VCU Dance | About VCU Dance

Faculty

Martha Curtis (Professor) is a dancer, teacher, choreographer, and video producer/director who served for ten years as Chair of VCU Dance. Since 1996, she dedicated the lion’s share of her professional life to providing leadership for VCU Dance: a thriving, diverse and cohesive community of dance artists who are dedicated to education, collaboration, creativity, and critical dialogue. Ms. Curtis’s activities as chair included promoting the program to national visibility, originating faculty development initiatives, refining curriculum, and starting the operations of the Grace Street Theatre following its renovation in 1995. She led the acquisition and renovation of the VCU Dance Center basement to create studio and classroom space as well as a costume shop. Throughout her tenure as chair she has worked with the School of the Arts Development Staff and Dance department staff to raise a total of over $1,000,000 for the department’s vital guest artist and scholarship programs. Most recently she spearheaded the university approval of a new BFA degree program for the Trainees of the Richmond Ballet.

Martha Curtis led the department in developing numerous presenting and guest artist–in-residence projects including; Urban Bush Women, Robert Battle and Battleworks, Gerri Houlihan, Jose Limon Dance Company, Clay Taliaferro, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Peak Performance Plus -20th Anniversary Gala hosted by Martha@, Joe Goode Performance Group, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, David Dorfman Dance, Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig, Bebe Miller, Live Sax Acts, Doug Varone, Risa Steinberg, Gesel Mason, Gus Solomons Jr., Paradigm and Ron Brown evidence. Guest artist concerts were integrated with the department’s guest artist program that enhanced departmental curriculum with 3-7 week teaching residencies in which students experience.

Ms. Curtis also directed VCU Dance in its first self-study for the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD) resulting in full accreditation in 1999. She served as President of the Council of Dance Administrators (CODA) and serves as an outside evaluator for the NASD. In fall of 2006 she was elected to serve on the NASD Commission on Accreditation. Ms. Curtis’s other teaching credits include The Ohio State University, University of California Santa Cruz, Brooklyn College and the Booker T. Washington High School of the Performing and Visual Arts of Dallas, Texas. VCU DANCE website: www.vcu.edu/artweb/dance

In January of 2007 Ms. Curtis was delighted to pass the VCU Dance Chairmanship to Dr. James Frazier who is now serving as the new VCU Dance Chair.

Beginning in the early 1990s, Ms. Curtis choreographed, produced and directed videodance works. Her most recent videodance broadcast, Deconstructed Dialogues was created in collaboration with Central Virginia’s Public Television and was distributed by the National Educational Telecommunications Association for national broadcast on PBS. Her videodance work, On the Tracks was selected by RD Studio Productions of Paris, France for international distribution to television stations in Europe and Canada. Three Dances by Martha Curtis was distributed by the American Program Service for national broadcast on PBS and by Heartland USA of PBS for broadcast in India, Pakistan and China. Her video work has been selected for screening at several festivals including the Grand Prix International Video Danse, Paris, France; the American Dance Festival; Dancing for the Camera International Dance and Video Festival; the 3rd Mondail Video - 15th International Film and Video Festival, Brussels, Belgium; and the Dance Films Association Dance-on-Camera Festival in New York. She has twice received Silver Awards at the World Fest Houston International Film and Video Festival and she has received two Telly Awards. She and Bruce Berryhill teach a Video/Choreography Workshop at VCU and as guest in Universities and Festivals.

She began her professional dance career by performing for six years with the New York based Pauline Koner Dance Company. She has also preformed in works by Jose Limon, Sharon Kinney, Rachel Harms, Doug Varone, Chris Burnside, Ruth Solomon, and Dan Froot. She received one of the first choreographer’s fellowships from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and her choreography has been selected for showcases throughout the United States.

Virginia Commonwealth University
School of the Arts
Department of Dance and Choreography
dance@vcu.edu
Date Last Modified: 8/21/2008