Rise Academy Of Dance

We are so excited to get to know each of our dancers and we will do our best to help them meet their goals and reach their full potential as a dancer.  

We want our school to be a safe fun atmosphere for all of our dancers.

Melissa Cleverly has been dancing since she was three years old.  She can’t remember a time when she was not dancing. She started out with Ballet and tap and then branched out to jazz, tumbling, hip-hop, cheer and modern dance.

She was a cheerleader in Junior High who took the state championship, a choreographer for the pep squad as a sophomore.  She then cheered her junior year in high school where they also were state Champions and was on the drill team her senior year who took state and national titles. She then made the cheer team at Ricks College in Rexburg Idaho.  

Melissa graduated from Utah State University in Family and Human Development and at the same time became an ACE certified aerobic instructor.  She taught aerobics and worked at Early Head Start until she had her first child.  She continued to stay active with her small children.

When her first two daughters, Mckenna and Danielle were old enough to dance, they took a ballet and an Irish dance class.  The studio they went to welcomed adults and so they all took classes together.  

Melissa caught on very quickly with all of her years of dance training.  She competed as an adult and won several competitions.  She also participated in an adult Ceili dance team at local Feisianna (local dance competition) and at a regional competition they call the Oireachtas in the Western Region under the An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG)

Melissa has a passion for Irish dance and has many ancestors that come from Celtic descent, so it was easy for her to fall in love this form of dance.  She then started teaching Irish dance.  She taught and danced along side her daughters for the next 10 years.  Her daughters became extremely successful at the sport, and her four daughters continually placed in the top 5 in the Western region.  This qualified them for National and World competitions under the An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha.  There were thousands of competitors from all over the world.  They qualified for National and World Completions several years in a row and her oldest daughter was the first girl to place at the World Championships in London England from Utah.  

They traveled all over the world to places including Chicago, England, Montreal, Seattle and Boston, California, Idaho, Colorado etc.  They were able to rub shoulders with some of the most amazing dancers in the world.  They had several different teachers over the years, but the most influential teachers they had were both from Ireland, who were both leads in the world renowned Riverdance touring group.  

Danielle Cleverly started dancing at the age of four and discovered Irish dancing two years later at 6. She progressed quickly and became a championship level dancer when she was only 10 years old. Danielle competed under An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha(CLRG) around the globe in regional, national, and world championship competitions. She consistently placed in the top five at the Western Region Oireachtas from 2012-2014 before she reached high school and decided to branch out: training in musical theatre, jazz, contemporary, tap, tumbling, and aerial arts. She has taught dance for ages 3 to adult since she was 14. Danielle is studying Engineering at Weber State University as of Fall 2018.

Mckenna Cleverly started Irish dance at age 8 and was absolutely hooked. She quickly progressed and started competing as an open champion at age 11 in the An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha(CLRG). Mckenna was the reining Utah state champion for 5 years and consistently placed in the top 5 in the Western Region Oireachtas. She was the first female dancer from Utah to place at the Oireachtas Rince Na Cruine (World championships) in London 2014. In her junior year of high school she started musical theater and expanded her dance training to tap, jazz, ballet, and ballroom. She taught at Bravo Arts Academy as a tumbling and dance teacher for 1 year, and is certified in and currently teaching Acrobatic Arts at Davis Dance Academy in Kaysville. She is studying dance at Weber State University and is a certified EMT.

Registration Fee: $35 for 1st child in family ($25 for 2nd child/$10 for 3rd child

We charge per hour

I have danced my whole life.  I really don’t remember a time when I was not dancing.  Dancing is my passion and my life.  When my daughters got a little older, I put them in dance.  They wanted to try an Irish dance class and I thought it was fun, so I started taking Irish dance with them.  When I had all four of my daughters in dance, I traded my time teaching to supplement my tuition.  I taught for several years while they danced. When they got older, they started teaching as well. We then ended up stating our own school. 

We have worked with all ages.  We have Preshool classes to adults.  It is fun to see all ages enjoy the love and benifits of dance.  

It was so fun to particiate in irish dance competition called Feisiana.  We have so many friends from other schools.  We also love to see our dancers work hard and reach their dancing goals at th as Rise Acadmey of Dance.  We were so proud of our dances and their hard work and dedications to this amazing form of dance.  

I have been part of so many different schools and dance education programs.  I would say the perfect dance instructor is one that is patient, kind, expects hard work, and is happy when they do there best.  

What are your goals and what is the purpose in dancing?

What is your philosophy on learning and how do you motivate your students?