Nancy Cardwell
PhD
Biography
Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning (Expected: 2021)
Nancy Cardwell is a PhD student in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning. Furthering her MA research from York University, Nancy is interested in investigating feminist pedagogies through the use of the arts, particularly music and dance, in the elementary and secondary school settings. She has been both a course and studio director at York University, a guest lecturer presenting on culture, politics and dance, and has created and led workshops on dance, music and storytelling for educational outreach programs at the National Ballet of Canada, the Stratford Festival as well as across school boards in Ontario. Nancy’s life in the arts spans three decades of dance in Canada, the United States and Europe. After years of ballet (National Ballet of Canada, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble), Nancy began studies in flamenco moving between Toronto and Seville to hone her craft, winning a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance in 2014. She been a dancer and choreographer with the Toronto based Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company since 1994, its Assistant Artistic Director since 2005 as well as fulfilling the role of Outreach Community and Education Coordinator since 2008. From classroom to studio, she is an engaged teacher committed to promoting learning through the arts.