Katie Wertz (she/her) is an emerging dance artist and choreographer based on Gidimt’en Clan Territory of the Wet’suwet’en Nation (Smithers, BC). Her multifaceted dance practice is informed by remote, unique and shared lived experiences as a member of the Latinx diaspora settled in Northern BC. As well, Katie is a solo parent to two vibrant children who greatly inspire her movement. 

With a foundation in classical ballet, jazz, and modern dance, Katie’s professional aspirations lead to her acceptance into the Arts Umbrella Professional Dance Program in Vancouver, BC (2012). There she studied contemporary dance modalities under the guidance of renowned artists including Sidra Bell, Crystal Pite and Justine Chambers. 

Since 2019, Katie has been developing performance and community engagement projects as a mentee, collaborator and lead artist on Wet’suwet’en Territory. Katie’s most recent solo performance work, ‘Body Landscapes’  weaves personal embodied stories founded through extended land based research in collaboration with Wet’suwet’en, settler, disabled, queer and caregiver community members. Katie is dedicated to seeking professional development studies and research that deepens relationship to land, belonging,  inner resourcing and equity building. At the heart of her practice, Katie’s work in Smithers aims to re-cultivate a culture of dancing together in community.