Dr. Mila Parrish
Program Director
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Mila Parrish is the Director of Dance Education. Parrish joined the faculty of the UNCG College of Visual and Performing Arts in August 2012 and in that short time she has established instructional initiatives including, Dancers Connect a free community dance program, iDance NC a curriculum of dance instruction using videoconferencing and interactive technologies, reconstruction initiatives and community service programs.
Parrish is nationally and internationally recognized for her work in pedagogy and interdisciplinary instruction giving numerous professional development workshops, and over 70 national and international conference sessions, panels and presentations thought the US and in Canada, China, Finland, Brazil, Greece, Portugal and the Netherlands including the Keynote Address on Dance and Technology at the Taipei Dance Education Research Consortium in Taipei, Taiwan. Her pedagogy and community scholarship has been celebrated in Dance Magazine and Dancer Teacher Now publications.
She has served on the Executive Board of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) as the Director of Technology, Dance and the Child International (daCi) as the Newsletter Editor, the Dance Notation Bureau (DNB) and the Journal for Learning in the Arts (JLTA). Her scholarship and publications have established new trends in dance technology, integrated curriculum and teacher training in the digital arena. Parrish has published in a wide range of journals, including Journal of Dance Education, Journal of Learning in the Arts, and the International Journal of Dance Education and is the recipient of grant support exceeding $1.1M for her own work and has served as PI and as a collaborator on NSF, USDOE, AZDOE, ASU VP of Research grant support exceeding $2.1M. Of her many honors include the 2011 Advocacy Award for leadership in dance education from the SCDA. The award is granted to individuals who have made sustained contributions dance in the areas of advocacy, innovation in pedagogy, quality of community initiatives and personal leadership and integrity.
Dr. Parrish is the 2018-2019 recipient of the Outstanding Dance Educator Award from the National Dance Education Organization. This award identifies a leading educator who has made vital contributions to the dance education field, who inspires and motivates their students and who have made a significant impact in their school community.
Yahira Robinson
UNCG Student Director of Dancers Connect program
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Yahira is working towards her Dance Education degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The Greensboro native joined Dancers Connect as a student at the age of 12, this eventually inspired her to join her middle school’s dance team, so she could dance more than only on Saturdays. Once in high school, she participated in her school’s performing arts club, where she acted, sung, and danced. These experiences have given her the passion for dance and she hopes to one day travel and teach dance to children.
Magalli Morana
UNCG Student Director of Dancers Connect program
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Magalli Morana is a senior at UNCG pursuing her BFA in Dance with K-12 Licensure and a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. She is from Gibsonville, North Carolina and has danced all her life, cultivating a passion for performing, choreographing, and sharing the joys of dance with others through teaching. After graduation, she hopes to teach dance in the NC public school system, continue nonprofit work, and eventually pursue graduate school. Magalli is very excited to be involved with Dancers Connect again this semester and can’t wait to share her love of dance with the students!