Katie Ryan

🪔 About

Katie Ryan is a freelance dance artist specializing in the classical Indian dance style of Odissi. A graduate of London Contemporary Dance School, she is uniquely positioned as a UK-trained dancer pursuing Odissi at a professional level. Ryan was introduced to Odissi by Sanjeevini Dutta and completed her Manch Pravesh under Guru Shankar Behera in 2009. She has further trained under renowned teachers Madhavi Mudgal and Ileana Citaristi. Ryan aims to engage contemporary audiences by presenting work that draws on both tradition and personality within the medium of classical Indian dance. She is a member of the Odissi Ensemble, the only professional Odissi company in the UK, with whom she has performed and created for productions such as "Shades of Love" (2012), "Gods and Mortals" (2016-17), and "Sacred Shapes / Sacred Fires" (2018-19). Her choreographic commissions include "Kalpavriksha" (2011) for Akademi and "This Wicked Desire" (2012) in a project by Opera Holland Park and English National Ballet. She has also worked as a Movement Director for Opera Holland Park's "Les Pêcheurs de Perles" (2013). In addition to her dance career, Ryan has practiced as a Physiotherapist since 2015, which provides her with further insight into the physical aspects of dance training and injury prevention. She continues to dance, teach, and create, and has received a Marion North Choreographic Mentoring award. Awards & Honours: Marion North Choreographic Mentoring award (2017).