Kara Brems teaches courses in ballet, modern dance, dance history, dance composition and anatomical kinesiology. She also presents choreography for annual faculty concerts, advises students preparing for the Student Dance Showcase and Senior Capstone concerts, and serves as the Department of Dance’s Culture and Inclusion Champion. She joined the Hope faculty in 2020.

Kara’s current research explores dance as a collaborative medium that has the power to build community, engender empathy and advocate for social justice. She has presented original and collaborative research at the National Dance Education Organization’s national conference.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Kara has danced professionally with Verb Ballets Contemporary Dance Company in Cleveland, SLATE Contemporary Dance Company in Shanghai and Dance In The Annex in Grand Rapids. She has taught workshops and master classes in contemporary dance and ballet technique nationally and internationally and has performed work by Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Alwin Nikolais, Shapiro and Smith, Nacho Duato and Darrell Grand Moultrie, among others.

Kara’s choreography has been featured on concert and competition stages and in international film festivals. 

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Ballet technique
• Modern dance technique
• Dance composition
• Dance history
• Anatomy and biomechanics
• Vinyasa yoga
• Fletcher Pilates

EDUCATION

• M.F.A., dance with a focus on performance and choreography, University of Arizona School of Dance, 2019
• B.S., English and biology with a minor in writing, Aquinas College, 2010

Selected HONORS AND GRANTS

• Jacob E. Nyenhuis Faculty Development Grant, Hope College, 2025
• Dance film Chasing (Me)mory selected  for screening at the Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival (RADFest), 2025
• Finalist, Michigan Dance Council Maggie Allesee Choreography Competition, for dance film Chasing (Me)mory, 2022
• Grant-Seeking Mini-Grant, Hope College Office of Sponsored Research and Programs, 2021
• Arizona Commission on the Arts Professional Development Grant, 2018

OUTSIDE THE COLLEGE 

Kara loves to dabble in many other art forms; she’s a classically trained pianist, crafter, knitter, amateur potter and a baker of sourdough bread. She also is a certified Fletcher Pilates teacher and Vinyasa yoga instructor. Kara loves hiking, camping and traveling to new parts of the world to explore different cultures and meet new people.