Universal Dance Designs Kennedy Tap Company
Kennedy Tap has produced more professional and Broadway tap dancers than any other school in Los Angeles, including performers who have appeared with the world famous Rockettes and in the shows Black and Blue; 42nd Street; Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk; and Las Vegas Storms.
Co-Founder and Artistic Director Arlene Kennedy possesses a great ability to inspire and educate young people to be both great dancers and well-rounded entertainers. Under her direction, the company has performed with and for Gregory Hines, Ben Vereen, Melba Moore, Miriam Nelson, Fayard and Harold Nicholas, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, the 45th Celebration of Love for Michael Jackson, and Savion Glover in the Cannes Film Festival in France. The ensemble has also been featured at the opening of the Kodak Theatre, the Los Angeles Marathon and L.A.’s African Marketplace. They did a 2006 European tour commencing in Barcelona.
Arlene Kennedy began to dance at the age of three. She has studied with Whilamea Freeman, and her mother, Mildred Kennedy Bradic, who founded the Kennedy Dance School in Boston. She also studied at the Academy of Theatrical Arts in Washington, D.C. Her career began in Boston were she performed with Teddy Powell Productions. She later performed internationally with the Bob Curtis Company. Kennedy is the recipient of the Gregory Hines Humanitarian Award and serves as a member of the Professional Dance Society Advisory Board.
