Katie Langan is
an Associate Professor and the Director of the Dance Department
at Marymount Manhattan College, and has earned a reputation
for her astute understanding and conveyance of the nuances
of ballet technique. At Marymount, Ms. Langan teaches advanced
levels of Ballet and Pointe, is a frequent choreographer
for the College’s dance
company, and is the Artistic Director of the Dance Department’s
semi-annual performance series. Under Ms. Langan’s
tenure, this performance series has grown from an in-studio
presentation of works by faculty and student choreographers
to a major dance event featuring new and restaged works by
America’s most noted choreographers. In addition to
her work at Marymount, Ms. Langan regularly teaches company
class for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the advanced
levels for the Ailey School summer program. She has also
taught at Dance Space, NYU Tisch and Ballet Maestro.
Ms. Langan received her dance training at the North Carolina School of the Arts,
American Ballet Theatre and the School of American Ballet. Before coming to Marymount,
Ms. Langan performed with numerous companies including the Boston Repertory Company,
New York City Opera, William Carter Dance Ensemble, the Zurich Ballet, Chamber
Ballet USA, New Jersey Ballet, and Twyla Tharp. She has had the opportunity to
work directly with Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, Antony Tudor, Billy Forsythe,
Rudi van Dan Zieg, Gelsey Kirkland, Eleanor D'Antuano, and Brian McDonald to
name a few.
After retiring from performance, Ms. Langan studied art and design at Marymount Manhattan College and received her B.A., summa cum laude, in 1990 when she graduated as class valedictorian. With over twenty ballets created, her study of art infuses her choreography, which is notable for its use of complex visual patterns and for its formal strength, as well as for its cool dramaticism. Her 1995 ballet, Akhmatova, was asked to be a part of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts video archive in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division.
