Stephanie Thibeault, M.F.A., is a lifelong dancer, choreographer, and dance educator. She holds her M.F.A. in Dance from University of Maryland and a B.F.A. in Dance from Missouri State University. She spent nearly a decade in the Washington DC/Baltimore area, working as a professional dancer, choreographer, and dance educator, before serving as a dance faculty member at several institutions, including University of Maryland, Dickinson College, Wichita State University, and most recently, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she helped launch the state’s first B.F.A. in Dance. Originally trained in classical ballet, Thibeault discovered modern dance in college and went on to perform professionally in modern and postmodern dance, as well as in musical theatre. She was a professional company member of Kinetics Dance Theatre and a founding member of SURGE Dance Company of Baltimore. Thibeault has performed and presented work in New York City; Baltimore, MD; Washington, DC; Lisbon, Portugal; and many other cities, large and small. In addition to working with numerous amazing choreographers, including Deborah Hay, Joe Goode and Doug Varone, she has also had the pleasure of performing with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Parsons Dance Company. Stephanie Thibeault’s international teaching and choreographic career includes residencies with dance companies and universities across the U.S. and as far away as Taiwan. While much of her choreographic work has involved combining her passions for jazz music and modern/postmodern dance, Thibeault continues to seek out new ways to explore the human condition through movement. Professor Thibeault has served on the Board of Directors for the National Dance Education Organization, and believes that the art of dance and dance education have the power to touch souls, awaken spirits, heal and strengthen bodies and minds, build communities, elevate societies, and transform lives.