Christine Bergeron

Christine is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts. She served as the Director of Dance for 15 years prior to her appointment as Associate Dean. She received a B.A. in Dance from the University of Akron and an MFA in Choreography and Performance from Florida State University. Currently, she is seeking her Ph.D. in Dance Science from the University of Wolverhampton with a research interest in Pilates and its impact on dance training and performance. Chris is certified in Pilates Mat through the advanced level and is an Associate Instructor for the Pilates Equipment work from the Physical Mind Institute and Balanced Body. Her dance science research on Pilates and its impact on dancers has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented internationally and nationally at various conferences. Choreographically, Chris and a team of collaborators including dance faculty Carisa Armstrong created an evening-length work about the Holocaust titled, But Where There’s Hope, There’s Life. Through this project, the team hopes to expand the project into schools to help teach history through art.  Additionally, she is interested in how the choreographer and performer are impacted by the integration of technology in dance performance. Other choreographic works have been presented throughout the nation in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, New York, California, Illinois, Texas, Mexico, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Chris has received numerous awards for teaching including the Dance Master Educator award for College/University from the National Dance Society (NDS) and the Dance Educator of the Year from the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (TAHPERD). She has also received the Honor Award from the TAHPERD for her choreographic and dance science research.

Pilates and the impact it has on dance performance; conditioning to improve injury rates in dancers; the integration of art in education to teach history; interactive performance between dance and virtual and augmented worlds with a focus on the impact on the choreographer and performer