What I've Been Up To
I am currently an Associate Professor of Dance at Radford University in Southwest Virginia where we offer a BFA, BA, and BS in Dance Education. During my time at Radford I’ve had original work showcased at the New York Jazz Choreography Project, American College Dance Association, Ferguson Center for the Arts, Alluvion Stage Company, and at various universities across the country including East Carolina University, University at Buffalo, Salve Regina University, and University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire. In 2017 I collaborated with the NASA Langley Research Center and was commissioned to create an original work, "Remember the Future," to celebrate NASA’s Centennial. I’ve choreographed numerous full-length musicals, including the creation and direction of an original a full-length musical based on family history, "Keep This For Me: Memories of the Last World War."
I am an active member of the National Dance Education Organization where I have presented on various topics such as female leadership in dance in higher education, fostering a sense of belonging in new student seminar, the collaborative process, and American contemporary dance. My primary teaching focus is jazz dance technique, with additional focuses on composition, new student seminar, senior seminar, tap, musical theatre, dance appreciation, modern, and ballroom. I am also a certified Ultra Barre℠ Instructor. My research interests include jazz dance history, the influence of war on movement, experimental collaborations with the sciences, and Latin jazz fusion.
How UA Dance inspired and/or impacted me as an individual
The two years I spent in the MFA program at UA were integral in positioning me for the success I have found in academia, where I now am a tenured Associate Professor. While in the program I was able to prepare for a future academic career while simultaneously performing and rigorously training, allowing me to continue to perform after graduation. I met some of my closest friends in the program and continue to receive mentorship from many of the UA Dance professors. It was a life changing experience and I will be forever grateful.