Kate Pagano

Kate is originally from Texas where she trained with the Houston Ballet and Houston Performing Arts High School and furthered her education at NYC’s Marymount Manhattan College where she received a BFA in Dance Performance Magna Cum Laude. She has trained and performed all over the world with Celebrity Cruise Lines, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, the Super Bowl, various TV shows and films, and on the Cinderella Castle stage at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in the Equity production of Dream Along with Mickey. Kate has performed in over 15 regional theatre productions including Spamalot, White Christmas (Rita), Crazy for You, Swing!, Guys and Dolls, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Potiphar’s Wife), and La Cage (Bitelle). She has been a proud member of Actor’s Equity and has been a dance captain in several productions. Kate has served on the judging panel for multiple regional and national conventions and competitions, and has nearly 20 years as a teacher and choreographer, specializing in areas such as musical theatre, lyrical and contemporary, leaps and turns, strengthening/conditioning and injury prevention techniques for dancers, and she has received numerous 1st overall and choreography awards for her works. To further her education and passion for rehabilitation, Kate graduated with her Physical Therapist Assistant Degree in 2019 and is now a licensed, full-time PTA at the James A Haley VA in Tampa where she currently treats an array of musculoskeletal injuries and chronic pain conditions to our nation’s Veterans. Kate is also a Master Teacher with the Relative Motion team where she blends her rehabilitation and dancing skills together to foster injury prevention in technically-driven dancers. Outside of her careers, she enjoys spending time with her husband, young daughter, and their dog. Kate is looking forward to another incredible season at The Dance Company, and is excited to share her knowledge and experience with her students to inspire them to achieve their fullest potential. 

 

Favorite Inspiration: When students have that magic “light-bulb” moment when making achievements in their training  

Favorite Way to Learn: Seeing live performances and finding ways to consistently expand my knowledge of the evolvement of dance styles and injury prevention techniques for young dancers

Favorite Style of Dance: All!..but I love a high-energy dance number in a Broadway show

Favorite Music: Jazz

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GOALS:

I hope to instill qualities in my students that they will not only learn and apply in a dance class environment but will also take with them throughout the rest of life. 

 

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”