Held by Danah Bella
DANAH BELLA is the founding chair of the Dance Department at the Peabody Conservatory, where she has led the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance program since its launch in 2018. Under her leadership, the program emphasizes interdisciplinary studies, social justice, and diverse opportunities in movement, performance, and choreography. A dedicated educator, she has been teaching modern technique, dance theory, and history in higher education since 2002.
Beyond Peabody, Bella has been an artist-in-residence and workshop instructor at institutions and festivals across the U.S. and internationally, including Pro Danza Italia, Bates Dance Festival, Monterey Dance Fest, and the American College Dance Association. As the artistic director of d a n a h b e l l a DanceWorks, she explores movement as a form of social practice, and as a founding member of Colectivo Caliban, she collaborates across artistic disciplines to merge sound and movement. Her choreography has been presented at venues such as the Cool New York Festival, the Kennedy Center’s National Dance Festival, and internationally in Mexico and Italy.
A recognized dance film artist, Bella’s work has been featured at the Utah Dance Film Festival, Women in Leadership Dance Conference, and International Fine Arts Film Festival. Her contributions to the field have earned her numerous accolades, including Baltimore Sun’s 25 Women to Watch (2018), Maryland State Dance Educator of the Year (2021), and Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of the Year (2022). She holds an MFA in Performance from The Ohio State University and a BA in Dance from the University of California, Santa Barbara.