Kate Harpootlian is a director, choreographer and screenwriter whose sharp storytelling ranges from darkly comedic to beautifully heart-rending. A restless pursuit for personal challenge and growth has led to a wide-ranging career that has given her the skills to glide effortlessly between the different mediums of producing visual narratives. Whether as a creator of movement, cinematic visuals, or written words, Kate excels in the creation of story.

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Kate began her career as a professional dancer with credits that include Shaping Sound Dance Company, JLO AMA’s, Carrie Underwood’s “Something in the Water,” Dancing with the Stars, Merce Cunningham’s "Inlets II", Boardwalk Empire, Ellen, SYTYCD Season 12, Billy Bell’s Lunge Dance Collective, works by Jason Parsons, and In The Heights.

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Although Kate excelled in her career as professional dancer, her true love was always choreography. She was the runner-up at the Capezio Ace awards for choreography in 2016 and was given the opportunity to premiere her work, Better Late Than Never, at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, which was later brought to Jacob’s Pillow’s Inside Out Festival. Her choreography credits include Insitu Site Specific Festival, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Martha Graham Next Wave Festival, Steps Performance Lab, Lindenwood University, John Hopkins Peabody Conservatory, and assistant choreographer of the The Wrong Man at MCC Theatre.

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Kate graduated summa cum laude from The New School in 2022 with a degree in film production. Her short film, “Anyone Who Knows”, has screened at numerous prestigious festivals, including Cinequest, San Francisco Dance Film Festival, Indie Memphis, and Portland Film Festival. It was also a finalist at Dance Camera West and won the Experimental Film category at the USA Film Festival. Her short film “Artifice” earned the Best Art Direction award at the ASVOFF Paris Film Festival, while her other short, “At First Sight”, won the Jury's Stellar Award in the Screen Dance category at The Thomas Edison Film Festival. Additionally, her script, “How to Start a Cult”, was the comedy genre selection for the ISA Fast Track Fall Fellowship and a top ten finalist at Cinequest.