Aliza Matthews (she/her/hers) has been a dancer her entire life and a teacher/choreographer since she was fifteen. She recently graduated from James Madison University, where she earned her B.A. in Dance with a concentration in Pre-Occupational Therapy and a minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. Aliza dedicated her undergraduate career to making dance accessible to all communities. She completed adaptive dance training through Mark Morris Dance Group’s Dance for Parkinson’s Disease program and used that knowledge to become a Lead Teacher with JMU’s Dance for PD program under the direction of Kate Trammell. Aliza has since earned over 1,500 hours teaching adaptive dance to communities often overlooked, and she is grateful to continue her artistic journey with Abilities Dance Boston. She is currently earning her doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy from Boston University, and she plans to combine the arts and science for the rest of her life.
On teaching with ADB: : Teaching Boston's diverse population as a community teaching artist with Abilities Dance Boston has allowed me to expand my artistry in so many ways! I admire ABD's commitment to accessibility, and being a part of their mission has made me a better person and artist!