Colleen Thomas-Young
Colleen Thomas-Young, Professor of Professional Practice, Dance is a New York-based choreographer and performing artist. She is the director of Colleen Thomas Dance, co-director of Bill Young/ Colleen Thomas Co., and co-curator for LIT (loft into theater). Her work has been seen throughout the United States as well as in Europe, Asia, and South America. Her recent research includes: a new work with artists from Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and USA (premiered at La MaMa Theater in May 2019), a recent published scientific study looking at brain activity in contact improvisers with Dr. Andrew Goldman (Goldman, A., Thomas, C., & Sajda, P. (2019). Contact improvisation dance practice predicts greater mu rhythm desynchronization during action observation. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/aca0000255.), and a new dance premiere slated for March 2020 at New York Live Arts looking at women artists during fascist times.
Thomas-Young’s classes at Barnard include advanced modern-dance technique, contact improvisation, and advanced composition/collaboration and the creative process. She is also the director of the Barnard Dance in Paris program.
- B.A., SUNY Empire State College and SUNY Purchase
- M.F.A., University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
- Modern dance
- Composition
- Contact improvisation
- Ballet
In The News
The dance professor puts a global twist on her Modern Technique course to promote mind-body healing among students.
Professor Colleen Thomas-Young reflects on “the body in protest” and how dance helped her through the first 100 days of the pandemic.
This year marked the ninth year in a row that the Barnard Dance in Paris program has sent students to France, with professor of professional practice Colleen Thomas-Young, for an immersive education in Paris.
Every year, Barnard faculty lead students on trips outside New York City—often outside the United States—to conduct research, perform, and expand teaching and learning opportunities.
Prof. Thomas-Young's current neurological study uses EEG to observe brain activity during choreographed and improvised dance.