Stephanie Ellison is an anthropologist, movement researcher, and Pilates and dance practitioner with over 25 years of teaching experience. Her work integrates movement practices, anthropology, and spatial phenomenology to explore the role of embodied experience in collaborative environments, such as education, healthcare, environmental, and community contexts.
She holds a BA in Communications from Illinois State University, specializing in Japanese and Political Science, and an MA in Dance Anthropology from Choreomundus, an Erasmus consortium focusing on dance and movement as intangible cultural heritage. Her journey includes on-air broadcasting at NPR in Illinois, work in restaurant and food public relations in San Francisco, and artistic projects, along with years of teaching dance, Pilates, and movement across the globe—from Winsor Pilates in West Hollywood and her own studio in a circus school, to courses at Washington University in St. Louis, Rhinebeck Pilates in New York, and workshops throughout Asia, the US, and Europe. This eclectic background frames her interdisciplinary perspective and investigations into how embodied and sensory rhythms influence human relationships and communication.
Stephanie’s recent research includes fieldwork in Southern England, exploring contemporary ritual movement practices connecting communities with local water and environment. She also participated in the early stage of ‘DanceBrainRehab’, an EU dance initiative equipping professionals to support neuro-fragile groups through neuroscience-informed artistic dance. Having completed a visiting grant in 2024, Stephanie is an affiliated researcher with the Interacting Minds Centre at Aarhus University.
Art projects TheRustedWrench.com