Position
Academic Background
Sample Courses    
Teaching Philosophy
Research & Interests   
Notable Academic Appointments & Awards
Publication Highlights   
Selected Scholarly Presentations  

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• Professor of Dance and Women's Studies
• Chair, Department of Theatre, Dance and Film

Academic Background        

• Columbia University - Ed.D. in Dance Education, 1993
• Temple University - M.F.A. in Dance, 1985
• Grinnell College - B.A. in English, 1974

Sample Courses Taught at Providence College

• Modern Dance
• Dance Composition
• Children's Dance
• Providence College Dance Company
• Women in the Arts
• Women in Dance and Sport 

Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is the aspect of my work which integrates all of the rest:  my research, artistry, general knowledge, and life experience.  Because I teach two distinctly different kinds of classes---those traditionally called "academic," and those labeled "studio," I have had the opportunity to grow in different ways to meet the needs of these two kinds of curriculums.  In both cases, I have found that my active participation in my areas of creative and scholarly work have informed and enriched my teaching.  My goal each semester is to design a lively class learning experience where students are totally engaged and challenged to do outstanding work.

Research & Interests

At Providence College, I have had a wonderful opportunity to blend the creative and scholarly aspects of my productivity.  Some of my scholarly/creative activities over the past two decades have included choreographing dances; producing and directing dance performances; editing books, journals, and articles; writing articles and chapters for publication; and working with a group of arts professionals to create guidelines for dance proficiency in RI, resulting in a document published on the web.  My areas of interest include choreography, dance criticism and theory, dance in education, women in dance & sport, and women's studies.  I also direct the Children's Dance program on campus.

Notable Academic Appointments and Awards

• National Dance Association Scholar/Artist Award, 2008
• Nomination for Who's Who among America's Teachers, 2003 & 2004
• RI Commission on the Humanities, grant to present academic panel on jazz dance, 2002
• Dance Educator of the Year, Rhode Island Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 1998
• National Endowment for the Arts grant to Interarts Teams, 1984 

Publication Highlights

Publications

• "Body Image in the Dance Class,"  Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, June issue, 2008.
• "Dance Proficiency in Rhode Island: Opportunities and Challenges."  Journal of Dance in Education, fall, v7 #3, 2007.
• “Reading the Ballerina’s Body:  Susan Bordo Sheds Light on Anastasia Volochkova and Heidi Guenther,” Dance Research Journal, 37/2, Winter 2005
• "Defining Proficiency in the Arts: Dance."  RI Arts Learning Network, web publication,
   www.riartslearning.net/dance/dance.html, 2003
• Women Making Art:  Women in the Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts since 1960. Peter Lang Publishing.  Co-editor and contributing author, 2001 
• "Learning to 'See' Dance: The Role of Critical Writing in Developing Students' Aesthetic Awareness," with Larry Lavender. Impulse, V. 1, #1, July, pp. 10-20, 1993.

Choreography - Modern Dance

• "…Never Done," music by Alasdair Frasier, 2008
• “Songs of Cape Verde,” music by Cesaria Evora, 2006
• "TranscenDance," music by Michael Torke, 2005
• "Sequoia" using projected images, 2004
• "Roaming Charges" using cell phones; "Harlequin Dances" to music by Shostakovich; "Shepherd's Dance" for Amahl and the Night Visitors, 2003

Selected Scholarly Presentations and Activities

• "Body Image in Dance" to be presented at National Dance Association conference in Ft. Worth, TX, 2008
• "Student Dance Teachers in the Schools :  Challenges for Teacher Training," panel presentation, National Dance Association, Saratoga Springs, NY, 2007
• "Arts Requirements for High School Graduation," National Dance Education Organization, East Lansing, MI, 2004 
• "Writing as a Mode of Learning"; "Dance as a Requirement for HS Graduation in RI"
   National Dance Association pedagogy conference in Dallas, TX, 2004
• "Tradition and Innovation in Jazz Dance:  From Jack Cole to Danny Buraczeski,"
   Organizer and Presider, part of National College Choreography Initiative Project with Rhode Island College, Roger Williams University, and Brown University, 2002
• "Dance Culture and History:  A Sharing of Resources," National Dance Education  Organization, panel presentation, Providence, RI, 2002

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