Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance

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Education

Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Pedagogy with a focus in Movement/Musical Theatre
Virginia Commonwealth University

Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with Dance minor
Minnesota State University – Moorhead

Teaching Specialties

• Social Dance
• Musical theatre
• Folk Dance
• Tap
• Jazz
• Michael Chekhov Acting Technique
• Movement for the Actor
• Choreography

Research Interests

• Ballroom/Social Dance
• Folk Dance
• Musical Theatre Dance History
• Roots of modern dance styles

Affiliations

• Southeastern Theatre Conference
• Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium
• Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance
• American College Dance Association

Biography

Brianna joined the A-State Department of Theatre as a choreographer and dance instructor. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Pedagogy, with a focus in Movement/Musical Theatre, from Virginia Commonwealth University and her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre as well as a Dance minor from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Before attending graduate school, she worked as a teaching artist at Roanoke Children’s Theatre, and as a freelance choreographer, getting to work not only in the theatre, but also setting a piece for the City Modern Ensemble in Roanoke, VA. During her time at VCU she had the opportunity to work on a number of wonderful projects, including almost a year of workshopping, with Patti D'Beck, for the world premiere of Frank Wildhorn’s new musical, Mata Hari. A current passion of hers is working to incorporate her background of ethnic folk dance and ballroom dance into her study of performance and instruction for the theatrical stage; and using dancer/actors (or 'danctors') to tell stories without words by utilizing the international language of body movement.