Elizabeth Coker

Elizabeth (Betsy) Coker, Assistant Arts Professor in the Department of Dance, received her Doctorate of Education in Motor Learning and Control from Teachers College of Columbia University. She holds an MA in Motor Learning and a BA in Psychology and Dance from Columbia University. Prior to initiating her academic career, Professor Coker trained at the Washington School of Ballet and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, then joined The Washington Ballet for several seasons. She has been a member of the Seán Curran Company since 2006, and its Co-Artistic Director since 2014.

Prof. Coker’s areas of research include multi-sensory integration control and mental imagery in dancers. Her work has been published or cited in multiple scientific journals including the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science and Frontiers of Human Neuroscience, and she has served as peer reviewer for the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science. She has taught and set choreography in university dance departments and dance companies across the country as well as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Opera de Montreal, San Diego Opera and Yale Repertory Theater.

Prof. Coker was awarded several fellowships and grants through Teachers College, Career Transitions for Dancers, and the Surdna Foundation. She also serves as a lecturer in Movement Analysis at Barnard College and is Director of Tisch Dance’s Summer High School program, in addition to mentoring graduate students in dance science research at Columbia and NYU.