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Biography
Dearborn is the founder and Director of Dance for Muhlenberg College. She has choreographed more than 80 works in concert dance, theatre, and musical theatre, including National Tours of the Tony Award-winning National Theatre of the Deaf and Equity theatre companies. As a dancer, she performed professionally for 12 years in concert dance and musical theatre productions. Her writing has been published in the Journal of Dance Education and the book Performing Magic on the Western Stage (Palgrave, 2008). She has presented papers at numerous conferences including National Dance Educators Organization (NDEO), Congress on Research in Dance, and the National Dance Association. She serves as Treasurer for the American College Dance Association and as chair of the Support and Mentoring Committee for CORPS de Ballet International and is a member of the National Association of Dance Educators. Distinguished teaching awards include the Lindback and the Spira.
Areas of Expertise (3)
Ballet
Dance History
Composition
Accomplishments (3)
Outstanding Achievement in the Performing Arts (professional)
2015 Awarded by the Allentown Arts Commission
Lindback and Spira Awards (professional)
2003 Lindback, 2010 Spira Awarded for distinguished teaching
Award for Distinguished Service in Dance (professional)
2015 Awarded by the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges Dance Consortium
Education (2)
Connecticut College: M.F.A., Dance
Radford University: B.S., Dance
Affiliations (4)
- American College Dance Association (ACDA)
- National Association of Dance Educators
- CORPS de Ballet International
- Actor's Equity Association (AEA)
Media Appearances (3)
State of the Arts in Silence: Deaf Ballerina Hears the Music of her Heart
Muhlenberg Magazine online
2001-09-21
As the pianist's hands slide across the keys of a gleaming baby grand, Karen Dearborn lays one hand on the instrument and gracefully stretches her other hand out to her side. Her feet glide seamlessly across the floor, her body moving to the beat of the song in perfect time. But Dearborn cannot truly hear the music. Nor can she hear the responses of the 25 young dance students who stare at her, transfixed. In technical terms, Dearborn, an accomplished 44-year-old professor trying to carve a national name for Muhlenberg College's dance program, is profoundly deaf. She was in her early 20s before she knew anything was wrong.
Moving Stories dance concert showcases innovative work by student choreographers in a nationally acclaimed program
The Dance Journal online
2015-11-02
Artistic director Karen Dearborn says the 10 choreographers selected for the program have created sophisticated and innovative dances, informed by their liberal arts education, and intended to probe and illuminate the human experience. The concert will showcase over 60 dancers from the department’s dance program, which is among the most highly regarded programs of its kind. The concert features costume and lighting designs by the department’s acclaimed professional staff.
Dance Professor Pioneers A Program At Muhlenberg
The Morning Call online
1994-03-20
When Karen Dearborn accepted teaching positions at Connecticut College, Mount Holyoke College and The University of Massachusetts, she was stepping into studios that served old, established dance departments. However, Dearborn left the world of the well-defined job description last fall, when she became Muhlenberg College's first assistant professor of dance. Her all-encompassing, evolving position could be described as "dance pioneer."
Research Focus (1)
Teaching and Research Interests
Performance studies, disability studies and dance pedagogy
Social