Kathleen Ridlon is a dance artist living in Galesburg, IL who is a passionate advocate for increasing access to dance for everyone. She teaches BrainDance and uses Community-based Learning pedagogies to extend her dance practice into the community where she lives. Her participation in the Urban Bush Women’s Summer Leadership Institute and her research in Art as a Social Practice defines her approach for using dance to impact social change. Kathleen founded her dance organization Think Different, Move Different in 2021 and presents her research at National and International conferences.

Kathleen is an Associate Professor of Dance at Knox College. She is a graduate of Dean College and the Certificate Program of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York City. She holds an BA in Psychology from City College of New York and an MFA in Performance and Choreography from Smith College.