californiadancer's Bio

Hi my name is "Miss Kathie". I started dancing when I was 11, and began assistant teaching at age 13, when I fell in love with the idea of becoming a dance teacher. I started teaching my own classes when I was 15 and have been ever since. My sister and I "opened" our own dance studio by teaching classes to kids in our neighborhood out of our garage and from then on I continued to teach and eventually opened my own studio, Katharine's Academy of Dance. Our website address is katharinesacademyofdance.com.
I currently teach ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical, as well as having a staff of three other instructors who teach ballet, lryical, turns and leaps, tap, and hip hop. We just opened in a new location and are growing like crazy!
I studied on scholorship at Academy of Performing Arts in San Diego where I occasionally subbed classes for the children's program. With my scholorship I got to take from amazing faculty including Steven Wistrich (the director of City Ballet of San Diego), Katie McIver and Kevin Herrman (co-directors of Fusion Dance Co), Xavier Hicks, Travis Ruigerllo (horrible job on that spelling ), Rochelle Judd, Jonathon Taylor, and G Madison. I also have studied (while studying dance in college) with Patty Obey, Sue Gilson, Tom Hansen, Theo Ivey, and Molly Faulkner. I also currently take classes with Sarah Mizushima (lyrical), Xavier Hicks (ballet), and occasionally lyrical with Theo Ivey.
As a teacher I stress the importance of clean technqiue in all styles and a love of the art of dance. I would much rather see a dancer with amazing lines and beautiful stage presence than someone do fifteen pirouettes into a switch center , though those things do have thier place. I put much more emphasis on gaining an appreciation for the art and the history of why we do what we do, and hope my students learn to appreciate the dedication and drive one must have to be a dancer.

Friends of californiadancer

MissTalia

twirler4jesus

DisneyFan

C_S_D_A

DTeacher

See all californiadancer's friends...

7 Nov 2009

1 Nov 2009

1 Nov 2009

1 Nov 2009

1 Nov 2009

See all californiadancer's images...

Comments about californiadancer

By JLL
On Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:22 AM

Hey, thanks for Karma!! Happy day!! Janet

By twirler4jesus
On Fri Aug 24, 2007 11:10 AM

Yeah I'm taking the Wednesday night class. I like because its just for fun with lots of random people.

By twirler4jesus
On Thu Aug 23, 2007 11:13 PM

Oh my goodness the studio at Palomar is huge!!! I had Jazz last night and I liked it a lot. I should have gone there a long time ago. Why didn't you tell me? haha.

By twirler4jesus
On Wed Jun 06, 2007 09:35 PM

Yay! I have a friend.

See all californiadancer's comments...