Nancy Beardall
Professional Title: Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, Dance/Movement Therapy
Areas of Academic Focus and Expertise:
Dance/Movement therapy, Movement Analysis
Representative List of Recent Courses Taught:
• DMT: Theories and Practice I and II
• Body/Movement Observation and Assessment I and II
• Power, Privilege and Oppression in Clinical Practice
Education: M.Ed., Lesley University; Ph.D., Lesley University; C.M.A., BC-DMT, LMHC
Representative List of Recent Publications / Exhibitions:
Selected Publications
Beardall, N. Surrey, J. (2013). 'Relational Mindfulness and Relational Movement in Training Dance/Movement Therapists.' Rappaport, L. (Ed), Mindfulness and the Arts Therapies. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Beardall, N. (2011, June) Review of the book "The harmonic structure of movement, music and dance according to Rudolf Laban: An examination of his unpublished writings and drawings" by Carol-Lynne Moore. American Journal of Dance Therapy, doi 10.1007/s104665-011-9106-6
Beardall, N. (2011, June) Spirals dancing and the spiral integrated learning process: An embodied knowing. Journal of Applied Arts and Health, Vol 2.1
Beardall, N., Bergman S., Surrey J. (2007). Making Connections: Building Community and Gender Dialogue in Secondary Schools. Cambridge, MA: Educators for Social Responsibility.
Beardall, N. (2005). “Dance the Dream,” in Little Signs of Hope! The Arts, Education and Social Change, Edited by M. C. Powell and V. Marcow Speiser, New York: Peter Lang Publishers.
Beardall, Nancy, (2006). Creating a peaceable school: Confronting intolerance and bullying. Newton, MA: Newton Public Schools.
Selected Conferences
Dr. Beardall presents nationally on her work in the schools and traveled to the Ukraine the summer of 2011 regarding her integration of dance therapy and the arts into education.
2013 NEADTA, Antioch, NH, “Embodied Knowing and Creating Peaceable Schools”
2012 ADTA Conference, Albuquerque, NM, “Relational Mindfulness and Relational Movement in Training Dance Therapists”
2012 NEADTA, Cambridge, MA, “Dance of the Healing Spirit”. Keynote Speaker with Dicki Johnson Macy
2012 MVP’s Bystander Intervention Conference, Northeastern University,
Plenary Panel: Bystander Pedagogy: Why and How We Teach and Facilitate
2011 ADTA Conference, Minneapolis, MN, “One Model of Dance Education and Dance/Movement Therapy in a K-12 Public School System”
2010 ADTA Conference, New York City, “An Interactive/Experiential Panel: Exploring ‘Movement Thinking,’ Labananalysis and DMT”
2010 Scholarship Day, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA, Panel, “Dance Therapy Across the Lifespan”
2010 Scholarship Day, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA, “From Isolation to Building Community”
2010 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, “The Biology of Dance”
2009 ADTA Conference, Portland, Oregon, “A Dialogue about the many Applications of Laban Movement Analysis”
2009 IEATA Conference, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA, “Mentoring, the Arts and Social Action”
2009 Scholarship Day, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA, “A Program Evaluation Study of the Implementation of the Mentors in Violence Prevention Program in a Public High School”
2008 ADTA Conference, Austin, Texas, “Spirals Dancing and the Integrated Pedagogical Process”
2008 Huntington Lecture, Newton North High School with Peter Roby from Northeastern University, “The Arts, Athletics and Activism”
Films
Beardall N. (2006). Let the dancing begin: A twenty-year retrospective of the dance program at Day Middle School. DVD.
Beardall, N. (1992). In our words: Dancing for development and discovery. A documentary on the study of dance, adolescence, and self-esteem in eighth grade students. DVD
Beardall, N. (1983). Day dances, a documentary about the dance program at F.A. Day Junior High.
Beardall N. (1980). On the Inside Looking In, a documentary on the dance therapy program in the Newton Public Schools.
Awards
Center for Research Fellowships, Lesley University 2008, 2009, 2010
Goldrick Fund for Women in Leadership Grant 1999, 2000
Community Service Learning Grant 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Anti-Defamation League Teaching Award 1998
Charles Brown Fellowship Award 1992, 1997
Horace Mann Grant 1990
As a dance/movement therapist, consultant, Certified Movement Analyst, and educator, Dr. Beardall's work has focused on dance, dance therapy and cognitive, social/emotional and relational development using dance/movement and the expressive arts in the public schools with students K-12 of all populations.
Dr. Beardall has developed numerous curricula for middle and high school students promoting wellness, decision-making skills, healthy relationships and making a difference in the school community. Her community building programs through the arts have involved students, parents and community members.
Dr. Beardall’s research studies have spanned a range of topics from the influence of creative dance on self-esteem in early adolescence to the effectiveness of bullying prevention and mentoring programs through the arts promoting gender respect and the prevention of sexual harassment and dating abuse. Her school-based programs have received federal, state and local grants.