Instructors

Kathleen began teaching dance in 1973. She is a graduate of the High School of the Performing and Visual Arts, with a concentration in dance. She became a certified member of the internationally accredited dance organization, Dance Masters of America in 1988, and has served on its board. In 1990, she opened Connolly Dance Arts at her Westheimer Road location and had a successful 21 years. She brought her love of dance to students in the Katy area in 2011. Kathleen opened her current location at the Villagio in Cinco Ranch, and is proud to be part of the Katy community. Kathleen has directed her students in many dance productions and competitions. She is the Artistic Director for the award winning CDA Company, whose members have won numerous awards and titles.

Melissa was born and raised in Iowa. She has been dancing and performing since the age of three. She began her dance training in Marshalltown, IA at age three. She moved to Holstein, IA at age seven and began training at the Francie McKee Dance Studio in Ida Grove, IA. She took lessons and performed in the areas of ballet, tap, pointe, jazz, modern/contemporary, and lyrical. Melissa was a member of her high school dance/cheerleading team for four years and was head captain in her senior year. After graduating high school, she attended UNI her freshman year of college and was a performing member of the International Dance Theatre. She transferred to Iowa State University for the remainder of her college years and was a member of Orchesis I Dance Group. Melissa was also the Secretary for the Orchesis I Dance Group. In Spring 2012, Melissa performed at the National College Dance Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In 2005, Melissa moved to Katy, TX to teach in an elementary school. She has been a teacher for 10 years. Melissa taught Preschool and Level I dance classes at Connolly Dance Arts from 2011-2013. She lives in Katy, TX with her husband, 3 children and cat. She continues to work as an elementary school teacher and is excited to be teaching Preschool and Level I dance classes at Connolly Dance Arts again!

Originally from Jefferson, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Point Park University with a BFA in Dance. While at Point Park, she had the opportunity to dance in the International Choreography Competition as a part of the Jazz Dance World Congress. Upon graduating, she became a company member of METdance, in Houston, Texas. During her 7 seasons with the MET, she performed works by many renowned choreographers at various local venues in Houston, as well as the Inside/Out Series at Jacob’s Pillow, Spring to Dance in St. Louis, Women in Dance in Baton Rouge, and the Dallas Dance Festival. She has been teaching and choreographing for competitive studios, drill teams, and pre-professional programs for the past 10 years, while also adjudicating for dance competitions across the U.S. Mia is excited to continue sharing her love for movement at CDA!

Kenny Louis is an entertainer based in Houston, TX. He is currently the coordinator for the Houston Rockets Launch Crew and is a principal dancer for Fly Dance Company. At 14 years old he began breakdancing and has been performing since. In high school, he entered Inertia Dance Company which helped him enhance his skill and explore the possibilities of dance – he performed in symphonies, parades, musicals, concerts, and won first place as Dance Champion at MA Nationals. After graduating high school, Kenny continued to study dance at the University of Houston and decided to peruse dance as a full time career. In 2013 he joined the Houston Rockets Launch Crew and solidified his place as captain three years later. 2013 was also the year he joined Fly Dance company, which has allowed him to travel the United States as well as entertain audiences abroad in over 12 countries. For the past three years, Kenny and his breakdancing crew “RAD” have hosted an annual entertainment event for the community called “The Ether,” bringing in around 450 people from across the U.S. Despite his love of performing, Kenny has always retained a passion for teaching and started his role as a teacher in 2010. He worked for HISD as a dance teacher for Jane Long Middle School. He also teaches for Houston Healthy Hip-Hop.

Sarah Jenkins  is a recent graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, receiving a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography and a minor in Business Administration. Sarah is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, where she started her dance training emphasizing in Cecchetti ballet. Sarah has attended workshops and intensives nationwide, studying both commercial and concert dance from companies like Ballet West, Houston Contemporary Dance Company, SALT Contemporary Dance, Grand Rapids Ballet, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, and Millenium Dance Complex. Since moving to Kansas City, Sarah has performed locally with three hip hop crews, danced in the 2019 Worlds of Fun “Grande Carnivale”, and for the past two years has been working and traveling with Quixotic Cirque Nouveau, a cirque-fusion company, on several amazing performances. Sarah is excited to be moving to Houston to pursue more professional dance opportunities and is thrilled to be joining the CDA family!