Leah Glenn

Areas of Specialization

Choreography, Performance, Labanotation Reconstructions

Courses Taught

All levels of Ballet and Modern Dance Technique Movement as Communication/COLL 100 Dance, Poetry, Visual Art & Social Justice/COLL 350 History of American Vernacular Dance History of Modern Dance

Student Advising

Orchesis Dance Company, Dance Minors

Background

Leah Glenn received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance Choreographic Theory and Practice from Southern Methodist University as well as her Teacher's Certification in Labanotation from Ohio State University. Glenn received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Management from Goucher College. While there, she performed as a soloist for artist-in-residence, Gary Masters, and was a member of the PATH modern dance company. Ms. Glenn has also received extensive training from Jacob's Pillow, the Chautauqua Institute and has worked with the Philadelphia Dance Company where she trained with Milton Meyers and Denise Jefferson.

Prior to teaching at William and Mary, Glenn was Assistant Professor and Head of Dance at Hampton University for two years. While at Hampton, she directed the Terpsichorean Dance Company and established the first African American chapter of the National Dance Association's Nu Delta Alpha Honor Society. After joining the faculty at William & Mary in 2006, her reconstructions of Pearl Primus’ Bushasche Etude, the Parsons Etude, the Limon Etude, Anna Sokolow's Rooms Etude and Donald McKayle's Rainbow Etude have been presented by William and Mary. She has also reconstructed the Rainbow Etude at Southern Methodist University, Old Dominion University and Hampton University. Her most recent reconstructions include Lynchtown by Charles Weidman and a collaboration with Paul Taylor Dance Company member, Parisa Khobdeh on Taylor’s work entitled, The Word.

In addition to her original work and historical reconstructions, Glenn also co-choreographed Journey of Destiny, the retelling of the settlement of Jamestown, which was part of the Jamestown 400th Anniversary Celebration. Several of her works have been presented at the annual International Association for Blacks in Dance Conferences. Her company, Leah Glenn Dance Theatre, has presented concerts at the Katzen Museum, Dance Place, the Millennium Stage of the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and the ASWAD (Association for the Study of Worldwide African Diaspora) Conference at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in November 2019. Glenn also presented a series of master classes, Artist Talks and performances at the Carver Community Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas, Dogtown Dance Theatre in Richmond, Virginia and at Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana. In addition to her role as Founder and Artistic Director of Leah Glenn Dance Theatre (LGDT), Glenn is a Full Professor completing her eighteenth year at William & Mary and was recently named the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Dance.