Kate Purdy is a teacher and performer, with experience in a variety of movement disciplines. She is an aerial circus coach and performer, a trained Pilates instructor, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre from Hope College. 

After graduating college in 2007, Kate worked professionally as an actor/singer/dancer in a variety of regional theater productions. She moved to New York City in 2010, and began taking aerial circus classes after having admired the art form for years. She was hooked, and aerial training became a regular part of her life, and in 2014 teaching aerial classes at Aerial Arts NYC also became a regular part of her schedule.

Kate briefly thought she was done with teaching and performing, and spent a few years working full time for Creative Goods Merchandise as a member of their purchasing department. While this ended up being a detour, rather than a full career change, she’s grateful for the skills she gained there, and the life experience of working outside of the performing arts for a time.

In recent years, Kate had been looking to add another movement modality to her teaching career, and chose to pursue Pilates. She was drawn to the adaptability of Pilates, and loved how it offers something to everyone regardless of their current movement ability level. Kate completed the Comprehensive Pilates Certification course at Core Pilates NYC in April of 2024. She also completed a Prenatal Pilates workshop with Positively Pilates in January of 2024.

Kate currently teaches aerial circus classes in silks, trapeze, and lyra, as well as Pilates Reformer and Mat classes at Aerial Arts NYC. She also offers private Pilates instruction in person, and over Zoom. She performs aerial acts on silks, trapeze, and lyra, and also does duo trapeze with her aerial partner, Rex Halligan.