Lesa Turnquist | Copy Co-Editor
Beginning at the age of three, Buena Vista University (BVU) Head Dance Coach Kat Franken began her dance career in Texas at a dance studio. Her family moved to Early, Iowa when she was five years old, where she continued studio dance at Fusion Dance in Carroll, Iowa until she was 18 years old. Throughout those 15 years, she was trained in Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Ballet, Tap, and Hip Hop. Her dance teacher, Heather Knerl, who was apart of the University of Iowa Dance Team, was a big influence on Franken’s base of dance knowledge.
“[Heather] is the one who gave me my background in the important parts of dance like technique, posture, flexibility, and dance terms,” Franken said.
Along with studio dance, she was a part of her high school dance team. During her high school career, all four years she was an All-American dancer and was selected to be a part of the All-Iowa Honor Dance Squad, performing at the Capital One college football games and the Iowa High School state basketball games. She also choreographed state dance routines for her high school that each placed at competition.
Franken attended Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) where she was a memberr of the nationally ranked college dance team for two years. Her college dance coach Lesa Dencklau is her biggest role model when it comes to dance.
“She not only helped me become a better dancer, but she showed me how to dance with emotion,” Franken said.
Franken expands her thoughts about dance and what it’s all about.
“Dance is a passion. It’s a combination of everything. People always say that dance isn’t a sport, but in reality, it’s every single sport combined into one. You need strength, coordination, flexibility, and endurance, as well as showmanship, grace, and emotion. Being able to feel the music and express your thoughts through movement is a powerful and rare gift,” Franken said.
Not only is Franken an elite dancer; she also has a talent of choreographing, which doesn’t just automatically come with being a good dancer. One of her biggest accomplishments as a dancer was to try out and get the opportunity to become a professional dancer and instructor for National Dance Alliance (NDA) for two years. She also currently choreographs for high schools around the area for state competition.
“Choreographing is a really fun job for me because I get to see my visions come to life,” Franken said.
Sophomore BVU Dance Team member Janice Timmerman reflects on Franken’s choreography.
“Kat has a dance background that makes her good at what she does. Her choreography continues to grow and challenge us and others, as she does other choreography on the side,” Timmerman said.
Franken has been choreographing dance routines for a long time, but one of her dreams has always been to coach and grow a dance team on her own. In 2013, she got the position of the Head Dance Coach at BVU. Working with the college students is different for her from working with high school teams or other dance groups.
“I’ve learned that with working with college students, they have their own experiences with dance, and it’s fun to let them show their creative side when it comes to adding something or changing something in a routine. I also love being able to teach and see each dancer grow with the knowledge I provide to them,” Franken said.
Franken introduced a new style of dance to BVU this year, which placed second at the state competition.
“With her experience as a dancer and in choreography, she has an easy way going about new dances and keeps us on our toes with something new for our performances, while also challenging us in our competition routines,” Timmerman said.
Alongside coaching and choreographing, Franken stays busy in her time outside of dance.
“I’m an EMT for Sac County and a Paramedic student at Iowa Central. As a paramedic student, I do internships with hospital and ambulance crews to practice my skills and learn new things. I also work part time at Farber and Otteman Funeral Home in Sac City. In my free time, I choreograph for schools in the area and practice yoga,” Franken said.
