Kathy Beyer–Executive Director
Kathy Beyer was raised in Houston, TX,
and trained as a classical ballet dancer at the Margo Marshall School
of Ballet. She was privately coached by such notable teachers
as Anne Marie Holmes, Robert Joffrey, David Howard, Helen Starr, among
others. After high school, Ms. Beyer joined the Boston Ballet
(under the name Katya Kolodzie) for seven seasons, dancing such roles
as Sugar Plum Fairy (Nutcracker),
Giselle, Aurora (Sleeping
Beauty),
Odette (Swan Lake),
along with performing soloist and principal roles
in ballets by Choo San Goh, George Balanchine, Pierre Lacotte, and
Bruce Wells. She danced and toured with Rudolf Nureyev in his
production of Swan Lake, performing in London and on the Cote
d’Azur in France. Ms. Beyer also
participated in Boston Ballet’s 1980 world tour, the company
having the distinction of being the first American ballet company to
dance in the People’s Republic of China in its post Cultural
Revolution reopening. The tour included stops in Beijing,
Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy and France.
After retiring from the stage, Ms. Beyer spent many years teaching
ballet in Louisville, Kentucky (Louisville Ballet), Boston (Boston
Ballet School), and Rochester, New York (Rochester City
Ballet). She earned a BA degree in Liberal Studies,
graduating cum laude
from Georgetown University. Following
her degree, Ms. Beyer lived in Shanghai, China for several years with
her husband and two young children. On her return to the
States, she spent many years working in marketing and communications in
the commercial business sector, heading trade show initiatives and
producing product launch materials. Missing the world of the
arts, she then attained a position as associate director of development
at George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing
Arts (CVPA). In her work at CVPA, she was
instrumental in launching the annual ARTS by George!
scholarship
fundraising event for the students of the college, as well as growing
several membership support organizations for Mason’s Center
for the Arts.
Now residing in Herndon, Virginia, Ms. Beyer has earned a
master’s
degree in Arts Management at George Mason University. She is
currently teaching upper division students at the Classical Ballet
Academy of Northern Virginia and serving in her first year as the
executive director of Classical Ballet Theatre. She endeavors
to assist the organization in its long-standing tradition of excellence
in preparing young dancers for professional careers, as well as in
providing exceptional outreach and educational opportunities for the
community. She previously served on the board of Classical
Ballet Theatre and continues to be enthusiastic about making a
difference in the lives of its young artists and the residents of its
community.