Dr. Mila Parrish is an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina Greensboro where she is the Director of Dance Education teaching undergraduate and graduate dance education courses as well as Laban Movement Analysis and Pilates.

An active scholar, Dr. Parrish’s research has established new trends in movement technology, curricula design and teacher training in the digital arena. Her publications appear in the Journal of Dance Education, Research in Dance Education, Arts Education Policy Review, Journal for Learning through the Arts, the book series, Dance: Current Selected Research and the International Handbook of Research in Arts Education.

Dr. Parrish currently serves on the the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Dance Education Organization (NCDEO) as founding President; the Dance and the Child International (DaCi) as the Newsletter Editor, the Journal for Learning in the Arts (JLTA) and the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) as the Director of Research. Additionally, she serves as Special Guest Faculty with the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at the 92Y Harkness Dance Center in New York and American Dance Festival (ADF).

Prior to her career in higher education, Parrish was a professional dancer and choreographer in NYC, performing with modern, ballet and theatre companies, most notably, The Jean Erdman Theater of Dance, with whom she toured nationally. Her company, Koshin Dance Theater has presented works at various NYC venues including DIA Center for the Arts, P.S. 122, the Morningside Dance Festival and St. Mark’s Church. Mila has been employed in public and private schools as a Program Director, Teaching-Artist and Teacher-Collaborator for BOCES Arts, Creative Arts Laboratory, ArtsBridge America, and the ABC Schools program.

Dr. Parrish received a BFA in choreography and performance and K-12 Teachers Certification from the University of Michigan; an MA in Dance Education from Columbia University in New York and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. She is a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) from the Laban Institute of Movement Studies in NYC and is a comprehensively certified Pilates instructor with Balanced Body and is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance. Mila began her studies in the Pilates method with first generation master teacher and elder Romana Kryzanowska and has been practicing and teaching ever since. She has trained with Master teachers Martha Eddy, Anne Green Gilbert, Ann Kipling Brown, Ann Hutchenson Guest, Kellee Stokes, Anna Jones, Melissa Kakavas, Chantel Lopez, and Eric Franklin. Her publications on Labanotation, Motif Writing and enhanced movement cognition support her deep interest helping dancers develop body awareness and creative skills, strength, balance, and freedom.

Dr. Parrish is nationally and internationally recognized for her work in dance pedagogy, educational technology and interdisciplinary instruction. A leader in the dance education community, Parrish has offering over 100 professional development courses, seminars and workshops thought the US and in Canada, China, Finland, Brazil, Greece, Portugal and the Netherlands. Mila as established numerous service and community engagement initiatives including; Dancers Connect a free community dance program, iDance AZ and iDance SC a standards-based curriculum delivery system of dance instruction using videoconferenced technologies, Embodied History reconstruction initiatives, Magellan undergraduate scholarship, as well as spearheading professional development programs: Hip Hop for Hope, Jazz it Up, Evolving Dance through Connectivity, Movement of Inspired Minds.

Dr. Parrish is the 2011 recipient of the Dance Advocacy Award from the South Carolina Dance Association and the 2012 Faculty Advisor Award from the University of South Carolina and the 2015 Leadership Award for her community initiatives and scholarly work from the National Dance Education Organization and the 2016 Faculty Excellence in Research and Creative Activity Award for her research in service learning and community partnerships from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.