Mair Culbreth

Mair Culbreth is an Assistant Professor in the Dance Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Director of the Pilates Certificate Program. She holds a Ph.D. in Dance Studies from The Ohio State University, an M.S. in Kinesiology from San Francisco State University, and a B.A. in Multidisciplinary Studies from North Carolina State University. Her work bridges dance, cultural studies, and neuroscience, focusing on embodiment, social justice, and the intersection of movement with identity and health. Dr. Culbreth’s research employs critical frameworks including Queer Theory, Critical Disability Studies, and Feminist Theory to explore movement’s role in challenging social norms and promoting agency.

Her creative and scholarly practice integrates somatic methods like Pilates, Yoga, and Somatics with neuroplasticity research, particularly addressing populations with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s and Traumatic Brain Injury. She has collaborated on an NIH-funded study examining movement’s impact on aging and health and developed curricula for embodied education in K-12 settings. Dr. Culbreth has performed with prominent Bay Area companies and served on the Congress on Research in Dance (CORD) board, advocating for graduate student initiatives.

Her awards include the Bay Area Izzie Award for Performance (2003). Current projects emphasize interdisciplinary collaborations between dance, science, and healthcare, prioritizing movement as both artistic expression and therapeutic intervention.