AS OF MARCH 12, 2020: Due to the uncertainty of the health crisis we currently face and the University’s decision to move classes online and cancel or postpone campus events until at least April 6, we have decided to postpone our Arts, Design, and Health Research Summit. We will focus on planning events and activities to be held during fall semester that will deepen our investigation of arts/design/health possibilities at Penn State. Please contact adri@psu.edu to express interest in a future ADRI event such as this.
Location: 125 Borland Building (Borland Project Space)
Taught by Michele Dunleavy, associate professor of dance, School of Theatre and Krista Wilkinson, professor of communication sciences and disorders, College of Health and Human Development
This session is part of the Arts, Design, and Health Research Summit organized by the Arts & Design Research Incubator and the Hamer Center for Community Design at Penn State: https://adri.psu.edu/news/arts-design-and-health-exploration-whats-possible-penn-state. Faculty, students, and staff in all disciplines are invited to register for sessions.
Supporting Communication Through Performance is a course that examines how various types of performance activities, such as dance, voice and musical theater, can support communication and participation by people with and without intellectual disabilities. Join us for the chance to participate in this open class!
Register to participate in this class: https://supporting-communication-through-performance.eventbrite.com
Michele Dunleavy Michele joined the musical theatre faculty at Penn State and is currently an Associate Professor of Dance. She has choreographed and performed extensively throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, and is the Artistic Director of Dunleavy Dance Projects. She works in a variety of dance forms including tap, jazz, and modern, and her choreography has been presented by arts organizations in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, NYC, Maryland, and West Virginia. Michele has performed internationally with Kompitus Rhythm Collective (Helsinki), and regionally with Take It Away Productions, Pittsburgh Opera, Junction Dance Theatre, Physical Theatre Project, DANA Movement Ensemble, ETCH Dance Co., and B3W. Full bio at https://theatre.psu.edu/content/michele-dunleavy
Krista Wilkinson is a Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Wilkinson’s primary research focus concerns how to optimize communication interventions for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities, including folks with Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, and other disabilities. For the last four years, Dr. Wilkinson has worked collaboratively with Michele Dunleavy to lead a class at Penn State that explores at the theoretical, empirical, and experiential level how the performing arts can be used as a context for supporting valued communication outcomes in individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. One product of this effort was a mentored honors thesis that explored the experiences of students in this class concerning the mechanisms by which performance arts offer such a powerful means to support communication in individuals with and without disabilities.
