Biography
Bryant Henderson, Visiting Assistant Professor and Artistic Director of Dance at Willamette University, is a dance artist, educator, and performer who has extensively studied various dance forms including ballet, jazz, modern, hip-hop, musical theatre, contemporary dance, and aerial dance. Bryant’s theoretical and choreographic research has been presented throughout the United States and recognized by the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and American College Dance Association (ACDA).
As an educator, Bryant has been a teaching artist and choreographer for organizations and institutions including The University of Alabama, Shelton State Community College, and the University of Oregon. In 2014, Bryant served as the Assistant Director and Jazz Faculty for the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive in Alabama. In 2015 and 2016, Bryant served on the faculty of Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop (BJDW), coordinated BJDW's first Commercial Dance Intensive, and performed with the resident company, Interweave Dance Theatre, in Boulder, Colorado. As a Graduate Teaching Fellow at the University of Oregon (2014-2017), Bryant taught various theoretical and practical courses in the Department of Dance, choreographed works for student and faculty concerts, and was awarded the 2016-2017 Georgianne Teller-Singer Dean’s Fellowship and 2017 Outstanding Graduate Student in Dance.
Bryant’s choreography has been seen throughout Alabama, appeared at the American College Dance Festival, and in New York City. His work ranges from concert dance to full musical productions. He has choreographed for musicals such as Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Hair, and Wild Party. While residing in New York City, Bryant performed with SYREN Modern Dance, BEings Dance, DEMA Dance, and J. Chen Project in venues including New York’s City Center, The Joyce SoHo, NYC Times Square, and The Baryshnikov Performing Arts Center. Bryant has also toured the world as a dancer and aerialist for Celebrity Cruises and POET Theatricals, and was a guest artist for the aerial-ballet company, AROVA Contemporary Ballet (Birmingham, AL).
As a scholar, Bryant’s recent research has focused on the relationship between dance and gender. Specifically, his MFA thesis, An Inquiry Into Men’s Experiences in Collegiate Dance, focused on gaining a deeper understanding of males’ experiences in collegiate dance programs in order to better support and encourage male dance populations on college campuses. Bryant presented his research at the 2016 NDEO National Conference in Arlington, VA and the 2017 NDEO Special Topics Conference: Men In Dance in Morgantown, West Virginia.