Kelly Harp Haber began her early dance training in Monroe, Louisiana, in the Twin City Ballet Company with the incomparable Linda Lavender Ford. She studied modern dance at Louisiana Tech University while earning her degree in elementary education, and later achieved a Master of Education from Vanderbilt University.

Kelly performed with Encore Ballet Company in Madison, Mississippi, and went on to teach at Ballet Mississippi in Jackson, where she instructed students of all levels and served as Director of the Lower School. During this time, she also had the opportunity to work with Cherri Barnett in both Monroe and Jackson, an experience that, combined with her early training, solidified her belief in the transformative power of dance.

Committed to expanding access to dance, Kelly brought movement classes to residents of The Blake and St. Catherine’s Village, senior living communities, for several years. This work led to her role with the New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) as lead instructor for the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust Dance for Parkinson’s Program, held at the New Orleans JCC and Pontiff Playground in Metairie.

Her additional education includes workshops and advanced study in Dance for PD® at the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn, New York, as well as specialized trainings with Donna Newman-Bluestein to bring dance to individuals living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Most recently, Kelly became a Certified Dance for PD® Teaching Artist, completing advanced training, peer-reviewed assessment, and extensive fieldwork. This achievement places her among a select group of educators trained in the internationally acclaimed, research-based Dance for PD® model developed by the Mark Morris Dance Group, reflecting her deep commitment to serving individuals with Parkinson’s through movement and reinforcing her belief that there is a dancer within all of us.