Dana Davis Bailey

Dana Davis-Bailey is the owner and artistic director of Dana’s Dance Academy. After 21 years of providing dance instruction, many of her students are performing on Broadway, in California and Las Vegas. While attending MacArthur High School, Dana was a Cardette officer and later went on to become a Rangerette Lieutenant at Kilgore College.  Ms. Davis-Bailey also teaches Speech and Theater Arts at Lamar Middle School and provides her talents of choreography and movement to many of the Irving schools including Bowie, MacArthur and Irving High.

Dana danced professionally with the Dallas Ballet Company and the Irving Ballet Company. Her final role as a professional ballerina was the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker for the Irving Ballet. From 1996-1998 Ms. Davis-Bailey served as General Manager for the Irving Ballet Company. Summer months are spent as a dance instructor for KidsArts Camp at the Irving Art Center.

Her awards include Irving’s High Spirited Citizen Award, and Irving Cancer Society’s Rising Star. Dana is passionate about community involvement and some of her contributions include: Irving Arts Board Member – Arts Reach Committee; co-host for ICTN’s About Town and featured panelist on Lunch with Pamela on Dallas cable; artistic director and coordinator for Community Concert Association’s performance of Together We Can and Las Colinas Symphony’s Tap Concerto. Ms. Davis-Bailey has been selected to speak at college career days as a role model for young adults, as well as donated services to many fundraisers (Irving Cares, Baylor Hospital of Irving, Irving Cancer Society, et al.) and local charities through dance performances by her resident Dance Company and staff.

Karen Cooper

Karen Cooper is a graduate of North Texas State University with a B.S. in Dance Education and has been teaching in Irving for over 30 years. Karen is a veteran instructor at Dana’s Dance Academy, teaching a variety of classes for the past 15 years.

She is President of Irving Ballet Company and works to annually produce the Nutcracker Ballet. As a choreographer, she has worked extensively with local schools and commercial productions.

The Greater Dallas Urban League Guild presented her with the 21st Century’s Most Promising Leader Award for her professional work and volunteer service to the community.

 

 

 

 

Brianna Johnson

Brianna Johnson is currently a kinesiology major at UT Arlington, and brings with her, a well-rounded view on dance. She began her training at age four and has not stopped dancing since. Trained in all forms of dance, including ballet, tap, jazz, modern and hip-hop, she has had the opportunity to take from such accomplished choreographers as Max Stone, Mia Michaels and Gregg Russell as well as attending classes in New York at Broadway Dance Center.

She began teaching at the age of fifteen in Lewisville and has taught throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area at private dance schools. Brianna also taught for Imagine the Impossible organization.

Coming to Dana's Dance Academy in the Fall of 2000, Brianna currently teaches creative movement and some of our combination classes for children ages two and above. Brianna has performed in the Dallas Morning News Dance Festival, “M” Project, and many University Dance Festivals. She has been a guest dancer with Ewertt and Company, Saba Dancers, Ground Level, Dance Collaboration, and Nance Dance.

Ashley Chinn

Ashley Chinn has been teaching at Dana’s Dance Academy since 2001. She was a competitive gymnast for seven years ending at level 10, and has been coaching recreational and competitive gymnasts since 1993. Ashley began dancing in high school and joined the R.L. Turner Lionettes drill team. After high school she got her first gig as a back-up dancer for singer “Flor.” She then studied hip-hop, jazz and modern and performed in Dancers Theater for Brookhaven College.

Currently she teaches salsa and choreographs/dances for artists such as “Havana NRG,” “Tio,” and “Will Delgado." She has performed on Mun 2, The Roof (television show), been featured on Univision, Telmundo and has recently been preparing for a spot with “Tio” on LATV.