Kate Walsh Honea, of Longboat Key, Fla., has danced with TheSarasota Ballet for 19 seasons earning the titles of Principal Dancer andAssistant Ballet Mistress.​

Ms. Walsh Honea started training with The Sarasota Ballet Schoolin 1995 under the training of Pavel Fomin, Diane Partington, Alexei Dovgopolyi,Sasha Yapparov, as well as Isabel and Javier Dubrocq. She also danced with theFlorida West Youth Ballet, under the Artistic Direction of Robert de Warren andperformed various children's roles such as Marie in Miami City Ballet's TheNutcracker.​

Ms. Walsh Honea trained at prestigious summer programs,including Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, School of American Ballet,American Ballet Theatre in New York City, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Shebegan her professional career as an Apprentice with The Sarasota Ballet in1997, performing in Robert De Warren's The Nutcracker, Cinderella, EvaPeron, Madame Butterfly, and Don Quixote beforeleaving to attend the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School in 1999 to further herdance education.

She continued her training in the pre-professional graduateprogram at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre for two more years, performing with thecompany in ballets such as Balanchine's The Nutcracker and Serenade;Ben Stevenson's Dracula and Cleopatra; KentStowell's Carmina Burana, as well as in Giselle and Coppelia stagedby Terrence S. Orr.

She returned to The Sarasota Ballet in 2002. She was promoted tosoloist in 2006, then to Principal in 2009. Ms. Walsh Honea has performed leadand featured roles in ballets choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton, GeorgeBalanchine, Antony Tudor, Paul Taylor, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Hans Van Manen,Christopher Wheeldon, Twyla Tharp, Matthew Bourne, Jerome Robbins, and MarthaGraham. Roles were created on her by Matthew Hart, Will Tuckett, Dominic Walsh,and Ricardo Graziano. 

She has toured with The Sarasota Ballet to The Kennedy Centerand The City Center and The Joyce Theatre in New York City. She also toured toMarrakech, Morocco, for the 2005 FIFA Congress performance, and performedthroughout Germany and Austria for the 2006 Best of Musical tour. Ms. WalshHonea also appeared in Susan Stroman's Contact in 2009 in conjunction with theAsolo Repertory Theatre. Most recently, Ms. Walsh Honea guest performedin Alessandra Ferri: Art of the Pas de Deux in a gala withinternational ballet stars at Michigan Opera Theatre.

Ms. Walsh Honea has choreographed four works for The SarasotaBallet including a full-length ballet titled, Stella Natalis, incollaboration with the pre-professional dancers of the Sarasota Ballet StudioCompany, students of the Margaret Barbieri Conservatory of Dance, the SarasotaOrchestra, and the Key Chorale.

Ms. Walsh Honea has also been an instructor with the SarasotaBallet School and Dance, The Next Generation, for 12 years. She specializes inyouth pre-professional levels, and professional and adult classes, includingballet technique, pointe, variations, and dance conditioning. She haschoreographed for the Sarasota Ballet School summer workshops andend-of-the-year performances, including co-directing and producing twofull-length productions.

She has coached multiple award-winning students for YouthAmerica Grand Prix, and choreographed works for their contemporary solos. Shehas also judged for the 2015 World Ballet Competition in Orlando, as well astaught a master class for the competitors.

Ms. Walsh Honea has taught at Colorado Ballet Society’s SummerBallet Intensive and Audition Master Classes in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021. Shehas also been a guest artist as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Colorado BalletSociety’s production of A Colorado Nutcracker in 2017 and2018.

In 2017, Ms. Walsh Honea earned her training certificate throughMark Morris Dance Group to teach dance to people with Parkinson's Disease. In2019, she collaborated with Neuro Challenge Foundation and The Sarasota Balletto teach dance classes for the Parkinson’s community in a program called JoyfulMovement. 

In 2018, she was given the title of Assistant Ballet Mistress ofSarasota Ballet by Director, Iain Webb. In 2019, Ms. Walsh Honea was nominatedfor Young Professional of the Year by the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce,and was Co-chair for the Sarasota Ballet’s 2020 Gala. Ms. Walsh Honea is anABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® TeacherTraining Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National TrainingCurriculum.

As Artistic Director of the Colorado Ballet Society, Ms. WalshHonea is responsible for the Artistic direction of the school syllabus and allperformances. As Manager of The Ballerina Boutique, Ms. Walsh Honea overseesthe day-to-day operations and assists dancers with professional pointe shoefittings.