Katina Olsen is a proud Wakka Wakka and Kombumerri woman and also has Norwegian, German and English Ancestry.

Katina Olsen is a proud Wakka Wakka and Kombumerri woman and also has Norwegian, German and English Ancestry. Katina’s choreographic interests interrogate her Indigenous cultural dance and story through various forms including theatre, moving sculpture, film and installation. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Queensland University of Technology and a Diploma in Dance from Queensland Dance School of Excellence.

After graduating from QUT, Katina joined Bangarra Dance Theatre in 2007 where she worked as a Dance Artist for four years performing in works including Clan (2007), X300 (2007), Emeret Lu (2007), Rites (2008), Mathinna (2008), Fire - A Retrospective (2009), Artefact (2010) and Riley (2010). As a performer she has also performed nationally and internationally with critically-acclaimed companies, Choreographers and Directors: Force Majeure, Expressions Dance Company, Stalker Theatre, Martin del Amo, Victoria Hunt, Vicki Van Hout, Bwsene !nmotion Australia, Erth Visual & Physical Inc, Wesley Enoch, De Quincey Co, Frances Rings and Narelle Benjamin.

Her choreographic highlights include Mother’s Cry for Sydney Dance Company’s New Breed, Yalu Dad and namu nunar for Commonwealth Games Festival 2018, movement direction for the ABC TV series Cleverman and Walking into the Bigness at Malthouse, and collaborating with Dance Makers Collective on their Australian Dance Award-nominated DADS and Instar as part of Big Dance in Small Chunks (Parramatta Riverside). In 2017 Katina choreographed Min Min for QUT’s graduating year for Dance 17 and worked with Indigenous youth Artists on Digi Youth Arts Unsettle project, in collaboration with the Queensland Museum.

In 2011 Katina received a danceWEB scholarship at ImPulsTanz Vienna and in 2014 she received an Australia Council JUMP Mentorship with Philip Channells in disability inclusive dance, choreographic practice and community arts in Norway and Australia. In 2016, Katina was profiled by BlakDance at PAX/APACA and is one of their Next Generation Indigenous Choreographers.