biography
Choreographer, performer, educator, and adjudicator, Maddie Kurtz, straddles the concert and commercial dance worlds. A native of Westport, CT, she holds a B.A. in Dance and Religious Studies from Colby College and an M.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography from The College at Brockport, S.U.N.Y. Maddie has taught dance, Pilates, and yoga at private studios across the country, and is an adjudicator for StarQuest International Performing Arts Competition and Impact Dance Adjudicators. Currently based in Tampa, FL, she is an adjunct professor at the University of Tampa and Eckerd College, and teaches remotely for Shenandoah University. She has previously served as a faculty member at the University of South Florida and Florida State University, and has been a guest artist at Colby College and Utah Tech University.
Maddie’s artistic mission kick ball changes at the intersection of American dance competitions and academia, focusing on the overlaps in training and performance practices within these divided realms of the field. Under the moniker MKrep., she and her collaborators continue to present choreographic works that contain depth, humor/parody, and the occasional rhinestone. MKrep.’s works have premiered throughout the country, from New York to Florida, and she continues to present work in academic and professional settings. Maddie has presented creative and written scholarship at national conferences including the American Culture/Popular Culture Association, The National Dance Education Organization, and The Dance Studies Association.
As a performer, Maddie has enjoyed working with contemporary dance leaders, including Alison Bory, Julia Burrer, Adriana Durant, Amanda Hamp, Heidi Henderson, Annie Kloppenberg, Paul Matteson, and Kendra Portier. Additionally, she trained intensively at the Headlong Performance Institute in Philadelphia, creating collaborative performance art under the direction of David Brick, Andrew Simonet, and Amy Smith, and also attended the Bates Dance Festival in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
To supplement her dance practice, Maddie holds a 200-hour yoga certification (2012) from School Yoga Institute and a Classical Pilates Mat Certification (2017) through Pilates Plus. A sought-after teacher, she continues to guest teach and choreograph at multiple dance studios and universities throughout the Southeast region and beyond. Further, she designed and implemented a dance curriculum for students ages 7-12 as part of the Lively Spaces Summer Arts Camp at the Colby Museum of Art.
In addition to her diverse training, Maddie has extensive experience in arts administration and has held positions at The American Dance Festival (ADF), The Joyce Theater, mvworks Dance Company, New York Live Arts, and, most recently, as the Research Associate at the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC).