News and Events
DR. KAREN CLEMENTE RECEIVES OUTSTANDING DANCE EDUCATOR AWARD
St. Davids, PA, Sept. 28, 2009: Karen Clemente, Ed.D., chair of the Dance and Theatre Department at Eastern University, was presented with the Outstanding Dance Educator Award in June at the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) Conference in New York City. The NDEO, a nonprofit dedicated to the advancement and promotion of high quality education in the art of dance, presents Outstanding Dance Educator Awards annually to members in three categories - K-12, higher education, and private sector. Dr. Clemente received the higher education award for her demonstrated excellence in dance content skills, exemplary teaching, and utilization of education and community resources.
"I am honored to have received this award," Dr. Clemente said. "The NDEO is an amazing organization that advocates for dance education. Throughout my twenty-five years of teaching dance, I have been active at the state level in advocating for access to dance education for all children, in both public and private education settings. It's important that all education sectors work together to ensure that dance remains a powerful, cohesive vehicle for education. Being recognized nationally by an organization that is proactive about dance education is very important to me and speaks volumes about what I value in the dance community and here at Eastern University."
Dr. Clemente began working at Eastern University in 1990 as an adjunct professor in the Health and Physical Education department. During her 20 years at Eastern, Dr. Clemente developed the University's first dance minor program in 1993 and co-authored (with Dr. Joselli Deans) the dance major program in 2003. In addition to her work at Eastern, Dr. Clemente co-directs Feet First: A Center for Contemporary and Classical Dance in Phoenixville, PA. She has performed professionally with the Sybil Dance Company of Philadelphia and was a founding member and co-director of Sacred Ways Dance Company. Dr. Clemente has served as a member of the Pennsylvania Arts Curriculum Project and the Dance Advisory Council for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Dr. Clemente earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts and Literature from Grove City College, and both a Master's and Doctorate in Dance Education from Temple University, where she received a University Fellowship for her doctoral studies. She was the 2001 Eastern University recipient of the Lindback Award for Excellence in Teaching, and she was awarded a 2001 Professional Honor Award and the 2007 University Teacher of the Year Award by the Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
For more information about the Eastern University Dance Department, visit http://eastern.edu/academic/cas/depts/dance/index.html
For more information about the NDEO, visit www.ndeo.org
