Academy Faculty
YOUTH ACADEMY DIRECTOR
Katisha “Blaze” Adams, is the founder, director and choreographer of KPA Fusion Dance Repertoire. Originally from Washington DC, she has continuously performed and toured as a professional dancer, actress, choreographer and recording artist for twelve years. As a dancer, Katisha’s dance company credits include Lula Washington Dance Theatre, New Age Dance Company with founder and director Karen McDonald, Jazzantiqua Music and Dance Ensemble, Pat Taylor, Oui Geometer Dance Company, and Bernice Boseman. Touring collaborations have also included Philadanco Dance Company, Cleo Parker Robinson, and Dayton Ohio’s International Association of Black Dance.
Commercially, Mrs. Adams has choreographed and danced in numerous award shows. She has worked with choreographers and directors, Danny Esralow, Otis Salid, Wade Robinson, Donald McKayle and Claude Thompson, as well as recording artists, Christina Agulleira, Omarion, Before Dark, Isyss and , Skyline. Equity stage shows and commercials for Disney and Universal Studios include, “The Lion King Celebration,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Christmas Spectacular” and “The Crew.” Katisha was nominated for the prestigious Horton Award in collaboration with her husband, Quami Adams, for their choreographic work, “Blue Pepper.” In addition, she was dance award nominee for the trio, Prelude, with Jazzantiqua Music and Dance Ensemble. In collaboration with Collette Williams (“Ray,” “So You Think You Can Dance”) Ms Adams’ televised choreography debut, “The LA County Holiday Celebration,” was nationally broadcast live on KCET.
Katisha taught as a certified Tae Bo instructor and trainer under the direction of world-wide kickboxing champion, Billy Blanks. While teaching and choreographing at El Camino College and College of the Canyons, community outreach efforts continued to signature Katisha’s career, headlining numerous master classes for local schools, colleges, universities, dance companies, and religious organizations. Katisha Adams’ unbridled passion to teach, choreograph and perform plays in concert with sharing her love for this awesome craft.
YOUTH ACADEMY STAFF
Collette Ain Williams, performer, choreographer and teacher, is a native of New Orleans, currently living in Los Angeles. Her company credits include JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble, The Lula Washington Dance Theater, Project 21, The Lula Elzy Dance Theater of New Orleans, and Latin Motions Dance Company. In 2003 she was offered a position with the second company of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Collette’s performances include the hit show Here and Now, the Legacy of Luther Vandross, the blockbuster film “Ray”, and “Something New”. She was also a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance Season 3. Stage play credits consist of one of her most memorable experiences, “Gregory Hines In Concert”, “Guys and Dolls”, and Sweet Charity”. Collette’s choreography experiences began at a young age and have continued, most recently as Assistant Choreographer of Carol of the Bells, featured in the KCET LA County Holiday Concert. Her works have also been presented at El Camino College and Dillard University for the Advanced Dance Concerts and in the New Orleans Essence Music Festival, with recording artist Barbara Short. She also served as Assistant Choreographer for the Disney film Stuck in the Suburbs and as Assistant Choreographer and dancer in the Live Music Video for LOS HOMBRES CALIENTES. While in New Orleans, Collette was awarded the opportunity to return to the conservatory that strengthened her foundation in dance, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, currently, NOCCA|Riverfront.
As Lead Teacher, for the Dance Preparatory Program and as Jazz and Tap Instructor for the high school program, Collette was able to motivate students and utilize her experience to impact the lives of upcoming aspiring artist. Her educational roles in New Orleans also included, Adjunct Instructor at Dillard University of New Orleans, Artist in Residence for The New Orleans Ballet Association, instructor for the New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD) and in various schools throughout Louisiana. Collette has been blessed to train with many Masters: Ann Reinking, Milton Myers, Gregory Hines and Savion Glover, to name a few. She has received honors from the NAACP and The National Arts Foundation. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Collette is currently an Associate Artistic Director, a Choreographer and member of KPA Fusion Dance Repertoire. Her passion for dance is evident in her desire to never give up on her dream & leaving it all on the stage.
Mori Davis has been dancing, teaching dance and choreographing in the local arts & entertainment circuits of Los Angeles for many years. She is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, and is a recognized California State Arts Scholar.
Ms. Mori is an accomplished professional dancer and award-winning choreographer with well over 20 years of experience. As a dancer, Mori has been blessed to have studied and danced with some of the dance world’s greatest dancers, teachers, and choreographers, such as Debbie Allen, Arthur Mitchell of Dance Theater of Harlem, L. Martina Young, Lady Walquer, and Donald McKayle, along with various instructors from The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance during their Los Angeles Residencies, Tina Landon, who is most known for her award winning work with Janet Jackson, also, Hip Hop choreographer Fatima Robinson and Ka Ron Brown-Lehman, the 2004 American Choreography Award winner for Educator of the Year. and many others.
Currently, Ms. Mori is the founder/director of Dance Children Dance Programs, which is a local mobile dance program that services pre-schools, private schools, and charter schools in south and west Los Angeles and surrounding cities. Ms. Mori has joined the teaching faculty of the KPA Youth Dance Academy, teaching the Tinies as well as the Teens. Collaborating with KPA Fusion Dance Repertoire’s founder and director, Katisha Adams, Ms. Mori recently choreographed and staged an ensemble piece on the emerging, cutting edge and celebrated dance company.
As an instructor and choreographer, Ms. Mori has worked with Amazing Grace Conservatory in Los Angeles, with its Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Wendy Raquel Robinson of The Game and The Steve Harvey Show fame. Truly enjoying great fulfillment by working with children, youth and young adults, Ms. Mori has choreographed musical productions with casts of 30 to 100 youth, ages 7-21, in conservatories of this kind and others such as the Los Angeles Academy of Fine Arts and All About Kids Performing Arts Conservatory. It was from work of this magnitude that Ms. Mori received the NAACP Theater Award for Best Choreography.
Utilizing the stage as a blank canvas, Ms. Mori paints pictures of life, using innovative movement styles as well as classic techniques to achieve the essence of dance as it was created to be. She is willing to open the door to new ideas that embrace movement integrity that is diverse and culturally vital. With Ms. Mori, you find a genuine love for the art of Dance and a well rounded knowledge of its theories and histories. Combine that with a love for people, along with creative freedom and life experience, to make her a presence to be reckoned with.
Kelsie Laury‘s passion for dance started at the tender age of 3 when her mom enrolled her ballet class. From there she has blossomed into a phenomenal performing artist pursuing a career in dance, also including acting, singing, modeling as well as being musically inclined.
For 13 years Kelsie has studied a myriad of dance techniques; from Ballet, Tap, Jazz, African, Modern, Hip Hop, Lyrical and even Salsa. For 6 years, Kelsie trained with Gail Glover-Faust and became a member of the ‘4 Trinity’ Dance Company in Columbia, South Carolina. She began teaching children’s ballet and tap classes at Ly-Ben Christian Dance Theatre at age 14. At age 15, Kelsie moved to Long Beach, California in pursuit of a career in the entertainment industry. With hard work and persistence, Kelsie began a dance club at her high school which performed at different events such as the Black History Shows. In 2006 she joined and began to choreograph for her church’s dance ministry, GphiG, and for the past 2 years has been the Director of Children with Purpose (ages 6-14). Kelsie has choreographed for high schools like the Price High Cheerleaders and studied under many great teachers and studios such as Gail Glover-Faust of Ly-Ben Christian Dance Theatre, Alex and Robert Prescott Lee of Elevation Studios, Mikey Trasoras, Little Tommy the Clown at Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Nicole Hogg, Ricky Cole, and Nate Hodges.
Today, Kelsie is a member of an all girl crew called Suede that frequently performs at talent and charity showcases. She is now teaching at Hype Studios while continuing to work the industry in showcases, plays, and major events.
Erica Lopez Dance has become a lifetime passion for me. Ever since I took my first hip hop class during my first year of high school I was hooked to learning as many styles as I could. Most of my training for my technical side of dance came from Alva’s Ballet Studio and when I wasn’t breaking a sweat on the barre there, I was grooving at millennium in Hollywood for hip hop classes. You can also catch me assisting with choreography for many productions at my alma mater San Pedro High school. For the past 3 years I have been teaching and substituting at different local studios and elementary programs. I’ve studied dance at El Camino College with 5 productions under my belt .I’m also a very proud member of 2wisted Elegance a Hip Hop based showcase company run by the fabulous Mr. Joey Cooper and every time we meet it’s a challenge, but all fun. I am nineteen years old and to some people it may seem like I’m young, but I know what I want out of life, and my love for dance will keep me taking classes wherever and whenever I can. I’m thrilled to be a part of this company and its limitless future and I’m very excited to be teaching, So Come Out For Class!!! 
Tiffany Lytle is a Los Angeles native, from the small port town of San Pedro. There, she taught in both assistant and primary teaching roles at various studios and community centers. She won the title of Miss Dance San Pedro in 2006, and choreographed countless pieces through her high school career as a San Pedro High School Pirate Dancer. She has studied Cambodian Classical and Folk dance for over 15 years, studying with Cambodian Royal Court dancers and scholars such as Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, and Natalie Lor. Her most recent involvement in the Cambodian community is through the Cambodian Association of America’s Spirit of Khmer Angkor, where she teaches as a founding member of the dance ensemble. She currently attends college at UCLA, and is active in the World Arts and Cultures Department, sharing her love of dance and art with her peers. In 2008 she choreographed Into the Woods for UCLA’s Hooligan Theater Company. She also teaches and choreographs for UCLA’s United Khmer Students, and helps to arrange their dance pieces for their annual Culture Night showcase. Currently she is a Member of KPA Fusion Dance Repertoire, and teaches the Tinys Hip-hop, ballet and tap dance.
Chris Smith is a graduate of Long Beach Jordan High School, He has studied and performed Ballet, Modern, Jazz, African, Swing, and Hip Hop at The Ailey School (New York), Cypress College, Long Beach City Community College, Huntington Beach High School APA (Academy of Performing Arts). He is a dynamic dance and a phenomenal teacher and choreographer. Chris shares his many talents as a way to providing outreach to local programs, high schools and colleges. He’s also performed with companies such as Bristol Contemporary, Jazzantiqua and Main Ingredient.
Chanelle Summers started dancing at the young age of 4 when her mom put her in Jazz, Hip Hop and Tap classes at San Pedro Ballet School and also under Wendy Raquel Robinson Director of All Gods Children Conservatory. Chanelle trained under Chip Fields and Cassie Davis for acting, proceeding to achieve SAG membership due to a number of national and regional commercials such as McDonalds, Crest, Disney and a host of others. In high school she joined Drill Team, and Pirate Dancers which was a fusion of jazz, hip hop, freestyle, and choreography. That same year she tried out and made it onto Future Shock Los Angeles, which is a youth outreach program for dancers under the age of 18 giving hands on experience and the study of styles in Hip Hop under the direction of Culture Shock Los Angeles. Due to being part of these teams, Chanelle was constantly getting critiques. Learning from all the feedback received she eventually got comfortable enough to find her own groove. Since then she has not stopped dancing.
Throughout high school Chanelle performed in various dance concerts, competitions, and benefits shows such as “The Color Of We”, “De cypher The Silence”, “A Beautiful Struggle”, World Of Dance, Maxt Out just to name a few. In Chanelle’s Junior year she decided to start her own dance crew called Dope Kids Fresh Crew which is filled with dancers 18-under, her goal is to have an outlet for young people to express themselves through the arts of dance and music. In the summer of 2010, she also started Dope Girlz (tweens) dance crew, and in November Chanelle and her dance partner Mario Woolfolk started K.I.D. “Keepin It Dope” which is a 18+ dance crew. They will be debuting at competitions in the beginning of 2011, with the goal of showing originality, heart & soul. Chanelle’s goal is to teach young dancers what she has learned throughout the years from her mentors. She wants to give them a positive outlook on the dance community and provide an outlet for them to figure out their creativity as a dancer.
Chanelle, a FSLA alumni, is a new member of Culture Shock Los Angeles. She is a young, talented choreographer who’s style varies from hard hitting and fast to slow, intricate movements. She is a very versatile dancer who loves learning all types of styles (poppin, lockin, breakin, waackin, house and many others) She is always hungry to learn, educate, and grow with experience. Chanelle has a lot she wants to accomplish and wont stop til she achieves her goals.