U Hosting 2025 CORPS de Ballet International Conference

The School of Dance will host the 27th Annual CORPS de Ballet International Conference on the U campus from 6/18–20. CORPS is the only academic organization with a mission focused on ballet in higher education. School of Dance Director, Melonie B. Murray, currently serves as president of the organization, and many School of Dance alumni, faculty, and staff are involved in this year's conference - including board members Associate Professor Joselli Deans and alumni Tyler Schnese (Ballet MFA '23) and Yvonne Racz (English BA '89). Additional alumni, faculty, and staff involved in the conference include: peer-reviewed presenters Colleen Barnes (Ballet MFA '17), Emma Capen (Ballet MFA '25), Julia Gleich (Ballet BFA '94 & Distinguished Alumni '14), Rebekah Joann Guerra (Ballet MFA '24), Jamie Johnson (Ballet BFA '03, English BA '03)Thea van Warmerdam Patterson (Ballet MFA '23), and Justine Sheedy-Kramer; guest panelists Karina Biancone (Ballet BFA ’17), Adjunct Instructor Allison DeBona, Michaela Gerard (Ballet BFA ’16, Psychology BS ‘16), Sierra Govett (Ballet BFA ‘18, Environmental Studies BS ‘18), Sarah Rinderknecht (Ballet BFA ’23, Accounting BS '23, Entrepreneurship Minor '23), Stacie Brown Riskin (Ballet BFA ’14), Carly Schaub (Modern MFA ’15), Ashley Jian Thomson (Ballet BFA ‘18, Communications BS ‘18), and Adjunct Instructor Rex Tilton; and conference planning committee member Associate Professor (lecturer) Christine McMillan.