Images from the Katherine Kahrs Photography Collection

This collection contains a sample of images from Katherine Kahr's body of work consisting of photographs of various local dancers and dance companies, The collection includes photographs of notable choreographers and dancers such as Alonzo King, Tina Bernal, Richard Gibson. Eiko and Koma; ethnic dance groups such as Chaksam-Pa Tibetan Dance and Opera Company and Harupin-Ha Butoh Dance Company; and dance companies such as Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Golden Gate Ballet, Palo Alto Ballet, Pacific Dance Center, Margaret Wingrove Dancers of San Jose, and Oakland Ballet.

Katherine Kahrs graduated from University of California, Berkeley with an M.A. in Studio Art in 1951. After graduation, she exhibited paintings in group shows in the various local museums and other venues. She then lived in Italy and Holland and traveled through Europe for four years, seeing the great dancing of Sadler Wells, Bejart Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Netherlands Dance Theatre, and other companies.

After returning to the Bay Area, she taught drawing, composition, and painting from 1962 to 1978. She taught art at various adult education classes, the Pacific Art League, and U.C. Santa Cruz. She was an exhibiting painter as well as a teacher. Occasionally, Kahrs won awards for her works on exhibit.

She studied photography at Foothill College. Shortly after Richard Gibson opened the Pacific Dance Center (now Western Ballet) in Palo Alto in 1976, she took dancing and began photographing dancers in and out of the studio around 1980. In 1982, she began working for Tance Johnson, the director of Dance Action, and continued this affiliation until 1992. She was also a free lance photographer in San Francisco from 1982 until 1992, photographing various small dance companies such as Lines, Golden Gate Ballet, Conzertanz, Cheryl Chaddick, Baroque Music and Dance, Mazynski Dance Company, and others. Her dance photographs were exhibited at Footwork Studios, Keeble and Suchat Gallery in Palo Alto, and Dancer's Stage for Yahuda Moar. She was included in Best Photography of 1987.

From 1982 until 1992, she was the featured dance photographer for Margaret Wingrove Dancers of San Jose. She also photographed New Dance Company in San Jose for Cliff Keuter. She was published in the San Jose Mercury, the San Francisco Chronicle, Metro, and various other publications.

In 1992, she retired from exclusively doing dance photography and now does various freelance photographic assignments, as well as exhibition photography.

circa 1970-1989

999.076

Chaksam-Pa Tibetan Dance and Opera Company

Pacific Dance Center

Palo Alto Ballet

Golden Gate Ballet

Eiko and Koma

Alonzo King LINES Ballet

Harupin-Ha Butoh Dance Company

Katherine Kahrs Photography Collection

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