Katie Wilber’s Story:
Photo: Alexandru Patatics
I first met Bill Wade in April 2013 when I was a junior studying Dance Performance/Education, Theatre, and Interdisciplinary Writing at Middle Tennessee State University at the American College Dance Festival Association. The festival was held at Belhaven University and Bill was a guest faculty adjudicator and instructor for the week. On the last day, Bill was teaching Non-Traditional Partnering, and I battled all my fellow collegiate dancers for the “special pass” to take his class. I won! It only took one class with Bill for me to know that I was meant to study this stuff further. It was a combination of how I connected to the movement and technique, Bill & Inlet’s dance philosophy and mission statement, and the energy in the room. By the end of the class, every single dancer in the room was overjoyed. I thought to myself, “if this stuff can do that for one classroom of people, imagine what it can do for the world!” (Bold statement, but hey—dream big!)
So, I hurried up and finished college a semester early, graduating in December 2013. Then, I moved to Cleveland, OH 1 month later in January to join Inlet Dance Theatre as an Apprentice. IT WAS SO COLD! A gal from Tennessee moving to Ohio in what I now know was referred to as the “polar vortex” honestly had me questioning whether or not I could handle this weather. Coincidently, my mother had lived in Cleveland during her childhood back in the 70’s. She hated Cleveland back then, and swore she would never come back. This wasn’t the best reintroduction to the city for her, either. Well, she went back to Tennessee that week, but I pushed through and am still here, 5 years later (and with a whole closet of winter gear and snow boots).
Growing through Inlet, I now perform and teach nationally as a Company A Member and I serve as the Social Media Coordinator/Costume Coordinator. I am humbled, blessed, and honored to have had so many great experiences and opportunities. I often times think back to that first class I ever took with Bill and how encouraged I was to see dance as an art form impact so many individuals. And now, I get to do that for others. It’s truly a dream come true. I get to dance with people every day that I love and cherish. I get to travel the country performing art that I admire and connect with. And I get to live out my passion as my career. I can’t possibly think of a better life for myself. Inlet’s mission statement is “using dance to further people”—I am forever thankful to Inlet for allowing dance to constantly further me.
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