Betsy Brandt

bio

Betsy Brandt is an interdisciplinary dance educator, dramaturg, writer, maker, and mover. Currently a Teaching Associate Professor in Dance at Illinois, Brandt teaches courses in history, theory, composition, and technique across non-major, major, and graduate student populations. A pioneer of the emergent role of dramaturgy in dance and film projects, Brandt defines the dramaturg’s role as part advocate, part curator, part skeptic, and part embodied witness. In this ever-evolving capacity, Brandt has collaborated with Sara Hook, Elizabeth Johnson, Jacob Henss, Kate Corby, Paul Matteson, Jennifer Monson, Joanna Dee Das, Elinor Harrison, and Paul Moon, among others. She has presented her scholarship at the Special Topics conference for the Congress on Research in Dance, the Dance Writing Lab at NCCAkron, the Illinois Dance Educators conference, and the Lorado Taft Lectureship series. She earned her MFA in dance, with a research emphasis in art history, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her BA in dance and political history from Kenyon College. Currently a Public Voices Fellow for the OpEd Project, Brandt relishes in the never-ending attempt to wrestle the profound power of dance into writing that is accessible and impactful for all.