Lady Katrrrrina...

Hi! I'm Katie and I was born in a small northern California town called Red Bluff. I began my ballet training at age 6.  My mom tells me that she put me in ballet after first trying gymnastics, because after each gymnastics lesson I would tell her how much I hated it. Guess I never complained about ballet, because I have been dancing ever since.  I started by training at the local studio and then in high school spent 2 hours in the car 5 days a week to train at Chico Community Ballet for two years. Gotta love moms who are willing to sacrifice their time and money for their kids -- thanks Mom!  I took my love of dance to UC Irvine where I graduated with a BA in Dance in 2000. In the summer of 2000, a friend of mine introduced me to John Welch’s training and after the first class I was hooked.  Hooked by the intensity of the training and the director, hooked by finally being told to dance a certain way for a real purpose (not just for looks), hooked by feeling of my Achilles tendonitis pain and chronic low back pain disappearing in just a few weeks, and hooked by a dream and a mission to bring excellence in dance training to anyone who desires it.  After years of being told I should settle for a different dance style, I have the opportunity to take my ballet training as far as I desire.  This is a place where not only the director pushes you and wants you to achieve excellence, but so do your fellow dancers.