Lake Charles Dance Academy - LLC

09/21/2026

09/17/2026

✨ Meet Colleen Cannon Benoit — Founder & Artistic Director of Lake Charles Dance Academy ✨

Colleen Benoit’s life in dance began at age four and has grown into a lifelong passion for ballet, performance, and arts education. She spent much of her early training and teaching years at Clarke Dance Center under the direction of the late Ida Winter Clarke and her daughter, Cissie Clarke.

Her extensive training includes scholarships and study at the School of American Ballet in New York City, North Carolina School of the Arts, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, the Joffrey Workshop, the International Ballet Competition, and Regional Dance America’s Craft of Choreography Conference. She has studied with renowned teachers including Edward Villella, David Howard, Robert Joffrey, Patricia Wilde, Gwen Ashton, Soili and Leo Ahonen.

Colleen has performed leading roles in Coppélia, The Nutcracker, and La Fille Mal Gardée, as well as guesting with The Dallas Ballet, David Taylor Dance Company, and Texas Ballet.

A graduate of McNeese State University, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s degree in Educational Technology. Her distinguished career as an educator includes multiple teaching honors, including Calcasieu Parish Teacher of the Year.

Through LCDA, Colleen combines her love of dance and education to provide exceptional training, meaningful performance opportunities, and an environment where dancers can develop confidence, artistry, discipline, and a lifelong love of dance. 🩰✨

09/15/2026

We have a few spots left! Register today for our Prek 3 Ballet Classes!

Calling all Prek-3 dancers! 📣🧑‍🩰
(3 by December 31st)

We have a special class just for you! Come join the fun and dance 🩰with us at LCDA!💗

ENROLL TODAY! Space is limited!

09/15/2026

Our 2026–2027 faculty introductions continue! We’re proud to showcase the talented instructors who bring their passion, knowledge, and enthusiasm into our studios each week.

Today, we’re excited to introduce two more members of the LCDA teaching faculty! We are so grateful to have them sharing their love of dance with our students. 🩰🤍

Hannah McManus attended Lamar University and was a member of the Lamar University Cheer Team. With extensive experience in cheerleading and teaching, she is passionate about helping young dancers develop their skills, confidence, and love for the sport. Hannah competed at the collegiate level and earned 2nd place at NCA College Nationals. Her dedication to leadership and mentorship allows her to make a positive impact both in and out of the studio.

Catherine Slaydon taught school for 14 years and danced for 12 years. She is also a health coach who loves encouraging others to grow in confidence and wellness. She is so excited to share her love of dance with her littlest ballerinas and make learning fun! 💕

09/14/2026

We’re excited to introduce two more members of our 2026–2027 teaching faculty! Each instructor brings their own unique experience, passion, and dedication to the studio, helping make LCDA a special place for our dancers to learn and grow.

Meet our next two LCDA instructors! 🩰🤍

Evelyn Cutler is a Lake Charles native and a recent graduate of Barbe High School. She is currently attending McNeese State University as a Kinesiology major. Evelyn has been dancing for 16 years, including 15 years at Lake Charles Dance Academy, and has performed with Lake Area Ballet Theatre for the past 7 years. This is her first year teaching, and she is excited to share her love of dance with the next generation of dancers at LCDA!

Lizzie Austin is a Louisiana native who has been dancing for over 15 years and has grown up with a deep love and passion for dance. She has trained in a variety of styles, including ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and pointe, and has been a longtime student at Lake Charles Dance Academy. LCDA has played a meaningful role in shaping her as both a dancer and a person. Throughout her years at LCDA, Lizzie has had the opportunity to perform in numerous recitals, showcases, and productions, including The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, and Coppélia. She has also participated in Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) in both ballet and contemporary. Lizzie is currently attending McNeese State University, where she is pursuing a degree in accounting. She is grateful for the opportunity to share the same joy and passion that dance has brought into her own life with the next generation of dancers.

09/11/2026

Sometimes life takes us somewhere we never expected—and opens doors we never imagined. 🩰✨

When Eleanor’s family relocated to Seattle, Washington, she embraced the opportunity to audition for Pacific Northwest Ballet School. We are beyond thrilled and proud to share that she was accepted!

Yesterday, she began this exciting new chapter of her ballet journey, and we couldn’t be more proud of our beautiful LCDA dancer. ❤️

It is such a special feeling to watch LCDA students step into new opportunities, chase dreams, and continue to grow. We will be cheering you, Eleanor, on every step—and every plié—of the way! 🩰💗

Congratulations! We are SO proud of you! ✨

09/11/2026

✨ Meet More of Our 2026–2027 LCDA Faculty! ✨

We’re excited to continue introducing the talented instructors who make up this year’s LCDA teaching team! Each brings their own experience, passion, and love of dance to the studio.

Meet two more members of our 26–27 LCDA teaching faculty! 🩰🤍

Ella graduated from Barbe High School in 2025 and is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration at McNeese State University. She has trained in classical Ballet for 15 years, 5 of which at LCDA/LABT, and is entering her second year of teaching at the studio. She loves sharing her passion for dance with students ages 4–18 and helping them grow in confidence, technique, and artistry. Outside of dancing, she also loves to sing!

Kennedi, a 2025 Barbe High School graduate, is a Kinesiology major with a concentration in Occupational Therapy, along with minors in Psychology and Sports Medicine. She has been dancing for 18 years and is currently in her second year of teaching. Kennedi trained in a variety of dance styles and danced at LCDA/LABT for five years, which played an important role in developing her love of dance. She now enjoys sharing that passion with the next generation of dancers while helping them build confidence, technique, and a love for performing. A unique goal of Kennedi’s is to combine her background in dance and kinesiology with her future career in Occupational Therapy, using movement and creativity to help others.

09/10/2026

✨ A Look at Our 2026–2027 LCDA Faculty! ✨

Our faculty is made up of talented, dedicated instructors who share a genuine love for dance and for helping our students succeed. Today, we’re excited to introduce two more wonderful members of our LCDA teaching team! 🩰

We are grateful for the experience, energy, and enthusiasm they bring to the studio and look forward to another wonderful year of learning and growing together!

Meet our next two 26–27 LCDA instructors! 🤍

Raised in Sulphur, LA, Alaina Maxfield is a graduate of McNeese State University with a bachelor’s degree in English Education.
She has danced most of her life and trained at LCDA for four years, performing in the LABT Nutcracker and Spring Gala. She is now in her second year teaching at LCDA and in assisting rehearsals for the annual Nutcracker production. Trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary, and hip-hop, she is passionate about helping dancers grow in confidence, technique, and artistry.

Fun fact: She has been a high school English teacher for six years!

Arden Grantham is a graduate of Barbe High School and is currently a sophomore at McNeese State University, where she is pursuing a degree in Nursing. She danced at LCDA for 14 years and was a member of the LABT Company for six years. This is Arden’s second year teaching at LCDA, where she shares her love of dance through Jazz and Hip Hop classes.

Fun Fact: Arden is a triplet! She has two brothers who are the same age as her!