Ellie Harrison (she/her) is a teaching artist and movement scientist whose work spans performance, choreography, teaching and neuroscientific inquiry into human movement. She has performed nationally and internationally with numerous dance and theatre companies. While dancing with Jane Comfort and Company, she performed at venues such as the Joyce, Jacob’s Pillow, and La Mama, and was hailed by the Boston Globe as “sprite-like” and noted by the New York Times for her “forceful tumbling phrases”. She also danced for choreographers including Noémie Lafrance, Thomas/Ortiz, Nancy Meehan, Mary Seidman, and Carlos Orta.
Her theatre career included touring and regional productions of “A Chorus Line”, “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying”, “Hello Dolly!”, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”, “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, and “Evita”, among others. On film, she can be seen in “Black Swan”, “Friends with Benefits”, and “Every Little Step.” Her own choreography has been presented at The Field, Movement Research, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Dance New Amsterdam, and the Invisible Dog.
She holds a PhD in Movement Science from Washington University in St. Louis. She currently teaches dance and neuroscience courses while conducting research studies to help people with movement impairments due to aging and neurological decline. Her current lines of research include using singing to improve walking in people with Parkinson disease, ballet to improve balance in older women, and somatic-based therapy to benefit people with hypermobility disorders.
Photo credit: Brea Youngblood