Biography

Courtney World is a dance artist and educator, originally from Rochester, NY. In her professional performing career, she danced for eight years simultaneously with Bill Evans Dance Company/Bill Evans Rhythm Tap Ensemble, and BIODANCE, under the artistic direction of Missy Pfohl Smith. She has had the honor of performing at Jacob’s Pillow on two occasions, with Bill Evans Dance Company and James Hanson/Assemblage Dance. She currently performs tap and modern dance with companies and independent artists on a project basis. As a choreographer, her work has been commissioned by The Society for New Music, BIODANCE, and Rochester Dance Project, and has been performed nationally at theaters, festivals, and universities. World earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from The University at Buffalo, a Master of Fine Arts in Choreography and Performance from The College at Brockport, and is a Certified Evans Teacher (CET). She has taught dance in higher education at The College at Brockport, The University of Rochester, Nazareth College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and is currently Associate Professor and Director of Dance at The University of the South in Sewanee, TN, where she developed a minor in dance and was named the 2015-2017 recipient of the James D. Kennedy III Endowed Faculty Fellowship. Beyond the studio, World is a co-founder and board member of Faithful Rhythm Productions, a Nashville-based tap dance organization, she serves as a board member for the American College Dance Association, and she previously served on the board of directors of Tennessee Association of Dance for several years, including as President. Courtney dances through life with her husband, Cameron, her children Tycho and Freya and her cat, Lola.

CURRICULUM VITAE (coming soon)

PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE

DANCE COMPANIES

 

 

BILL EVANS DANCE COMPANY

BILL EVANS RHYTHM TAP ENSEMBLE/RHYTHM TAP ROCHESTER 

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, WILLIAM "BILL" EVANS

2005-2012

ROLES DANCED:

  • TINTAL

  • TOGETHER THROUGH TIME

  • SUITE RHYTHMS

  • YES, INDEED!

  • LOS RITMOS CALIENTES

  • VELORIO

  • IMPRESSIONS OF WILLOW BAY

  • JUKEBOX

  • COLONY

  • DIVERSE CONCERTO

  • ROUND SEVEN (AKA: CRAPS)

  • NATURESCAPE UNFOLDING

  • FOR JAMIE

  • BLUES

  • CLASSIC RHYTHM TAP REPERTOIRE BY CHOLLY ATKINS, BUSTER BROWN, EDDIE BROWN, HONI COLES, LEON COLLINS, LOUIS DA PRON, DERICK GRANT, FAYARD AND HAROLD NICHOLAS, LEONARD REED, BILL ROBINSON, DOROTHY WASSERMAN (AS ARRANGED BY BILL EVANS)

-----------------------------------

BIODANCE 

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, MISSY PFOHL SMITH

2006-2012

ROLES DANCED:

  • ENCOUNTERS

  • WEB WE WEAVE

  • GUZZLE

  • EXCESS

  • REPLAY

  • I.T.

  • ON THE SURFACE

  • HYPERACTIVE SOFA

  • YOUR STORIES/OUR STORIES

  • SCHERZO (BILL EVANS, CHOREOGRAPHER)

  • ABSENT PRESENCE

  • LIEBESLIEDER

  • NO DANCING ALLOWED

  • A WALK IN THE WOODS

  • RE/BUILD

  • LETTER TO THE WORLD PART 1.5 (D. CHASE ANGIER, CHOREOGRAPHER)

  • ADMIST CROSSED WIRES IN A PARALLEL PATH (COURTNEY WORLD & MISSY PFOHL SMITH, CHOREOGRAPHERS)

-----------------------------------

TREELINE DANCEWORKS

ARTISTIC DIRECTORS, JENNY SHOWALTER & LINDSEY VADER

2012-2013

ROLES DANCED:

  • BOLERO FINALE (JENNY SHOWALTER)

  • THE SIXTH HOUR (JENNY SHOWALTER)

-----------------------------------

GEOMANTICS DANCE-THEATRE

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, RICHARD HAISMA

2008-2009

ROLES DANCED:

  • SURVEILLANCE

  • YOUR LIFE IS NOT YOUR OWN

  • DESERT TIME-OUT

  • ASK THE WIND

  • MUST...LIFE

  • TRUCK STOP

  • THE HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT

-----------------------------------

KISTA TUCKER DANCE, INC.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, KISTA TUCKER

2007-2008

ROLES DANCED:

  • SNOW

  • THE ARCHETYPES

  • BOHEMIAN STROLL

  • SIMPLE STICK PEOPLE

 

INDEPENDENT CHOREOGRAPHERS

 

Bill Evans

2015     AS FOOTSIE AS YOU

 

DANIEL GWIRTZMAN/Daniel gwirtzman dance company

2017 SHIFTING

2014     TOGETHER

 

CLAIRE PORTER

2016     GAMELY MANNERED

2015     ELECTRICAL SHORTS

2014     DRIVING DECISIONS

 

KATHY DIEHL

2018. REFLECT/REVEAL (COURTNEY WORLD & KATHY DIEHL, CHOREOGRAPHERS)

2012   TRIANGULATION

 

CYNTHIA WILLIAMS

2011     YELLOW UNEXPECTED

2008     ABSENT PRESENCE

 

JUANITA SUAREZ

2006     LA LLORONA

2005     DAY 1

 

JAMES HANSON/ASSEMBLAGE DANCE

2007     FISSURES

2006     FADE TO SNOW AND GRAY

2005     FADE TO SNOW AND GRAY, FISSURES

 

CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS

2005     CHORAL STUDY FOR SAINT JAMES THE GREATER (EXCERPT FROM THE GOLDEN LEGEND)

 

REBECCA LAZIER

2005     MIRTH

 

LAURA GLENN (RECONSTRUCTED BY HAYLEY DIEDERICH)

2005     GLACIER (RECONSTRUCTED BY HAYLEY DIEDERICH)

 

DAVID PARSONS

2004     PARSONS ETUDE (RECONSTRUCTED BY MARISA BALLARO)

 

CARLA MAXWELL (AFTER JOSE LIMON)

2004     LIMON ETUDE

 

JOSE LIMON 

2003     CHOREOGRAPHIC OFFERING (EXCERPT--RECONSTRUCTED BY JONATHON RIEDEL)

 

CHOREOGRAPHY

 

"I make dances that explore the dynamic architecture of space and the fluidity of time. Through a process of locating and synthesizing order from disorder, I create worlds, microcosms, moments in time, places unknown, yet oddly familiar. My work hinges between the classical sensibilities of design and the messy, athletic, and kinetically charged expressions of motion and emotion. My endless curiosities about rhythm in the world incite the questions from which my dances emerge." 

 

World's choreography has been presented at:

WHITE WAVE John Ryan Theatre, Brooklyn, NY

Dixon Place Theatre, New York, NY

Julia Richmond Education Complex, New York, NY

Pentagon Theatre, Collaboraction, Chicago, IL

Dean College, Franklin, MA

Carrier Theatre, Syracuse, NY

Geva Theatre NextStage, Rochester, NY

Tango Cafe, Rochester, NY

Hochstein Performance Hall, Rochester, NY

Eastman Sproul Atrium, Rochester, NY

The Harley School, Rochester, NY

Colgate University, Hamilton, NY

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY

Multi-use Community Cultural Center, Rochester, NY

The University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

SUNY College at Brockport, Brockport, NY

SUNY University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY

Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY

The University of The South, Sewanee, TN

 

Commissions

Society for New Music

BIODANCE

Rochester Dance Project

 

Collaborators

Adrienne Wilson, choreographer

Kathy Diehl, choreographer

Missy Pfohl Smith, choreographer

Heather Acomb, choreographer

Laura Regna, choreographer

Parvatha Chidambaram, choreographer

Jennifer Bellor, composer

Matthew Evans, composer

Greg Ketchum, composer

Mark Olivieri, composer

Handel Almetus, composer

Josh Forgét, composer

Linda Heck, composer

James Carlson, composer

Abigail Coffer, flautist

Logan Ball, percussionist

Brian Mueller, percussionist

Nicholas G. Baish, animator

Catalina Jordan Alvarez, filmmaker

Jennifer Matthews, costume designer

Katie Sweeton, costume designer 

 

 

TEACHING

 

Courtney World is a passionate and versatile dance educator, certified in the Evans Method of teaching Laban/Bartenieff-based dance technique. She approaches all dance training through a somatic perspective and values community, individual meaning-making, and curiosity about what is possible. Her classes are rigorous, rhythmic, dynamic, creative, and playful. Please see the list below for classes she is available to teach. While she is an experienced teacher in many dance styles, she is most interested in sharing her expertise in modern/contemporary/somatic dance, and tap.

 

Available for master classes AND

guest artist residencies

 

  • MODERN/CONTEMPORARY/EVANS TECHNIQUE

  • BARTENIEFF FUNDAMENTALS

  • INTRO TO LABAN MOVEMENT ANALYSIS/LABAN FOR ACTORS

  • RHYTHM TAP (TRADITIONAL OR CONTEMPORARY REPERTOIRE)

  • TAP DRILLS AND SKILLS

  • CLASSICAL BALLET

  • CONTEMPORARY BALLET/BALLET FOR MODERN DANCERS

  • POINTE

  • VERNACULAR JAZZ

  • CONTEMPORARY JAZZ

  • COMPOSITION/CHOREOGRPAHY

  • IMPROVISATION

  • CONTACT IMPROVISATION/CONTEMPORARY PARTNERING

  • DANCE CONDITIONING

 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

 

2013-PRESENT     THE UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH, SEWANEE, TN     

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR OF DANCE

 

2008-2013     THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER, ROCHESTER, NY     

PART-TIME LECTURER

 

2008-2013     NAZARETH COLLEGE OF ROCHESTER, ROCHESTER, NY

LECTURER

 

2011-2012     HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES, GENEVA, NY

VISITING ADJUNCT PROFESSOR

 

2006-2011     STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK COLLEGE AT BROCKPORT, BROCKPORT, NY  

ADJUNCT LECTURER

 

COURSES TAUGHT

  • BALLET I, II, III

  • MODERN I, II, III

  • JAZZ I, II, III

  • TAP I, II, III

  • TAP DANCE: TRADITIONS AND INNOVATIONS

  • BEGINNING DANCE TECHNIQUES

  • BEGINNING CONTEMPORARY DANCE

  • INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY BALLET

  • INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY

  • INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED BALLET: THEORY AND PRACTICE

  • INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED JAZZ: THEORY AND PRACTICE

  • INTRODUCTION TO DANCE: THEORY AND PRACTICE

  • IMPROVISATION

  • ELEMENTS OF DANCE

  • DANCE SCIENCE AND SOMATICS

  • DANCE CONDITIONING

  • MOVEMENT AND SELF-AWARENESS

  • FUNDAMENTALS OF MOVEMENT

  • YOGA AND LIVING ANATOMY

  • DANCE COMPOSITION

  • DANCE ENSEMBLE

  • DANCE HISTORY AND CULTURE

  • WORLD DANCE: MOVEMENT AS CULTURE