Me and My Emmy: Kathryn Burns

Primetime Emmy Tally: One

How She Got the Gold: Outstanding choreography for the CW’s Crazy Ex- Girlfriend (2016).

Now for the Noms: Her Emmy win followed her first nomination.

Happy Stance: “I tried working in postproduction and multiple other side jobs, but I found that I would get really grumpy if I didn’t dance. So I guess you could say, I decided to be happy.”

Fave Rave: “On Ex-Girlfriend I have a soft spot for the dance number ‘I’m So Good at Yoga.’ Not only does Rebecca [Rachel Bloom] embody how I feel in yoga class, but I got to create a fantastical number with ten amazing dancers and choreograph nutty moves to match lyrics like, ‘I do things with my body that no human should be able to do.’”

Step Back: “I went to college to be a nurse. If I was good at science, I would have been Kathryn Burns, R.N.”

Step Forward: “When my family would ask me if I had a career plan, I would describe my creative path as if I was a bunny following a golden carrot — as long as the opportunity, or carrot, was in front of me, I knew I was on the right path.”

Emmy Memory: “My mom wouldn’t stop hugging me. I knew I had only a short time for my speech, so I said, ‘Mom, I gotta go up there.’ Then my dad said, ‘You go, girl!’ I ran up the stairs, three-inch heels and all. I could hear my friends, coworkers and family cheering for me. That was the most memorable part, to share the magical evening with loved ones.”

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This article originally appeared in emmy magazine, Issue No. 3, 2017