Culture at Cathedral | Dance Welcomes Tony-nominated Dancer and Actress

Karine Plantadit was born in France and raised in Cameroon. She moved to the U.S. at age 17 to pursue dance professionally, and she soon began dancing as the Alvin Ailey American Dance School’s lead soloist. After seven years, she began to perform on Broadway and in television, including performing in the original Broadway cast of The Lion King and appearing as a special guest in So You Think You Can Dance. 

In response to a question about a difficulty she faced in her career, Karine described the intense physical pain arising from her hip surgery at age 40. Her injury could have impeded her performance in Twyla Tharp’s musical Come Fly Away, but instead, she used her decreased mobility as an opportunity to tap into the character of Kate more deeply, thus earning her a Tony nomination for best actress. Karine also shared that her favorite memories of dance have been the moments in which dance “becomes the language that everyone can understand.” She explained to our students that dance is a way of relating to your inner world and sharing it, and it has a healing component as it can touch the heart of each person. 

Thank you, Karine, for sharing your wisdom and experience with our dance students! A huge thank you also to our Ms. Amanda Edge, who danced alongside Karine, for organizing this speaker event.