Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s spring arts issue features more than a dozen artists to watch this year and beyond. Meet Mackenzie Mclean.
California called, but she stayed in St. Pete: Graduating from PCCA in 2023, the now-20-year-old won a scholarship to her dream school in California but decided to stay in St. Pete.
Now you see her everywhere: Tampa City Ballet, Atlas Modern Ballet, projectAlchemy, “A Very Broadway Christmas” and more
And she’s teaching at PCCA: “At first I thought it’d be really hard—I was just in school with these people. But it was not an issue.”
Miss P is her mentor: That’s Suzanne Pomerantzeff, co-founder of the Academy of Ballet Arts in St. Pete and former PCCA dance chair. “She has this way of nurturing students. I think that’s really where I found that there’s beauty not only in perfecting your own stuff but in helping other people.”
How Pinellas Dance Collective was born: “The only place where younger dancers were meeting each other was at competitions. I wanted to make a space where we can just all come dance.” She also realized from attending workshops that she could make a little bank, too. And, as a nonprofit, award scholarships.
A performing highlight: Dancing in Italy for the DAP Festival, a summer intensive, “on this huge stage out in the forest.”
A memorable audition: For The Rockettes! She couldn’t complete the process because it conflicted with her first performance with Atlas. But “It was definitely the most magical audition of my life.”
The secret to her success: “I’m a talker. So whenever I go into a new space I always become friends with the people around me.”
Next up: She’ll be performing at Beacon March 6 in a piece by Justin Brock.
Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky
This article appears in Jan. 22 – 28, 2026.