Alia K.

Alia Harlan Kaneaiakala is honored and excited to be a part of Sequel Dance Complex. Having taught dance for over 30 years, she is elated to continue to work with the new generations of dancers and performers. She believes in training “thoughtful dancers” meaning encouraging children and adolescents to become the best version of their own selves that they can be as both human beings and dancers. A “thoughtful dancer” learns the why and how of dance movement so they may have long dance careers.

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Alia Kaneaiakala began her training in California under Carol Harder. She earned a BFA in Dance with an emphasis in the teaching of dance. After graduation, she participated in the Tremaine year-long dance scholarship where she trained with some of the finest teachers and choreographers such as Joe Tremaine, Doug Caldwell, Sally Whalen, Wade Robson, Claude Thompson, Marguerite Derricks, Liz Imperio, Eddie Garcia and Bradley Rapier to name a few. She then continued her training with Paula Morgan for four years as she religiously dedicated herself to developing her knowledge of dance.

 

At the age of 23, she opened Allegria Dance Theatre in Whittier, California. The Allegritians as the students coined themselves received many awards and recognitions over the years. Allegria won many top choreography awards including the Tremaine Best of Show in both the teen and senior divisions at nationals. Allegria was the  home to dancers who went on to perform in opportunities such as Taylor Swift’s video Shake it Off, the Edge scholarship program, and the LA International Hair Show as well as dancing and choreographing for Disney and several cruise lines. Ching Ching Wong grew up with Alia at Allegria Dance Theatre and has become a name in the world of dance. Ching Ching performed several seasons with Northwest Dance Project and has worked with the illustrious choreographer Ihsan Rustem as a dancer and rehearsal director. Ching Ching was a finalist on the well-known show So You Think You Can Dance and was recognized by Dance Magazine as their Top 25 to Watch. She also received the illustrious Princess Grace award for her contributions to the world of performance, art and movement.

 

Alia held a vocational teaching credential and taught dance for the ROP program at Whittier High School while also developing the Performing Arts Academy for the district. She implemented and supported creating the curriculum for both the high school program that offered college credit. While teaching at Whittier High School, she choreographed musicals such as Kiss me Kate, and  Guys and Dolls and created a competition dance team for the school. She also taught preschool dance for ten years and loved the joy of teaching the youngest dancers with their genuine love for imagination and movement.

 

When owning Allegria Dance Theatre, Alia produced and directed several original ballets such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, The Princess Bride, Ever After and A Nightmare Before Christmas.  Alia loves creating whimsical and exciting ballets that may be enjoyed by the public. She values performance as she also performed with several ballet, modern and contemporary companies during her career. Some of her performance credits include the pilot episode of Fame LA, the LA Comedy Awards, House of Blues, and the Queen Mary as one of Corey Burrell’s Queen Bees.

 

Most recently, Alia taught at The Urge Dance Complex in Ladera Ranch, California where she was able to work with Danielle Laven and Noelle Messa. Alia is excited to join them in this next venture of dance in Collierville, Tennessee knowing the type of dancers and environment their synergy is able to create.  She is excited to be a part of Sequel Dance Complex and continue the legacy of dance.