Karen Cleighton
Karen Cleighton is an adjunct professor of Musical Theater at UArts.
Biography
Karen Cleighton earned a BFA in Dance Education from UArts, where she is on the Musical Theater faculty. She also taught jazz and tap in Temple University’s Musical Theater program. Cleighton has her New Jersey teaching certification in dance and theater and is currently teaching in the dance and musical theater programs at Chartertech High School for the Performing Arts, Somers Point, New Jersey.
She has dedicated her life to teaching and sharing her love of the arts to as many people as she can in as many different ways as she can: through universities, high schools, private dance studios, teaching professional choreography, grade school and high school choreography, and choreography at local theaters.
In her “spare time,” you can find Cleighton taking class; attending tap jams; and working for various entertainment companies, providing dancers, choreographing, producing shows, and DJing.
Experience
Teaching
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University of the Arts, Philadelphia
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Tap and jazz
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Movement for the Actor
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Musical Theater Repertoire
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Temple University, Philadelphia
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Tap and jazz
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The Rock School
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Tap and Jazz
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Metropolitan Ballet Academy, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
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Jazz
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Performing
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“Too Darn Hot” tap dancer
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LaVaughn Robinson Tribute tap dancer
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Tapping on the Streets tap dancer and DJ
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Jazzworks jazz dancer
Choreography
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University of the Arts, Philadelphia
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DeSales University, Center Valley, Pennsylvania
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Media Theatre, Pennsylvania
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East Lynne Theatre Company, Cape May, New Jersey
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Gateway Theatre, Somers Point, New Jersey
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Margate Players, New Jersey
Awards & Accolades
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Barrymore Award–nominated choreographer
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Broadway World–nominated choreographer
“The one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing.” – James Brown