HomeOPDI Professors

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OPDI Professors

"The OPDI course more than exceeded my expectations. It offered several levels of learning. I learned more about contemporary dance history than I had previously known. I gained a clear idea of how I want to frame this history. As a teacher, I was very impressed, and learned a lot, from [the professor's] teaching in this course."

- recent OPDI student

Students in the Online Professional Development Institute (OPDI)™ will benefit from the instruction of dance education experts from across the nation. The following biographies are an introduction to some of the wonderful teachers brought together for the Institute.

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Jon Anderson

Jon Anderson is associate professor of music composition at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI) and composes a variety of acoustic and electroacoustic music. Having frequently collaborating with dance artists, his research centers on kinesthetic approaches to creating music. His music has received honors, awards, invitations and performances from the Society of Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS), the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), the NYC Electronic Music Festival, the National Dance Education Organization, Judson Memorial Church, Triskelion Arts, the Symposium for Arts & Technology, the International Society for Music Education, the Pierre Schaefer International Competition of Computer Music, the Cuban Institute of Music & National Laboratory of Electroacoustic Music, the Society of Composers, Inc (SCI), Electroacoustic Barn Dance Festival, the Studio 300 BYTE Gallery International Exhibition, the Florida Electronic Music Festival (FEMF), Electronic Music Midwest, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Friends & Enemies of New Music, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, SCI/ASCAP, and Voices of Change. Anderson is the resident composer for the modern dance company Take Root Dance. Jon teaches OPDI-120 Music Theory and Applications for the Dance Teacher.

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Ann Biddle

Ann Biddle M.A., Dance Ed, Columbia University, B.A., English Lit, Kenyon College and Fulbright Scholar. Ms. Biddle has been a dance educator, staff developer, curriculum consultant, writer and choreographer for the past 30 years. She is the Founding Faculty of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at 92Y and is currently the Director of DEL at Jacob’s Pillow. Ms. Biddle has worked many dance companies as a curriculum consultant including: Flamenco Vivo, Jose Limon, Ballet Hispanico, Urban Bush Women, HT Chen, and Jonah Bokaer. She has been a facilitator for the NYC DOE Dance Blueprint since 2005. Ms. Biddle worked at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Public Charter School in MA from 2010 – 2018 as the Leader of the Dance Department and Director of Arts Programs. Ms. Biddle’s dance curricula include: New York Export: Opus Jazz, Jerome Robbins: The Essence of Cool, Doug Varone and Brenda Angiel’s Aerial collaboration, Dances for iPhone film series, Wonderdance, Dance Making & Langston Hughes Poetry, The Essence of Pearl Primus, and Into Sunlight – A Teacher’s Guide. She is currently the Project Director of the DEL Tracing Footsteps-Honoring Diverse Voices in Dance History in NYC curriculum project for NYC K-12 public schools funded by the NY Community Trust and Arnhold Foundation. Ann teaches OPDI-118: Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) Essentials.

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Jane Bonbright, EdD

Jane earned her doctorate in education at Temple University. Dr. Bonbright dedicated fifty-five years to the field of dance specializing in performance, education, research, administration, and dance/arts advocacy at national and state levels. She began her career as a professional ballet dancer and toured the United States and Europe with major ballet companies. She is founding director of the Maryland Youth Ballet (MD), home school of artists Susan Jaffe, Julie Kent, Cheryl Yaeger, Roger Plaut, Joanne Danto, and hundreds of other professional ballet dancers .She taught for thirty-five years in professional-oriented training academies, K-12, and colleges and universities before focusing on national issues involving policy, legislation, and funding for arts and education. Dr. Bonbright served as President and Executive Director for the National Dance Association before joining NDEO as Founding Executive Director in 1998 where she worked to establish NDEO as the national service organization for dance arts in US education. Dr. Bonbright served as Project Director for Research in Dance Education (2001-2005) and Professional Teaching Standards for Dance in the Arts (2005) and many national task force commissions. As Founding Executive Director of NDEO, Dr. Bonbright worked with over 100 federal/state government agencies and arts/education associations to ensure dance arts is included in the national agenda in U.S. education. She is the recipient of CORD’s Outstanding Leadership in Dance Education Award (2005), CODA’s Alma Hawkins Award of Excellence in Dance in Education (2007), and NDEO’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2009). Jane teaches OPDI-M5: Writing Successful Funding Proposals, OPDI-117: Developing Strategic Leadership in Dance and Life, and OPDI-M20: Building an Online Dance Course: Process and Product .

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Patricia G. Cohen, MA, RDE

Patricia Cohen, MA is an adjunct faculty member in NYU/Steinhardt’s MA dance education program, where she mentors student leadership to promote enhanced understanding of diversity and equity. Cohen develops and teaches courses for NDEO’s Online Professional Development Institute, including the Professional Teaching Standards for Dance Arts; Dance History: Global, Cultural and Historical Considerations, and two mini courses. She presents regularly at NDEO and other national and international conferences. Cohen contributed two chapters to the 2014 book, Jazz Dance: A History of Roots and Branches, Guarino and Oliver, editors. She co-created NDEO’s 2016 and 2019 special topics Jazz Dance conferences, which were based conceptually on the book and on contemporary issues in jazz dance. She contributes to and serves on the editorial board of NDEO’s Dance Education in Practice journal. A founding member of NDEO, Cohen has served on the NDEO Board of Directors. She received the 2011 NDEO Leadership Award. Pat teaches OPDI-101: Introduction to Professional Teaching Standards for Dance Arts, OPDI-111a&b: Dance History: Global, Cultural and Historical Considerations, OPDI-201: PTSDA Portfolio Development, OPDI-M2: Elements of Movement, and OPDI-M4: Developmental Domains.

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Rima Faber, PhD, MA, BA

Rima returned to academia after a full career as performer, choreographer, director of several performing companies, and founder and director of the Primary Movers Dance School and Company (1979-2000). Her thesis focused on kinesthetic learning for primary school age children and with cutting edge research in cognitive and brain development. Her dissertation examined the philosophic and pedagogical principles of the National Standards for Dance Education. She taught in DC Public Schools from 1980-1997. In the mid- and late 1990s, Rima worked with National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to develop, facilitate, and implement the national assessments in arts education. Rima is the founding President and Executive Director of the National Dance Education Organization, where she served as Program Director for 12 years. At NDEO, she chaired task forces to develop Standards for Dance in Early Childhood, and Standards for Dance Education in the Arts. She served as Research Director for NDEO’s Research in Dance Education initiative and co-editor for Priorities for Research in Dance Education: A Report to the Nation. She has presented her research regularly at conferences since 1996 and co-authored a book, Thinking with the Dancing Brain. Faber received the NDEO Visionary Award (2002), was admitted into the American University Performing Arts Hall of Fame (2004), received the MetroDC Dance Award for Excellence in Dance Education (2006), and the NDEO Lifetime Achievement Award (2014). In 2010 she received a grant from Hands On Science to direct a 2-year dance/science integration program with Baltimore County Public Schools. As Chair for the team that created the National Core Arts Standards in Dance, she promotes the full depth, scope, and joy of dance education. Rima is on faculty of the University of Northern Colorado Low Residency Graduate Dance Education Program and teaches OPDI-103: Foundations for Assessments in Dance.

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Lindsay Guarino

Lindsay is the director of the dance program at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. There, she has facilitated the dramatic growth of the dance minor program while founding and directing Extensions Dance Company, which has performed in concerts and festivals throughout New England. A native of Buffalo, NY, she has taught and choreographed in jazz and contemporary styles at schools including Providence College, University at Buffalo (SUNY), University of Arizona, and over twenty private dance studios, in addition to jazz dance master classes at conferences and festivals across the country. Lindsay published the textbook Jazz Dance: A History of the Roots and Branches with co-editor Wendy Oliver in 2014, and later planned and hosted NDEO’s “Jazz Dance: Roots and Branches in Practice” conference in the summer of 2016 at Salve Regina. She holds a BFA in dance from the University at Buffalo and an MFA in dance from the University of Arizona. Lindsay teaches OPDI-M12: Jazz Dance Theory and Practice.

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Thomas Hagood

Thomas K. Hagood is recognized for his writings on the history and policy for dance in American higher education. Texts and original research examine the life and work of Margaret H’Doubler and Alma Hawkins, the organization and sociology of dance in American education, curriculum design for dance, and kinesthetic potentials in dance education. At the University of Utah he was TA to Sally S. Fitt (1978-1980) and assisted in the development of her text, Dance Kinesiology. At Wisconsin he delved into the teaching legacy of Margaret H’Doubler and consolidated the data that would lead to his dissertation and 2000 text A History of Dance in American Higher Education: Dance and the American University, the first comprehensive history and analysis of the development of dance in the American academy. In 2006 he was invited to be founding editor of the Cambria Press’s book series in dance, a series he currently edits with Dr. Luke Kahlich. He served as convening president and 1st past president of the National Dance Education Organization, founding past president of the Florida Dance Education Organization (FDEO), PI and content area chair of the NDEO’s Research in Dance Education Project. Awards include the 2002 NDEO Special Honors Award, 2005 NDEO Visionary Award, and the 2005 FDEO Leadership Award. Currently serves the NDEO’s OPDI, and directs URBANEediting, “an editing, text development, and coaching service for those who bring creativity to life, work, and communication.” Thomas teaches OPDI-M10: Movement Behavior Analysis and Profiling in Dance.

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Joshua Honrado, MS, ATC, CSCS, RYT

Mr. Honrado, an athletic trainer at Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at NYU Langone Health, provides backstage care to Broadway shows and elite dance companies as well as injury prevention assessments and educational lectures to the dance community. He received his MS in athletic training from Seton Hall University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Athletic Training from A.T. Still University. Mr. Honrado is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and a registered yoga teacher. Joshua teaches OPDI-116: Harkness Center for Dance Injuries: The Applied Science of Dancer Health and Injury Prevention.

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Robin Kish, MFA

Robin earned her MFA in kinesiology and pedagogy from the University of California/Irvine and her MS in exercise physiology and biomechanics from California State University/Fullerton. She is a licensed massage therapist and certified in Pilates. Since 2006, she has been on the faculty of Chapman University where she teaches Dance Kinesiology and Injury Prevention, Movement Anatomy and Exercise Physiology, Dance in World Cultures, Pilates Conditioning, Ballet for Non-majors, Ballet Technique, Conditioning, and a Pilates Certification Course. She guest lectures for Physical Therapy, Athletic Training, and Education Departments. She has authored numerous publications and has given extensive presentations on anatomy, kinesiology, and original research. She is an active member in the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, Performing Arts Medicine Association, American College of Sports Medicine, and the Pilates Method Alliance as well as NDEO. Robin teaches OPDI-110: Dance Kinesiology and Applied Teaching Practices.

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Marijeanne Liederbach, PhD, ATC, PT, CSCS

Dr. Liederbach, Director of the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at NYU Langone Health, is a physical therapist and certified athletic trainer who holds a doctoral degree in biomechanics and ergonomics. She has provided backstage therapy for hundreds of dancers, dance companies, and Broadway shows and has published numerous papers and lectured internationally. Dr. Liederbach formerly danced professionally and worked as a critically acclaimed choreographer. In 2010, she was inducted into the Dance Library of Israel Hall of Fame. Marijeanne teaches OPDI-116: Harkness Center for Dance Injuries: The Applied Science of Dance Health and Injury Prevention.

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Susan McGreevy-Nichols

Susan is Executive Director of the National Dance Education Organization and a national arts education consultant. Susan provides professional development in assisting teachers in designing and documenting student work that meets standards and in helping teaching artists understand educational reform efforts and how to make their work in schools more relevant to reform. She coaches districts in Los Angeles County as part of the Arts for All initiative and in Northern California in Alameda County as a part of the county’s initiative Revitalizing Classrooms Through Arts Learning: Strategic Plan. These initiatives provide strategic planning, technical support, curriculum development, assessments, survey development, and data collection. She supports districts in identifying local advocates and strategies for providing equity and access to the arts. Susan founded and directed the dance program at the renowned Roger Williams Middle School in Providence, Rhode Island from 1974-2002. Every student at the school participated in a program that treated dance as a core subject and emphasized the creating, performing and responding processes as they link to the arts and other disciplines. She is the developer of a cutting edge reading comprehension strategy that uses text as inspiration for original choreography created by children. In 1995, Susan was honored as the National Dance Teacher of the Year. Susan co-founded the Professional Development Institute (PDI), a partnership with Rhode Island College that offered teachers the dance education course work needed to obtain state dance certification. She also collaborated on developing and coordinating Alameda County’s Arts Integration Specialist Program (CA). Susan is the co-author of five books: Building Dances (1995), Building More Dances (2001), Experiencing Dance (2004), Dance About Anything (2006) and Exploring Dance Forms and Styles (2010). Susan teaches OPDI-104: Dance Integration, OPDI-112: Implementing the New National Core Dance Standards in Your Classroom and Studio, OPDI-M1: Pedagogy - Learning Styles and Theories, OPDI-M3: Assessment Concepts, OPDI-M8: Designing Model Cornerstone Assessments, and OPDI-M20: Building an Online Dance Course: Process and Product.

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Elizabeth McPherson, PhD

Elizabeth McPherson, PhD is a professor and Director of the Dance Division at Montclair State University, is the editor of The Bennington School of the Dance: A History in Writings and Interviews, author of The Contributions of Martha Hill to American Dance and Dance Education, and co-author of Broadway, Balanchine, and Beyond: A Memoir. She has staged numerous works from Labanotation, such as Doris Humphrey’s Partita V. Executive Editor for the journal Dance Education in Practice, she has written articles for various other publications including Ballet Review, the Journal of Dance Education, and the Journal of Movement Arts Literacy. She was a member of Avodah Dance Ensemble and Ernesta Corvino’s Dance Circle Company with whom she performed throughout the 1990s. She holds a BFA from Juilliard, an MA from The City College of NY and a PhD from New York University. . Elizabeth teaches OPDI-M22: Using Dance Pedagogic Content Knowledge to Drive Programmatic and Self Growth

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Beth Megill

Beth Megill, MFA in Dance, Language of Dance® Specialist, is a professor of dance at Moorpark College with a specialty in online dance education, choreography, improvisation and dance notation. She founded a non-profit performing arts organization, Megill & Company (MeCo), in 2001 with her sister Heather and has produced four original musicals and eleven evening length dance programs. The mission of MeCo is to create dance works that are vibrant, quirky, meaningful, intellectual and entertaining. Megill regularly presents at California Dance Educators Association and National Dance Education Organization conferences exploring the many uses of the Language of Dance® Approach as well as larger themes of dance literacy and online dance pedagogy. She is founder of LAdancereview.org where she volunteers her time and expertise to support and celebrate Los Angeles based dance companies with reflective, dance literacy-based writing. She lives with her family in a charming niche of Ventura County. Beth teaches OPDI-119: Motif Notation Literacy through the Language of Dance® Approach: Your Move, Your Choreography and OPDI-M21: Building an Online Dance Course - Process & Product.

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Lynn Monson

Lynn Monson trained at Hartford Ballet in Hartford, CT, completing their Teacher Training Certificate Program in 1975, after which she co-directed a branch school for Hartford Ballet. For over 30 years, she taught Ballet, Creative Movement, Modern, Jazz and Tap to all ages, pre-school to adults, at a variety of venues with a particular focus on creative movement for early childhood and elementary aged children. Lynn studied Labanotation at the Dance Notation Bureau in New York City and is a certified Labanotation teacher. Lynn completed a BA in Dance at Arizona State University and performed with the Thursday in the Dark Dance Co. For 11 years, she managed multiple campuses for Carmel Community Arts & Technology Charter School (K-12). Her responsibilities included developing the dance and integrated curriculum, conducting staff training, writing federal and state grants, directing school accountability, and teaching dance classes. Lynn also served as a trainer for the City of Phoenix Artspace program. Lynn was a member of the team that wrote the Performance Objectives for the Arizona Dance Standards in 1997. In 2005-06, she worked on the writing team to revise the Arizona Dance Standards and is currently working on developing state assessments for dance. Lynn is a member of the Dance Notation Bureau, International Council of Kinetography Laban, National Dance Education Organization, a board member of the Arizona Alliance for Arts Education, and served on the board of the Arizona Dance Arts Alliance. She was instrumental in the formation of the Arizona Dance Education Organization and has served as Secretary and President and is currently Executive Assistant. Lynn teaches OPDI-107: Creative Dance in Early Childhood and OPDI-M6: Introduction to Creative Dance for Early Childhood.

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Nicole Perry

Nicole Perry is an intimacy choreographer, director, and choreographer in South Florida. Recent credits include Imagine: a Journey in Dance at the Kravis Center, and choreography and intimacy choreography for the US premiere of The Glass Piano at Theatre Lab. She is the resident intimacy choreographer at Measure for Measure Theatre. Nicole is a Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst through Integrated Movement Studies. Her final project connected L/BMS concepts and vocabulary with Intimacy Choreography. Nicole provides guest teaching in Laban for Theatre and/or Dance, as well as Consent for Performers and Power Dynamics in the Rehearsal Room, through Momentum Stage. Nicole founded this non-profit to provide affordable resources for performing artists/teachers. Nicole teaches dance at the University of Miami and a public middle school. She is a member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and the Association of Theatre Movement Educators. She apprenticed with Intimacy Directors International. Nicole teaches OPDI-M23: Creating an Ethics and Pedagogy of Teaching with(out) Touch.

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Naima Prevots, PhD, MS

Naima Prevots, BA Brooklyn College, Phi Beta Kappa, MS University of Wisconsin, PhD, University of Southern California, is Professor Emerita from American University, where for 34 years she was Director of Dance and for three years was Chair, Department of Performing Arts. Recipient of six Fulbright awards, an NEH fellowship and other honors, she is the author of three books, numerous monographs and articles. Her most recent award was from American Ballet Theatre, to research their State Department international touring. She has taught dance history for over forty years, has lectured and consulted nationally and internationally. She has been on boards of Fulbright Association, CORD, ADG, SDHS, NDEO and served as panelist for National Endowments for Arts and for Humanities, Department of Education, and Arts and Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. Her book “Dance for Export: Cultural Diplomacy and the Cold War” is now on kindle available at Amazon. Naima teaches OPDI-106: Choreographic Explorations in Dance Since 1953.

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Lori Provost, MA

Lori earned her master’s degree in Dance Education from New York University with a concentration in American Ballet Theatre (ABT) ballet pedagogy. While studying in the program, Lori received her certification in ABT’s National Training Curriculum (NTC) Levels Primary thru Level 7 and partnering. She has implemented the ABT curriculum into several teaching environments to include private studios, middle schools and high schools, as well as conservatory, pre-collegiate, and university dance programs. In 2012, Lori presented research on a panel at NDEO’s national conference on integrating the NTC into a university dance course. She currently teaches for Towson University and has worked as Manager of the Towson Community Dance at the Owings Mills JCC Community Center program and Dance Company Manager for the Towson University Dance Company, as well as adjunct professor and Towson University Community Dance instructor. Along with her work as an educator in the field, Lori also served the National Dance Education Organization as a staff member in Special Projects and as a board member for the Capital Region Educators of Dance Organization (CREDO). Lori developed and currently teaches NDEO's OPDI course: Ballet Theory & Composition.

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Doug Risner, PhD, MFA

Dr. Doug Risner is Professor of Dance, Distinguished Faculty Fellow at Wayne State University where he teaches courses in dance history, pedagogy, research design and methodology, dance professions, artistic praxis, and principles of teaching artistry. His research focuses on social issues and gender in dance, curriculum design and pedagogy, dance in higher education, and online learning. He is widely published throughout the U.S. and internationally in Research in Dance Education, International Journal of Education & the Arts, Journal of Dance Education, Arts Education Policy Review, Teaching Artist Journal, and Dance: Current Selected Research. His books include Stigma & Perseverance in the Lives of Boys Who Dance (2009), Hybrid Lives of Teaching Artists in Dance and Theatre Arts: A Critical Reader (2014), Gender, Sexuality and Identity: Critical Issues in Dance Education (2015), Dance and Gender: An Evidenced-Based Approach (2017), Ethical Dilemmas in Dance Education: Case Studies on Humanizing Dance Pedagogy (2020). His forthcoming book, Masculinity, Intersectionality and Identity: Why Boys (Don’t) Dance (2021). His service and teaching have been honored with awards from his alma mater, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award and Faculty Mentoring Award from Wayne State University, and NDEO Visionary Award and NDEO Outstanding Dance Education Researcher Award. Risner is Editor-in-Chief Emeritus (2004-2012) of Journal of Dance Education, and Associate Editor, Research in Dance Education. Risner is a senior program consultant for NDEO’s Online Professional Development Institute. Doug teaches OPDI-102: Dance History 1800 to Present, OPDI-105: Introduction to Dance Education Research, OPDI-113: Foundations of Dance Pedagogy, and OPDI-121: Ethical Dilemmas in Dance Education.

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Marty Sprague, MA, BFA

Marty is a dance educator with over 40 years of experience. She has taught all levels from early childhood through higher education. Sprague is teaching dance at Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex High School in Providence, Rhode Island and has been an instructor and Clinical Supervisor for Roger Williams University Education Department. She has been involved in program and curriculum development, professional development, policy development and advocacy support for arts education in Rhode Island. Marty holds an MA in dance education from the Teachers College, Columbia University. She has written and reviewed standards at the district, state and national levels. She is co-author, with Helene Scheff and Susan McGreevy-Nichols, of five dance text and resource books. Marty has been honored by Dance Teacher magazine as 2004 Dance Teacher of the Year, K-12 and by NDEO as the 2005 Dance Educator of the Year, K-12. Marty is currently serving on the executive editorial board for NDEO’s Journal of Dance Education and editorial board for Arts Education Policy Review. Marty teaches OPDI-115: Dance Integration - Re-envisioning the Creative Process, OPDI-M13: Modern Dance Theory and Composition, OPDI-M18: Intro to Choreography in Dance Education, OPDI-119: Dance Stagecraft and Production.

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Kristen Stevens, MA

Ms. Stevens coordinates education programs and marketing at Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at NYU Langone Health. Previously, she worked as a professional ballet dancer in companies including Norwegian National Ballet and BalletMet Columbus. She is now on faculty at the American Ballet Theatre’s JKO School Children’s Division and is a Teaching Artist for the New York City Ballet. She holds a master’s degree in arts administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. Kristen teaches OPDI-116: Harkness Center for Dance Injuries: The Applied Science of Dancer Health and Injury Prevention.

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Sandi Stratton-Gonzalez, MA

Sandi Stratton-Gonzalez, MA taught dance to children with special needs in inclusion and self-contained classrooms for over 20 years at PS 372 in Brooklyn. Recently retired, she is now the Coordinator of the Arnhold Support Programs for Dance Educators at the Office of Arts and Special Projects in NYC. Sandi is a professional development facilitator with the Arts for Students with Disabilities Team (NYC DOE) and is the Advocacy Director for the NYS Dance Education Association. A member of NDEO since 2005, Sandi is a founding member of the NDEO Dance and Disabilities Task Force, whose goal is to increase the organization’s capacity to support the dance and disability community and to pave the way for more inclusive membership and representation. She is co-author (with C. Gallant and D. Duggan) of Dance Education for Diverse Learners: A Special Education Supplement to the Dance Blueprint and has been published in Dance: Current Selected Research Volume 7 and Dance Education in Practice, where she is a member of the Editorial Board. Sandi was an adjunct Professor at Hofstra University from 2008-2018, teaching Dance in Elementary Education. Prior to teaching full-time Sandi was the founding Artistic Director of Soundance Repertory Company (1984-1999), and her choreography has been presented throughout the Northeast. Sandi teaches OPDI-114: Teaching Dance to Students with Disabilities.

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Pat Taylor, MFA

Pat Taylor, MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts, is the artistic director/choreographer of Los Angeles-based JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble, which she founded in 1993 to celebrate the jazz tradition as a vital thread in the cultural fabric of African American history and heritage and a defining element of the American experience. Her work has been presented at the Music Center of Los Angeles County, Hollywood Bowl/Playboy Jazz Festival, The Southern Theatre (Minneapolis), Glashuset (Stockholm, Sweden) and CIAEI Theater (Indaiatuba, Brazil), among many other venues. Her recognitions include a Brody Arts Fund Choreography Fellowship and grant awards from Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions and the Center for Cultural Innovation. Pat teaches and choreographs across the United States and internationally, most recently as Lecturer in Jazz Dance at Peabody Conservatory / Johns Hopkins University and California State University Long Beach, and guest choreographer for University of Idaho and Salve Regina University. She is a contributing chapter author for the upcoming jazz textbook “Rooted Jazz Dance: Africanist Aesthetics and Equity in the Twenty-First Century,” University Press of Florida.OPDI-M12: Jazz Dance Theory and Practice.

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Margot Toppen

Margot is a visionary leader who works at the intersection of SEL, arts, and physical education. In 2006, Margot developed Dancing with Class, now a highly sought-after program delivered in 100+ schools each year. In 2014, Margot celebrated the publication of JITTERBUGS!, a dance-along children’s book, and in 2018, she launched EduMotion: SEL Journeys, a digital platform that delivers SEL-themed movement activities inspired by world dances. Margot is a dynamic presenter who frequently appears at conferences related to SEL, arts, and physical education. A graduate of Northwestern University, she recently completed Kellogg’s Non-Profit Executive Scholars program, with a focus on innovation and leadership. In 2018, Margot began serving as a member of the SHAPE America Task Force on SEL in Health and Physical Education. She also serves on the Partnerships and Professional Learning Panel for Ingenuity, a leader in arts education advocacy and research. Most recently, Margot became a founding member of CASEL’s SEL Providers Council. As a dancer, Margot has enjoyed an extensive teaching and performing career. She has danced live on stage with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and is a featured instructor as part of the City of Chicago’s SummerDance series. Her choreography has been featured twice in Dance Chicago and she has a number of screen credits including “The Road to Perdition.” Margot teaches OPDI-M21: Incorporating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in Dance Curriculum.

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William Zinser, ATC

Mr. Zinser, an athletic trainer at Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at NYU Langone Health, holds a dual bachelor’s degree in athletic training and health promotion from the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently seeking his master’s degree in exercise science, with a concentration in strength and conditioning from the Milken Institute of Public Health at George Washington University. Mr. Zinser has a gymnastics background, having competed in high school and college. He also studied circus aerials and acrobatics at CircoArts, a division of Christchurch Polytech in New Zealand. William teaches OPDI-116: Harkness Center for Dance Injuries: The Applied Science of Dancer Health and Injury Prevention.