Undergraduate Representative | Taylor Richardson | Taylor0richardson@gmail.com

Taylor Richardson, native of New Castle, Delaware is a current Senior at Towson University pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography with a concentration in PreK-12 Education and a minor interdisciplinary studies. Taylor began dancing at the age of two and went on to Cab Calloway School of the Arts as dance major for both middle and high school, while also being a member of Pieces of a Dream Dance inc. of Wilmington, DE. Through her college career she has performed works choreographed by Ballet Hispanico, Company E and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. Taylor continues to perform with POAD inc., and has deepened her creative voice through not only her academic understanding but also her personal experiences. Her choreographic work has been accepted to Baltimore Choreographer's Festival and Koresh Dance Showcase, and she hopes to continue to expand her reach in the next year.

Throughout the years she has been diligently working in Arts Administration and Arts Integration through interning with Washington Performing Arts in the Education and Community Engagement departments; Teaching Arts integration classes to students in Towson Community Dance; Presenting at the African American Museum DC as an Arts Integration Assistant; and Presenting in the National Dance Education Organization Conference. She currently sits on the Advisory Board for National Dance Education Organization as the Undergraduate Student Representative for 2023 - 2025.

Graduate Representative | Bradford Chin | bachin@uci.edu

San Francisco native Bradford Chin (he/they) is a dance methodologist, DEIJ & accessibility consultant, and audio describer for dance. Based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and south Florida, he is a recipient of the 2021-2022 Individual Artist Fellowship from the California Arts Council. His works have been described by LA Dance Chronicle as “conceptually fun” and presented at festivals, museums, and schools. Formerly with AXIS Dance Company, he has performed works by choreographers including Arthur Pita, Jennifer Archibald, and Robert Dekkers, and has danced with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Contempo Ballet, and Laurel Jenkins among others.

Specializing in physically integrated dance and inclusive teaching methods, Chin has taught ballet, contemporary modern, improvisation and/as composition in ten states and internationally. He earned a BFA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach (2017) and a Certificate in Social Justice & Diversity from City College of San Francisco (2021). He joined the Dance MFA program at the University of California, Irvine on full fellowship in Fall 2021.

Full bio and additional information are available at https://sites.uci.edu/ BradfordChin.

Student Initiatives Advisor | jo Blake | josephblake@weber.edu 

Joseph “jo” Blake (he/they), University of Utah (BFA, 2003) and University of Washington (MFA, 2017), has performed, taught, and choreographed in the US, Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia. A member of Salt Lake City’s Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company (2003-2013), he performed works by such artists as Alwin Nikolais, Doug Varone, Wayne McGregor, Carolyn Carlson, Bill T Jones, Susan Marshall, Charlotte Boye- Christensen, and other influential dance makers. At UW, jo performed works by Yvonne Rainer, Zvi Gotheiner, Anna Sokolow, Trisha Brown, Joe Goode, Brian Brooks, and Shapiro & Smith. His interest in educational theory, community engagement, and social justice has led him to projects with Minding Motion for Graceful Aging, Yoga Behind Bars and Mark Morris’ Dance for PD. jo is Assistant Professor of Dance at Weber State University, Director of joBdance., NDEO’s Advisory Board Director of Student Initiatives, and Presidential Award Recipient for Community-Engaged Faculty Member.

In lieu of scholarships for the 2020 and 2021 Virtual National Conferences, NDEO offered highly discounted registration rates to all members in light of hte impact the covid-19 pandemic has had on our community.

And in 2022, NDEO offered sholarships to college students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in dance or dance education to help defray the costs associated with attending. Recipients receive complimentary conference registration, one-year complimentary (individual) NDEO membership, and a $300 check presented at conference. View Student Conference Scholarship Info

NDEO supports an NDEO Student Organization (NSO) program at the postsecondary level. Colleges and universities that have a current Institutional Membership can establish an NDEO Student Organization at their institution. NSO's encourage students to participate in activities affiliated with the national organization, including conferences and governance, and to unite on a local level to address important issues and concerns, host activities, and recognize the outstanding accomplishments of one another.  Learn more about setting up an NSO at your college or university.

Photo courtesy of University of Delaware

The NDEO internship program will convert to a remote internship opportunity for Summer 2023. Stay tuned for more information.

NDEO offers internship opportunities for highly motivated, independent, and mature graduate and undergraduate student members of NDEO who seek to understand dance arts education in relation to the national agenda of educational reform. Internships offer practical and challenging experiences in dance education, research, legislation, policy and funding, advocacy, arts or business administration, marketing and publications, conferences, and membership.

The NHSDA Collegiate Program is designed to honor the accomplishments of outstanding undergraduate or graduate students studying dance in a dance major, minor, or elective program at a postsecondary institution. An NHSDA Collegiate Program Chapter can be implemented in any postsecondary institution that supports accredited dance coursework. The institution is required to maintain an NDEO Institutional Membership - Higher Education for as long as the institution hosts an NHSDA Collegiate Program. The chapter can be set up as a one-time honor, as a program of an existing student organization, or as a stand-alone student organization or club with officers, regular meetings, and planned activities. Students must become members of NDEO at either the Undergraduate Student or Graduate Student level in order to be inducted and to receive Graduation with Honors. Click here for more information about starting a NHSDA Collegiate chapter.