Kayla began her dancing career at the age of three at Columbia Performing Arts Centre where she soon discovered her love for tap dancing. At the age of ten, Kayla joined CPAC’s Ensemble competition team and remained a dedicated member until she graduated high school in 2022. During her time on Ensemble Kayla had many performance opportunities and earned many achievements, including winning back-to-back National Titles at The Dance Awards in Las Vegas. 

Over the years, Kayla has expanded her training by attending tap intensives, including the DancerPalooza American Tap Festival and several Saint Louis Tap Festivals. In 2020, Kayla was one of just 25 tap dancers accepted into the American Tap Conservatory based out of Chicago. In both 2022 and 2023, Kayla attended the Tap Music Project under the artistic direction of Sarah Reich, where she studied music theory, choreography, improvisation, and much more. She has also been an assistant of Sarah’s at NUVO Dance Convention.

Throughout her training, Kayla has had the pleasure of working with and learning from many other professional tap dancers, including Nico Rubio, Star Dixon, Matthew Shields, Chloe Arnold, and Anthony Russo, to name a few. 

Kayla recently graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia, with a Bachelor of Health Science in Health Science with an emphasis in Rehabilitation Science. She also received a minor in Human Development and Family Science. She hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in Physical Therapy and is super excited to continue passing down her passion for tap to her students here at CPAC!