Katherine Barkman is an American ballerina and current soloist with San Francisco Ballet. Before joining the company, she danced principal roles for four seasons with The Washington Ballet and previously served three years as a principal dancer with Ballet Manila. She joined The Washington Ballet in 2018 after winning consecutive silver medals at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson and the Varna International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria.

Originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Barkman moved to the Philippines in 2015 to begin her professional career with Ballet Manila, becoming the company’s youngest principal at age 18. She has since performed major classical roles including Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Kitri in Don Quixote, Giselle, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. Her contemporary work includes world premieres by Jessica Lang, Dana Genshaft, John Heginbotham, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and others.

Her awards include the Grand Prix Cup at the 2015 Asian Grand Prix (Hong Kong) and gold medals at the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition (New Orleans) and the TANZOLYMP Festival (Berlin). As a guest principal, she has performed in festivals and full-length productions across the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America.