Kaitlin Flynn Goodwin
Dancer, choreographer, educator
Kaitlin Flynn Goodwin’s life as a choreographer, dancer and artistic director of Courdance was the definition of a go-go-go life.
Then along came Winnie. “She was such an easy baby, easy pregnancy — after the initial shock wore off after a couple of months,” Ms. Flynn Goodwin said, smiling. Winnie was born in mid-November.
From the day Ms. Flynn Goodwin, 26, began dancing as a 3-year-old tot in South Park, by design there has been precious little down time.
“I was always choreographing or dressing people up — my brother, my neighbors — just making everybody do things. I am a little bossy, but I like to say, ‘I’m more assertive.’”
No one hands out jobs in the arts; Ms. Flynn Goodwin worked hard to earn her position. After graduating with a bachelor of fine arts degree from Ohio University, she moved to Chicago and worked with, among others, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, performing and choreographing with project-based companies.
“I really loved it . ... They really valued my artistry. They weren’t just telling me, ‘Oh, do this move, do this; we’ll put it together.’”
But she wasn’t getting the work she’d hoped to find in Chicago. She moved back to Pittsburgh in June 2017 and created Courdance — the “Cour” is for “courage” — to incorporate inventive, project-based dance that embraces a variety of modern styles.
Among the company’s presentations was an outdoor tour in September, visiting iconic Pittsburgh structures such as the Allegheny County Courthouse and Trinity Cathedral. The dancers reflected the architecture in their movements.
In June, Courdance participated in Global Water Dances — an effort to underscore the world’s need for safe water — at Point State Park.
As if juggling the needs of a new baby, as well as creative demands of her artistic work, weren’t quite hectic enough, Ms. Flynn Goodwin teaches dance at Westinghouse Arts Academy charter school in Wilmerding.
Many of the students in her grades nine through 12 classes have little dance experience, but they’re eager to learn. “It’s just fun to see how sponge-like they are,” she said.
On the radar for National Choreography Month are a series of challenges for January. And life with husband, Tony, and Winnie, of course.