Marissa Nesbit, assistant professor of dance, was recently named the 2024 Outstanding Dance Educator in Higher Education in the Established Category by the National Dance Education Organization. She will receive the award during a ceremony on September 5.

Nesbit is the Dance Education Coordinator for the Department of Dance, teaches courses in dance education methods, supervises student teachers, and participates in qualitative research projects examining aspects of dance curriculum and dance pedagogy in K12 contexts.

She is shaped by a very diverse academic background, which contributes to her understanding that dance is closely linked to other academic, artistic and personal activities. After completing a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology at Pitzer College in Claremont, California, she worked as a special education teacher before returning to school to complete a Master of Fine Arts in dance at Texas Woman’s University.

Nesbit is a founding board member of the North Carolina Dance Education Organization, the state chapter of NDEO, which advances the field of dance education and represents more than 4,200 members from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 25 foreign countries.

Each year, the NDEO honors one “emerging” (five years or less experience) and one “established” (six years or more experience) educator in higher education.

According to NDEO, award winners should inspire and motivate their students and have a significant impact on their school community.

Learn more about her journey as a dance educator and her teaching philosophy in this faculty spotlight.