Faculty

Karla has owned and operated the Dance Academy for the past 34 years.  During this time she has enjoyed teaching thousands of students to dance.   Karla has been awarded countless choreography awards for her clean and inventive routines.  This past season, her students received awards for Best Technique, Excellence in Tap, Jazz and Lyrical Contemporary, to name a few.  Karla's students have received dance scholarships on the regional and national level.  Many of Karla's former students have continued their dance training at prestigious colleges, including Marymount, Fordham, and Dean College.  She now has former students dancing professionally in New York, LA, and Chicago. She is extremely proud to have the pleasure of watching her former student Channing Cooke succeed on "So you think you can dance", "Dancing with the Stars" and many other shows in the industry. Karla received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Salem State College and then served on their Dance Faculty for four years. She is a former All-Star gymnast and was inducted into the Methuen High School hall of fame for this sport. Karla enjoys teaching from beginner to advanced and sharing her love of dance with all her students at the academy. 

 Lisa has been involved in dance since the age of three. She was the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships throughout her years as a dance competitor.  Lisa is a graduate of the Dance Teacher's Club of Boston Teacher Training Program.  Lisa is also a graduate of Northern Essex Community College.  Lisa began teaching and choreographing at a young age and her students have received many prestigious awards and scholarships.  Her choreography was awarded numerous overall high scoring awards on the regional and national level. 

Caity is a long time member of The Dance Academy, first as a student and secondly as an instructor.  Caity has graduated from Endicott College with a B.S. in Psychology.  While at Endicott, she was a member of their dance team.  She performed with and choreographed for the team, coached an after-school dance program in Hamilton, MA, and worked as an instructor at other dance studios around MA.  Caity was also an instructor for the Universal Dance Association along with competing at their national competitions held in Orlando, Fl.  Caity's experience with children of all ages makes her classes enjoyable and educational. Caity takes a young group of dancers successfully into the competitive world of dance.  Her commitment and dedication to the students are evident in the many overall and special awards her students receive.  For 8 years, Caity was the Co-Owner of Improv Dancewear.

Jenn began dancing with Karla the first year the Dance Academy opened for business at the age of 2.  She was trained in all areas of dance and part of one of the first competition and performing dance teams at the Academy.  Jenn's love for dance grew and she decided to give back to the youth by becoming a teacher and sharing her knowledge of dance in a kind and caring manner.  Jenn is committed to helping our dancers be the best they can be.  Her students prestigious and numerous awards at regional competitions are a reflection of her dedication and commitment to our youth. Jenn graduated from Northern Essex Community College with an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts and then studied accounting and economics at The University of Massachusetts Lowell.  She was the Co-Owner of Improv Dancewear for 8 years.

Laura's training began at KPDA and she went on to further her training at the Joan Phelps Palladino School of Dance at Dean College.  At Dean, she studied Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Pedagogoy, and Kinesiology.  She graduated a year early, earning her B.A. in Dance with a concentration in Performance & Choreography.  Laura was awarded the "Trustee's Prize for the Palladino School of Dance for the Bachelor's Degree Program" upon graduation.  We are thrilled to have Laura join the KPDA staff. 

In 2019, Caroline graduated Magna Cum Laude from Marymount Manhattan College

with her BFA in Modern Dance. While getting her degree, she was fortunate to work with and

perform in pieces by Jessica Lang, Claudia MacPherson, Loni Landon, Alberto del Saz, Nancy

Lushington, and Michael Thomas.

As a young dancer she competed at a national level and even traveled with West Coast

Dance Explosion’s 2015/2016 tour. In recent years, Caroline has joined the National Dance

Educators Organization to stay connected to the best teaching techniques. Caroline is a

passionate dancer and an equally passionate teacher, who firmly believes that dance education

extends far beyond mere execution. While her primary studies included modern and ballet,

Caroline enjoys teaching contemporary, jazz, lyrical, and hip hop.

Meg began her dance career soon after she took her first steps. She received her technical training at KPDA where she participated in various competitions and recitals. During high school she began teaching hip hop and latin rhythms to the children at the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence. She then attended Merrimack College and founded the Merrimack College Dance Club . She served as president for all four years and choreographed the team’s performances. She also found great joy teaching Zumba at the college’s fitness center to students and faculty. Since college she has joined DanceWorks Boston as a choreographer where she teaches dancers 18 and older and performs in their bi-annual shows. She’s extremely grateful and excited to be rejoining the KPDA family!