As an independent artist and director of "Red Desert Contemporary Dance Ensemble", Cathy Allen has performed works by Doug Nielson, Gregg Bielimeier, Loretta Livingston, Martina Young, Malashock Dance and Company, Rudy Perez, and Anna Nassif, as well as her own choreography. Performing in the 1984 movie, "Footloose", Las Vegas productions of "Lido de Paris" and "Jubilee,” Allen also performed in regional theatre productions at Sundance in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” "Pippin," and "Satin Lady.” Other performing credits include Lina Lamont in "Singin in the Rain", TV commercials, Las Vegas Convention Revues and various print and runway modeling.

Allen received the Nevada State Council of the Arts Fellowship Award in both 1994 and 2001, the CSUN Award for Teaching in 2012, and a National Dance Association Presidential Citation Award for her service as dance chair of the National APHERD Conference in Reno in 1998.  She has created works for Korean National Olympic University in Seoul, Korea, LIPA in Liverpool, England, SUNY at Buffalo in New York State, Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and showcased her choreography throughout the USA, Korea, Germany, Australia, and Scotland on numerous occasions.

Allen teaches modern dance technique, teaching methods for dance, advanced choreography workshop, dance history, dance appreciation, and appreciation of dance in film and stage. She has developed several new courses in her tenure at UNLV for online education and for the UNLV first year experience. She continues to produce two to three new works each year. Allen also choreographs musical theatre projects in the Las Vegas area.