Overview
Originally from Corona, CA, Ia Hawkins is a versatile dancer, choreographer, and community artist now based in Wichita, KS. Graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2022, she holds a BA in dance from Wichita State University School of Performing Arts and specializes in jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, ballet and mime theater.
Throughout much of her childhood, Ia has had the privilege of training under a variety of mentors such as Dante Sevin, Doug Caldwell, Laura Fremont, Malaya, Adam Parson, Glenda Carhart, Damien Diaz, Terri Russell-Shirokawa, and Stefan Wenta. Her rich training across Southern California in styles like hip hop, jazz, contemporary, and ballet reflects her strong Californian roots, which she passionately brings to the Midwest. Under the direction of Dante Sevin, Ia’s professional dance debut was at the legendary Choreographer’s Carnival in 2008.
At Wichita State University, Ia furthered her dance training under the guidance of Sabrina Vaszquez, Denise Celestin, Nick Johnson, and Cheyla Clawson. During her time as a student at WSU, she developed and explored new skills in mime theatre and art administration that continue to play a big part in her professional dance career today.
In 2024, Ia created ICT Collective, a Wichita-based dance crew that is dedicated to creating dance works and opportunities centered around hip hop and commercial dance styles. As founder and director, she is focused on uplifting and showcasing local talent as well as making dance within these genres more accessible to the greater Wichita area.
Ia continues to perform locally and collaborate with artists and organizations such as Harvester Arts and Smack Dab Dance Lab. A dedicated choreographer, she thrives on creating dynamic works that showcase her love for musicality and movement quality. Additionally, she is a fully certified Pilates instructor, having completed over 900 hours of immersive training covering mat and apparatus methodology, further enhancing her ability to provide comprehensive conditioning training. Currently, she shares her expertise by teaching dance at Encore! Dance Studio, inspiring dancers of all ages.