Katelin Keane

K atelin Keane, a senior Dance major with a concentration in Studio Operations, was moved to raise awareness on the environmental impacts of fast fashion after taking the course “Sustainable Fashion.”

Dance would be her storytelling medium.

She spent four months collecting clothes that had fallen out of fashion from friends, family, dancers and thrift stores. The worn, torn, stained and unwanted pieces were destined for landfills until Keane gathered them to make a statement.

“We Lie Beneath Rubble” debuted at the Stockton Dance Program’s Fall Choreography Project, which showcases original student works performed by students.   

As the stage lights brightened in the Performing Arts Center, they illuminated a rainbow heap of clothes that took center stage.   

“I built a giant pile of clothes to symbolize fast fashion and to send a message of awareness,” she said.

Dancers pulled pieces from the pile to become props throughout the performance.

“The goal of this choreography was to speak out on an issue in society—overconsumption,” she said.

After the show, Keane found the organization Helpsy that turns textiles into insulation for buildings and donated the clothes.

Dance for All Ages 

Keane, who grew up in Margate, started dancing when she was 4 years old, but as she’s gotten older, she’s grown to love choreography because it allows her “to have a vision and call the shots.”

Keane has always dreamed of opening her own dance studio and assumed she’d teach young dancers, but that changed when she realized the lack of adult dance classes in the immediate South Jersey region.

Her goal has evolved to offer dance classes for people of all ages, especially adults looking to continue dancing.

Although there is no shortage of great studios in Philadelphia and New York City, she wants to expand access to dance classes for college students and adults in the area she calls home.

Budling a Career in College 

When she’s not dancing or studying, Keane is building her photography business, which was awarded silver in The Press of Atlantic City’s “Best of the Press 2025” photographer division.

When she was in high school, she borrowed her mom’s camera, previously her grandmother’s, on a whim to take photos of flowers in the yard. Being a people-person, she naturally took it to the beach to capture her friends.

Up until then, she had always been in front of the lens as her mom documented her childhood capturing memories of her dancing or her brother’s sports games.

Friends began reaching out to her for high school senior and family photography sessions.  

“My goal is to not just create beautiful images, but to make people feel good about themselves—that’s everything to me,” she said.

She wants each session to be fun and for her subjects to feel confident.

“My mom is a single mom, and she’s my inspiration to keep working hard. She’s supported me so much. I wouldn’t be here today without her,” she said.  

Her advice to students is to “put yourself out there” and go for the opportunities.

Story by Susan Allen