Ellen Gerdes earned a B.A. in dance from Wesleyan University and an Ed.M. in dance from Temple University. Her work as an educator is heavily influenced by her research on the pedagogy and politics of dance in China and Taiwan. In 2007, the Association for Asian Performance awarded her the Emerging Scholars Award. Her written scholarship is published in the Asian Theatre Journal, Journal of Dance Education, Cultural Studies: Critical Methodologies, and the Dance Chronicle. In addition to teaching college students at Temple University, Bucknell University, and Rowan University, Ellen has teaching experience in Philadelphia’s schools as a teaching artist for Dancing Classrooms. She performs with independent choreographers in the city and as a member of the Leah Stein Dance Company.