Billie Lepczyk
Billie Lepczyk, Professor
School of Performing Arts
345 Henderson Hall (0141)
195 Alumni Mall
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540-231-7282
lepczyk@vt.edu
Billie Lepczyk is recognized worldwide for her research in movement analysis and dance style and for the creative dance course she developed at Virginia Tech for the University Curriculum for Liberal Education.
Her research includes the movement styles of classical ballet, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Twyla Tharp, Pilobolus Dance Theatre, and George Balanchine’s neo-classic ballet and the dance theories of the traditional “Seven Movements in Dancing” and “Margaret H’Doubler’s Classification of Movement Qualities.”
The National Dance Association published the prototype of her creative dance curriculum as a monograph entitled Dance Literacy: Creative Dance as a Writing Intensive Course.
She was instrumental in developing the Dance Company of Virginia Tech and the Contemporary Dance Ensemble.
- Production/Research Areas: Creative Dance, Choreography, Movement Analysis
- Teaching Areas: Creative Dance, Choreography
- EdD, Columbia University
- Certified Professional Notator, Dance Notation Bureau
- Certified Movement Analyst, Dance Notation Bureau
- Certified Labanotation Teacher, Dance Notation Bureau
- MA, Columbia University
- BA, Michigan State University
- Co-Editor, Dance: Current Selected Research, Voumes 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9
- Board of Reviewers, Journal of Movement Arts Literacy
- Board of Trustees (Chair 2008-2016), International Council of Kinetography Laban
- Chair, Board of Directors, Dance Notation Bureau
- Board of Directors, Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies
- Athens Institute for Education and Research
- Charter Member, National Dance Education Organization
- Congress on Research in Dance
- University Alumni Award for Research Excellence, Virginia Tech
- Excellence in Research and Creative Scholarship Award, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Virginia Tech
- William E. Wine University Teaching Award, Virginia Tech
- Academy of Teaching Excellence, Virginia Tech
- University Dance Educator of the Year Award, National Dance Association
- Scholar/Artist Award, National Dance Association
- Summer Fellow, Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Virginia Tech
- Catalyst Fellow, Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, Virginia Tech
- Fellow, International Council of Kinetography Laban
- Fellow, Research Consortium, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance
- Teachers College Fellow, Columbia University
Who has most influenced you? Why?
The inspiration for designing a course accessible to all undergraduate students to experience dance-making is the result of my association with the late Maxine Greene, the educator/philosopher who promoted the arts as a fundamental learning tool in education.
Greene was Philosopher-in-Residence at the Lincoln Center Institute and my doctoral advisor at Columbia University.