Kirsten Harvey

Kirsten Harvey, Assistant Professor of Dance, received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts Degrees from the University of California, Irvine. Ms. Harvey has studied with some of the finest teachers at the School of American Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, American Ballet Theatre, and the Opera National de Paris. She danced with the Marla Bingham Contemporary Dance Company as a soloist in works such as Firebird, Sanctuary, and Vision. Over the past ten years, Ms. Harvey has worked with some of Hollywood’s elite directors and choreographers such as Vincent Paterson, Marguerite Derricks, Anne Fletcher, and Jason Myhre. She was signed at the age of fourteen by Kazarian Spencer and Associates and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild as well as the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Some commercial credits include acting roles on the television series Providence and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, commercials for Coca Cola and Hallmark, and the movies A Time for Dancing (2000) and Fallen Star (2002). Prior to joining Western’s dance faculty, Ms. Harvey taught all levels of jazz and hip-hop dance at various southern California community colleges while directing the award winning dance program at Tustin High School. She has choreographed and staged musicals such as Oklahoma!, Grease, The Wiz, Cinderella, and Godspell. Ms. Harvey has presented her research on jazz dance improvisation and improvography in Germany and England. In 2007, her paper titled “The Art of Jazz Dance Improvisation: Creative Possibilities” was published in The International Journal of the Arts in Society. Ms. Harvey has won several fine arts awards for her dedication to teaching elementary school children in the Arts Bridge program. She is currently a member of the Conseil International De La Danse, Dance Masters of America, and the Society of Dance History Scholars.