Instructor

Kate Dylong began dancing at the age of four. During her years as a dancer, Kate trained in many styles including ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, contemporary, and hip hop. Kate’s basic training began at Jo’s Footwork Studio in Western Springs, where she trained until 2000. At age 10, Kate was accepted into a professional ballet company, Ballet Legere, in River Forest, IL, where she continued her training. While with Ballet Legere, Kate performed various roles, including soloist roles, in The Nutcracker Ballet for over 20 years. Kate competed as captain of her high school and college dance teams, bringing home state and national titles within UDA and NDA, respectively. She declared herself a dance major at Columbia College of Chicago, where she was recruited by Trae Turner as a founding member of the growing hip hop company, Boom Crack Dance Company. Kate performed and competed as a member of Boom Crack from 2009-2012, accepting the opportunity to perform with Boom Crack Dance Company on Oprah’s 25th Anniversary special, shot on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, as a background dancer for the Black Eyed Peas. Kate attended and competed at conventions and master classes for years, training under famed choreographers such as Mia Michaels, Lori Ann Gibson, Shane Sparks, Brian Friedman, and Nappytabs, and was selected to perform concert pieces with principal member of the Joffrey Ballet, Ariel Cisneros. Kate began teaching dance while pursuing her second collegiate degree in Nursing (her first collegiate degree being a BA in Exercise Science/Kinesiology), a career that she has excelled in since 2019. Focusing on surgical nursing, Kate continued to shape her dance technique at Lou Conte Dance Studio in Chicago. Shifting her focus from solely performing to also teaching/choreographing, Kate has taught all forms of dance to all ages for over 10 years, has choreographed for various companies, and has assisted in the performance and stage management of Ballet Legere’s The Nutcracker. Kate’s lifetime love for dance has helped her students to not only succeed and progress technically/competitively but also foster a deep love for movement arts & exercise. In her free time, Kate enjoys the outdoors, travel, and spending time with family & friends. She continues to dance at Lou Conte Dance Studio in Chicago.