Kathleen Connolly Grbic
Artistic Director & Owner

Kathleen began dancing in 1973 with her mentor Linda English.
She is a dance department graduate of the High School of the
Performing and Visual Arts, where she studied with various guest
artist. In 1988, Kathleen became a certified member of the dance
organization, Dance Masters of America and has served on its
Board as the Chapter Secretary. In 1990, she opened Connolly
Dance Arts to bring her love of dance to dance students in this area.
Kathleen has directed her students in many outstanding recital
productions, such as The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Alice in
Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella,
and Toy Story. She is the Artistic Director for the award winning
CDA Performing Company, whose members have won numerous
awards and titles in dance competitions. To keep teaching ideas
and techniques fresh, she attends conventions and workshops.
Kathleen has taught children and adults since 1983.
She is also CPR certified.

Kirstin Grbic
Teacher and Choreographer

Kirstin Grbic graduated from the University of Texas with her
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance. While in school she performed
with Dance Repertory Theatre and was an active member of the
organization, Students Exhibiting Experimental Dance. Her choreography
has been selected to be premiered at the American College Dance Festival where its success in the adjudication process led to a repeat performance
of the work in the Gala event. Her works have been commissioned to be
performed for diverse audiences by three separate companies and fine
arts high schools and have received numerous awards for choreography on
the competition circuit. Kirstin was also seen performing Solemn Opus for
the nationwide gathering of ACDFA held at the Kennedy center in Washington, D. C. In 2007, she performed in its New York premiere during the Ballet Builder’s annual event held at Florence Gould Hall. Kirstin received a grant from the David Mark Cohen New Works Festival in 2005 to begin production of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary work of dance for camera. In the fall, she received another grant in the role of Director/Choreographer to fully develop and present this evening length production in the Brockett Theatre. Kirstin works as a dance educator when she is in-between projects, having taught in such places as the Oberlin Dance Collective, San Fransisco’s Lines Ballet, Trollwood Performing Arts Center, and McCallum High School. She has studied under teachers Andrea Beckham, Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, Janie Carothers, Keith Cross, Acia Gray, David Justin, Priscilla Nathan Murphy, Yacov Sharir, Kent De Spain, Jane Wiener, Holly Williams, and Lyn Wiltshire. She relocated from Austin to the San Francisco Bay Area and trained in Oakland with tap masters Debbie Sternbach and Sam Weber until an injury brought her back to Houston. She has made a good recovery and is currently teaching/choreographing while planning a stimulating summer full of multidisciplinary projects and festivals.

Katie Heintz
Teacher and Choreographer

Katie Heintz recently moved to Houston and is an apprentice
dancer with the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company. She
received her BFA in Dance from the University of Buffalo and has
trained with the Zodiaque Dance Company and the Rochester
City Ballet. Katie was a scholarship student at Edge Performing
Arts Center in Los Angeles and a touring assistant to the faculty
of Tremaine Dance Conventions. Credits include stage
performances with Configuration Dance, Zodiaque Dance
Company, Summer Showcase, solo performance with Stars
Night Out, United Way commercials, Dalai Lama Peace
Convention, and CFA Gala Benefit.

Julie Wood
Teacher and Choreographer

Julie began dancing at the age of three and has been moving
ever since. She danced at Dance Etc. and Conservatory of
Dance and Performing Arts before going to college at Sam
Houston State University. While at SHSU, she received a
Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a minor of History and a Master
of Fine Arts in Dance. She was a member of the Sam Houston
Dance Company and Chi Tau Epsilon Dance Honor Society.
She was also a member, soloist, costumer and rehearsal director
for Dr. Cindy Gratz’s Texas World Dance Company. As a
graduate Student, Julie received a teaching fellowship and taught
ballet, swing and worked dance classes. She was also a
collaborative producer for a Dance Spectrum, Entropy and Graduate
Theses Concerts. In addition to her academic dances, Julie is also
a passionate social dancer. She joined the Houston Swing Dance
Society and is an active member, teacher and performer for the
Houston Hepcats. She enjoys traveling around the country dancing
with new people and meeting others who share her passion for dance.

Courtney Myers
Substitute Teacher

Courtney has been studying dance for 13 years and has been a
student at CDA and a member of the Performing Company. In
addition to her training at CDA she has received training from
Catriona Steel, Houston Ballet Academy, Steven Boyd, and
HSPVA. Courtney has performed on stage as a soloist in Allegro
Ballet of Houston's Nutcracker, Steven Boyd Dance Ensemble
and HSPVA performances. She has attended numerous
conventions including Dance Masters of America, Dance Educators
of America, NYCDA, LA DanceForce, LA Dance Magic, Cross
Connections & Tremaine and has won numerous convention
scholarships. She received honors on her Vocational R.A.D.
(Royal Academy of Dance) Ballet Exams. Courtney is the DMA
2007 Teen Miss Dance of Texas and the 2007 Stage One National
Overall Senior Soloist. Courtney is currently a junior at the High
School of Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA).