Velocity
KT and Michele Miller co-founded Velocity Dance Center in 1996. They moved to Seattle from NYC in 1992, to join the Pat Graney Company. In addition to performing, from 1992-96, they also focused on growing their student base and creating consistent training opportunities for the professional dance community. Velocity Dance Center officially began when they signed a lease in the Oddfellows Hall on Pine and 10th in Capitol Hill in 1996.
Since its inception, Velocity grew alongside Seattle’s dance community and by 2000, had become one of the preeminent contemporary dance-training centers on the West Coast, with three studios and over 40 classes per week.
KT and Michele worked to develop a comprehensive adult curriculum for beginners to professionals as well as a series of programs supporting the creation of new work. This included the Strictly Seattle Summer Dance Intensive, The Bridge Project, Under Construction, NEXT Dance Festival, and The Guest Artist Series. In 2003, KT created the SCUBA National Touring Dance Alliance with Seattle (Velocity), San Francisco (ODC), Minneapolis (The Southern Theater), and Philadelphia (Philly Dance Project). In 2006, KT and Michele moved on to other endeavors. Velocity has continued to grow and serve the Seattle dance community.
Michele is currently on faculty at Cornish College of the Arts, is a private Pilates instructor and a 4th degree black belt in Kajukenbo. She and her partner, Heather Coyle, founded and co-direct Shift Movement and Healing Arts.
KT is running her own space, 10 degrees art+events in Capitol Hill.
Velocity Dance Center moved from its original home in the Oddfellows Hall to the former Capitol Hill Arts Center (CHAC) on 12th and Pine in 2010. Thanks to the current dedicated staff with Executive and Artistic Director Tonya Lockyer at the helm, Velocity has become a recognized leader as an artist-driven, community-centered dance incubator. Velocity fosters the creative explorations of artists and adventurous audiences through an invested commitment to education, creation, performance, inquiry, community participation, and inter/national exchange. Watch This is Velocity.
