Q1/ When did you join Mensa?
Kitty/ I joined Mensa in 2019 thinking that it would be a great way to meet some other people in Las Vegas who wanted to do things that were more interesting than the usual Vegas pastimes. Of course, there was a pandemic right after that, so we ended up doing a lot of nothing for most of that time. I’m still grateful for the people I met and the connections I made right before we all got locked down.
Q2/ What have you been doing recently with your interest in dancing?
Kitty/ Lately, I’ve been teaching beginner-level dance lessons and offering a few private lessons to help people who want to learn the skill of social dancing. This isn’t my career and we usually don’t charge for group lessons — it’s just something we do because dancing is more fun when more people can do it! My husband and I generally teach together, and we make a great team since we have very different backgrounds and perspectives on dance. I also compete, though I’m 4 months pregnant and I’m finding it a little harder to dance the night away like I used to. I’ll be competing again before the baby is born, probably in both Cincinnati and Baltimore, and then we’ll see how parenting a newborn goes before we book any more dance trips. For now, I dance every Tuesday and Thursday in Overland Park, and we mostly teach out of our house in Independence.
Q3/ Do you enjoy reading? What are some of your favorite genres? Will you perhaps be a writer someday?
Kitty/ I read the way that most people watch television, probably because I don’t watch TV at all. Lately, I’ve been enjoying science fiction and fantasy, though I always come back to science nonfiction eventually. I am, in fact, a professional writer now. My full time job is writing for a legal technology company, and I take freelance jobs as they get referred to me from previous clients.
Q4/ What are some other local interests you are wanting to explore?
Kitty/ Having moved here from Las Vegas a little less than a year ago, my husband and I love that Kansas City has so much culture. In Vegas, if you want to go see a play, it’s probably going to be in a casino, and every show has to be over-the-top in some way. There’s just a little bit of community theater there. Here, we regularly go to community and professional theater shows, visit museums about boring things like history and art, and shop at farmers’ markets that actually have vegetables. We’re also super stoked about the board game community here. As avid gamers, we host a game night at our home about once a month that involves strategy games and dinner (and usually late night dancing) and we’re regulars at Cardboard Corner in Overland Park. Our current Dungeons and Dragons campaign is coming to an end in about 3 months, and then after our baby is born in June, we’re planning to host a new campaign from our place in Independence. If there are any gamers out there who want to join in, get in touch!
Q5/ What can we expect from you as a MAM Board member?
Kitty/ As a board member, I’m looking forward to serving MAM in whatever ways I can. You might not see me at a ton of social events because of my dance schedule (and my pregnancy) but I’m digitally present. Don’t be surprised if I offer some special Mensa dance lessons, too.
