Welcome Our New Board Member: Frances Katzen!
We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to our Board of Trustees, Frances Katzen. As the founder and leader of The Katzen Team, Frances has earned a stellar reputation in the New York City real estate market. Her business acumen coupled with an extensive dance background make her a perfect fit for Pilobolus, and we are excited to have her join our board.
Frances Katzen's journey to success is a testament to her determination and resilience. At 14, she joined the McDonald College School into the Australian Ballet and soon moved to New York City to join the School of American Ballet. By 21, she was a soloist with the American Ballet Theatre and later performed with the Hartford Ballet, Suzanne Farrell’s company at the Kennedy Center, and Miami City Ballet. A severe foot injury led to her early retirement in 2005 after a 21-year ballet career.
Transitioning from ballet to real estate, Frances Katzen has become a powerhouse in the industry. She has consistently made Douglas Elliman's top 10 list for highest-grossing production over the past decade. With over $3 billion in total sales and exceeding $350 million annually, Frances's achievements are remarkable.
“As someone who has dedicated most of my life to dancing, it is one of those hard-to-describe experiences whereby no words are necessary. Everything is conveyed through the body, soul, and music. Pilobolus has always resonated with me, despite being the complete antithesis of the dance I was immersed in. As a classical ballet dancer, I never dared to consider the possibility of experiencing this type of athleticism and intuitive movement. It felt like a threat to the identity of ballet in my mind, but I realized it represented the true freedom of fully expressed dance.
Pilobolus personifies the true freedom of dance. Its values center on authenticity and a near-preverbal form of expression. It requires complete trust in your fellow dancers, a quality not necessarily cultivated in the specifics of ballet, and a level of vulnerability essential to being a true Pilobolus dancer. Pilobolus is not about a singular person but rather the collective strength that emerges from being completely vulnerable within the group.” - Frances Katzen
