A modern/contemporary dancer, Karen Findlay teaches contemporary dance and children's creative movement at PBA and loves it! She also enjoys coordinating PBA's outreach program. She teaches creative movement students how to explore shape, space, energy, focus, and timing, and above all, to dance with their hearts. In contemporary dance class, Karen draws on classical modern and contemporary dance techniques to strengthen and prepare dancers for the future of the art form. She believes that breath, emotion, and momentum are the guiding principles of movement. She coaches students through their own improvisation and choreography, adhering to the philosophy that dance comes from within. Karen was a serious hip hop and musical theater jazz dancer until she discovered modern and contemporary dance at Brigham Young University. There she minored in Modern Dance and had the pleasure of joining two contemporary dance companies: BYU Kinnect and BYU DancEnsemble. Later, as Artistic Director of Utah Artist, Interrupted, Karen organized performance opportunities and professional development events for dancers who had put their dance careers on hold to pursue parenthood and other goals. She enjoys creating dances for theater groups and has participated in arts festivals and competitions as a dancer, choreographer and judge. She also served three years on the advisory board for Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company in Orem, Utah.