PARD: Contemporary Modern with Katherine Kiefer Stark

Class Description: Blending Kline Technique, Safety Release Technique, and release technique Katherine's class is an energetic exploration of movement from the inside out.  Emphasis is placed on the initiation of the movement and the path the various body parts take in space to discover how one's own body moves within the movement.  We embrace the space through phrases that move in and out of the floor and carry us in and out of balance.  Class begins quietly and gradually builds in complexity, culminating in a dynamic phrase.  Sleeves and kneepads or long pants are recommended.

Bio: Katherine Kiefer Stark is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher committed to the belief that the world is socially constructed and that we create rather than merely discover its significances.  This philosophy is the driving force behind her work.  She also has a quirky sense of humor that comes through in her movement vocabulary, choreography, and teaching style.  Katherine received her BA in dance in 2002 from Connecticut College and her MFA in Choreography in 2009 from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.  Katherine has presented her own work in Connecticut, Philadelphia, New York, West Virginia, and North Carolina.  Recently, she showed work at the Goose Route Dance Festival and the Fringe Wilmington Festival.  Katherine has been a guest artist at Enloe High School and the University of Texas, El Paso.  She has danced in Connecticut, Philadelphia, New York, West Virginia, Rhode Island, and throughout North Carolina performing contemporary work by various choreographers including John Gamble, Courtney Greer, Lacy James, Luis Lara Malvacias, Meredith Monk, Deganit Shemy, Christina Tsoules Soriano, and BJ Sullivan.  She has been a member of CTS Dance, the John Gamble Dance Theatre, and Immediate Theatre - an improvisation collective - as well as collaborating with Courtney Greer.   Katherine is the artistic director of The Naked Stark, a contemporary dance company she founded in 2009.  Her newest work, Rounds, will be presented at Last Mondays: November.  Katherine has recently relocated to Philadelphia and is excited to be here!