Katie Ryan

Katie Ryan received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet with an Emphasis in Teaching from the University of Utah while dancing seasonally with ballet and contemporary company Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. Following her undergraduate career, Katie continued her seasonal performances with ASFB (2008-2014) and performed professionally as a full-time member of the contemporary dance company BodyVox in Portland, Oregon (2011-2014). Her passion for making dance accessible led her to receive a Master of Science in Education: Curriculum and Instruction from Portland State University as well as a K-12 Teaching Credential for Dance and Physical Education. She taught dance in the public school system for six years including one directorship in a high school dance program. Since moving to San Diego in 2018, Katie has taught ballet and pointe at San Diego Danceworks and loves setting Waltz of the Flowers and Sugarplum in their annual performance of The Nutcracker. She also choreographs and teaches ballet, modern, and jazz courses at Grossmont College, Mesa College, and Southwestern College, and she performed in Jean Isaacs’ San Diego Dance Theater’s “20th Anniversary Best of Trolley Dances” (2018). She continues to seek professional development and is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) as well as Distance Education (DE). Katie loves to share her passion for education by developing curricula involving kinesiology, movement-mediated learning, dance pedagogy, and individual empowerment. Her joyful yet thoughtful approach to course design examines ballet’s relevance and seeks to cultivate joy in the Classical art form.