Hi! I’m Miranda AKA Kittie
I am a professional dancer, dance coach, choreographer, performer, and confidence coach!
I grew up in the Bay Area of California and started my dance journey at the young age of 5. My mom says at the age of 2 I was mimicking the Irish River Dancers on TV and could swear I could be a part of the crew. Shortly after my Irish River Dance demonstrations, my parents put me in dance lessons. Although I have a stoic face most of the time my parents could sense that dance was my calling and supported me throughout my childhood being apart of a Hawaiian performance troupe, competing in dance competitions across the state, dancing at my high school, and being apart of several ballet productions.
At the age of 13 I was diagnosed with brain cancer where we found a cancerous tumor in my cerebellum. This part of the brain controls speech and motor control among other things. After having two surgeries to remove tumors, chemo therapy, and radiation therapy you can imagine how my world was turned upside-down, especially as a teenager in high school. My dance teacher at the time was placed in my life to help me through this time period as he was also a brain cancer survivor! Throughout this experience I slowly kept connected with dance and was able to regain my motor skills. My body has never really been the same since the surgeries but I have learned it and built it to be even stronger through dance and movement. As of now I have a hole in my brain where the main tumor was , however I’m grateful to say I’ve been in remission since the completion of my first round of treatments. My doctors say dance is the reason why I had such a full recovery and have the complete motor control that I have now.
Over my 30 years of dance experience I have studied countless styles including but not limited to tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, Hawaiian dance, salsa, bachata, Kizomba, zouk, two-step, afrocuban, Cuban contemporary, flamenco, heels, twerk, pole dance & more. Dance is my language and method of self-expression and I love to empower people to connect with dance in their own bodies to find their own self expression. Dance has healed me in so many ways physically and has helped me evolve as a human being (and as a woman in this world) by learning fierce confidence and self love. I’m very passionate about the liberation of both the body and mind from societal expectations and predetermined narratives. I encourage all my students to build a mindful connection with their own bodies to create their own stories through their unique expressions.
Currently I am freelance dancer, choreographer, and instructor building my own business as well as teaching at multiple studios in the Austin area. I am a resident artist with Oro Dance Company and Las de Alla. I teach adult and youth lessons at Danza Center for the Arts, Esquina Tango, Inner Diva Studios, and with Oro Dance Company.
Thank you for reading and I’m here ready to help you on your dance journey! Check out my classes page and my bookings page to get connected!
XO, Kittie