Studio Practice
2020-2021 Practice/Research Workshop, Freeskewl, U.S./Virtual
2020 Contemporary Techniques Gibney Dance, New York
2020 Somatics (Alexander Technique), H+ Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory, New York
2019 Beginner Jazz, Beat1060, Wien
2019 Professional Company Class, Columbus Modern Dance Company, Columbus
2018 Contemporary Techniques, The Movement Project, Cleveland Dance Festival
2018 Contact Improvisation, CI Jam Sessions, Columbus
2018 Argentine Tango, Impulse Fusion, Columbus,
2015 Ballet Teacher Assistant, The Joffrey Ballet School, New York
Higher Education
Department of Gender and Race Studies, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
2020 Artist Lecture on Participatory and Political Performance
Department of Dance, The Ohio State University, Columbus
2019 Contemporary Techniques Level 2, Lead Instructor
2018 Improvisation in Dance, Lead Instructor
2018 Contemporary Techniques Level 1, Lead Instructor
2017-2018 Dance in Popular Culture Online, Teaching Assistant
2017 Contemporary Techniques Level 1, Lead Instructor
Festivals and Residencies
2021 Workshop/lecture performance, Reconnect Festival, Virtual
2019 Community Workshop, Migrant Bodies Moving Borders Symposium, OperaEstate, Bassano, Italy
2019 Open Level Contemporary, START|AS Festival Residency, Rokiskis, Lithuania
Panels and Talks
2020 September Artist Talk, Spilling the Tea: Alumni Selection, The Center for Global and Career Eduction, Earlham College, Virtual
2020 June Artist Presentation of (in the) Works with Carmen Alston, Kenneth Brown, and Momar Ndiaye, Columbus Dance Alliance CDA, Virtual
2020 April Iranian-ness in Contemporary Performance, with Kayvon Pourazar, Nava and Raha Behnam, Emruz Festival (Zoom), New York, Virtual
2019 Dec Long Table: People of Color in Contact Improvisation, Guest Host Andrew Suseno, Core Participants, Mayfield Brooks, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Alexa Barriga, Gibney Dance, New York
2019 Nov Dance Film process, with Simone Fildes, DansFilmFestival, Stockholm, Sweden
2019 July Panelist, Migrant Bodies Moving Borders Symposium, OperaEstate, Bassano, Italy
2019 April Panel Moderator, Halabja by Farideh Sakhaifar, Emruz Festival, New York
Recognition and Certifications
2019 Nominated, Graduate Teaching Award, The Ohio State University
2018- 2019 Lead Graduate Teaching Associates, The Ohio State University Dance Department
2018 Graduate Student Teaching Orientation Facilitator, The Ohio State University
2017 Certified in Open Doors/BART, The Ohio State University Multicultural Center
Testimonials & Teacher Evaluations
Spring 2019 Student Evaluation of Instruction – Contemporary Techniques
Autumn 2018 Student Evaluation of Instruction – Improvisation for Dance Minors
Spring 2018 Student Evaluation of Instruction – Contemporary Techniques
Autumn 2017 Student Evaluation of Instruction – Contemporary Techniques
“I absolutely adored Bita. She was engaging and welcoming and truly challenged us to bypass our expectations of ourselves. Taking this class has been a joy and I look forward to taking more classes with her in the future.”
“Bita worked very hard to create a space where we could feel comfortable experimenting with new techniques and different ways of thinking. She always encouraged us to maintain an air of playfulness while we improvised and worked. The course was structured well by starting us with contact and getting us to trust each other, then breaking into our own improvisation. This helped us feel more comfortable sharing the space with each other and working with each other while dancing. Overall, it was an excellent class.”
“Bita was very interested in the course material and helping students overcome challenges. She is very understanding and creates a healthy learning environment. As a student with no experience in an improvisation course, I learned many new things that I plan to incorporate into my studies in the future.”
“Bita is AMAZING!!! S he is super patient, funny and encourages us to think critically about our movements and body aligment. I’ve learned so much about dance that I would never have had I not taken this course! I am truly grateful!! Keep up the good work, Bita!!”
“Bita was very encouraging of us and always wanted us to succeed in our own ways. She was very engaging and created a safe space for us to express ourselves in whichever way we felt was important. I learned a lot about myself and dance as a whole through her class and the way she taught improv to us and how it applies to our everyday lives.”
“This was one of my favorite classes that I took this semester! Bita was Incredible with the way she taught, she was genuinely happy to teach and you could tell.”
“This class is really fun and relaxing and well organized. We had the chance to be exposed to different contemporary dance practices and to work on projects together. My interests in contemporary dance grew over the semester and I think I will continue enrolling in dance classes in the future.”
bita bell 