Kelela grew up dancing, performing and doing professional musical theater and she is trained in many styles of dance including hip-hop, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, tap, modern and ballet. She was a competitive dancer through high school receiving many awards in the solo division including making it to finals in West Coast Elite and USA competitions. Kelela has performed in many venues around the United States and she was a seasonal parade dancer in Knotts Berry Farm’s holiday parade. In college she was awarded the James Nicholas Plumb Memorial Award and Scholarship for choreography in 2012 and 2013. Her choreography was chosen as a finalist in the Choreography Under the Stars dance festival in Palm Desert twice and made it into the MixMatch Dance Festival as well.

 

Kelela is currently the advisor and head coach of the Fountain Valley High School Dance Team and they have won numerous awards including multiple National and State titles in Hip-hop. She continues to choreograph for various events including the 3rd Annual Statewide Arts Education Convention with Keynote speaker Nigel Lythgoe, the Fashion Island Paseo Party, the OC Center Stage Music and Dance Competiton at the Argyros Plaza at the Segerstron Center for the Arts and most recently events on the Queen Mary. She has also choreographed for school groups such as Los Alamitos High School Show Choir and Lexington Junior High Dance.

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She has received numerous choreography awards in the high school competition circuits as well as studio competitions. Most recently in the 2026 season she received Best Choreography 3 times for her extra small contemporary routine as well as receiving  another choreography award in the studio world for large contemporary.

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Kelela holds her Bachelors in Sports and Health Sciences. She is excited to enter this new chapter of life as she gets ready to welcome a baby coming November with her amazing and supportive fiancé Zach!