Karen Burns - Founder/Director

Karen has been dancing her entire life, even if sometimes it has only been in the kitchen. However, her career highlights range from dancing, to acting, and to singing. Highlights as a dancer:

  • Rockette at Radio City Music Hall
  • A Chorus Line, The Movie
  • Several music video's for MTV
  • She toured internationally as a soloist in the L.A. based dance company Dangerous Curves.
  • Dozens of musical theatre productions including...
    • Chicago, Guys and Dolls (with Joe Namath!)
    • Paint Your Wagon
    • Wind in the Willows
    • The Robber Bridegroom
    • The Pajama Game ...to name a few

Karen trained in NYC with most notably, Gregory Hines and Ann Reinking, but also at Steps, and Doug Wassell’s School of Theatre Dance. While living in Los Angeles, she trained at Dupree’s, Joe Tremaine’s and Studio F.

Highlights as an actor are:

  • T.V.
    • The Young and The Restless
    • Santa Barbara
    • Thirty Something
  • Theatre
    • Macbeth
    • A Pack of Lies
    • A Christmas Carol
    • Rosina in Becoming Memories, for which she received a Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre.

She studied acting in New York City with American Theatre Ensemble and in Los Angeles with Playhouse West, Harry Mastrogeorge and as a member of The Actor's Co-op in Hollywood. Karen was the resident choreographer for the Actor's Co-op (a repertory company), which is housed on the grounds of Hollywood Presbyterian Church. During this time she began an after-school arts program for at-risk-youth in the Hollywood area and has been teaching ballet, jazz, and tap ever since. She was the dance director for several performing arts studios and churches in the L.A. area and still returns occasionally to teach master classes, as well as to perform.

She is currently represented by the Ford/Robert Black Agency and a member of Theatre Artists Studio in Scottsdale. Karen is performing with the Actor's Co-op on September 9th. Her original play "...And the Chihuahua" had its first staged reading at Theatre Artists Studio in May and is bringing it to the Actor's Co-op in October for its next reading.

Karen and her husband Keith, an inspiration in himself, moved to Arizona to raise their two girls. Currently teaching all forms of dance as well as acting, piano, and voice in Chandler, Arizona.