Kat O’Melia hails from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She has loved dancing since she could walk and rhythm since she can remember. She studied tap dance for seven years at the Ballet School of Chapel Hill with her mentor Gene Medler. She is an alum of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble. As a member of that ensemble, she was fortunate enough to travel around the country learning and performing. She has been fortunate enough to study with tap masters such as Dianne Walker, Maurice Hines, Brenda Buffalino, Derick Grant and Michelle Dorrance, among others. She is continuing her studies at Oberlin College and Conservatory in Ohio where she volunteers in an after school program at a Title 1 school called Girls in Motion. She currently teaches intermediate and teen tap classes at Neos Center for Dance. While in North Carolina, she taught at Ninth Street Dance and Empower Dance Studio in Durham, North Carolina.

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Kat’s teaching focuses on the historical tradition, the development of technique and empowering each dancer to express their creativity.