KDH Dance Company (f.k.a. Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company) is an Austin-based non-profit arts organization that has provided modern dance performances and dance education programming to the Austin community since its founding by Kathy Dunn Hamrick in 1999. Our mission is to present engaging dance events that deliver memorable experiences for the public and to increase awareness of modern and contemporary dance through dance education and outreach.

 

KDH Dance Company also produces Austin Dance Festival, an innovative four-day, multifaceted cultural event. Thousands of choreographers, professional and preprofessional dancers, filmmakers and audience members later, Austin Dance Festival is a highly regarded yearly event in the Austin dance community.

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Over the past 27 years, KDH Dance Company has grown to embody an inclusive, multigenerational community that unites in the power, passion for, and continuation of modern dance as a platform for expression, connection, and healing. Our objectives have expanded to include growing financial support for dance artists, providing a steady contribution to the next generation of dance makers and dance leaders, fostering artistic collaborations and partnerships, contributing to Austin’s cultural diversity, and bringing national recognition to Austin as a cultural center for modern, contemporary, experimental and improvisational dance. 

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In 2023, our founder, Kathy Dunn Hamrick received a diagnosis that made it impossible for her to continue in the role of Director. She quickly started making arrangements to ensure the company would continue in the hands of people she could trust. This began with entrusting the role of acting Artistic Director to Alyson Dolan, a longtime dancer and teacher for the company, while also giving the current company members an opportunity to collaboratively create their own work for the company before eventually entrusting KDHDC to Dolan as Artistic Director/Resident Choreographer and Drew Silverman as Executive Director/Resident Composer. Next steps involved promoting Natasha Small to Executive Director of Austin Dance Festival as she had been instrumental to ADF's success and growth, alongside Festival Co-Founder and Board President, Ilana Wolanow. With the change in leadership came a name change to KDH Dance Company, signaling a new path forward while cementing the legacy we are grateful to be building on.

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On February 17th, 2026 our fearless, ever supportive and inspiring founder and friend, Kathy Dunn Hamrick passed away after weeks of nonstop visits with family, friends, colleagues, collaborators, company members, students and neighbors. The community Kathy created and invested in for over 30 years in Austin held her especially tight during her final weeks. All of us at KDH Dance Company are incredibly grateful to have gotten to share so many laughs and tears while working with and living alongside Kathy for many years. Although heartbroken, we know that gratitude will sustain us and help us move boldly (something Kathy did extremely well) into this next chapter for the company.