I am an interdisciplinary scholar and artist fueled by the curiosity to learn, the passion to perform, and the need to create. Connecting thought through movement, I elevate and compound a singular experience into a shared understanding and am constantly seeking the limitless possibilities to connect through honest performance.

TAPALAGA by any other name would still be:  

Tenacious by nature, Adaptable by training, Perceptive through observation, Authentic to myself, Layered creativity, Articulate expression through dance storytelling, and Genuinely Attentive to the vision of the choreography. 

Katie Tapalaga - Artist, Scholar, Dancer

Katie Tapalaga - Artist, Scholar, Dancer

About Katie:

Born in Queens, NY, Katie (she/her) is a sophomore majoring in dance at the University of Southern California Kaufman School of Dance, where she trains in multiple styles such as ballet, vernacular jazz, house, African dance, Horton, and Dunham techniques. She has performed works by Tyce Diorio, Mandy Moore, Caili Quan, Robert Roldan, Roderick George, Waverly Fredricks, Jiří Kylián, Jakevis Thomason, and Martha Graham, to name a few. She is also a Royal Flux company member under the artistic direction of Jaci Royal. Katie trained at local dance schools, That’s Dancin and Jump Dance Company, along with attending Frank Sinatra School of the Arts under the guidance of Ian DaSilva, Ani Udovicki, and Oliver Heuts. She has also attended numerous Joffrey Ballet’s summer programs, Marinda Davis’s The Storytellers Intensive, and is a graduate of MOVE|NYC| Young Professional Program under co-founders and artistic directors, Nigel Campbell and Chanel DaSilva. Most recently, Katie traveled to Berlin to study and practice with a vibrant and diverse group of choreographers within the city’s avant-garde dance scene, such as Orlando Rodriguez, who danced with Sasha Waltz & Guests, and Pau Aran Gimeno, who danced under Pina Bausch. Katie believes that seeing individuals express themselves through movement in their unique way gives her the drive to keep exploring her artistic capabilities.

Photo by Matt de la Peña and edited by Wyatt Florin

Reflections Through Movement

Choreography by Benjamin Jones

Performed in the Large Performance Space at USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance

Take On Me

Choreography by Katie Tapalaga

Performed in the Large Performance Space at USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance

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