Department of Dance - University of Maryland

Department of Dance

Judith Lynne Hanna is a Senior Research Scholar in the Department of Dance and a Mentor for Intercultural Performing Arts in the Individual Studies Program at the University of Maryland. Dr. Hanna has conducted research on how dance communicates in villages and cities in Africa, theaters, school playgrounds and classrooms, and adult entertainment exotic dance clubs in the U.S. Dr. Hanna is also a dance critic.

Her landmark books are: To Dance Is Human: A Theory of Nonverbal Communication (University of Chicago Press), Dance, Sex, and Gender: Signs of Identity, Dominance, Defiance and Desire (University of Chicago Press), The Performer-Audience Connection (University of Texas Press), Disruptive School Behavior (Holmes and Meier Press), Partnering Dance and Education (Human Kinetics), and just published, Dancing for Health: Conquering and Preventing Stress (AltaMira Press).

She has published more than 300 scholarly and popular articles on dance in, e.g., numerous encyclopedia, Ballet Review, City and Society, Creativity in Performance, Comparative Urban Research, Current Anthropology, Dance, Gender and Culture, Dance International, Dance Magazine, Dance Research Journal, Dance Spirit, Dance Teacher, Dancer, The Drama Review, Exotic Dance, First Amendment Lawyers Association, Interethnic Communication, Journal of Arts Management, Law & Society, Journal of Dance Education, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, Journal of Planning Literature, New York Times, Play and Culture Studies, Policy Studies Review, Stagebill, and Washington Post.

A former Los Angeles City School Teacher, Dr. Hanna offered a unique interdisciplinary high school program with dance, social studies, and writing at the Gill School in Bernardsville, New Jersey. She has taught dance for children and adults and at several universities. She has given workshops in dance education K-12 for teachers.

Dr. Hanna has lectured at more than 50 colleges and universities, addressed more than 30 association meetings and special conferences and seminars; published her work in 14 countries (Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Jamaica, Netherlands, Poland, Santo Domingo, Sweden, and United Kingdom); and appeared on radio and television in Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, Nigeria, Sweden, Cuba, and the U.S.

Since 1995, Dr. Hanna has served as an expert court witness across the country in about 100 First Amendment cases related to dance. Her testimony is quoted in numerous court decisions. For more information visit her web site at www.judithhanna.com/.

For information call: Department of Dance (301) 405-3180
or email: dancedept@umd.edu