Kelsey Leonard

Kelsey began dancing at age 3 at Westside Dance Academy in Portland, OR, where she studied tap, jazz and ballet. At age 12 she started tap dancing with Cindy Brenn, who introduced her to rhythm tap and the styles of many of the masters including Honi Coles, Cholly Atkins, Diane Walker, Gregory Hines, Jimmy Slyde and Savion Glover. She has traveled all over to take classes with master tap dancers. She travels to Vancouver BC every year for the Vancouver International Tap Dance Festival. She has been lucky to study with great tap dancers such as Michelle Dorrance, Brenda Bufalino, Tony Waag, Sarah Reich, Sam Weber, Diane Walker, Dr. Jeni LeGon, Leonard Reed, Chloe Arnold, Melinda Sullivan, and Jessie Sawyers. In 2014, she performed as a selected member in Brenda Bufalino's student showcase piece as well as Tony Waag's Tap It Out in downtown Vancouver.

She has worked with other Oregon companies and choreographed pieces for collaborative shows, both representing herself and Gotta Dance Studio.

Recently, she started her own tap dance company, Central Oregon Rhythm Project. She enjoys spreading her love of dance, rhythm, and music with the local community combined with an outreach program to local children including history of tap dance education.

She loves to bring her passion for tap dancing to the studio in every class. Her classes involve warm-ups and rudiments to improve technicality and precision, "marathons" or drills to improve technique and a wide array of choreography for all levels.