About Us
Originally Crino Dance and Gymnastic Arts, created by Sally Crino in 1973, our dancing school offers lessons for children age 18 months to Adults. Rosanne Chesbro assumed ownership in 1998 and has expanded offerings for; pre-school , Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Pom (Cheer dance without stunting), Irish soft-shoe and hard shoe, and Adult Dance. Our newest owner, Jessie McKenna took ownership in the Summer of 2018. Jessie holds a Bachelors degree in business and spanish as well as accolades such as 19th in the region ranking Irish dancer, Dance Masters of America Trainee and a TCRG Cantidate of the CLRG.
We encourage the creativity and free spirited-ness that dance gives to kids and adults of all ages. We believe that dance is not only good for the body, but for the mind, spirit and lends to building well-rounded people!
We welcome you to dance, learn, grow and create with us!
Jessie McKenna is the owner of McKenna Academy and has been dancing since the age of 4. She grew up as a competitive Irish dancer with Clann Na Cara in Buffalo but danced with McMahon School of Irish Dance in Batavia, NY as well as The Dance Company in Attica, NY
Miss Jessie holds a Bachelors degree in Spanish and Dance studio administration. Jessie likes to attend continuing education courses such as Dance Masters of America's Teacher Training School. She frequently attends Rhee Gold's Dance Life Teacher conference, Julie Kay Stallcup's teacher seminars and she is currently working on her TCRG certification through the CLRG.Miss Jessie also has a Masters of the Arts in Irish Dance studies from the University of Limerick in Ireland! Miss Jessie teaches all of our Irish classes as well as ballet and tap for ages 5-11 as well as some jazz, and the preschool classes!
Miss Kristina : Kristina began dancing at 2 years old and it continues to be her passion at 21 years old. She grew up dancing at Infinity Dance Academy for 14 years. She also has many years of tumbling training and experience through Fredonia High School Varsity Cheer Team for 6 years and all star cheerleading with WNY Outlaws (now known as StingRay Allstars) for 10 years. Kristina is grateful for her opportunities to learn from dancers from “Dancing With the Stars” and dancers who performed on Broadway. At age 13 she became a dance class demonstrator, then started teaching at 16 years old. Kristina has taught classes from ages 2-adult. She is trained in tap, ballet, jazz, pom, hiphop, musical theater, lyrical, contemporary, acro and pointe. Kristina is currently taking dance classes at SUNY Fredonia for her minor as she enters her senior year of college. Kristina looks forward to meeting and sharing her passion of dance with everyone.
Miss Sydney: Hi I'm sydney! Im 19 years old and from Wolcott NY, Im a BFA acting major with a minor in dance at Suny Fredonia! I started dance at 3 years old and have done competition since I was 13 being trained in acrobatics, contortion, lyrical, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, modern, musical theatre, and show choir! I also am a singer and have been performing since the age of 3 and competing vocally since 13 as well! I also have teaching experience in both singing and dancing! I cant wait to meet everyone and start teaching! Have an amazing summer and I’ll see you soon :)
Miss Sophie
Hi! My name is Sophie Holmes, I am from Buffalo NY and I am 19 years old! I am so so excited to teach at McKenna’s starting in the fall! I have been dancing for about 14 years at Royal Academy of Ballet and Dance. I am trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop and Modern. I have also been a part of many theatrical productions since I was 13, including playing the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago the musical! I look forward to being a part of this amazing team of teachers and students❤️ see you in pointe and hip hop classes this fall!
Miss Meghan Meghan has been dancing at Chadwick Bay/ McKenna Academy since 2008. She is going into her senior year of high school and takes every class imaginable and has been assisting in teaching in classes for several years and this will be her second year of teaching classes solo. This year she will be teaching preschool dance and Irish 1 for our littles under the supervision of Miss Jessie.
All of our teachers have rich backgrounds for what they teach, as well as a love for our art and working with children! You can be confident that your child will feel welcomed at McKenna Academy of Dance!
FAQ
1. How do I register for classes?
You may attend our open house for easy registration. You can also schedule a meeting with Miss Jessie to register outside of Open House times! Call (716) 366-8295 or Email McKennaAOD@gmail.com
2. Why can't my _ year old do tap, hip hop, pointe etc?
Our studio follows a tried and true, age appropriate dance curriciulum based on developmental ability. Abilities such as standing on one foot come from inner ear development which doesn't fully develop until about age 6.
Pointe is a form of dance that can be very damaging to children because of the body weight being put on your toes. Growth plates in a child's foot should determine if they are ready for pointe shoes. We wait until age 12 and acquired foot /ankle strength to put dancers on pointe for safety's sake.
Jazz and hip hop come later when children have a better sense of body alignment and can more easily isolate their different parts.
3. What are the terms of payment?
We accept cash, check and credit cards through Square.
Dancewear can be purchased with any of these. Gift cards are also available.
Tuition can be payed Year in Full or an autopay must be set up with a credit/ debit card through Square Invoices.
4. Can I watch my dancer in class?
Traditionally, classes are on a drop off- basis. Parents are expected to leave for the duration of the class. This helps children to better adjust to the class without the aid of their parent and for the teacher and student to develop a better relationship.
Exceptions can be made for first time class attendance.
5. How much does dance cost?
Our classes are very affordable because it is important to us that dance be accessible to all! Our classes begin at $45/ month and we rent costumes to our families to prevent them from having to buy expensive costumers for each class. Each costume rental is a one time fee of $45. This is paid when you register and then you don't have to worry about another thing as far as costumes go!
Many of our dance families have multiple children who dance with us, therefore we made a "family max" tuition of $250 a month. This means if your one dancer takes 8 classes a week, or if your 4 dancers take 8 class week, you'll never pay more than $250 a month for tuition.
6. Is your studio like the TV show, Dance Moms?
No! The show Dance Moms is a dramatized television show with a pretty mean and harsh teacher. Those kids are spoken to very badly and treated very badly. Although we do want your dancer to be the best that they can be, we are never nasty or mean. This poor treatment of dancers by teachers is a real problem. You will never find this kind of behavior at McKenna Academy of Dance. Just kind, passionate teachers who truly care about dancing as an art form and care about your children!