Founder & Executive Director | Dance Playhouse

Kelsey Lee is a visionary expanding access to the arts and empowering local creatives. Over the last decade, she’s built a career performing, teaching, and choreographing throughout the U.S. and abroad.

After the birth of her first child, Lee settled down in Grand Haven and started Dance PlayHouse, a nonprofit dedicated to removing barriers to experiencing and participating in dance. The organization offers donation-based classes for children and adults of all abilities, and produces professional dance performances that enrich the arts scene in West Michigan.

Since founding Dance PlayHouse in 2024, Lee has engaged over 200 community members through programming, hired over a dozen artists, and partnered with The Momentum Center and Four Pointes Center for Successful Aging to extend programming to individuals with disabilities and seniors. Lee is always learning, and recently completed training to teach dance to those with Parkinson’s disease, deepening her commitment to sharing the life-enhancing benefits of dance.

“I’m not afraid to ask for what I want, have hard conversations, or stand up for what’s right; leadership often requires embracing discomfort in order to grow. This approach centers on guiding others through action rather than authority, enabling space for independence and creativity—both of which are key for bringing out the best in artists.”