Carol M. Press

Dr. Carol M. Press is a Continuing Lecturer in the Department of Theater & Dance at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Her work bridges dance, psychology, and education through interdisciplinary research and practice. She holds an Ed.D. from Columbia University in Dance Education and Clinical Psychology. Press is a choreographer, scholar, and educator, emphasizing the intersection of creativity, pedagogy, and self-exploration. Her book The Dancing Self: Creativity, Modern Dance, Self Psychology, and Transformative Education explores relational dynamics between dance, psychology, and education. Currently, she co-authors Contemporary Dance Lighting: The Poetry and Nitty-Gritty and co-edited Creating Dance: A Traveler’s Guide. She teaches dance history and pedagogy at UCSB and conducts workshops on creativity, movement, and interdisciplinary discovery.

Her research spans creativity in art, dance choreography, and psychoanalysis. Notable presentations include linking her choreography Splinter of Hope to creativity discourse at the Spoleto Festival and discussing Luminous at the International Psychoanalytical Association Congress. Press served as a Dance Artist-in-Residence in Santa Barbara schools and contributed to the National Dance Education Organization’s research database. Her career integrates performance, scholarship, and pedagogy to explore action-theory interplay.