Mary has been teaching dance for over 15 years and has worked with PreK thru adult, in public schools, studio programs, community projects, and in higher education. Her journey into teaching came from being inspired by seminal dance educators to see the world through the lens of dance and movement potential. She believes that everyone has a right to dance and should learn about dance from a variety of perspectives. Dance tells us about who we are, where we come from and how we reflect and channel the world around us. As an educator she loves to empower others as dance makers and curators of ideas through dancing, choreography and examining dance history.
Mary has a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from UNCA, an MFA in Dance and Choreography from Mills College, and is K-12 licensed in Dance. She utilizes her time during the summer to dance and be involved in dance projects as a way to recharge and feed her teaching and artistic interests.
As a dancer she has worked with DC Dance Exchange, Push Dance Company, Ascension Dance, Chattanooga Dance Projects, Deep Roots Dance Collective, ACDT, Connie Schrader, Ann Law, Angela Sweet, Molissa Fenely, Kathleen McClintock, Anne Westwick, June Watanabe and Nina Haft. She has received support as a choreographer and teaching artist from Philadelphia Dance Projects in Pennsylvania and has presented and commissioned choreography in the San Francisco, Oakland, Philadelphia, Nashville and Chattanooga communities. She is a certified RYT200 Yoga Teacher and received a certificate in Bartenieff Fundamentals through the Laban Institute of Movement Studies. She is currently working on a Laban notation certificate through the Dance Notation Bureau in New York.
Outside of dance, Mary loves pottery and fiber arts. She is grateful to always find inspiration from her children and husband.
Moth
er, Wife, Dance Educator, Choreographer, Dancer, Investigator, Collaborator, Storyteller, Friend, Humanist, Experimenter, Listener, Collector, Observer, Re-coder, Dreamer.
This blog curates my lens of dance education and dance. Please feel free to email me with specific questions related to blog posts at mary@marylabianca.org