Colleen Wahl
- Colleen Wahl
Education
- Master’s Degree in Fine Arts in Dance, State University of New York at Brockport
- Master’s Degree in Liberal Studies, State University of New York Empire State College
- Bachelor’s Degree in Dance and Arts Education, William Smith College
Specialties / Areas of Interest
- Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies
- Masculinity and Movement
- Gender Performativity
Biography
Wahl’s research focuses on applying Laban/Bartenieff Movement studies to shed light on how movement is meaningful throughout our human lives. Writing is a significant form her research takes. Her book, "Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies: Contemporary Applications" integrates Laban/Bartenieff theory with an embodied and practical approach that encourages the reader to gain new awareness of movement in their everyday experiences. She also co-authors a monthly article with Janice Meaden for Integrated Movement Studies.
Her quirky choreography includes "Foot in the Door" an evening length multi-media community dance project featured at the 2015 Rochester Fringe Festival that explored the working body in late-capitalism, and a series of community dance projects such as “my(inter)face” performed at Triskelion Arts and Webster Hall, and a solo series titled “Portraits of Women Doing their Best.”
At Alfred University, she is the associate producer of the Marlin Miller Dance Residency Program, which brings dance to the Alfred community. She also co-founded the boxing club as a place to explore physical strength and power.
Outside of Alfred University, Wahl co-directs Integrated Movement Studies, a Graduate Certification Program in Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies.
In 2007, she founded a L/BMA-based somatic fitness business, Move Into Greatness, which allowed her to research Laban/Bartenieff concepts in many contexts including: sports, business, and performing arts for organizations like The Moderns, Cornell University (football team and the graduate school of management) and the Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technology Institute for the Deaf. She maintains a private movement education practice in Rochester NY, through which she works privately with clients.
Wahl holds a master’s degree in fine arts in dance from State University of New York at Brockport, a master’s degree in liberal studies from State University of New York Empire State College, and a bachelor’s degree in dance and arts education from William Smith College. She is a Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst (CLMA) through Integrated Movements Studies, a Registered Somatic Movement Educator (RSME) through the International Somatic Movement Educators and Therapists Association and a personal trainer certified (CPT) by the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Colleen Wahl
Research, Publications, & Presentations
Research & Publications
- 2018 Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies: Contemporary Applications. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2018
- 2016 “Live From New York: Movement Performance and the Representation of American Heteronormativity” chapter in Inhabiting the Meta Visual: Contemporary Performance Themes. Interdisciplinary Press, 2016
- 2020 “Integrating Meditation and Dance Movement Work.” Buddhism and Culture. Volume 1 2020. Also translated into Korean.
- 2016 – present Integrated Movement Studies Newsletter. Editor. 41 Articles on Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies with Janice Meaden. Published on imsmovement.com.
Awards/Honors
- NYSDEA Dance Researcher Award 2020
- Outstanding Graduate Student, The College at Brockport, School of Arts and Humanities 2015
- Bill Evans Award for Embodied Scholarship 2014
- Nat Goodhartz Award for Dance Science 2013
Affiliations & Memberships
- Integrated Movement Studies, USA
- Internal Somatic Movement Educator and Therapist Association, USA
- National Dance Educators Organization, USA
- New York State Dance Educators Association, USA
- National Academy of Sports Medicine, USA
Activities
- Started the boxing club
- Co-teaching AU Dance Theater and Costume Design for Dance
- Fiber arts, rock climbing, cycling
Professional Experience
- Founder and Owner of Move Into Greatness
- Certified Personal Trainer
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