Burnadene Kelley followed her passion when she opened her dance company

By: Patricia Burkett/WBTW TV-13 | SCNow
Published: April 28, 2008

Burnadene Kelley followed her passion nearly 20 years ago, when she moved back to the Florence area to start a dance company. Kelley says when she opened her doors in 1989, there were already 50 children signed up to participate. Since that time, she’s helped countless children through four different locations of Kelley’s Fine Arts, in the greater Florence area. “Fellow dancers wondered why I’d be coming back to a small town and I just explained to them the same thing. I just don’t want anyone to ever feel like the opportunity’s not there,” said Kelley. Kelley says she wanted all children to be able to play a part in something bigger, regardless of where they live.

The K.F.A. dance company now consists of 120 members, who perform regularly at charity functions and even go to distant locations for special performances. For Kelley, that means many long rehearsals and the ability to interact with each child. “It’s most amazing when I look at the picture of the 120 company members and I actually know them. I actually know their personalities, I can read their faces and their expressions, I know a lot of their favorite colors, their boyfriends, who their best friends are…and I think that’s when sometimes I’m a little overwhelmed that I really love that many people,” said Kelley.

For the dancers themselves, that interaction is priceless. Many say that Kelley has made a major impact on their lives, and their parents also agree. “She’s multiplying it. It’s not just her own actions. The things that she’s teaching our children, you know, just in her interaction and things, it’s just contagious,” said Kim Melton, whose children attend K.F.A. Melton says Kelley takes the children to perform at various charity events including the March of Dimes Walk, the Relay for Life and the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon. “It’s just really awesome to see the kids and their self esteem and just the knowledge that they can make a difference, is just awesome,” said Melton.

Kelley says she takes every opportunity to give back to her dance students, whether it’s instructing them in the studio, or teaching them lessons in the outside world, about giving back. “It’s important for us to set examples for kids, that it’s not just about us, you know, and that they need to be there for each other and to make for a better community,” said Kelley.