Faculty Profiles

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Michelle E Nance

  • University Distinguished Professor - School of Theatre, Dance, & Film
Portrait of Michelle E Nance

Biography and education

Michelle Nance, University Distinguished Professor and Director of the top-ranked Dance Division at Texas State University, has enjoyed many years of devising dance works for stage and screen collaboratively with esteemed artists, colleagues, and students; as well as performing in the U.S. and abroad. She currently co-directs WECreate Productions, an international collective whose films have screened in over 20 countries and won accolades and prestigious honors. Nance has received recognition at the College level numerous times for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Scholarly/Creative Activities, and Service; as well as the Everette Swinney Faculty Senate Excellence in Teaching Award. She holds an MFA from the University of Colorado-Boulder and serves on the Board of Directors for the Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema.

Teaching Interests

Research Interests

  • Nance, Michelle E. Student Travel to American College Dance Festival - FY 24, Student Service Fees - One Time Funding, Institutional (Higher Ed), $10400. (Submitted: January 2023, Funded: September 2023 - April 2024). Grant.
  • Nance, Michelle E (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %50, Baer, Ana Carrillo (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %50. Art as a Catalyst for Social Change: Our Journeys with DanceAbility, University Lecturer Series - one time funding, Institutional (Higher Ed), $3000. (Submitted: January 2023, Funded: September 2023 - April 2024). Grant.
  • Nance, Michelle E. Student Travel to American College Dance Festival - FY 23, Student Service Fee - One-time funding, Institutional (Higher Ed), $4000. (Funded: September 2022 - May 2023). Grant.
  • Nance, Michelle E. Why Representation Matters: Screendance and Accessibility, University Lecturers Program, Texas State University, $2000. (Submitted: October 2021, Funded: January 2022 - May 2022). Grant.
  • Nance, Michelle E (Principal). Student Travel to the American College Dance Festival - FY 21, Student Service Fees, Texas State University, $4700. (Submitted: January 15, 2020, Funded: September 1, 2020 - May 15, 2021). Grant.
View all grants
  • dancer and choreographer, Urbá Terra Bartzelona. June 2023 - Present.
    Showings:
    • Festival Internationcional de Videodanca. July 31, 2024 - September 1, 2024 RS Galeria Ecarta, Porto Alegre, RS. Brazil.
    • INTERNATIONAL VIDEO DANCE SHOW. May 24, 2024 Casa da Música Francisco Alves Gato, Mafra, Portugal.
    • Brighton Fringe Flicks. April 18, 2024 Lewes Depot, East Sussex, U.K.
    • Opening Door Dance Theatre "Timeless". February 22, 2024 - February 24, 2024 Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre, San Marcos, TX.
    • Cinedanza Festival. October 20, 2024 Moderna, Italy.
    • Biencortos Festival Internacional. November 12, 2024 - November 15, 2024 Maracaibo, Venezuela.
    • Vesuvius International Film Awards. November 26, 2024 Naples, Italy.
    • Tokyo Documentary Film Festival. December 8, 2024 - December 17, 2024 Tokyo, Japan.
    • Athens International Digital Film Festival. December 12, 2024 Athens, Greece.
    • Filmarte Short FIlm Festival. January 1, 2025 Porto, Portugal.
    • Coctelito de Videodanza-Entre Fronteras. May 2, 2025 Mexicali, MX.
    • Coctelito de Videodanza-Cuerpos en Tránsito. May 4, 2025 Tijuana, MX.
    • Coctelito de Videodanza-Rumbo a Espuma Cuántica. May 13, 2025 Ensenada, BC, MX.
    • D'olhar Festival Itinerante de Dança e Video. July 1, 2025 - July 3, 2025 Goiás, Brazil.
    • Tierra de Nadie: Muestra de Videodanza in collaboration with NONA Danza Contemporánea. December 17, 2025 Coctelito de Videodanza, Ciudad Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, México.
    • Host 2026 Festival. May 5, 2026 Jerwood DanceHouse, Suffolk, UK.
  • dancer and choreographer, HinterTerra - Malta. April 2022 - 2024.
    Showings:
    • Latent Spaces Reframed – Malta. December 10, 2022 - January 15, 2023 Space C, Spazju Kreattiv, Valetta, Malta.
    • Lift-Off Filmaker Sessions. March 27, 2023 @LiftOffGlobalNetwork, Pinewood Studios in the UK.
    • XVII Intrnational Video Dance Festival DVDanza Habana Movimiento y Cuidad. April 21, 2023 - April 23, 2023 Havana, Cuba.
    • Dance Days Chania. July 27, 2023 - July 29, 2023 Chania, Greece.
    • FilmFest by Rogue Dancer. June 1, 2023 Raleigh, NC, USA.
    • The Huntington Beach Cultural Film Fest. August 25, 2023 - August 27, 2023 USA.
    • Festival de Video Danza Cuerpo Digital. September 25, 2023 - October 1, 2023 Cochabamba, Colombia.
    • Festival del Cinema di Cefalú. September 1, 2023 Palermo, Italia.
    • Land Art Moving Biennale 2023/24. September 4, 2023 - September 17, 2023 Agueda, Portugal.
    • 3rd Women in Dance International Dance Film Fest. October 14, 2023 - October 15, 2023 Yokohama, Japan.
    • Cinematica Videodance Competition. October 29, 2023 Ancona, Italy.
    • Women in Dance International Dance Film Fest, online screening. November 19, 2023 Los Angeles, CA.
    • Tokyo Documentary Film Festival. December 9, 2023 - December 22, 2023 Tokyo, Japan.
    • Athens Video Dance Project. December 18, 2023 - December 19, 2023 Athens, Greece.
    • Festival Internacional de Dança Vídeo & Tecnologia da Unicamp. June 20, 2024 - July 5, 2024 Casa do Lago, Unicamp, Campinas, Brazil.
    • 10th Annual School of Performing Arts Conference. March 22, 2024 University of Malta, Valletta, Malta.
    • Women in Dance Leadership Conference. October 17, 2024 - October 19, 2024 Brockus Dance Project, Los Angeles, CA.
    • Film Olympiad. November 20, 2024 Athens, Greece.
  • choreographer, Deep. July 2022 - August 4, 2022.
    Performances:
    • Choreographers' Showcase. August 4, 2022 - August 5, 2022 Jowers Studio B178, Texas State University.
    • Opening Door Dance Theatre. October 20, 2022 - October 22, 2022 Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre, San Marcos, TX.
    • American College Dance Association. March 7, 2023 Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX.
    • Austin Dance Festival. March 25, 2023 Rollins Theatre - Long Center, Austin, TX.
  • performer and co-choreographer, (Un) Common Ground: Munich. June 26, 2025 - Present.
    Showings:
    • Fest Internacional da Dança. June 22, 2026 Vídeos & Tecnologia, Campinas, Brasil.
    • ChoreoDance Film Fest. July 4, 2026 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
    • ICJ International Film Award. September 10, 2026 Lviv, Ukraine.
    • Zero Plus Film Festival. October 9, 2026 Tyumen, Russia.
    • First Tuesday Film Series. September 1, 2026 Price Center, San Marcos, TX.
  • dancer/co-choreographer, Terra Montes. May 2024 - Present.
    Showings:
    • Opening Door Dance Theatre "Leaving the Light On". October 24, 2024 - October 26, 2024 Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre, San Marcos, TX.
    • Life in Motion: A Colorado Dance Film Festival. February 22, 2025 Denver, CO.
    • Greece International Film Festival. March 31, 2025 Athens, Greece.
    • Frome International Climate Film Festival. May 18, 2025 Somerset, UK.
    • MAFRA Film Festival. May 23, 2025 Mafra, Portugal.
    • Dance Days Chania. July 28, 2025 Chania, Greece.
    • Quinling Mountains Film Festival. August 15, 2025 Shaanxi, China.
    • Gjon Mili International Video Art Festival. August 20, 2025 - August 31, 2025 Korce, Albania.
    • Festival de Videodança FIVRS. August 21, 2025 - September 21, 2025 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
    • Sans Souci Festival Locals Only Screening. September 21, 2025 - September 25, 2025 Boulder, Colorado.
    • FIDA Screendance Festival. October 5, 2025 Colorado Springs, Colorado.
    • Common Ground Screening. October 19, 2025 Fort Collins, Colorado.
    • Folkestone Film Festival. November 3, 2025 Folkestone, Kent, UK.
    • FIMUDANZA. March 8, 2026 Morelia, México.
    • Host 2026 Festival. May 5, 2026 Jerwood DanceHouse, Suffolk, UK.
    • First Tuesday Film Series. September 1, 2026 Price Center, San Marcos, TX.
View all scholarly/creative works
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Distinguished Dean's Seminar, Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication (TX State). April 24, 2025
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Best Short Film - Environment & Sustainability (Silver Category) for HinterTerra, One Earth Awards 2023. 2023
  • Award / Honor Recipient: College Achievement Award for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching, College of Fine Arts and Communication. October 2023
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Everette Swinney Faculty Senate Excellence in Teaching Award, Texas State University. October 2022
  • Award / Honor Recipient: College Achievement Award for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities, Texas State University. October 2020
View all awards
  1. Editorial Review Board Member

    San Souci Festival of Dance Cinema

  2. Other

    WECreate Productions

  3. Volunteer

    Casas Por Cristo

  4. Member

    First Presbyterian Church - Handbell Choir

  5. Other

    Director - Dance Division

  6. Member

    School of Theatre, Dance, and Film Personnel Committee

  7. View all activities