DANCE KELLY STYLE

The Kellyettes perform the Samba Leap with Colleen and Fred in front row
Colleen Kelly Beaman is a third generation member of the famed Irish-American Kelly showbiz family which originated with her grandmother, Harriet Curran Kelly, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in the early 1930s and gave us such notable entertainment personages as her father Fred Kelly of Broadway and uncle Gene Kelly of Hollywood.
Colleen with her parents, Fred & Dottie Kelly	Colleen’s career as a dancer began in the New York City area, studying and teaching at Fred Kelly Dance Studios. According to family lore, Colleen began tap dancing at age two when she appeared on stage with her celebrated father, Fred Kelly . By 16, she had appeared as a stand-in for Barbara Streisand in “Hello Dolly” and for Patty Duke in “Me, Natalie.” At age 20, Colleen relocated to Tucson and attended the University of Arizona where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater/Music and a Master's Degree in Education. She embarked on a career teaching students to "dance Kelly style" and earned her Educational Doctorate in 2000.
Today, Colleen is the standard bearer of the Kelly dancing tradition and her talents as an instructor are widely sought out. She teaches dance classes to young and old alike throughout the Tucson area and across the United States and Canada: New York, Pittsburgh, Dallas and Toronto. Colleen has performed and choreographed extensively over the years. She choreographed for the senior women's tap dancing group "Hot Flashes," was appointed Adjunct Professor at Pima Community College (Tucson) in 1999, and has served on the Young Audiences of Southern Arizona Advisory Board. Colleen has been widely acknowledged for her contribution to the art of dancing. In 2001, The Dance Council paid tribute to her in Dallas, Texas for her lifetime dedication to the art of tap dancing.	Teaching her students the dance sequence to "Singing In The Rain"
Colleen Kelly Beaman at Tucson's Sonora Desert Museum	When she is not teaching dancing, Colleen devotes much of her energy to community and social activities. She serves as chairperson to Tucson’s Annual Walk in support of the Celiac Foundation. This year's event, “Making Tracks for Celiacs,” was held on April 23 at the University of Arizona. Colleen is also chairperson of the Tucson-Roscommon Sister Cities , an organization committed to fostering close bonds between the communities of Tucson and Roscommon, Ireland. Colleen is extremely proud to be a descendant of the aristocratic Kelly Clan that, in ancient times, ruled Ui Maine, a territory in western Ireland including Roscommon. Colleen is married to Jim Beaman, a Tucson attorney. They have four children.