Katrina Hawley

Education

AA, Musical Theater, Western Wyoming College

BFA, Dance, Temple University

CMA, Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies

Polestar Pilates Education

OOV Education

Katrina Hawley is an adjunct faculty member in the Dance Department at the University of
Hartford, where she teaches Movement Fundamentals, Functional Kinetic Patterns, Dance
Kinesiology, Issues in Pedagogy, and Pilates. She brings over 25 years of experience as a movement scientist, educator, and artist to her work in higher education and professional teacher training. Hawley is co-owner of The Pilates Studio in Hadley, Massachusetts, a Polestar Pilates Educator, and an Oov Educator who travels nationally to train movement professionals. She holds an AA in Musical Theater from Western Wyoming College, a BFA in Dance from Temple University, and certification as a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) through the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of
Movement Studies. She has studied extensively with Dr. Brent Anderson, Shelly Power, Martha
Eddy, Janice Pforsich, Charlotte Wile, and Dr. Daniel Vladeta, and is a candidate for certification to
teach the Bill Evans Technique.

Her research explores the learning processes of the late adolescent brain and seeks to reimagine
how dance kinesiology is taught to embody functional improvement in technique. She presented
“Rigorous Play: Maximizing the Development of the Late Adolescent Brain” at the Evans Somatic
Dance Conference (2024) and “Innovative Lower Extremity Conditioning Techniques” at the
National Dance Education Organization Conference (2025).

A peer reviewer for the Journal of Dance Education, Hawley has received the Gordon Clark Ramsey
Award for Creative Excellence (2014) and the Sustained Excellence in Teaching Award (2023).
Earlier in her career, she co-directed HawleyMartin Dance, presenting original works in Boston,
New York City, and Massachusetts. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes empathy, embodied
inquiry, and the role of play in learning, celebrating the beauty and vulnerability inherent in the
artistic process.

Areas of Study

Neuroscience and its relation to Late adolescence, Communication, Movement Integration, and Performance