معرفی
Colleen Barnes is an Assistant Professor of Dance – Ballet and Area Chair at the University of Akron’s School of Dance, Theatre, and Arts Administration. She teaches and choreographs while overseeing ballet programs. Her professional background includes roles at the Joffrey Ballet School since 2009 as faculty and Artistic Director of Joffrey South and Joffrey Colorado summer intensives. She collaborated with New Jersey City University to develop a BFA program meeting NASD standards.
Her research explores ballet’s historical exclusion, particularly colonial influences on 19th-century ballet. She presented at the Dance Studies Association (Malta, 2018) and CORPS de Ballet (Florida State University, 2019). Barnes danced with the Dayton Ballet, Ballet Pensacola, and Dance Now! Miami, alongside freelance work with David Holmes. She holds a BFA from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and an MFA from the University of Utah.
Her teaching philosophy emphasizes student autonomy and joy through ballet practice. While no specific publications are listed, her scholarly work centers on decolonizing ballet pedagogy and historical critique. She remains active in arts administration and curriculum innovation.
