Ms. Katie

Instructor and Creator of all BODIES dance

A light skinned woman with light brown hair in a pixie cut is pictured from the shoulders up with her hand lifted close to her chin. An image of blurry young dancers is in the background in a mirror behind her.

Hi! I'm Ms. Katie. I live in Anthem and love hanging out with my husband and my son at one of our beautiful parks. I LOVE to dance and danced as a professional for a long time. Now, I love dancing with people of all abilities! I continue to learn about how to offer my love of dance to everyone. I honor and celebrate the differences and similarities of my fellow dancers in my classes. I am inspired by their pursuit of and creativity in movement. I strive to offer classes that ANYONE can join as well as assist with inclusion of varied abilities into main stream dance education.

Contact Ms. Katie at: kirwan.katie@yahoo.com

Email
A woman with a rainbow T-shirt and and a light pink long tutu stands smiling facing a mirror holding her phone. She has a pink chin length wig and ballet shoes on. Her Left hand is lifted to the side. She stands in a dance studio with pink curtains drawn to reveal the mirror.

Current Work

Ms. Katie is on staff at Dynamic Motion Dance Academy in Anthem, teaches master classes at Arizona Youth Ballet in Gilbert and works with students privately toward specific goals.

Ms. Katie is also a licensed Occupational Therapist at Honor Health Acute Care and DMG Children's Rehabilitative Services in Phoenix.

She works with:

Inclusive Dance Training

Ms. Katie is always learning! She learns the most from her students and their families. Other sources of formal instruction as an inclusive dance educator include:


A light skinned woman stands on one leg wearing a rose colored dress with dark pink waist belt and trim. Her other leg is lifted behind her to her shoulder height. One arm reaches behind her, the other is curved by her waist. She is smiling and in profile. Another dancer in the same shape is mostly hidden behind her, in a different shade of pink of the same dress.

Bio

Katie Kirwan began her early training in Middletown, Ohio under Phyllis DeWeese and later studied under Raphael Grigorian in Corning, New York, Dayton Ballet, Pointe Park College, Milwaukee Ballet, Ballet Chicago, and North Carolina Dance Theatre. At Indiana University, she earned her Bachelor of Science in ballet and arts management under the wonderful teaching of Violette Verdy, Jacques Cesbron and Leslie Peck. In North Carolina, she began teaching at DancePlace, the official school of North Carolina Dance Theatre. However, the highlight of her career was dancing with Ballet Magnificat! under Kathy Thibodeaux from 2001 – 2008 as a soloist company member. In the fall of 2008, she taught at Dance Center Prague, a conservatory in Prague, Czech Republic. After moving to Chicago she taught and worked full time for the Joffrey Ballet Academy from 2009 – 2015, including 5 years as Joffrey Ballet’s Children’s Cast Head Ballet Master for The Nutcracker.

Katie returned to graduate school in 2012 to earn her Masters in Occupational Therapy. She currently works with children with complex medical needs, specializes in Spina Bifida care through the lifespan and works in Acute Care at a Trauma Level I center. 

Bringing her background in OT and dance experience together, Ms. Katie has a passion to expand dance opportunities to all people of all backgrounds and abilities. She created a Parkinson’s Disease dance project in the Chicago area for several years. She currently runs an Occupational Therapy Dance Group in Phoenix using the medium of dance to motivate and inspire progress toward therapy goals in both an in person and online setting. Locally in Anthem, she teaches inclusive dance classes ranging ages 5 thru young adult and assists dancers to integrate into mainstream dance classes.