Katherine Sanders is known for her enthusiasm when teaching her jazz, modern and hip hop dance classes here at LBCC.
Sanders is also the staff representative and creator of the new LBCC dance club. She not only teaches her students to dance, but also provides them with opportunities to stretch their wings and choreograph their own work.
Daniel Rasberry is appreciative of what Sanders is doing with the club. “I talked to Katherine and loved what she believed in. It fits me and my personality and the way I am.”
Jim Bell of the Athletic Department is also impressed with Sanders’ contributions to LBCC. “Her energy and enthusiasm, the motion and expression of dance have been caught by the students in the club and in her classes. It’s nice to see this new innovation.”
Katherine Sanders has brought a unique experience here to LBCC. With a variety of dance classes and this new performing dance club students have a wide range of opportunities to express themselves through dance.
Sanders explained, “I think anyone can dance.”
Commuter: “How and why did you first get involved with dancing and teaching?”
Katherine Sanders: “Both of my parents, and my entire family, are teachers. I just come from a family of teachers. My mother was my first dance teacher. She owned a dance studio when I was growing up so that got me involved with dance originally.
I definitely kind of went away from it for a little while but I always kept in my life a bit. Finally when I was just finishing high school and entering college I really realized that I was much happier when I was dancing regularly.
And since then I’ve just danced five days a week almost consistently since then. So it just kind of made sense … the teaching I guess and my family background … it’s jut what I do. I can’t imagine any job I would rather do.”
C: “What sort of dancing do you personally do in your free time?”
KS: “I don’t [laughs] because I dance so much during the week for my job. It’s rare for me to go out dancing or take any extra classes. In the summer time I go to New York City and I give myself a dance intensive that LBCC offers financial support for professional development and so I take a lot of modern and hip hop just to get a sense of the current moves coming out of New York City.”
C: “How did you become an instructor here at LBCC?”
KS: “When I moved up here from Eugene almost four years ago I was working at Willamette University and I noticed there was very little dance offered for adults in this area and especially through this college. [I also noticed] there was only one ballet class offered at the Benton Center and maybe some country line dancing for community ed., but [there wasn’t] a lot [offered].
I actually was just really proactive and called the people who do the community ed. in Corvallis and just let them know that I teach among other things hip hop, which is really a popular dance form right now and that they might want to consider offering it.
So about three and a half years ago they offered it as non-credit and it filled right away. So then I worked my way over here and said to the people in the PE department that since that class was obviously so popular that I encouraged them to offer a credit class of it.
As soon as people realized it was there it caught on and started to fill. Once hip hop was doing well I started offering other dance forms … It seemed like the community was missing that and I’ve been really happy to be able to fill that gap.”
C: “What’s your favorite thing about teaching here at LB?”
KS: “I would have to say the student population. I always liked the feel of a community college. To me there is so much more diversity because in the same class you could have a 17 year old who’s straight out of high school mixed in with a 26 year old coming back after having two children and a 50 year old who is on their second round of trying to find a new career."
I love that because I feel it creates a really rich classroom. So for me as a teacher having people come in from those different walks of life that’s the best part [of teaching]. I feel like here people are living real life.”
*At a glance*
Classes taught at LBCC:
PE 185R & 186F, Modern Dance
How long she’s been at LBCC:
3 years
Life before LBCC:
She taught at dance schools where ever she lived and at Willamette University.
Office space:
“I don’t actually have an office because I’m part time. I joke with people that my office is right in front of the stereo cart because that’s where people meet to talk with me.”
Hobby:
“Glorified taxi driver” for two teen children, working in the garden, and taking walks in the park with the dog.
