Katie Higuchi loves teaching children of all ages.  Growing up in rural Washington state at LFW School of Dance, she saw the value and transformation that dance can have in the life of a young child.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Minor in Drama from the University of Washington in Seattle.  Her education included anatomy and kinesiology, choreography and composition, philosophy and aesthetics, history and pedagogy.  After joining the Actors’ Equity Association she continued her theatrical studies in New York City where she focused on training for Musical Theatre.  Spending most of her performing career in Seattle, Katie’s favorite roles include, Judy/Lois in A Chorus Line, Velma in West Side Story, Hedy LaRue in How to Succeed, Helene in Sweet Charity, Angelique in La Cage Aux Folles and Mae Jones in Street Scene as well as others. She performed with the Village Theatre, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Symphony and the Seattle Opera. Her international credits include performances in Taiwan and Singapore while touring with The Wedding Banquet.   Katie was the founder/director of Cascade Dance Academy in Snoqualmie, WA from 2006-2011 where some of her original students are still dancing today.  She has taught dance at several studios in Washington State and was on the faculty at the University of Washington teaching Jazz/Musical Theatre dance. In 2011 Katie became a STOTT PILATES certified instructor and teaches at Anytime Fitness in Pukalani, which she owns with her husband Sean. Since moving to Maui in 2012 she has choreographed Pirates of Penzance for Maui OnStage as well as Pippin for MAPA’s Summer Youth Musical Theatre program.  She taught at Maui Academy of Performing Arts from 2012-2020.  In 2020 she became an American Ballet Theatre Certified Teacher for ABT’s National Training Curriculum in Pre-Primary through Level 3.  Katie is thrilled to co-direct Momentum Dance Maui with Ms. Alannah.  She is so inspired by the team of teachers they share. She has two children who both dance with her at MDM and life couldn’t get any sweeter.