Donna Davenport, Professor of Dance at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS), is a performer, writer, and choreographer from Upstate NY. She received her Doctor and Master of Education from Temple University and undergraduate degrees in dance and psychology from UMASS-Amherst. She has served four times as Chair of the Dance Department; coordinated Social Justice Studies since its inception; was Associate Dean of Faculty 2007-2010; Dean of Faculty for St. Peters Community Arts Academy 2016-2020, and was awarded the Potter endowed professorship 2013-2018. She contributed Chapter 5 to Perspectives on Contemporary Dance History, Revisiting Impulse 1950-1970 by Hagood & Kahlich, Eds. With NDEO, she is a frequent conference presenter; ongoing participant in the Dance 2050 initiative; the first Book Review Editor for the Journal of Dance Education and a founding member of its Editorial Board. She co-founded Artists Coalition for Change Together (ACCT) in Rochester, NY.
Luke C. Kahlich, EdD, holds degrees in Latin American Studies, Theatre, and Dance. He served as a critic for the NYC tradepaper Showbusiness, reviewer and consultant for state arts councils, governmental agencies and professional organizations. He was the first full-time Executive Director of the National Dance Association, founding board member of the National Dance Education Organization, and is Past President of the American College Dance Festival and the Council of Dance Administrators. Dr. Kahlich taught at Kansas State and Temple Universities, Nova Southeastern University and Indian River State College. He was founding editor of two professional dance journals and hosted the first DANCE2029 meeting. His current research is the efficacy of telematics choreographic pedagogy with which he has completed 16 projects with his colleague Dr. Pauline Brooks, John Moores University in Liverpool and others. The latest project was adapted to Zoom following the Covid 19 crisis onset.
Kelly Lester, MFA, is President-elect of NDEO and the Director for Faculty Development at the University of Southern Mississippi. As a Professor of Dance, Lester teaches modern technique, somatic practice, choreography, and music for dance. Lester is a Registered Somatic Movement Therapist and certified trainer for the Eastwest Somatics Institute of Dance, Yoga, and Movement Studies. Lester is a Certified Evans Teacher and an ACUE Credentialed Educator.
Jessie Levey is the founder and director of Barefoot Dance Center in New York’s Hudson Valley where she teaches three-year-olds through adults and directs a teen dance company. She creates curriculum to educate the whole person through somatic education, creativity and identity. In addition to teaching at Barefoot, Jessie works with schools and senior centers as a dance artist-in-residence and leads professional workshops for classroom and dance educators. Originally from NYC, Jessie is a contemporary post-modern dancer who has been teaching for thirty years. She has taught in New York City public schools through Lincoln Center Institute, several independent schools and after-school dance organizations. In addition to making her own work, Jessie performed with many independent choreographers throughout the New York Metropolitan area, Wisconsin and Lebanon. She is a Registered Somatic Dance Educator, Certified Yoga Instructor, and holds an MFA in Dance from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Stephen Ursprung (MFA) is an Assistant Professor of Dance Studies at Dean College. He holds an MFA in Dance from Smith College and a BA in Economics and Italian Studies from Brown University. His choreographic work has been presented globally, most notable by Triskelion Arts, the Massachusetts Dance Festival, Green Space, the Boston Center for the Arts, with the Boston Touring Group in London, UK, and at APAP|NYC with Tracks 2017. He currently performs with Dancing Legacy and creates work with Reject Dance Theatre and NilsSprung Dance Project.
