Kristin Kusanovich received her BA from Santa Clara University where she studied Theatre, Dance and Mathematics, and her MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in Dance Performance & Choreography. As Artistic Director of Kusanovich Dance Theatre of Minneapolis and Kusanovich Dance San Francisco, she produced and choreographed over one hundred artistic works for the concert stage in dance, theatre, musical theatre, opera and film. Most recently she co-directed a theatrical installation at SCU, performed solo dances with the Bill Stevens jazz trio, choreographed Man of La Mancha at SJ Playhouse and premiered a work with permission of UCLA-faculty composer James Newton. She is a Senior Lecturer in Theatre & Dance and Child Studies at SCU, teaching courses on theatre production, modern/contemporary dance, pedagogy, composition, children/creativity/society, and the business of the arts. Kristin is a published author of multiple journal articles and a co-authored book in transdisciplinary critical arts-based research methods, and has presented at peer-reviewed conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada. She has taught standards-based, non-competitive, curricular development and pedagogical methods in kinesthetic learning to teachers and in settings from P-22, been a guest artist in 30+ public schools, and currently directs a small children’s creative dance program in San Jose, k2dance. In 2019 she founded the biennial and interdisciplinary tUrn Climate Crisis Awareness & Action week that is held in-person at SCU and online around the world featuring BIPOC climate leaders and free talks on science, engineering, the humanities, business and intercultural art works that inspire climate activism and environmental justice. Several CDEA dance leaders in CA have presented at tUrn!