Kate Prince

Kate Prince is a director, writer, and choreographer. She is also the Artistic Director of ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company which she founded in 2002. Kate is an Associate Artist at both The Old Vic and Sadler’s Wells, where ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company is also a Resident Company.

In 2005 Sadler’s Wells commissioned the company’s first full-length work, Into the Hoods,
conceived and directed by Kate. The show’s premiere in 2006 met with widespread critical
acclaim and Into the Hoods went on to become the first hip hop dance show to transfer to the
West End in 2008, after two critically successful runs at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Kate’s further work with ZooNation includes the Olivier nominated Sylvia (The Old Vic 2018 &
2023), the Olivier nominated Some Like It Hip Hop (The Peacock, 2011-13, 2019 and two UK
tours), Groove on Down the Road (Southbank Centre, 2013-14), ZooNation: Unplugged
(Sadler’s Wells, 2013), The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (Royal Opera House, Linbury Studio, 2014
and Roundhouse, 2016) and Into the Hoods: Remixed (The Peacock, 2015-16 and UK tour).
The company created special performances for Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations
and for the Laurence Olivier Awards in 2011, creating new choreography for West Side Story
with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
For TV, Kate’s credits include work for Strictly Come Dancing, So You Think You Can Dance,
The Royal Variety Show, Top of the Pops, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Take Away, CD:UK,
Blue Peter, Strictly Dance Fever, Sport Relief, The Album Chart Show, Discomania and
PopWorld.

Her film work includes choreography for Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, StreetDance 3D
and The Holloway Laundrette, which she wrote & directed for BAFTA/Channel 4.

Other theatre work includes Everybody’s Talking About Jamie for Jonathan Butterell (Sheffield
Crucible & West End, nominated for Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer), Enda
Walsh’s Ballyturk (National Theatre), Stephen Mear’s Shoes (Sadler’s Wells and The
Peacock), I Can’t Sing: The X-Factor Musical (London Palladium) and A Mad World My
Masters (Royal Shakespeare Company), both for Sean Foley.

With ZooNation she has also created choreography for sporting events, including the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Handover Ceremonies (2008), the Opening Ceremony of the Tour de France (2007) and the IOC opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics at the Royal Opera House.

In 2018, ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company became an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and a registered charity, in recognition of its mission to inspire the next generation of theatregoers and theatremakers. In 2020, Kate Prince was the subject of the BBC Imagine Documentary series presented by Alan Yentob entitled Kate Prince: Every Move She Makes.

Kate’s work has been nominated for five Olivier Awards, a Black British Theatre Award, a
South Bank Sky Arts Award, a WhatsOnStage Award and two Critics’ Circle National Dance
Awards. Kate has a Masters from the University of Edinburgh, an Honorary Doctorate from
the University of Winchester and in 2019 Kate received an MBE for services to dance.

Kate’s proudest achievement is being Leo’s wife and Ella’s mum.