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Updated 2/27/2023

Betsy Miller

  • Massachusetts

    MA

Institution/Business Type: Artist / Creative (Individual)

My choreography has been described as haunting, spunky, full of imagination, and relentlessly quirky. I define my work as physically-motivated dance theatre which says YES to authenticity and honesty. 

I make dances to wrestle with my despair and to let us laugh and cry at the same time.

Magic, myth, and memory are part of my work. Because of this, what I create looks and feels whimsical. 

I am energized by collaborative processes with other artists, which I understand  as a practice of charting the shared borders of our imaginations.

​Audience members are my collaborators, too.

Born and raised in rural Ohio, Betsy Miller is a dance artist, educator, and facilitator now based in Salem, Massachusetts. Her choreography blends improvisational practice, ritual, athleticism, and theatricality through collaborative practices, and has been presented in New York, Ohio, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Iowa, Nevada, and Texas. She has performed with Lostwax Multimedia Dance and Fusionworks, and has recently appeared in works by Kathleen Hermesdorf, Heidi Henderson, Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp, Audrey MacLean and Rachel Boggia, and in collaborations with Matthew Cumbie, Lida Winfield, and Shawn Hove. She has recently presented at the International Association for Dance Medicine Science (Helsinki, Finland), Dance Studies Association (Vancouver, Canada), National Dance Education Association (Miami, FL), and TEDxSalemStateUniversity.



Miller was a 2017 Bates Dance Festival Emerging Artist, a 2016 Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Choreography Fellow, and a 2019 Next Steps for Boston Dance Awardee. She has received support from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Somerville Arts Council, The City of Salem, Gloucester Cultural Council, The City of Providence Department of Art, Culture & Tourism, and The Ohio State University.



Currently serving as Associate Professor of Dance at Salem State University, Miller has been on faculty at Providence College, Connecticut College, Dean College, and AS220 (Providence, RI), and regularly teaches and performs as a guest artist throughout New England and beyond. She holds an MFA in Dance from The Ohio State University and a BA in Dance from Connecticut College. More info at betsymillerdanceprojects.com

 

 

 

Find Me

Betsy Miller
Job Title: Director
Address:
Salem, MA 01970

Social Media:

Additional Content:

About

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Artist / Creative (Individual)

Legal Status:

Commercial / For profit - Sole proprietorship

Year Founded:

2006

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Artist / Creative (Individual)

Legal Status:

Commercial / For profit - Sole proprietorship

Year Founded:

2006

Disciplines

Primary Discipline:

Dance - Modern / Contemporary

Activities and Services

Activities and Services:

  • Creation of a Work of Art (Including Commissions)
  • Public Art Projects (In Free, Public Spaces)
  • Arts Instruction / Lessons
  • Residency - In School
  • Workshops / Demonstrations / Master Class
  • Professional Development / Training
  • Performance / Concert / Reading
  • Residency - Community
  • Community Arts
Seasons Active: spring, summer, fall, winter
Events Per Year: 8

Communities

Populations Engaged:

  • Adults
  • Businesses
  • Families
  • General Public
  • LGBTQ Populations
  • Nonprofits
  • School Groups
  • Teens

Languages Available:

  • English

Geographic Reach:

  • International

Media Gallery

A solo dancer in black tilts sideways on one leg, with her arms outstretched.
A dancer in pink crouches next to a wooden room divider in a museum gallery and shines a light on her face. One the other side of the divider, two musicians play their instruments.
A woman kneels on the ground in front of a mirror in a dance studio, smiling at a dancer who is lying on the floor nearby, laughing.
A woman gestures in front of a projection screen on which a dancer appears.
A woman dancer stands on one leg with her other limbs outstretched. A circle of varied clothing lies on the wood floor, forming a ring around the dancer.
Five dancers wearing brightly colored dresses reach desperately for the ceiling.
Two women dancers in pink shirts and pants reach for their back legs while jumping slightly off the floor
Four dancers in brightly colored clothing stand next to eachother, some of them holding hands with their arms criss-crossing in front of them.
Rich Ferri

I Have Worked With

Affiliations and Accomplishments

Professional Associations

Professional Associations:

  • Dance Studies Association
  • National Dance Education Organization

Professional Associations

Professional Associations:

  • Dance Studies Association
  • National Dance Education Organization

Awards

Awards:

  • New England Dance Fund Grantee/Alum Network
  • 2019 Next Steps for Boston Dance recipient
  • 2017 Bates Dance Festival Emerging Artist
  • 2016 Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Fellowship

Education

Education:

  • MFA in Dance, The Ohio State University, 2011
  • BA in Dance, Connecticut College, 2005

Special Designations

Special Designations:

  • NEFA Grant Recipient

Artist Info

Teaching Artist

Teaching Settings:

  • Afterschool Program
  • Arts and Cultural Center / Venue
  • Community Site / Center
  • Corporate Business
  • Healthcare Facility
  • Private Studio
  • School / University
  • Virtual / Remote

Ages Served:

  • Elementary School-age
  • Middle School-age
  • High School-age
  • College-age
  • Adults
  • Seniors

Subject Areas:

  • Dance

Fee range:

$200+

Teaching Artist

Teaching Settings:

  • Afterschool Program
  • Arts and Cultural Center / Venue
  • Community Site / Center
  • Corporate Business
  • Healthcare Facility
  • Private Studio
  • School / University
  • Virtual / Remote

Ages Served:

  • Elementary School-age
  • Middle School-age
  • High School-age
  • College-age
  • Adults
  • Seniors

Subject Areas:

  • Dance

Fee range:

$200+

Touring Artist

NEST Eligible Artist

Technical Requirements:

  • case-by-case

Fee Range:

$200 - $15,000

State of Residence:

Massachusetts

Minimum Number of Performers:

1

Maximum Number of Performers:

8