Kari Batka

Kari has been in the competitive dance team business for as long as it has existed in the State of Illinois (1979). She danced in the first ever Illinois State Championship Competition and has been a leader in the state advocating for the sport of TEAM Dance, the student-athletes, as well as the coaches and judges. She brings with her, 40 years of judging experience, 20 plus years of coaching experience and several years of administrative experience as a founder of Team Dance Illinois, an organization that provided Dance Team Competitions in Illinois before it became a full recognized competitive sport by the IHSA. She lives in both Batavia, Illinois and Goodyear, Arizona as a newly retired Coach and Counselor from St Charles East High School. During her tenure in St Charles, the Saints Dance Team earned 13 State Championship between 1993-2005 and 5 top 10 AAA finishes between 2019-2023 She is very excited to now be judging for DTU!