We specialize in bringing dance into school, community centers, and social service organizations. We have partnered with many to develop customized dance programs. Some of these partnerships have included:

• Erie Homes for Children & Adults
• St. Martin Early Learning Center
• Parkinson's Partners of NW PA
• Alzheimer's Association
• Mckean Elementary
• South Hills Child Development Center
• City of Erie Y's Parks & Recs program
• Erie School Districts CHAMPS & GEARS programs
• Union City Elementary
• First District Elementary
• Early Connection
• St. Benedict's Center
• LifeWorks Erie
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We have also taught extensively in dance studios and gyms throughout the Erie, PA area including:

• Dafmark Dance Theater
• Erie Dance Conservatory
• Inner City Neighborhood Art House
• Best Fitness
• Pennbriar
• Northcoast Dance

Our founder, Jennifer Dennehy, is an internationally recognized teaching and performing artist. She has performed and taught visiting artist workshops at universities, art & music festivals, and hoop retreats throughout the world including: India, Peru, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Canada and extensively throughout the United States.

Jennifer Dennehy has been dancing for over 30 years. She has developed a unique style of dance that includes training in ballet, modern, tap, jazz, African, hip-hop, break dancing, hoop and creative dance. Jennifer has taken her dance training and combined it with what is thought of traditionally as a children’s toy, the “hula hoop.” What makes Jennifer unique is her passion for bringing dance to everybody and as a performing artist her ability to connect movements together with such fluidity and grace that the hoop appears not as a prop but an extension of Jennifer’s physical being.

Jennifer grew up dancing in the Buffalo, NY area. At the age of 3 she began dancing at Carol Joy's School of Dance then in 1994 she began studying at Darlene Ceglia's Dance Project. At Dance Project she had talented inspiring instructors, in particular Darlene Ceglia, and began the processes of realizing that dance needed to be part of her life. Jennifer was a student there until she graduated high school. In college she focused on getting a degree so dance took a back seat. Then when Jennifer graduated from Mercyhurst College she stayed in Erie, PA and began taking classes again in ballet, African, modern, and hip-hop. But on January 1, 2010 she stood up out of bed and her knee gave out and was unable to walk. Jennifer had knee surgery February 11, 2010. She was told that she had severe arthritis and would need full knee replacements between the ages of 40 and 50. Her quadricep had gone into atrophy so the projected recover was long and due to the arthritis Jennifer was told there were a number of things she should no longer do. All of this was a wake up call. Jennifer realized that she had been wasting the gift she had been given to dance, perform and most importantly to teach. So in the Spring of 2010 she started performing locally with Dance Elite Performance Company, Then in the Summer of 2010 she went to a drum circle at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA where she saw hooping for the first time. Jennifer fell in love with hoop dance, not only was it beautiful but it was also low impact on the joints.

Jennifer has spent nearly everyday for the past 10 years hooping and mastering this movement art form. She has taken workshops with some of the best in the field; Baxter, Luna Breeze, Spiral, Kenna Hoops, Ninja Hoops, Nick Guzzardo, Brecken, Ann Humphreys, & Shakti Sunfire. Jennifer began performing with her hoop in August 2010. In November 2010 she began teaching at gyms and dance studios. In February 2011 Jennifer started Hoops By Dennehy her hoop making business. In the fall of 2011 Jennifer began dancing with Dafmark Dance Company. In October 2011 she receive her AFAA Group Fitness Certification. Then in January 2012 she started Lake Effect Hoop Troop where she began creating hoop dance choreography.

Jennifer received a B.A. in Psychology from Mercyhurst University. After graduation she worked at Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center in their Partial Hospitalization Preschool Program, preschool through 2nd grade. There she worked as a co-teacher in a classroom for 4-5 year old who had many difficult behaviors and numerous mental health diagnosis. Jennifer was promoted to Therapeutic Support Specialist. In this role she created and implemented a dance and movement program, provided crisis support, acted as a consultant for a branch of Early Connections, and wrote psychosocial evaluations. (03/07 - 09/08) In 2008 Jennifer began work at the Barber National Institute as a Family Support Specialist. In this role she conducted all intakes for Family Support Services, supervised Time For Me, SibSessions, Camp Shamrock, the Kids on the Block program, and was a representative payee for 10 clients. (09/08 - 03/12)

Currently Jennifer is the owner of Kinetic Creativity, teaching hoop dance at The Neighborhood Arts House, and is the general manager at Dafmark Dance Theater where she dances with their company and teaches classes . Additionally, Jennifer is a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts rostered teaching artist which allows her to go into schools/organizations to work collaboratively with teachers/staff to teach curriculum through hoop dance and creative movement.

Jennifer seeks out professional development opportunities to continue to grow as an artist and educator. Some of these include:

• Being accepted to attend Luna Dance Institute's Summer Institute where she broadened her knowledge to be a better teacher of dance in classroom settings.
• Attending the National Dance Education Organization's National Conference annually where she gains knowledge in how to bring to dance to various populations including individuals with Parkinson's Disease, senior citizen's, early learners and individuals with various physical & intellectual disabilities.
• Attending graduate courses in Arts Infused Education at Edinboro University.
• Attending trainings in Dance for Connection an approach for bringing dance to people with dementia and Timeslips an approach for facilitating storytelling with individuals with dementia.