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Kathleen McGilliard

Artistic Director / Instructor

Miss Kathy, as she's called by her students, began dancing at the age of four. Studying with Jan Collum in Tacoma, she was (at that time) the youngest dancer to become a member of The Concert Group, which eventually became the well-known Balletacoma. She additionally was a charter member of the Tacoma Civic Ballet. Teaching was an early passion and after acting as a teaching assistant for Collum, she was soon teaching privately and finally established her own studio on Vashon Island when she was in 9th grade. A second passion that developed was her love of musical theater. She performed at the Tacoma Little Theater in productions of "The Desert Song" and "The Red Mill" then later in "The Wizard of Oz" and "Carousel" during her freshman year at Pacific Lutheran University. As a sophomore, she decided to make Dance and Theater her life.  Transferring to the University of Utah, she danced with both the Ballet and Modern Dance Departments performing with Ballet West and The Repertory Dance Theater. She had the good fortune to study with George Balanchine, Robert Joffrey, Bill, Harold and Lew Christiansen, Ann Halprin, Geoffrey Holder and Garth Fagin, to name a few. She holds a BFA in Dance and an MFA in Dance and Theater from the University of North Carolina.  After teaching in New York for four years, she moved back home to bring quality arts education and performance to Gig Harbor. As well as The Academy, she co-founded the original Performance Circle Theater and the new Encore! Theater Company. For her accomplishments in the arts, she has had the honor to be listed in "Who's Who of American Women."