American College Dance Festival where she became a finalist in her category both years.

Casey was an active member of the National Dance Education Organization and acted as their social marketing manager. Upon graduation, she returned to McKeon and has quickly become a valuable member of our staff. She is certified in Acrobatic Arts and is now a member of Dance Masters of America, Chapter 5.

Casey’s choreography has won many awards at regional and national competitions and her encouraging, positive attitude with all the dancers is a wonderful asset for our recreational and competitive programs! Casey continues to choreograph as a guest artist at the college level as well at Stonehill College and UMass Amherst.

BREA PERDUE

Brea Perdue has trained with and assisted some of the top teachers and choreographers in the country including Mia Michaels, Stacey Tookey, and Doug Caldwell. Brea’s credits include Kelly Clarkson, Teen Beach Movie, High School Musical, and Shake it Up. She has danced in numerous commercials and industrials, and was also a semi-finalist on Season 2 of FOX's hit television show, “So You Think You Can Dance.” In addition, Brea has performed in numerous shows at Walt Disney World. Her unique choreography keeps Brea in high demand throughout the country where she teaches at studio workshops and choreographs for college dance teams. Currently, Brea is in her fifth season on faculty at Revel Dance Convention.

JUSTINE PENNUCCI

Justine has been dancing for 20 years. She has been trained in jazz, hip hop, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, tap, etc. Justine received most of her formal training before graduating high school at Cathy Taylors School of Dance in Auburn, MA. She also trained under Joan Sheary and Kellie Shea in the Burncoat High School Dance Magnet, where she was the captain of the five-time State Championship winning dance team in Worcester, MA. Justine attended UMass Amherst, graduating with a degree in Public Health with a focus in Public Administration in 2019. She was the captain/coach of the Nationally ranking UMass Amherst Dance Team.

Justine now teaches in the same dance magnet program that she attended at Burncoat Middle and High School, as well as being the assistant coach of the BHS Dance Team, who have won another state championship during her time on the coaching staff.

Justine is entering her 3rd year as an Instructor for The National Dance Alliance (NDA), where she travels around the country working with numerous high school and college dance teams. She also teaches at Central Mass Dance Academy in Worcester, MA, and Mckeon Dance and Gymnastics in Hopedale, MA.

ELLEN JOHNSON

Ellen began dancing at McKeon at just three years old. Through twelve years on the competitive dance team, she achieved success at both regional and national competitions and had opportunities to travel the world. In 2010, she was a member of the McKeon’s group that performed at the World Expo in Shanghai, China. Though she has formal training in jazz, ballet, and contemporary, as she grew older her true passions came through in tap. She was taught and mentored by Danielle Buharali, and seeks inspiration from teachers like Anthony Morigerato and Jason Janas.

In 2016, Ellen was selected to be part of the American Tap Company and then competed in the IDO Tap Dance World Championships in Riesa, Germany as both a soloist and group member. Here, she earned a silver medal with her group and built relationships with the world’s best tap dancers and choreographers. While at Elon University, she continued her practice of tap dancing with tap legend, Gene Medler. Ellen loves teaching music theory and composition along with technically challenging steps to develop well-rounded tap dancers. Her choreography has been awarded both regional and national titles, and she is excited to continue growing as a teacher and choreographer.

KARA PENDLEBURY

Kara Pendlebury's love for movement started on the mats in acro class then transitioned into the world of competitive dance. Upon moving to New York City she began dancing professionally, performing mainly in the styles of contemporary and jazz. Along with that, Kara trained, assisted and traveled with many companies and choreographers. Most recently, you can find her judging on the east coast or in the studio, creating movement while encouraging dancers to believe in themselves.

COURTNEY NORTON

Courtney comes to McKeons with many years of dance experience in a variety of styles. She holds a BFA in dance from UNC Greensboro where she studied the classic modern dance techniques of Cunningham and Limon as well as a variety of release techniques, choreography and somatics. Courtney performed with Soul Play Modern Dance, Kelly Donovan and Dancers, as well as her own company CannDance Productions, where she choreographed original works that were performed at regional dance festivals and showcases. Courtney began teaching dance in college after many years as a teacher's apprentice. She has taught in North Carolina, Florida, and Central Mass, working as a studio manager and lead instructor teaching students ages 2.5 and up. She ran multiple student performance groups and choreographed a variety of pieces including original “storybook” dance productions and Nutcracker holiday productions performed locally.

In 2008 Courtney earned her Masters of Ed. in Elementary Education and continued her studies to attain her Reading Specialist certification. Courtney holds 3 teaching licenses in Massachusetts: Elementary Ed 1-6, Reading/Literacy Specialist k-12, and Dance k-12. Always a student, she is consistently studying the neurological science of learning and memory to enhance her students’ performance in academics and dance. She is trained in reflex integration and uses thinking routines and cognitive learning practices to inform her teaching for the best student outcomes. Courtney focuses on creating a positive and productive learning environment that develops the love of dance without sacrificing the technical, postural, and artistic development of the growing dancer.

FELICIA BYRD

Felicia Byrd is a dancer, choreographer and instructor who simply loves to perform. She began dancing at a young age, simply learning choreography from music videos by artists such as Aaliyah, Chris Brown, and of course Michael Jackson. Aside from her “at home performances”, she also danced with different teams at her church called Silent Witness (liturgical), .COM (hip hop) and the Tri-Steppers (step). While attending college, Felicia realized her talents and joined teams such as Aesthetic Flo (hip hop), One Sound (step) and eXposure (hip hop, bachata, salsa, pasada and more). Through connections in eXposure, she was introduced to Dancin Spirit Performing Arts when her dance career truly began. Since then, Felicia has taught at multiple studios throughout RI and continues to be a student at Thr3e Live Dance Complex where she was also a principal dancer on the Liv3Lihood dance team. Felicia has performed for the Providence Dominican Festival, Issa Pointer, HGTV, New Kids On The Block at Fenway and most recently, in the upcoming “Hocus Pocus 2” movie. Felicia hopes to continue to teach and mentor young dancers to be able to pursue their dreams, while continuing to pursue hers.

HANNAH LEBEAU

Hannah is an Auburn, MA native, who has trained extensively in many different styles of dance including tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, modern, hip hop, musical theatre, and acro. Throughout her youth, she was a successful competitive dancer where she was awarded many prestigious local/national awards, titles, and scholarships. Some of the dance studios/establishments she has studied under include Broadway Dance Center, Worcester Ballet Arts, Janette Neil Studio, and Hackworth School of Performing Arts directed by Alison Forance. She was an original member of the Boston Tap Company under the direction of Sean Fielder where she performed in shows such as the Radio City Rockettes, Jacob’s Pillow, The Dance Complex Showcase, and Rhythm in the Night at the Riverside Theatre in Hyde Park. She also specializes in Pro Dance/Dance Team style, as she is most well known for her former title as an NFL Cheerleader where she obtained the titles of a Line Captain, 2X Super Bowl Champion, and 2017 Pro Bowl Representative. She has trained under notable choreographers including Teddy Forance and members of the Shaping Sound Company, Jason Samuels Smith, KellyKaleta, Gregory King, Hope Specht, and many more. Hannah still teaches all styles of dance, and choreographs for National winning solos, duos, and groups

STEPHANIE McCULLOCH

Stephanie McCulloch started dancing at Mckeon at age 3, being a member of the national award-winning dance team for her final 9 years. In 2016, she graduated from Ithaca College (IC) with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a Minor in Dance. While at IC, she was a member of and choreographer for the college’s hip hop team and largest dance company. She moved on to receive a dual master’s degree in Science and Public Health from Tufts University in 2020, now working at Harvard’s School of Public Health researching and promoting childhood nutrition and physical activity interventions.

Throughout her graduate education and career, Stephanie still found a way to keep dance in her life and share her passion. Her unique style is inspired by several of her Mckeon teachers that are still faculty here today. She loves using her dance experience and education to prepare dancers for the real world, while instilling positive values in them that can last a lifetime. She’s thrilled to continue to grow as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer along with faculty and students at Mckeon!

MARINA

Marina comes to us with many years of experience. She is the founder of Bolshoi Summer Intensive Russian-American Ballet in NYC and CT. From 1974-1989 she performed for the Classical Dance Ensemble Kiev, Ukraine. She danced principal classical and character roles from Classical ballet productions including Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Paquita, and Sleeping Beauty. She is a Doctorate Candidate for Physical Therapy Program focusing on Sports and Dance Therapy, University of RI. We are very excited to have her join us!

LAURA

Laura grew up in Medway, Ma. She started dancing at the age of 4 at Mckeon Dance & Gymnastics and continued her training there until she graduated high school. She is trained in contemporary, jazz, lyrical, acrobatics and hip hop. Through her years of dancing, she has won numerous titles and top placement awards at various competitions. Laura was chosen with her studio team to participate in the “10th World Gymnaestrada” in Berlin Germany in 1995, where she was the youngest dancer. After graduating high school, Laura continued to further her education by taking master classes all over New England.

Along with being an accomplished dancer, Laura is, also, being recognized as an accomplished dance teacher and choreographer. While teaching at studios within Massachusetts she has won numerous choreography awards for her contemporary, jazz, and lyrical pieces. Her students have received amazing recognition, winning top placement awards, and receiving scholarships to dance in Hollywood & New York. Laura is well-known for her unique style and innovative choreography. Laura takes pride in passing along her love and knowledge for dance to each and every one of her students. She is incredibly honored to be back at her home studio and is looking forward to many years to come.

MEGHAN

Meghan was a competitive dancer from Cranston Rhode Island and danced on her high school Falconette dance team. She danced for Roger Williams University, where She served for several years as a captain, President, and Vice President of several dance groups. Meg became a mental health therapist in 2023, acheiving a masters degree in clinical mental health counseling. She currently works for several agencies as a clinician inspiring, advocating, and helping individuals with their mental health. As a dance teacher, She integrates her mental health background into the dance studio to encourage young athletes to be confident and kind in every room they enter!