NCDEO Conference 2027
Rooted and Rising: Building an Inclusive and Resilient Future for Dance Education
Welcome to the NCDEO 2026 Conference: Rooted and Rising!
Saturday, February 21, 2026
Elon University, Elon, NC
Presented by NCDEO in collaboration with Elon University Dance Program in the Department of Performing Arts
This day-long conference provides a premier professional development opportunity for North Carolina dance educators from diverse dance teaching and cultural contexts. We look forward to welcoming you for a day of in-person dance and dialogue as we connect, move, and collectively strategize ways in which dance continues to demonstrate imagination and innovation.
How might dance in NC look different in the next year, five years, ten years?
How are students changing, and how might our pedagogical approaches evolve to meet their needs in 2026 and beyond?
How will technological advances continue to influence dance education?
How might we maintain a commitment to DEI initiatives in the current political climate?
What is the role of dance/art-making during challenging times?
What is the importance of grounding ourselves in tradition as we look toward the future?
How can we build on the ideas of those teachers who came before us?
What is the importance of acknowledging the past while envisioning the future?
Conference Schedule
2026 Conference Presenters
Alyah Baker
Contemporary Approaches to Classical Ballet
Renay Aumiller
Creative Chaos Lab: Teaching Collaboration Through Play, Ambiguity, and Multimedia
Audrey Baran
Find Your Fascia with MUNZ FLOOR ® and Undergraduate Student Meet-and-Greet
Amelia Renee Byrd
Care for Yourself and Others in Dance
Emily Crofford
USE YOUR CORE!
Ok...but like, how?
Evelyn Easley
Rhythms of Resilience: The Mental Health Impacts of Black Dancers at Predominately White Institutions
Brooke Goldstein
Fearless Fittings: How to Make Every Dancer Feel Empowered in Costume Fittings
Kristin Hayes
Cross-Curriculum in Dance: How Dance Fits in Every Classroom
Kayla Higbee
Fearless Fittings: How to Make Every Dancer Feel Empowered in Costume Fittings
Chelsea Hilding
Unruly Archivists: Teaching 20th-Century Dance History with Muscle Memory and Mild Mischief
Priyadarshini Inman
Kathak: Storytelling Immersion through Footwork
Doug Jurs
Creative Chaos Lab: Teaching Collaboration Through Play, Ambiguity, and Multimedia
Dr. Caroline Ketcham
Being Brilliant: Continuing the Conversation with Dr. Ketcham
Karola Luttringhaus
BII - The Body's Intrinsic Intelligence: Exploring the Sacroiliac Joint
Jen Guy Metcalf
Moving the Frame: Integrating Dance Film and Photography in the Classroom
Sonya Monts
Rooted and Rising with the Language of Dance: A Pedagogical Approach to Building Inclusive Dance Classes
Heather Pike
Dance + Disability = DEI
Quan Powers
Dancing in Real Time: Teaching, Creating, and Thriving in Today's Dance Education Landscape
Sherone Price
African-Infused Dance: Technique and Teaching Strategies
Ryan Rasmussen
Creative Chaos Lab: Teaching Collaboration Through Play, Ambiguity, and Multimedia
Nile H. Russell
Digital Draft: Improvising the Future
Caitlyn Schrader
Being With Safety Release: Equipping Students with Agency, Resilience, and Belonging Through Their Diverse Applications
Ray Schwartz
Your Voice, Our Future - Shaping Tomorrow Together: A Listening Session with NDEO's Executive Director
Antonina Spinello
Restaging Tradition: How the U.S. Dance Industry Changed After 2020
Cheryl Stevens
Umfundalai Contemporary African Dance: Rooted in Tradition and Building on the Present