Kate Simmons
Director & Founder
Fellow and Senior Examiner ISTD (Cecchetti Faculty) Holder of Enrico Cecchetti Diploma, Ex London Festival Ballet, Cecchetti Faculty Committee Member, CICB, UK Delegate. Dance Colleges UK
Expert Coach of Ballet Teachers and Dancers alike. Kate’s record of producing world class Dancers is ever-growing and she continues to set the standard for Coaching in the UK.
Kate was born and educated in England, Kate Simmons was awarded the Espinosa Scholarship and trained at the Royal Ballet School, under the tutelage of Julia Farron, Kathryn Wade, Barbara Fewster, Richard Glasstone and Nancy Kilgour.
Kate danced professionally with both the London Festival Ballet and the English National Ballet, where from 1978 – 1984, she worked alongside choreographers such as Rudolf Nureyev, Ronald Hynd, Glen Tetley, Geoffrey Cauley and Peter Schaufuss. Kate danced corps de ballet and character principal roles in Swan Lake – Grey & Field; Romeo & Juliet – Nureyev; Sleeping Beauty – Nureyev; Nutcracker – Hynd; Bourée Fantasque – Lander; Les Sylphides – Fokine (Markova); Schéhérazade – Fokine; Petrouchka – Fokine; Metamorphosis – Cauley; Wooden Prince – Cauley; La Sylphide – Schaufuss; Seasons – Hynd; Graduation Ball – Lichine.
Kate is a successful choreographer in her own right, likewise having been commissioned to choreograph numerous works for the London Festival Ballet Choreographic Group, and London City Ballet. In 2000, Kate choreographed the New Year Concert with the London Symphony Orchestra, for the Strauss Ballet Company at The Albert Hall and also created ballets including professionals, students and guest artists from Northern Ballet Theatre, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Ballet de Rhin.
In 1984, Kate Simmons returned to the Royal Ballet School to attain her teaching qualifications. Kate is the founder of KS Dance Ltd, in Warrington, Cheshire – A well established Dance College which has built up an enviable reputation over the last 32 years.
In 2011 Kate was instrumental in the organisation and hosting of the Cecchetti International Classical Ballet Competition, (CICB)and coaching of the UK Delegates in Salford, Manchester, UK. Kate also coached the UK Delegates in Calgary, Canada (2008) Virginia, USA (2014) and Florence, Italy (2017) Kate will also be coaching the UK delegates in Sydney, Australia (2022)
Kate is Founder and Director of the Allegrodance Touring Company, which is an educational group attached to the Vocational College of KS Dance, giving the dancers opportunities to tour annually nationwide, performing many dance genres including a narrative Classical Ballet, Spanish, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap and Musical Theatre works.
Kate Simmons has been invited to teach professionals, students and teachers though out the UK, Europe, America, Canada, Japan and South Africa, and teaches widely for the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, and the British Ballet organisation.