CATHERINE FOTHERGILL, ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 

 

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Catherine trained at the Alabama Dance Academy and Alabama Ballet Center for Dance before completing her studies at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under Marcia Dale Weary. Catherine began her career with the Louisville Ballet under Bruce Simpson and thereafter joined the Alabama Ballet, where she danced as a principal ballerina for more than a decade. Catherine danced leading roles in the classics and in works by Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Agnes De Mille, Domy Reiter-Soffer, Brandon Ragland, Andree Howard, Alan Hineline, David Lichine, Frank Staff, Jirí Kylián, Twyla Tharp, Antony Tudor, and Roger Van Fleteren, among others. While dancing, Catherine simultaneously earned degrees in sociology and international studies and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Following her final performances with the Alabama Ballet, Catherine joined Ballet Arkansas as the Associate Artistic Director in the summer of 2017. 

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At Ballet Arkansas, Catherine is the chief caretaker of the organization's repertory and the curator of its education programs and community outreach initiatives. Since her appointment, Ballet Arkansas's repertory has diversified, and the organization's affiliated School for Dance was founded. Catherine is instrumental in the staging of the classics and works closely with commissioned choreographers in the crafting of their works. In addition, she oversees a faculty of school educators and community cast rehearsal directors and facilitates all communication between Ballet Arkansas and the hundreds of K-12 participants featured within its full-length productions. In honor of these achievements, Arkansas Money & Politics Magazine named Catherine one of its Power Women, class of 2020. Under Catherine's leadership, Ballet Arkansas was named one of the 75 Largest Ballet Companies in America by the Dance Data Project. 

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In addition to her duties at Ballet Arkansas, Catherine travels frequently throughout the United States and abroad as a guest instructor, repetiteur and ballet mistress for ballet companies, semi-professional academies, and university dance programs. She has staged works for Japan Ballet Association's 37th annual Zendo Ballet Festival, Balleteatro Nacional de Puerto Rico, Les Ballets de France, the Takako Classical Ballet, Chida Toshiko Ballet, and the Alabama Ballet. Catherine has served on the faculties of the Takako Classical Ballet, Chida Toshiko Ballet, and Hiroko Masuya Classic Ballet of Japan, and is a frequent guest instructor for the Cecchetti Council of America's International Summer School. While on faculty at the Alabama Ballet School, Catherine taught multiple levels of the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus and passed numerous students with distinction. She was named guest artist in residence at the University of Arkansas - Little Rock's Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, 2019 - 2021. Catherine is listed among other accomplished entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals from the state of Arkansas within Marquis Who's Who in America 2022. She serves on the faculty of the Department of Medical Humanities & Bioethics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).