Katie is a Chicago-based teacher and director. She graduated Summa cum Laude from Butler University’s with a degree in Arts Administration with a Dance concentration. Before moving to Chicago in 2004, she was a company member with Kentucky Ballet Theatre in Lexington, KY where she performed principal and soloist roles in Giselle, Paquita, Dracula, The Nutcracker, and various repertory pieces. In Chicago, she performed as a freelance dancer in works by choreographers Peter Carpenter, Autumn Eckman, Emily Stein, and August Tye, among others. Katie has taught ballet technique, pointe, and repertory classes to all ages and ability levels for twenty years. She is currently on faculty at Dance Academy of Libertyville and Extensions Dance Center. She has taught company class for professional companies in Chicago and was the ballet mistress for Nomi Dance Company. Her students have gone on to prestigious college dance programs and professional careers in the ballet, contemporary, and commercial dance industries. She is the founding director of the professional company Dance in the Parks. Dance in the Parks performs live, outdoor dance concerts in public parks throughout the city of Chicago in the summer. Photo by August Tye