CALIFORNIA DANCE COMPANY WAS FOUNDED IN 1996

29 years of bringing the love of dance to all ages by sharing its beauty, power, and vision in fresh and unique way! We strive to make all of our dancers feel welcome and at home in our studios, whether they are competitive or recreational dancers. Our staff is invested in each dancer’s success, on and off the dance floor! We don’t just teach dance; we teach valuable life lessons too!

Whether you are looking for an hour a week to have some fun and release some energy, or you are looking to train and improve your dance skills and technique, we have something to offer you! We pride ourselves on our varied schedule, with classes geared toward all levels and ages. We continue to look for opportunities to improve our studio, strengthen our dancers, and grow our staff!

SONYA KENNEDY

CEO

Sonya was born in Montreal, Canada, and started her dance training in Toronto. She has been in many competitions throughout Canada and the United States as a gymnast, figure skater, and dancer. Among her achievements, she was crowned California’s 1999 Entertainer of the Year in Fresno.

At age 18 Sonya moved to Northern California. She opened her one room studio in 1996 with just a handful of students; now, over 20 years later, CDC is thriving with hundreds of students at 2 locations. Sonya takes beginning dancers and teaches them the determination, discipline, team building, poise, and self-confidence that one needs to become a professional dancer. Some of her students have become dancers for sports teams such as the Sacramento Kings, LA Lakers, Arizona Cardinals, and the San Fransisco 49ers. She has five dancers signed to top talent agencies in Hollywood. She has taken dancers to the World Dance Championships in Germany four times to represent the U.S.A, and in 2011 her dancer received the Gold medal in the Junior Solo division. This marked the first time the U.S. had ever had a World Champion in that division.

Sonya has been the recipient of numerous scholarship, performance, and choreography awards at countless different events! At the 2015 Spotlight Competition in Sacramento, CDC won the Distinguished Studio Award for impeccable technique, outstanding performance, and the diversity her dancers display in all genres of dance. In 2017, she received Choreographer of the Year from Energy National Dance Competition.

Sonya is proud of the relationships she establishes with her students. They eventually grow up and leave to begin new chapters in their lives, but they still feel as if CDC is their second home and love to check in often. It is because of these lasting relationships that Sonya believes she and the CDC staff are not just teaching dance, but creating experiences and gifting life lessons that help shape their dancers into responsible, well-adjusted, life-loving adults. Sonya considers herself not just a dance teacher, but also a coach, counselor, and mentor. There is nothing more satisfying to her than watching her students open their wings and fly away to experience new adventures and to conquer new challenges. Sonya feels California Dance Company prepares them for both, with an open mind and much enthusiasm!