Katie Schaar

About Katie Schaar

Dr. Nick Cutri is a Los Angeles based Physical Therapist who specializes in working with professional level athletes and dancers. His wife Katie Schaar is a dancer/choreographer who has worked with P!NK, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and on countless films and TV shows. Nick and Katie have developed Sugarfoot Therapy as an affordable and accessible way to bring the therapeutic exercises of sports physical therapy to dancers.  Sugarfoot Therapy is a conditioning program based on the principals of functional biomechanics.  The program is designed to help prevent common injuries caused by dance training and to encourage longevity in a dancer’s physically demanding career.  In this class, Nick & Katie will lead participants through a full-body workout appropriate for all dance/fitness levels.  We encourage you to participate in the exercises to get the best understanding of form and mind-body connection…but you are more than welcome to observe the movement portion of class.  We will discuss the science behind the exercises performed and how to incorporate them into your regular training to get lasting and potentially career-saving results.  You will leave class with an understanding of the basic principals of functional biomechanics and a class syllabus that you can take back to your studio.

Katie Schaar has over a decade of experience as a Los Angeles-based professional dancer and choreographer. Her many performance credits include Drop Dead Diva, House M.D., Dancing with the Stars, the American Music Awards, the European Music Awards, and feature films The Muppets and Rock of Ages. Best known for her work as an assistant choreographer, Katie has worked extensively as the right hand man to Tyce Diorio, Mia Michaels, RJ Durell, Nick Florez, and Michael Rooney. In this role, and with a real gift for breaking down movement for dancers of all abilities, Katie has worked closely with the world’s biggest stars…Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta Jones, Julianne Hough, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Annie Lennox, Katie Holmes, Paula Abdul, David Hasselhoff, Cher, P!NK, Megan Mulally, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift. Recent assistant choreographer credits include P!NK’s “The Truth About Love World Tour”, P!NK’s “Try” Music Video, Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” music video, Katy Perry’s “Prismatic World Tour”, and the 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show starring Katy Perry. Furthermore, Katie has over 8 years of experience as a dance convention faculty member, teaching dancers of all ages all over the United States. She has a BA from Loyola Marymount University, where she studied Communications Studies and Dance.

Dr. Nick Cutri earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) from the University of Southern California after earning his BS in Kinesiology at San Diego State University. A practitioner of functional physical therapy, he completed the Fellowship Program in Applied Functional Science with the Gray Institute for Functional Therapy. He is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He has extensive experience treating both amateur and professional athletes and dancers and has developed an in depth understanding and appreciation for the unique physiology and biomechanics of dancers. He currently practices as an Orthopedics and Sports Physical Therapist at DynamX Physical Therapy in San Marino, CA.