Katie Parr

GSD Director/Instructor

Born in Ohio and raised in East Texas, Katie began taking ballet at age five with Maryse Gobel.  Eventually she danced lead roles such as “Aurora,” “Cinderella” and “Swanhilda” in the annual ballet recitals.  During her junior year in high school she moved away to study with the Chamberlain School of Ballet (Plano) and then to the University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio) for her senior year.  She also attended Joffrey and Houston Ballet summer workshops during this time.

From 1999-2001 Katie studied in New York City with many teachers including David Howard and Eleanor D’Antuono at the Joffrey Ballet School/New School University BFA program.  She performed as a featured soloist in “Corelli Variations,” “Jardin Animé” and “Viva Vivaldi.”  In 2001 she was chosen by David Howard to appear on the January cover of Dance Teacher Magazine and as one of four demonstration dancers in his ballet class teaching video.

Katie danced professionally with the Minnesota ballet from 2001-2005.  She performed major classical roles in Coppelia, The Nutcracker, Cinderella and Balanchine’s Valse Fantasie, and also danced in other modern, theatrical and jazz style performances.

After developing arthritis from a sustained injury, she retired from professional ballet and eventually found a new career in ballroom dancing/teaching.  In the first held “Dancing with the Austin Stars” fundraiser in 2007, Katie and her ballroom student Bill Jones, won first place performing a paso doble/salsa routine.  Click to watch:

Dancing with the Austin Stars 2007

This is Katie’s forth year as Director of the GSD and she is very happy to be able to bring classical ballet and ballroom dance to the Nacogdoches community.