Kate Crews Linsley

Kate Crews Linsley is a current Rehearsal Director for Nashville Ballet, formerly School of Nashville Ballet Academy Principal. Linsley enjoyed a successful dance career as a soloist with Ballet West for 10 seasons and danced with Kansas City Ballet from 1995–2000. Most recently, Linsley performed as a guest artist in Salt Lake City with NOW-ID Dance Company and AVA Ballet Theater, where she performed Principal roles in ballets such as Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. Ms. Linsley trained at Kansas City Ballet School under Todd Bolender and The Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Professionally, Linsley’s time at Ballet West was highlighted in works in the following world-renowned dance festivals and tours: Edinburg International Dance Festival in Scotland, Dance Across America in Washington, D.C., and Fall for Dance in New York City. Most memorable roles for Linsley were dancing the Principal Pas de Deux in Balanchine’s Agon, Pas de Deux couple in Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels, Myrthe in Giselle, The Siren in Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Lady Capulet in Kage’s Romeo and Juliet, and The Lark in Bruce Mark’s Lark Ascending. In February of 2009, cast as the Hostess in Diaghilev’s Les Biches, Linsley was honored to be on the cover of Dance Magazine in celebration of Diaghilev’s centennial anniversary. From her time with Ballet West and Kansas City Ballet, Linsley’s resume contains many works from Tudor, Balanchine, Forsythe, Cranko, Morris, Tharp, and Ashton, to name a few.

After retiring from her professional dance career in June of 2010, Kate Crews Linsley served as the Dance Department Chair at The Waterford School, as well as the Director of the Waterford Dance Academy in Sandy, Utah from 2012 to 2017. During her time there, Linsley restaged the following ballets: The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, Swan Lake, Cinderella, and Carnival of Animals. Linsley was on staff at Ballet West Academy where she taught in the school, as well as coached and created works for dancers for YAGP, Creative Arts Academy Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Salt Lake Ballet, AVA Ballet Theater, Utah Regional Ballet, The University of Utah, among others. Linsley moved to Nashville with her family in 2018 to accept the role of School of Nashville Ballet Academy Principal, where she oversaw the artistic aspects of the School and trained dancers in the Academy, Professional Training Division, NB2, and Company. During her time with Nashville Ballet, Linsley has staged and coached works for the Academy and NB2 working with Nashville Ballet Director, Paul Vasterling restaging his work, Fresco and with Associate Artistic Director, Nick Mullikin in his creation, He Loved Big Brother. Kate also worked with guest choreographers like Charlotte Boye-Christenson, Michael Bearden, and Gina Patterson in her creation of 72 Steps. Linsley also staged works on School of Nashville Ballet’s Academy including Paquita and The Sleeping Beauty Suite. In 2021, Linsley was promoted to Rehearsal Director for Nashville Ballet’s main company.

Beyond her career in dance and dance education, Linsley was Chairman of the Board for Inbody Outreach after five years as Executive Director for the Utah nonprofit, which supplies qualified yoga instructors to populations in need. She has served on staff in the Utah yoga community at Centered City Yoga, The Yoga Center, the University of Utah, and Primary Children’s Medical Center. She is certified to teach yoga to veterans through the Yoga Warriors Program and at-risk youth under the Street Yoga training. She is also certified in the Mindful Schools curriculum to implement mindfulness teaching in schools. Linsley has led mindfulness sessions on trips traveling with Rivers of Recovery working with Vets with varying degrees of PTSD.