Ray Eliot Schwartz

Ray Eliot Schwartz is an Instructor in the Dance Program at Duke University's Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. With over 38 years of experience, he specializes in Somatic Movement Education, exploring embodiment through artistic, cultural, and philosophical lenses. His teaching focuses on somatic practices and contemporary dance, including courses like DANCE 575S: Somatic Movement Arts: Embodied Human Being.

• Education:
  • M.F.A. in Dance, University of Texas at Austin (2006)
  • B.F.A. in Dance and Choreography, Virginia Commonwealth University
  • North Carolina School of the Arts (High School)
• Professional Training:
  • Body-Mind Centering certification (Amherst College, 1999)

Research Interests

Clarifies embodiment as an artistic/social practice, integrates Somatic Movement Education into contemporary dance, and examines philosophical/political/aesthetic dimensions of embodiment through movement, choreography, and pedagogy.

Awards & Honors

• Notable recognitions include the 2022 Research Associate Fellowship and 2019 UDLAP-Cambridge Fellowship.

Teaching & Mentorship

Focuses on somatic practices, movement education, and interdisciplinary approaches to dance pedagogy. Recent courses emphasize embodied human experience and aesthetic movement principles.