We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kate Vallee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kate, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
I developed the “hard work, humble, and intellectual” theory when I worked in Corporate America. If you are a combination of these three traits, employers are looking for you and will try to retain you as an employee. I have found that those traits apply to employment in all industries including the theater industry. I prefer to work with talented individuals who are humble, hard workers, and apply their intellect. When faced with a challenge they brainstorm creative solutions and come at it with intellect and poise. I was a Radio City Rockette for four years. It was an amazing experience and informed a lot of the ways in which I create policies as a leader. The Rockettes are a group of the hardest working people I have ever been surrounded by. Some dancers would run 5 miles and cross train before coming in to perform a two show day to keep up their stamina for our scheduled four show days. Some performers who had been Rockettes for over ten years would still come in early everyday before a rehearsal or show to personally practice a full routine that felt off for them the day before. Our director would consistently change up the directions of how we would do something to see if we were actively listening and applying our intellect even at the end of a six hour day. There was always desire and passion to be better for every rehearsal and each and every performance whether you were a first year or a fifteen year. While you were surrounded by over 80 performers who danced everyday like their life depended on it, the hum of excellence was palpable.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My older sister was a dancer and as a baby I would imitate her every move because I found it fascinating and fun. It only made sense for my parents to register me for dance classes when I was old enough. My first love in dance was tap dancing. I fell in love with musical theater as a product of my love for tap dancing. Ann Miller was my idol.
During high school I attended a performing arts program. I competed in national dance competitions and when I was 16 years old I was asked to represent the United States in the World Tap Dance Championships in Switzerland. I attended college and received my BFA in musical theater from Syracuse University. I immediately went on a national tour after college. While based in New York City, I worked in multiple theaters across the country as a performer, choreographer, and eventually a director. I became a Rockette in 2008 and performed with the company for four years. On the side and during off-season, I worked in many eclectic business jobs including Sales Executive for a tech company, Laboratory Manager for a Neurobiology and Genetics lab, and Corporate Secretary for 5 C-level executives. I started each of those jobs as a temp worker and was recruited into the company from there. I have also judged for national dance competitions for over 20 years when I am free.
The national judging job allowed me to move to Colorado while maintaining a job. They would fly me to cities from any home base so it made for an easy transition. My husband and I chose to move to Colorado because we were simply ready to have a house and live in a suburb and move on from the hustle and bustle of NYC life. We chose Colorado because we love the great outdoors and it had a mix of all the qualities we were looking for in a home. Since moving here I have worked as a performer, choreographer, director/choreographer, and now I am the Artistic Director at The Candlelight. We are a dinner theater that produces five musicals per season and we run year round. Our mission is to inspire joyful memories that last a lifetime. Candlelight strives to create exceptional live entertainment, extraordinary customer service, and unforgettable experiences.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My personal mission driving my creative journey comes from how my soul felt when I was a kid performing. The first time a stranger came to me and said that my performance meant something and affected them I realized that communication could go far beyond regular conversation. I could express things that I couldn’t express with words alone and other people recognized a piece of themselves and related to that abstract feeling. That’s the magic of art. I want to keep art alive and thriving because of what I continually see it gives our society beyond just words.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
During my time in NYC, I had to pivot several times to pay the rent. That is necessary as an artist particularly in the beginning of a career. The skills of an artist can be translated into so many other careers and the skills that I learned in those pivot jobs definitely applied to jobs within the theater later in life. For instance, I became a corporate secretary for one of the largest real estate companies in the world. I was the most front facing person within the company so I applied the PR skills I had learned from being a Radio City Rockette within my application and ultimately once I had the job. The first impression of a business is important and plays into every business decision that is made after that point of contact. During that job I learned coordination of multiple C- level executives and advanced level excel sheet applications, both of which I use now in the way that I juggle the organization of multiple shows and create business and budget excel sheets for the theater.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.katevallee.com
- Facebook: The Candlelight