Instructors

 

Our dance instructors are highly-qualified and experienced in various styles and techniques. 

 

Melissa Hunsaker

Owner & Founder

Melissa is a Texas native, and grew up in the DFW area. She began taking dance classes at age 5 and started teaching dance when she was just 15 years old. Melissa has a B.F.A. in Dance from the University of North Texas. 

Since 2001 Melissa's choreography has won numerous awards such as, "Best In Class", "Judges Award", "Most Creative Choreography" as well as over 100 Top Overall Scores at local and national competitions. She has worked at various schools and studios all across North Texas specializing in technique workshops.

In 2012, she began teaching Dance at a public charter school in the south Dallas neighborhood of Oak Cliff, where she built an educational dance program from scratch. The program has grown to over 200 students in daily classes and over 50 students on the dance teams. 

Recognizing the strong interest in dance throughout the Oak Cliff community, Melissa opened Oak Cliff Dance, a studio space offering classes, private lessons, and custom choreography. Melissa strongly believes that dance should be available to everyone, and wants to create a place where students of all ages and all backgrounds can come together to learn the art form.

Kathryn Connelly

Kathryn grew up in the north Pittsburgh area in Pennsylvania. She began dancing at her local dance studio and joined the competition team quickly after.  She won multiple awards and titles during her time on the team. She furthered her dance education and passion by attending Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, where she performed in multiple shows including yearly productions of The Nutcracker. She graduated in the National Honors Society for Dance Arts, and she received a promising artist scholarship from University of the Arts. She spent four years teaching and choreographing in the Pittsburgh area before moving to Dallas, Texas. Kathryn loves sharing her knowledge with children of all ages and she hopes to help nurture their passion for dance and performing.

Lizette Rivera

Lizette Rivera is a DFW-based bilingual artist who works as a dancer, choreographer, model, actress and photographer. They are passionate about young dancers who are unsure of where to start in the dance community with a range of resources. As someone who started dancing at a young age and found it challenging to fit in, she supports their journey of learning.

Lizette is proficient in a variety of drill team styles as well as Hip hop, Folklorico, Salsa, and Modern dances. She has taught master classes and/or been a guest choreographer in Dallas, Mansfield and Denton. In addition to choreographing and volunteering at multiple Dallas ISD campuses, she was an intern with the Texas Dance Educators Association in 2022. Teachers, mentors, and colleagues including Leah Huggins, Kaleigh Kelley, Emma Cox, Dr. Charmian Wells, and Alex Benavidez as they significantly impacted her work.

She attended Trinity Valley Community College where she also obtained an Associates in Liberal Arts degree. Was awarded dance scholarships and, as an internationally recognized Cardette 2019–2021. She joined the Pioneer Pride Dance Team in 2021–2022 and continued her dancing career as a Texas Lonestar in 2023–2024 after transferring to Texas Woman's University pursuing a degree in dance education and minors in Psychology and Business Administration. She also trained under John Casablancas and KD Conservatory for theater and modeling techniques.

They participated in the 2023 World Series dancing for events at Texas Live. She worked with DJs BonnieXclyde, PaulyD, James Kennedy, Dynamic, Louie the Singer, and Marcos Cavos at concerts as a backup dancer. She has performed in various stages at Texas Woman's University in their Dance UpClose, MFA Culminating Project and Dance Makers. She has also represented for apparel brands like MNI Los Angeles, Fore all, Jag, and Calliope Golf. In her free time, she does photoshoots with her clientele and performs at Texas Live as a Texas Lonestar, and Gogo Girl. 

Wherever Lizette journeys, she makes sure she provides a supportive environment for dancers who are new to the craft or don't know where to begin. She is excited to collaborate with other artists and further her education so that she may impart what she has learned. Whether she is a teacher or a student herself, she enjoys being in a learning environment.


Hailey Summers

Hailey Summers is a movement artist born and based in Dallas, TX. They specialize in experimental freestyle, dance education, event curation, creative direction, and immersive movement art. Summers is the creator of “Discovery Movement” and “BOILING POINT” experimental freestyle platforms for people of all movement backgrounds to express both artistic and competitive excellence. Their purpose is to inspire the young designers of tomorrow to trust in their own creative innovations with limitless courage, curiosity, and compassion.