Katherine Mueller was born and raised in Maine. As a child and young adult, she loved spending time in France with her French grandparents and many cousins. These early experiences contributed to her lifelong curiosity about different cultures and ways of living. Open to many passions from dance to tall ship sailing, Katherine eventually became a cultural/social anthropologist.
Katherine received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from Connecticut College (2004), and she joined the department a few years later as the Production Manager. She returned to graduate school to pursue anthropology and her interest in performance within cultural contexts. She has a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Anthropology from the University of Connecticut (2021), as well as dual master’s degrees, including a Master of Arts degree in Dance Anthropology from Roehampton University in London (2015). Her doctoral research focused on cross-cultural collaborations within dance and theater companies in London as a way of examining the dynamics of identity and representation. Throughout, Katherine deeply enjoyed her teaching roles in higher education, particularly in guiding students to reflect upon their own cultural values and practices. She is excited to bring her academic experience to EFDM and to discover new approaches to teaching with elementary school students.
Feeling fortunate for her many years living abroad and in other states, Katherine is happy to have moved back to Maine in 2021. She and her daughter are enjoying rural-life, spending time in nature, and as many art projects as they can manage.