Michele
AINZA

My artistic practice is grounded in the belief that movement is both an expressive language and a form of embodied inquiry through which we investigate identity, relationships, memory, and the complexities of human experience. As a choreographer, dance artist, educator, and certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst, I approach creative practice as an evolving dialogue between physical experience, artistic imagination, and the cultural and social environments in which movement occurs.

My choreography emerges through a process of exploration, improvisation, observation, and collaboration. Rather than imposing a predetermined movement vocabulary, I investigate the individual and collective possibilities of the performers with whom I work. I am particularly interested in how movement reveals the relationships between internal experience and external expression, between individual agency and collective identity, and between physical structure and artistic freedom.

Somatic inquiry is central to my creative process. Drawing upon Laban Movement Analysis and Bartenieff Fundamentals, particularly, Patterns of Total Body Connectivity, I investigate the body's organizational intelligence and its capacity for expressive transformation. This approach encourages performers to recognize movement as an interconnected experience of sensation, intention, perception, and action. By cultivating heightened awareness of these relationships, I seek to expand the range of expressive possibilities available to each artist while supporting physical sustainability and artistic autonomy.

Collaboration has remained an essential component of my artistic development. Throughout my career, I have created work across dance, music, theatre, opera, and the visual arts, engaging with artists and institutions whose distinct perspectives challenge and enrich my own. These interdisciplinary encounters provide opportunities to reconsider conventional boundaries between artistic disciplines and explore how movement can function within broader creative and intellectual conversations.

My work is also informed by the cultural contexts in which dance is created and experienced. Professional experiences throughout the United States and Mexico have strengthened my understanding of movement as a means of cultural exchange, historical reflection, and community engagement. I approach these encounters with curiosity and respect, recognizing that dance practices carry histories, values, and forms of knowledge that extend beyond individual artistic expression.

Ultimately, I view choreography as a process of discovery rather than the production of a fixed aesthetic. My intention is to create work that invites performers and audiences into meaningful encounters with movement, encourages interpretive openness, and reveals the extraordinary expressive potential of the human body. Through artistic practice, I seek to cultivate spaces in which creativity, inquiry, collaboration, and embodied experience become inseparable.

As an educator, artist, director, and certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst, I approach teaching as a transformative process that prepares students for sustainable, healthy, and meaningful careers within professional, artistic, academic, and interdisciplinary environments. My philosophy extends beyond technical proficiency and performance training to cultivate curiosity, discipline, adaptability, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, and professional preparedness.

Central to my teaching is the belief that every student brings a distinct physical history, cultural perspective, set of experiences, and artistic potential into the learning environment. I do not view dance technique as the replication of a singular ideal body or aesthetic. Rather, I approach technique as a process through which students develop greater coordination, perception, expressive range, physical intelligence, and the capacity to make informed artistic choices.

My expertise in Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis provides an essential foundation for this work. Through the integration of somatic principles and Patterns of Total Body Connectivity, I encourage students to investigate the relationships between breath, skeletal organization, muscular coordination, movement efficiency, and expressive intention. These practices support the development of sustainable movement habits, greater physical awareness, and an individualized understanding of technical and artistic possibilities.

A particular strength of my teaching is the ability to develop individualized movement practices within diverse classroom environments. My extensive experience as a dancer, educator, performer, and movement analyst allows me to respond attentively to individual learning needs while remaining aware of the dynamics of the entire classroom. I establish clear objectives and expectations while employing responsive instructional strategies that encourage experimentation, improvisation, reflection, dialogue, and creative problem-solving.

I also recognize that meaningful dance education requires engagement with the historical, cultural, and social contexts of movement practices. Throughout my teaching, I integrate these perspectives to cultivate an inclusive environment in which students of different backgrounds, identities, abilities, and artistic experiences can learn from and contribute to one another. My work in community college, conservatory, university, and international educational settings has reinforced the importance of accessible instruction, equitable assessment, and culturally responsive mentorship.

I consider artistic collaboration and professional engagement essential components of student development. Through repertory ensembles, choreographic projects, interdisciplinary initiatives, guest artist residencies, and community partnerships, I create opportunities for students to apply their learning within authentic creative and professional contexts. These experiences encourage students to develop artistic independence, accountability, resilience, and the interpersonal skills necessary for sustained professional practice.

Mentorship is inseparable from my teaching philosophy. I strive to establish relationships grounded in trust, clear communication, constructive feedback, and mutual respect. By recognizing each student's individual aspirations and encouraging ownership of their educational development, I seek to support their growth as independent thinkers, creative practitioners, and engaged citizens.

Ultimately, my goal is to cultivate artists and scholars who possess not only technical and creative proficiency, but also the curiosity, adaptability, self-awareness, and intellectual independence necessary to contribute meaningfully to the evolving field of dance and to the communities they serve.

My research investigates the integration of somatic principles into contemporary dance education and creative practice, with particular emphasis on sustainable movement, embodied learning, artistic agency, and inclusive pedagogical methodologies. As a certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst and dance educator with more than two decades of experience in higher education, I approach research as an ongoing dialogue between theoretical inquiry, physical investigation, classroom application, and reflective artistic practice.

At the center of my research is the understanding that movement is a complex, interconnected process involving physical organization, sensory awareness, cognitive engagement, emotional experience, and expressive intention. Through Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis, I investigate how these relationships inform technical development, creative decision-making, and the cultivation of sustainable movement practices across contemporary dance and other movement disciplines.

A primary focus of my inquiry is the pedagogical application of Patterns of Total Body Connectivity. These developmental movement patterns provide a framework for examining how the body organizes itself through breath, core support, skeletal relationships, and coordinated action. By integrating these principles into progressive instructional structures, I investigate how students can develop greater movement efficiency, adaptability, expressive capacity, and awareness of their individual physical organization.

My pedagogical research employs a developmental approach in which movement concepts are introduced, investigated, and revisited throughout a defined instructional period, whether a semester, academic quarter, intensive workshop, or professional residency. Beginning with Breath Connectivity and progressing through increasingly complex organizational relationships, this methodology encourages students to recognize movement as an integrated process rather than a collection of isolated technical skills.

An important dimension of this inquiry concerns the relationship between somatic education, injury prevention, and long-term artistic sustainability. I am interested in how heightened movement awareness and individualized technical strategies can support healthier physical practices while addressing the psychological and emotional demands associated with dance training and performance. Rather than privileging uniform technical outcomes, my research emphasizes the development of individual agency, informed movement choices, and sustainable artistic engagement.

My work also examines the implications of somatic pedagogy for inclusive and culturally responsive dance education. Traditional technical models can inadvertently privilege particular physical characteristics, movement histories, and aesthetic expectations. Through individualized movement investigation and multiple approaches to learning and assessment, I seek to develop pedagogical frameworks that recognize diverse bodies, identities, cultural experiences, and artistic perspectives as essential resources within the educational environment.

The relationship between somatic inquiry and choreography constitutes another significant dimension of my research. Through improvisation, composition, interdisciplinary collaboration, and performance, I investigate how embodied awareness influences artistic imagination and the generation of movement material. This integration of creative practice and pedagogical inquiry allows research questions to emerge from lived physical experience and return to the studio as opportunities for further exploration.

My ongoing research seeks to contribute to a more sustainable, inclusive, and intellectually engaged model of dance education. By connecting movement analysis, creative investigation, reflective teaching, and interdisciplinary dialogue, I aim to advance approaches that support artistic longevity, student success, and the recognition of embodied experience as a meaningful form of knowledge.

My philosophy of academic and artistic leadership is grounded in collaboration, transparency, accountability, creative inquiry, and a sustained commitment to the development of students, faculty, artists, and the institutions they serve. Throughout more than two decades in higher education, I have approached leadership as both a responsibility and an opportunity to cultivate environments in which artistic excellence, intellectual engagement, equitable access, and meaningful community relationships can flourish.

Having served in academic and artistic leadership positions at Cleveland State University, Cornish College of the Arts, Fresno City College, Linfield University, and Willamette University, I bring experience across diverse institutional structures, educational missions, and artistic communities. These appointments have strengthened my understanding that effective leadership requires both a clearly articulated vision and the flexibility to respond thoughtfully to the distinct needs, strengths, and aspirations of an institution.

In my current position as Director of Dance at Cleveland State University, I provide artistic, administrative, and instructional leadership for the dance program. My responsibilities encompass curricular development, faculty staffing and scheduling, budgeting, student recruitment and mentorship, production oversight, community engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration. I also serve as Artistic Director of the CSU Dance Company, a pre-professional ensemble that provides students and alumni with opportunities for creative development, repertory performance, and engagement with professional artistic practices.

I view academic leadership as a collaborative process built upon mutual respect, shared governance, clear communication, and transparent decision-making. Faculty and staff bring essential expertise, institutional knowledge, and diverse perspectives to the development of a successful program. My responsibility as a leader is to create structures that support meaningful participation, encourage professional growth, and align individual contributions with collective goals.

Strategic planning and responsible stewardship are equally important to my leadership practice. I recognize that ambitious artistic and educational initiatives must be supported by sustainable administrative structures, thoughtful resource allocation, effective scheduling, and clearly defined priorities. I approach program development by considering both immediate operational needs and long-term institutional objectives, seeking opportunities to strengthen curriculum, expand artistic programming, support faculty development, and improve student recruitment and retention.

My leadership is particularly informed by a commitment to inclusive and sustainable dance education. As a certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst, I bring a somatic perspective to questions of student wellness, technical training, curriculum design, and professional preparation. I believe educational institutions have a responsibility to cultivate environments in which artistic rigor and physical well-being reinforce one another, and in which students with varied backgrounds, experiences, and aspirations can pursue meaningful artistic development.

Community engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration are fundamental to my approach. At Cleveland State University, I have strengthened connections between students and the professional arts community through partnerships with organizations and artists including Inlet Dance Theater, Abrepaso Flamenco, Elevated Dance, and Playhouse Square. These relationships provide students with access to professional artists, diverse movement practices, and performance opportunities while strengthening the university's presence within the broader cultural community.

I have also developed collaborations across academic disciplines, including creative projects connecting dance and music students through improvisation, composition, and performance. Such initiatives demonstrate the value of shared artistic inquiry and create opportunities for students to experience the collaborative processes that increasingly characterize contemporary professional practice.

My experiences teaching and creating work in Mexico and across the United States have further shaped my understanding of leadership as an intercultural and relational practice. I value the contributions of different artistic traditions, educational perspectives, and institutional communities, and I recognize that responsible leadership requires listening, adaptability, cultural awareness, and an ongoing willingness to learn.

Ultimately, I believe successful academic and artistic leadership is measured not solely by productions, programs, or institutional accomplishments, but by the sustainable conditions created for others to thrive. My goal is to cultivate educational and artistic communities characterized by integrity, creativity, mutual respect, intellectual curiosity, and a shared commitment to excellence. Through collaborative vision, responsible stewardship, and sustained investment in people, I seek to support institutions that remain artistically vital, academically rigorous, and responsive to the communities they serve.