I am an independent scholar holding a PhD in Critical Dance Studies from the University of California, Riverside and a BA in Dance and English from Marymount Manhattan College. I have taught at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Sol C. Johnson High School (International Baccalaureate program), Kennesaw State University, Santa Ana College, and the University of California, Riverside. 

My current research utilizes a case study of Gaga, the movement language developed by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin, to explore broader trends, values, and issues present in contemporary dance training. Drawing on a decade of ethnographic research across the United States, Israel, and in Germany as well as interviews with students, teachers, and participants of the internationally popular practice, I explore a range of multi-layered politics embedded in Gaga. For instance, in a publication in Dance Research Journal I unpack the ways in which Gaga's pedagogical strategy and structures functions as a metatechnique, which is uniquely suited to prepare students to succeed in the neoliberal contemporary dance market. Other politics I explore in Gaga include gender and sexuality, nationalism, technique, ableism, and institutionalization. My broader research interests involve various iterations of embodied politics in dance, education, and daily life. 

As a movement practitioner, I am trained in ballet, various forms of modern dance such as Graham and Horton, tap, and improvisation. In addition to my conservatory-style dance training, I have extensive experience practicing Gaga in classes, workshops, and multiple intensives in Tel Aviv. I am also an active yoga practitioner. 

When not moving, writing, reading, or thinking, I am usually trying to pet dogs and get them to dance with me. I am also a proud mother and rescue dog owner.