Lara Kennedy is a Contemporary Dance artist and educator with extensive training in Ballet, Modern, and Contemporary techniques. Originally from New York, NY, she began her formal dance education at Logrea Dance Academy, specializing in the Vaganova Ballet Technique. She performed classical roles in productions such as The Nutcracker, La Boutique Fantasque, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty, and was invited to perform with the Westchester Ballet in a benefit concert for New York City’s Joyce Theater in 2009.

Lara’s passion for movement led her to explore a wide range of techniques, including those developed by George Balanchine, Lester Horton, Martha Graham, and May O'Donnell. She has trained and performed alongside professional dancers at prestigious programs including the New York State Summer School of the Arts, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, Hubbard Street Dance, Hofesh Shechter Company, and Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts.

During high school Lara studied in the Alvin Ailey Pre-Professional Dance Program, further developing her artistry in Ballet, Modern, and Contemporary styles. She continued her training internationally at the Joffrey Ballet School’s summer intensive in Genoa, Italy, and later joined their year-round trainee program in New York City. Beginning in 2018, she danced professionally with the Graham-based Toronto Dance Theatre.

Lara is currently apart of the inaugural cohort of the Alvin Ailey Teaching Certification Program and has taught and coached dancers of all ages in a wide range of styles. In addition to her work as a Modern and Contemporary instructor, she is a certified Pilates teacher and has served in several arts administration roles, both at DancEast and within the broader Nashville arts community.

Lara brings a deep well of knowledge and an infectious passion to her work at DancEast, where she teaches and also serves as a member of the arts administration team. She is committed to inspiring dancers of all ages through thoughtful, inclusive, and creatively rich instruction.

Kyrstin Young, a Nashville native, began dancing at age the of 2. By 13, she was training at Spotlite Dance Studio, with Zach & Dorinda Walker, who introduced her to commercial dance and at Nashville School of the Arts under Stacie Flood-Popp and Debra Perry. Kyrstin earned a BBA from Austin Peay State University in 2021, where she was part of the Austin Peay Dance Team, earning multiple Top 10 national rankings at UDA Nationals.

Kyrstin’s dedication led her to work with artists like Coco Jones, Da Baby, Mandisa, Jelly Roll, and Kendrick Lamar for the Super Bowl LIX halftime show. As well as industrial work for Dollar General, Walmart, and Hilton.

Passionate about teaching, Kyrstin has created “Kreate You” , a non profit geared towards underserved children and aspiring professionals. She also shares her knowledge at studios around Nashville and its surrounding cities. Her love for dance and children shines through in her bubbly, fun-loving personality, leaving sparkle wherever she goes.

Whit Hill grew up in New York City where she studied dance, theater, and music. She spent many years living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she was the artistic director of an acclaimed dance company, People Dancing--Whitley Setrakian and Dancers, choreographing more than 60 dance and dance/theater works. She toured the country as a backup singer for a band, began writing her own songs, then formed her own band, Whit Hill and the Postcards. That band released two records: We Are Here and Farsighted. Whit and her husband, award-winning blues artist Al Hill, moved to Nashville in 2008. In 2016, Whit released I Dug it Up: an album of songs inspired by metal detecting; she is currently developing a musical by the same name.