Denise Purvis (she/her)

Denise Purvis, PhD, MFA, BA, is a professional dancer, choreographer, and dance educator with over twenty years of experience. Denise’s professional experience includes directing her own dance company, Shifting Velocity Dance, performing at domestic and international dance festivals, and dancing with Richmond dance company, Starr Foster Dance Project.

Purvis currently serves as dance department head at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts & Technology and teaches yoga at Virginia Commonwealth University. An avid dance scholar and writer, she has presented research in several international conferences, and published internationally, with articles in the Journal of Dance Education and the Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices. Current research interests include somatic practice as post-structuralist and process philosophy in praxis, as well as 4E cognition in the dance classroom.

Denise's certification in the Bill Evans Method of Dance Pedagogy enriches her classes by providing a strong foundation for fully integrated, efficient, and healthy movement. She serves on the National Dance Education Organization’s committees for Action and Accountability and Strategic Planning. Past experience includes serving as dance education specialist at Southern Utah University, and directing the dance program for the Chesterfield County Specialty Center for the Arts at Thomas Dale High School in Chester, VA.

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