Katie Harmon
Multimedia Dance Artist
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a Concentration in Performance, Choreography, and Theory, UNC Charlotte (2018)
Hometown: Rutherfordton, NC
After graduation, Katie Harmon auditioned for Aerial Dance Chicago and was offered an apprentice position, so she packed up and relocated to Chicago. Six months later, she was promoted to a company artist, and in 2023 she was named as the first principal dancer in Aerial Dance Chicago’s rich 26-year creative history. During her time in Chicago, she was also the program manager for ADC’s school of aerial dance and directed the ballet and jazz programs at Dixon Dance Academy.
In addition to this work, Katie has continued to create staged choreography throughout the U.S. and abroad. Katie’s love for the art goes beyond teaching and performing. “I also choreograph, edit, and produce dance films,” she explains. “My films focus on our deeply emotional connection to the living world. They have been broadcasted on television, reported on by magazines, and screened by festivals in over 13 countries.”
After spending the last seven years flying on some of Chicago’s biggest stages, including The Auditorium Theater and The Aeon Grand Ballroom, Katie says it was time “to return to my roots.” She has come back to North Carolina.
“Now I’m spending less time teaching and performing others’ choreography, and more time creating my own work that combines my love of mycology with my love of movement,” she says.
Reflecting on her time at UNC Charlotte, she says her education in the Department of Dance was vital to her success as a professional dancer.
“It opened my eyes to a side of dance that I knew nothing about as an incoming freshman. My time training with the incredible faculty in the department not only gave me the technical foundation to work in the field, but also invaluable insights on how to navigate the professional dance world. Without the guidance of professors like Kim Jones, E.E. Balcos, Rachel Tucker, Missy Coyle, Delia Neil, Tamara Williams, Kaustavi Sarkar, and Gretchen Alterowitz, I would definitely not have had the tools to find my way in the Chicago dance scene!”
Katie says that the connection across the College of Arts + Architecture was a great benefit. She developed her love of aerial work, for example, through theatre professor Carlos Cruz’s circus classes. “I learned so much about collaboration while creating with students in the School of Architecture, and I gained experience with digital editing programs in my dance history classes.”
And the opportunities to work with notable guest artists, the educational trips, and the rigorous physical/academic curriculum “taught me lessons that I call upon every day as a performer, choreographer, and teacher,” she says.
Katie said it’s impossible for her to choose just one favorite memory of her time in the College. “I loved working with Claudia Lavista during my final semester,” she says. “We performed her piece PROW, a cyclic dance about adversity in migration with live accompaniment by Shamou. I’ve never felt so close to a cast. But, even though that experience meant so much to me, if I have to pick one memory it would definitely be studying abroad in Italy with professors Kim Jones and E.E. Balcos. We spent two weeks dancing in Torino and one week at Orsolina 28.”
If Katie had one piece of advice to share with current and prospective dance students, it would be: “Engaging with dance on a collegiate level is very different from training at a studio in high school. Learn how to be your own motivator!”
Photo by Carol Graham.