Kathleen Carter, a Pensacola native, began her dance training at Pensacola School of Ballet with Anthea Nader in 1995. She joined the sister company, the Emerald Coast Ballet, in 1997 and danced at the Senior level until its closure in 2008. In 2000, she joined the Northwest Florida Ballet as an Apprentice to the Company, and studied under Ballet Mistress Dorothy Lister. She has attended several summer intensives including workshops at Pensacola State College, the Northwest Florida Ballet, and the Joffrey Ballet School (NYC). She has been teaching dance since 2005, and has had students of all ages and levels; however, she focuses her time now primarily on adult ballet with only a few children’s classes each year.
Kathleen completed her 200 hour Hatha Yoga Certification through URU Yoga and Beyond under the tutelage of Rebecca Sathre and Tammy Virchow Urbansky in May of 2015. Kathleen is comprehensively trained and Pilates certified through Balanced Body under the tutelage of Susan Clark-Waters at Pure Pilates, and became a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher in 2018. She began her Balanced Body Master Educator journey in the summer of 2024, and has since certified to host teacher trainings in Balanced Body Movement Principles, Mat, and Reformer. She will complete her comprehensive Balanced Body Educator training in 2025.
Kathleen holds a Bachelor's degree in Writing with a minor in Public Relations from the University of West Florida. She is a staunch advocate for the physical and mental benefits of a regular movement practice, and enjoys guiding her students in all disciplines of movement through a strong and steady flow that focuses on fluid transitions, powerful stamina, proper alignment, and injury prevention/rehabilitation. She has a regular Pilates practice, enjoys weight training, jogging, and pole dance. She teaches weekly adult ballet classes at the Emerald Coast Dance Conservatory, and works regularly with private Pilates clients at Pure Pilates Downtown.