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Cissy Whipp

I have been a performer, choreographer, and dance educator for over 45 years. My goal is to continue to choreograph and perform as an independent artist, working collaboratively with various musicians, actors, poets, and dancers. I received my B.F.A. in Choreographic Design from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and my M.A. in Performing Arts: Dance from the American University in Washington, D.C. I returned to Louisiana to co-found Louisiana’s first professional modern dance company, Moving South Dance, Inc. I toured for several years with Young Audiences of New Orleans and performed in France and Belgium with La Compagnie Louisianaise. I have taught for university dance programs at American University, George Washington University, Potsdam State University of New York, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In 1999, I joined the John F. Kennedy Center’s roster of Teaching Artists and presented workshops nationally for teachers on integrating dance into the curriculum. I am the author of three professional development workshops for the Kennedy Center: “Kinesthetic Learning: Linking Language and Dance,” “Exploring Ecosystems Through Movement,” and “Exploring Symbols of Culture through Movement and Writing: West African Textile Art.” I am an Artist Fellow with Louisiana A+ Schools, presenting professional development for educators and modeling arts-integrated teaching in schools throughout the state. I have worked with Acting Up in Acadiana for over 20 years. I recently retired as the Dance Specialist at the J. Wallace James Elementary School for Arts & Technology, where I worked for 20 years. I recently returned to the Performing Arts Department at UL Lafayette, where I teach Philosophy and History of Dance I, Dance and World Cultures, Dance Pedagogy, and Choreography II. The Louisiana Board of Regents commissioned me in 2021 to co-write an Open Educational Resource textbook called “So You Think You Know Dance.” My most recent project is called "Embodying Our Voices," a series of creative movement and life writing workshops for seniors with writer/poet Clare Martin.
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