Meet Kathryn Kalamaras

Today we’re excited to be connecting with Kathryn Kalamaras again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.

Kathryn , always such a pleasure connecting with you and thank you for sharing your stories, insights and inspiring messages with our community. We’re looking forward to getting the download and what you have been up to since our last interview, but first can you briefly introduce yourself to folks who might have missed the prior conversation.
Hi, my name is Kathryn Kalamaras, and I’m eager to talk more about myself and my work and how it has grown in the past few years. I originally moved to Colorado after college to pursue my career in professional dancing. After about four years in Colorado, I danced with several professional companies, including Kim Robards Modern Dance Company, Nosilla, Evolving Doors, Thrive Ballet, Life/Art Dance Ensemble, and others, as well as freelancing. Colorado provided me with many opportunities and was a beautiful place to start my dance journey.

I started and operated two backup dancing LLCs—Bonnie’s on Tap and later K&M Entertainment. We provided backup dancing for various opportunities, including bands, EDM shows, private and corporate events, holiday gatherings, specific projects, fashion shows, and art galleries. Being in so many different environments helped me establish myself in the community and define my role as an artist in curating work for such unique event spaces.

I can’t thank my Colorado home away from home enough for its people, collaborations, and the beauty it brought out in me to chase this dream. There are some people I want to personally thank for the belief I needed: Jill Oliver, who has endlessly shifted my mindset as a dancer and always helps me rediscover my love for the craft when I lose it; Jessica Riggs, who has continuously invited me back to Colorado to perform and create; Paul Twarowski, who has always believed in me and reminds me of that, managing the Jesters Palace; Charlie Price, who has us to perform at his fashion show and called Bl!nk the ‘punk rock of modern dance’—that was the biggest compliment to me; Aspen Brittany Mayhew, who invited us to perform at her fashion show celebrating woman power; James Bedwell, who gave me some of my first performing opportunities at Your Mom’s House; Bill Murf, my amazing photographer; Nick Del Duca, my incredible videographer; Ian Hickerson, who originally sparked the idea of me starting my own company (rest his soul); and Neil Macdonald, my dear best friend. I also want to shout out all my wonderful friends in Olde Town Arvada who come to my shows and support me endlessly.

After Colorado, I moved briefly to Florida, where I missed my longing to be a professional dancer. Within a year, I decided it was time for a change and sent out audition footage all over the US. As more of a joke, I sent a few audition reels to Los Angeles, California…

I am now in my second year of living in LA and absolutely loving it. I am a proud company member of Kenneth Walker Dance Project and Contempo Ballet, and I freelance continuously in shows I would have never even dreamed of—from burlesque to ballet, hip hop to acting gigs; I cannot fathom that I can still tell my mom, ‘hey, I’m doing it.’ Colorado gave me the confidence with experimentation and leadership roles, but also gave me a sense of home and belonging I’d never truly resonated with before.

Due to my background in choreography, directing, and managing, I have recently established my new company, Hollywoodettes.

Hollywoodettes is a passion project of mine that draws from everything I’ve done in the past. We do backup dancing for large events, but we also create artistic-based work. As a two-woman dance entertainment duo, my partner Mackenzie Brodowsky and I create and perform based on the structure of each individual project. Brodowsky and I met in a former company and immediately gravitated toward each other; it felt like destiny to start our own project. I was drawn to her because she’s extremely skilled and has a unique madness about creation and art that I really wanted to tap into. She has her own style, and we bring out different aspects of each other with our backgrounds while blending our strengths in contemporary and modern dance. She’s driven and eager but also calm and endearing in how she creates movement. She’s a wonderful partner and has become a true friend.

Since our brand began about seven months ago, we’ve performed for bands, music videos, and done a lot of film work and modeling. Recently, we were the main performance event for LA’s Babes in Toyland. We adhere to most genres of dance, from modern, ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and more when called for.

It’s been an incredibly exciting year, and I’m beyond thrilled to see how this new company will blossom.

Alright, so our main goal today is to give our audience an update on what you have been up to since our last conversation. We’d love to hear how things are going and what you are most looking forward to or excited about these days.
My love for Colorado and the connections I still maintain fill me with gratitude that I can never fully express. Because of this, something always tells me to continue performing in what I consider my home.

With that being said, Hollywoodettes will be traveling on tour to perform our new two-woman show, ‘Ubiquitous Assimilation.’ Our show explores the difficulties of what it means to be human through an interactive experience. It will take you through a rabbit hole of self-perseverance, parallel dimensions, and identity. With audience involvement guiding the show, we’d love to bring this performance everywhere to create multiple unique experiences. We are beyond grateful for this opportunity. Our show will take place on May 30th (time TBD) at Thrive Ballet Studio, 120 Bryant Street, Denver, CO 80219.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ubiquitous-assimilation-tickets-1126343546869?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios

One week before our main performance, we’re excited to be part of Life/Art Dance Ensemble’s Showcase, ‘Dialectic: Uniting Acceptance and Change in Mental Health.’ We’ll be giving a sneak peek of what’s to come at our show! This will take place on May 23rd, 24th, and 25th—Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM, and Sunday at 2 PM.

More details to come, so feel free to stay updated on our Instagram @hollywoodettes or at Life/ Art Dance Ensembles’ website.

https://www.lifeartdance.org

Our goal is to use this opportunity as a practice trial for what we’ve been working on over the past two years. A two-woman show has been a lifetime goal of mine, and I’m thrilled to announce my return as a dancer to Denver. We hope you can join us and share in the art of dance during this special time.

We also have a GoFundMe to help raise money for our shows, travel, and to pay guest dancers. Any support you can offer would be wonderful and greatly appreciated! From ticket prices to travel, accommodations, car rentals, props, studio bookings, and more, it all adds up. But overall, we just want you to come to our show and be with us!

https://gofund.me/0f945fd6

Humanity is a social thing, and I’m looking forward to sharing this human experience with you all in this heartfelt new show about emotions, universes, betrayal, and loving yourself. Humanity can be heavy, but when we share spaces in art with one another, it enhances our empathy, and we’d love to do that with you.

Catch our show on May 30th (Time TBD) at Thrive Ballet Studio
120 Bryant Street, Denver, CO 80219

Also we are looking for dancers to apply just email us a reel or video of you dancing (of any style) to hollywoodettes@gmail.com with audition in the subject line.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ubiquitous-assimilation-tickets-1126343546869?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios

See our Linktree:

https://linktr.ee/hollywoodettes?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=670c89d9-e8b4-40d6-9356-435f42634eb5

And follow our Insta @hollywoodettes”

https://www.instagram.comKatie Kalamaras (@hollywoodettes) • Instagram photos and videos

Alright, so let’s do something a bit more fast-paced and lighthearted. We call this our lightning round and we’ll ask you a few quick questions.

Favorite Movie: The Green Mile

Favorite Book: Nina Simone’s Gum by Warren Ellis

Favorite TV Show: I love Lucy

Favorite Band or Artist: The Beatles

Sweet or Savory: Sweet sweet sweet

Mountains or Beach: Mountains (Colorado Rockies have my heart)

Favorite Sport (to watch): I actually really enjoy watching tennis (besides dance)

Favorite Sport (to play): Dance

Did you play sports growing up (if so which ones): Only dance. I did ballet as a child and just never quit

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: A dance teacher

French Fries or Onion Rings: Onion rings

Chuck Rhodes or Bobby Axelrod: Eh

Favorite Cartoon growing up: Courage the Cowardly Dog

Favorite Childhood movie: Billy Elliot

Favorite Breakfast Food: Biscuits and gravy

Was there a moment in your career that you can tell us about that illustrates or demonstrates the kind of person you are, your approach, ethos, etc.
My choreography and presentation come from several notions.

I use conspiracies in my dance vocabulary quite frequently. I love the idea that something isn’t what it seems and vice versa. That’s how movement should be. I should create something, and the audience should take away something else, even if it’s completely different from my intention. Because at least they walk away more open-minded, hopefully more enlightened, more intellectual, with more meaning. In this day and age, it’s so easy to lose meaning, especially with advanced technology. And meaning is why I dance. So, in my own words, I do this because I have to. Because we have to have meaning in this life.

My muses change as much as the weather, and I always find myself creating. David Lynch, John Lennon, and Andy Warhol are a few of the new names I am inspired by. I’ve always wanted my art to sound like Janis Joplin. I paint as well, and often, the piece is about a specific dance work I’m creating. By doing the two simultaneously, I see both works coming together, helping and leading one another. They usually finish around the same time, which is something I’ve never really planned out—it just always happens.

I’m fond of using literature, art, and poetry as well; I write a lot. And I mean a lot. Each show I’ve made usually has a specific notebook where I journal every idea of movement I have, contradicting it with a meaning of why next to it. It’s a trauma release, spilled onto pages and pages that later gets outed onto dancers on stage, and how they deliver it is up to them. I enjoy purpose, I really do, which is why I’m so delighted about this new work, which this show will center around.

I believe my love for choreography came later in life; however, it has always been evolving. I primarily teach children and have always had a joy for instruction and creation. My college gave me a chance to choreograph for a full-length show once, and since then, I really found my joy for directing. With my passions for other arts, creation comes easily, as I believe it does for most dancers. But modern dance and its abstract ways of looking at life through movement have always fascinated me. I have become a designated contemporary choreographer for a studio in Florida that I attend usually twice a year strictly to create work for their students, and I’m constantly creating work for multiple projects that range across all genres.

I’m starting to really fine-tune this newfound love and hoping choreography is something I can lean into more as I grow older as a dancer.

Website: https://www.kathrynkalamaras.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodettes/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-kalamaras-49252a2a1

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGGJW5K-8ZFx0I23_U00B3A

Other: https://linktr.ee/hollywoodettes?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=a3372e5e-8df9-494c-b2f0-497b80807042

Image Credits
@Filmic_stills
@1billmurf_1