Kathleen Kelly's love of dance started when she
was eight years old. After raising six children and taking up golf, she still finds that dance is her true love.
Her passion for dance has transformed The Kelly Dancers from
a small performing group into the premier adult tap dance group in the Phoenix area. Kathleen's road to success
took many turns and involved many styles of dance, all of which can be seen today in The
Kelly Dancers routines.
Kathleen knew that dance would be her passion at a young
age. She began ballet classes at the age of eight in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Kathleen's
family was busy running the family business, which happened to be the ownership of The Philadelphia Athletics major league
baseball team. Kathleen's grandfather, Connie Mack, owned and managed the team for more than 50 years. He
was fondly known as "The Grand Old Man Of Baseball." Connie Mack was famous in the sports world and this celebrity
was part of Kathleen's life. She was an over-achiever in her studies and sports at Merion Mercy Academy, but
it was dance that she loved the most.
After hard work, which was fun for Kathleen, she
was accepted as a student into ballet master classes in the prestigious Chester Hale School of Ballet in New York
City. At the tender age of fifteen, she left Bryn Mawr for a summer in New York City studying ballet with
Madam Swoboda. Kathleen would later return to New York for a life changing experience. After the ballet
master classes, it was a thrill for her to return to Bryn Mawr and appear with The Main Line Civic Light Opera Company.
Dancing with the Opera Company was a great experience and Kathleen was happy to be a teenager that was getting paid to dance!
Once bitten by the show-biz bug and tasting The Big Apple, Kathleen
had outgrown the little town of Bryn Mawr. Somehow, she was able to convince her parents that college could wait and
she could be on her own in New York City. After graduating from Merion Mercy Academy high school, Kathleen was off to
New York City!
The Roxy Theater in New York City was located near the famous Radio
City Music Hall. It was a smaller theater that attracted some big acts. The Roxy Theater needed dancers to back
up the big acts so, Kathleen auditioned, and easily got the gig. Kathleen's ability to learn fast and perform with energy,
won over the dance director with ease. There was one drawback to performing at the Roxy. The theater would "lay-off"
the dancers whenever the ice show came to town. Then, they would "re-hire" the dancers once the ice show left.
This meant an unsteady paycheck for the young lady from a small town. So, Kathleen got up the nerve to try out for the
bigtime, The Rockettes!
Kathleen, once again, found success auditioning for the world famous
Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. This was the highlight of her young professional career. It would also bring
about personal changes. Perfoming with The Rockettes meant constant rehearsals, costume changes, and learning a "number"
in a matter of days. Kathleen found this challenging and fun. Performing was great for Kathleen. Getting
paid to perform was even better, but being a Radio City Music Hall Rockette was something to write home about...and she did.
Kathleen wrote home about a young man she met. Somehow, between rehearsals,
and performances as a Rockette, she found time to fall in love. Clifford Kelly was a handsome young man working his
way through college at Fordham University in New York City. Cliff figured that it was convenient and easy
to work as an usher at The Music Hall, and who knows, you might get a date with a Rockette! Cliff and Kathleen
eventually married. They had six children, none of whom inherited Kathleen's dance ability. Although none of the
children became Rockettes, they are all successful in their own endeavors.
While raising six children, Kathleen never lost her love for dance.
Eventually, Kathleen and Cliff moved to Phoenix, Arizona. This was a far cry from New York City, and even farther from
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Kathleen grew to love the southwest and the southwestern culture.
The southwest became a part of Kathleen's dance interest when she joined The
Laura Moya Spanish Dance Company. Known for their colorful costumes and lively Flamenco dances, the Spanish dance
company was in demand all over the state of Arizona. Kathleen quickly learned this new style of heel pounding vibrant dance,
and soon became the lead dancer for The Laura Moya Spanish Dance Company.
As if mastering a new disipline of dance wasn't enough, Kathleen was
ready to take on a new challenge...that of "dance teacher and choreographer."
Kathleen co-founded a Rockette style of precision tap dancers called
The Taptations. This high-kicking group delighted audiences and were "booked" solid year-round. Phoenix had
never seen an act quite like them, and they were forty-somethings!
As the children grew, Kathleen found time to keep up with her busy dance
schedule. She was now performing with The Taptations, the Spanish dance company, The Jack Slater Dancers, and teaching
dance at a local high school, Xavier College Preparatory For Girls. Kathleen soon found a niche that was all her own.
This became the most rewarding dance adventure of her life, and she still loves it to this day.
The Kelly Dancers
started from humble beginnings, to say the least. Kathleen was teaching dance to senior women at the Washington
Adult Center in 1982, when she was asked to have her class perform in the year end show. Kathleen soon found that
her choreography and the women's willingness to learn, earned them great respect and they were the hit of the show!
Soon, Kathleen was asked to have her "tap dance class" perform at other functions and The
Kelly Dancers were born. Today they boast over seventy current and former members. Under
Kathleen's direction and choreography, The Kelly Dancers precision
tap dancing, and wonderful costumes, provide a show to be seen. Kathleen's energy has transformed typical "housewives"
into an electric Rockette style show of tap dancers reminiscent of the heyday of live theater. Enjoy
The Kelly Dancers!
