Kate Stark first became involved with Dance for PD in 2011, but her relationship with Parkinson’s began long before that. Her father, Jim, was diagnosed when she was 10 years old. At that time PD joined her dance training to form what would be the two constants in her life moving forward. When her dad gave up drumming due to the worsening of his tremor, she tried to teach him to tap dance in their living room; even then, she thought, “if you can’t use your hands, try your feet!”

Kate began teaching dance for Persons with Parkinson’s in Cincinnati in January of 2012 along with co-teachers Mary Kamp and Nancy Fountain. Shortly thereafter Kate became even more embedded in the local Parkinson’s community by becoming the Executive Director of the local American Parkinson’s Disease Association chapter, a role she remained in until 2018.

Today, Kate serves as CB Moves Coordinator at the Cincinnati Ballet, overseeing— and teaching within— a broad spectrum of adaptive and inclusive dance programs geared towards self-expression and community building. The program offers in-studio Parkinson’s classes 3 times a week, ongoing classes at Senior Living facilities and Day Programs for adults with disabilities, workshops for those with dementia and their care partners, and Youth classes for dancers ages 4-18 with any combination of physical, intellectual, and behavior disabilities through a partnership with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She also continues to teach Musical Theatre in the Cincinnati Ballet Summer Intensive each year. Kate is always learning from her students and enjoys finding new ways to approach material. She fervently believes dance is for every body.

In addition to her teaching and administrative work, Kate also performs regularly on regional stages in musicals and contemporary dramas. You can learn more at meetkatestark.com.