Hello Chicago! It’s your 2008 Loop Rock Girl here, Kelly! I am thrilled to get this year started and can’t wait to meet all of you. We’ve got a whole year to get to know each other, but let me kick start your heart by telling you a little about me.

I was born in St. Charles and grew up in the beautiful Chicago suburb of Batavia. At the age of seven I decided my dream was to be on Broadway. I was enrolled in tap dance lessons which exploded into a large passion for dance in all its forms. I started studying ballet, jazz, and anything that encouraged me to express myself to music.

My love of music wasn’t just limited to dance. I also had my dad’s influence: rock n’roll. And rock means just one thing in Chicago, The Loop. At 5 years old, I remember playing his Guns N’ Roses cassette in my boom box while my grandmother questioned his parenting skills.

As a teen I was a good student and a busy student. I was a cheerleader, member of two dance companies, director of the dance department at my local park district, and still managed to find time to take classes myself and be an honor roll student! I learned at a young age that accomplishing what you want in life takes hard work and dedication and that you can achieve anything you put your mind to.

After high school I was anxious to start my dance career. It took me many places including dancing in a Vegas review, the finals for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleading Squad, dancing on WGN’s morning news, appearing on Season 3 of the show “So You Think You Can Dance”, and dancing on Telemundo. I was even was asked to portray the Disney princess Belle at Disney World, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave the Windy City.

Because working as a professional dancer almost never makes you a millionaire, while I pursued that dream, I also became a dance teacher to help pay the bills. Little did I know that teaching would become the most rewarding experience of my life thus far. Watching students grow year after year into accomplished dancers was extraordinarily special. Each student taught me something new and I gained new perspective on dance as I experienced it with them.

Dancing and performing were my gateway into the entertainment business. I started modeling in 2002 to earn a little extra money. It wasn’t until I was living in Los Angeles last summer that I realized I wanted to pursue modeling more seriously. Definitely in need of Midwest hospitality after a summer in LA, I returned to Chicago last August with the goal to pursue my modeling career. Shortly after, I was chosen as a spokesmodel for LA Tan and was appearing on billboards around Chicago.

Besides dancing I enjoy hanging with friends and going out to bars in clubs in the area. I’m crazy for rock shows and have a thing for catching drum sticks and snagging guitar picks.

As the Loop Rock Girl, I want to do it all. I want to experience every concert, party, and rock event in the city. I’ve already met so many incredible people, but I can’t wait to meet many more as the year goes on. I think it’s time to give Chicago a new nickname, the “City of Rock”! Who’s ready to make that happen?