Kristin Degnan Boonin
Kristin Degnan Boonin, Director of Dance in the Division of the Performing Arts at Wilkes University and
co-founder of Ballet Northeast with Peter Degnan, is the company’s former Artistic
Director. A native of the Wyoming Valley, Ms. Degnan Boonin commenced her training with Jozia
Mieszkowski at the age of five. She subsequently pursued advanced study with Andre
Eglevsky and with Benjamin Harkarvy, Lupe Serrano and Barbara Weisberger at the School
of the Pennsylvania Ballet. Later, her professional mentors were Kenneth Johnson,
Mary Petrov, and Nicolas Petrov in Pittsburgh.
Ms. Degnan Boonin began dancing professionally with the Louisville Ballet Company
at the age of seventeen. After earning a B.A. degree, cum laude, from Point Park University, she performed
with Ballet Metropolitan in Columbus, Ohio. Subsequently, she and her future husband
Peter were principal dancers with the American Dance Ensemble and Ballet Petrov and
were also guest soloists with El Ballet de Suleano (Venezela), the Pittsburgh Civic
Light Opera, and the Pittsburg Symphony.
Kristin’s contributions to dance design include original choreographies for Ballet
Northeast’s holiday guest appearances with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. She
also choreographed and staged dances for many of Misericordia University’s Madrigal
Dinner celebrations during the 1990’s and numerous pieces for Wilkes University’s
annual Spring Dance Concerts.
She has taught at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts, Point Part Conservatory,
Kings College, and the Wyoming Valley Montessori School. She was also recently recognized
by the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader as one of the Wyoming Valley’s most “intriguing”
women.