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About Our Staff
Keara Kent
Cheer and Tumble Coach
Keara Kent, a native of Clinton, is the award-winning director and founder of the Mississippi Elite Dance and Cheer all-star cheer teams. With an extensive background in competitive cheerleading and tumbling, Mrs. Kent finds a fresh approach to pushing students to the next level. Keara has over 15 years of competitive cheer experience. She has competed all along the Gulf of Mexico winning big in various national and regional competitions including the prestigious Deep South Spirit and WSA. Training continuously, Kent has received several certifications through U.S. All Star Federation of Club Cheer and Dance Teams and IEP Conference. Kent also serves as Assistant director and choreographer to Mississippi Elite Dance and Cheer’s award winning dance teams. An alumnae of Clinton High School’s varsity cheerleading team, Keara constantly gives back to her community by training upcoming prospects. Keeping the legacy of hard work and dedication alive, more than 95% of Mrs. Kent’s prospects make the district teams. Coaching cheerleading and tumbling is not enough for Kent. Keara continues to take her love for influencing young lives outside the gym. Keara graduated with a 4.0 GPA from Hinds Community College in 2014 with an Associate of Arts degree in Early Childcare Education. She continued her education at THEE Jackson State University and graduated honors with a Bachelor of Science degree in Childcare and Family Education in 2017. She provides a strong structure of skills that has led her teams to win big locally and advance nationally. Since 2012, Keara has lead over a dozen teams to victory winning bids to championships from Mississippi to Florida. Having an “eye” for talent, Kent continues to develop the next generation of cheerleaders, tumblers, and dancers.
Helena Calvin
Dance Instructor
Jackson native, Helena Calvin has an extensive love for the arts. With a background in dance and cheerleading, Mrs. Calvin is privileged to impact lives by doing what she loves. Helena is a graduate of Hinds Community College at which she studied dance. Helena is also an Honors graduate of Thee Jackson State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Theatre and Speech Communications. While there, Helena served as a member of the legendary MADDRAMA Performance Troupe, Alpha Psi Omega, and a spring 2020 initiate of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. Her studies of dance include jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, modern, and African. Helena’s training also include studies from across the nation including various intensives and workshops. An alumnae member of Montage Theatre of Dance, Helena has performed on stages near and far including The Still and Moving Center in Hawaii and Thalia Mara Hall here in Jackson. She has been blessed to travel across the nation and perform on iconic stages such as The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville Tennessee, and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Her performance opportunities have also included many venues across the world. Internationally Helena has performed in Italy, Sweden, London, Ireland, Scotland, and Paris. She is a certified Zumba instructor, and served as an adjudicator for the prestigious A.C.T.S.O organization in Jackson. She is also serving as the performing arts dance instructor for the legendary Upward Bound program based at Tougaloo College. Helena continues to choreograph and adjudicate for many artists locally. Currently, Helena is a graduate student at Belhaven University. She is a licensed educator teaching dance and theatre within the public school system. Her most recent venture includes combining several of the things she loves, kids and the arts. She is the founder of Millennial Mindsets Arts Collective. A nonprofit organization that provides an array of extracurricular activities and technical resources for youth. Mrs. Calvin is the director of our award winning dance teams at Mississippi Elite. A strong advocate for the arts, Mrs. Calvin wants to continue to inspire and spread love.
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