Dena McKell

Children’s Division Tap and Jazz Faculty

Dena McKell is from the Harrisburg region and has been a teacher and choreographer for more than 27 years. She began teaching dance at the age of 16 at Harrisburg Dance Conservatory under the guidance of Forrest Gehret. Throughout her career, Ms. McKell has also served as Artistic Director for Harrisburg Dance Conservatory, which later transitioned into Harrisburg Ballet Theater.

Ms. McKell has extensive experience teaching ballet, jazz, and musical theatre and is also the longtime choreographer for Encore! Homeschool Productions, a role she has held for more than 12 years. Her choreographic credits include Seussical the Musical, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Wizard of Oz, The Music Man, Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma, Tarzan, and many others.

Her choreography for Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, and Fiddler on the Roof earned Apollo Awards for Outstanding Dance Number in a Musical in 2016, 2017, and 2018. She has also choreographed productions for East Pennsboro Area School District, Harrisburg Christian Performing Arts Center, Hershey Area Playhouse, Oyster Mill Playhouse, and the Harrisburg Area Jewish Community Center.

In addition to choreography, Ms. McKell has directed productions including Madagascar Jr. and assisted with directing and choreography for Mulan Jr.

Ms. McKell is excited to be part of the Pennsylvania Regional Ballet faculty, where she teaches ballet and musical theatre while sharing her passion for performance and dance education with the next generation of students.