​Natasha McCandless is an educator, choreographer, and performer.

 

I currently serve as a full-time Lecturer in Dance at Penn State.

I earned my MFA in Dance from the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB), and have taught previously for the Boston Conservatory, SUNY Fredonia, and Niagara University. 

My research focuses on the choreographic values of storytelling and worldbuilding, as well as on theories of affect, embodiment, and care with a goal of fostering wellness for performers in pedagogical space across classroom and rehearsal contexts. During my time at UB, I was awarded an Excellence in Teaching Award for Graduate Teaching Assistants, a Social Impact Fellowship, and a Judge’s Choice Award at the inaugural Art of Research competition.

My work has also garnered recognition beyond localized university communities; I was awarded a Public Humanities Grant through Humanities New York in support of my choreographic research, and I presented my paper “Made of Water: Emotion and Touch in Pedagogical Spaces” at the national Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) conference in August 2023. I celebrated two publications in 2025, in the inaugural Music Theatre Dance Journal and the Journal of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Training.

My skillset combines a student-centered teaching practice, collaborative mindset, and focus on fostering wellness. I am passionate about building warm classroom environments where students participate as respected community members, facilitating growth as well-rounded individuals. My background in both Dance and Education (I hold a B.S. in Secondary Education from Penn State University) lends itself to teaching in higher education settings and working with interdisciplinary teams. Throughout my recent choreographic experiences across educational and professional contexts, I have particularly valued the opportunity to work collaboratively on theatre productions at the university level. I hope to continue bridging dance and theatre aspects of departments in my future work.