Riley Lathrop
Riley is a dance educator and choreographer from Northampton, MA. She is a 2020 graduate of Bridgewater State University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in dance education and minored in business management. After graduation, Riley worked as the office administrator and dance instructor at the Massachusetts Academy of Ballet in Holyoke, MA. Riley recently completed a Fulbright scholarship (2022-2024) as an English Teacher in Taipei, Taiwan where she used her creative movement pedagogy to teach English as a foreign language. At Bridgewater State University, Riley was the president of the NDEO Student Chapter and the vice president of the Dance Company while also choreographing and performing for dance department productions and completing departmental honors. She conducted research on the benefits of movement pedagogy for teaching and learning English as a foreign language through a research grant in Bali, Indonesia. She has performed at the ACDA conference in San Jose, CA and presented dance research at the NDEO conference in Miami, FL. Riley values a learning environment that empowers students to explore their self-identity, grow confidence, collaborate, and embolden their passions!