INSTRUCTOR BIO: MS. LILLA KATE

From a very young age, I have always loved dance. I have been dancing since I was three years old, but it wasn’t until I was eleven that I began to take dance seriously.

I moved to a pre-professional dance company, Alabama Dance Theatre, where the primary focus was ballet. I fell in love with classical ballet. Even though I was focusing on ballet and pointe, I was afforded the opportunity to explore other dance forms such as jazz, modern, and contemporary. Throughout my eight years at Alabama Dance Theatre, I trained pre-professionally under the late Kitty Seale, Kate Seale, Valari Lagrone, Emily Caruso, Casey Bailey, Sara Sanford, Janie Alford, and Jenny Letner. This talented artistic staff helped form the fundamental foundation of my dance technique. I have danced in many productions and had the privilege to partner with guest professional artists Raul Pienado, Mickey Londsdale, and Rorey Fraiser.

To expand my studies further, I began auditioning for professional company summer intensives. Throughout my high school years, I received scholarships and was accepted into multiple summer intensives, such as American Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Ballet Theatre, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and Ballet West Academy. I also competed in classical ballet competitions such as Youth America Grand Prix and Artistic Competition for Exceptional Students.

Upon high school graduation, I wanted to continue my career in dance, as well as pursue a college degree. I decided to attend Samford University, where I am currently dancing with the Samford Dance Company, majoring in Business, and minoring in Dance.

I am excited to share my love of dance with others and pass down what I have been taught throughout my time of training. This will be my first season with NJAD.

Return to Main Instructors Page