Sandra Kaufmann

About

Sandra Kaufmann serves as the founding director of the Dance program at Loyola University. She teaches Modern II, Modern III, Ballet IV, and Ballet V, Internship in Dance, Fieldwork in Dance and Rehearsal and Performance, for which she serves as the artistic director for the annual mainstage dance concert.

Sandra is recognized internationally as a leading authority on classical modern dance technique and repertory with extensive experience as a dancer, director and educator. Her commitment to dance and social advocacy culminated in her invitation to produce and perform “The Legacy of the New Dance Group” at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.

Sandra performed throughout the world as a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company. While based in New York City, she served on the faculty of the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and as Artistic Director of the Martha Graham Ensemble. Sandra continues to work actively with the Martha Graham Center, teaching in their international summer intensive workshop and serving as a regisseur staging the repertory of Martha Graham throughout the country. She performed extensively with celebrated choreographers, Pearl Lang and Richard Move.

With MOMENTA and Silo Chamber Dancers, Sandra danced many of the choreographic works by Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman and taught Humphrey/Weidman technique and theory on faculty at Barnard College and New York University.  Sandra’s embodied research consists of the study of foundational techniques, rehearsing and coaching by authorities and performance of several solos by American dance masters: Ruth St. Denis, Doris Humphrey, Isadora Duncan, Deborah Zall, Eleanor King, Anna Sokolow, Martha Graham and Jane Dudley. Her research project, “The Body as Archive”, presents historic work in order to expose audiences and contextualize contemporary dance practice and to preserve and transmit these dances for the future.

A prolific choreographer, Ms. Kaufmann has created work for concert dance, musical theatre productions, protest dances, aerial dance, opera, video and site-specific works. Her choreography received awards from Dance Magazine Foundation, Tidmarsh Arts Foundation, The American College Dance Festival, Bossak/Heilbrun Foundation and The National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts.

Sandra’s fascination with science and dance engages through directing education initiatives, choreographing works and producing programs. The Sloan Science and Technology Fund commissioned Sandra to create an interdisciplinary performance about superstring theory in physics, “Searching for Superstrings.” Subsequently, Sandra, with prominent theoretical physicist and author, Dr. Brian Greene and playwright, Michael Bassett presented the keynote address at the Art/Science International conference in New York City. She directed an Empire State Partnership statewide arts initiative supported through the New York State Council for the Arts and New York Foundation for the Arts that engaged the arts to teach core curriculum.

Ms. Kaufmann graduated summa cum laude from the College of Education and the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Northern Illinois University, where she delivered the commencement addresses for both colleges. Sandra was awarded talented student scholarships from Northern Illinois University and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and has received academic awards from Illinois Board of Regents, USA Today, Delta Kappa Gamma Teaching Sorority and George Hawkins Foundation.

Sandra served on the faculty of Barnard College, New York University and The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York. In Chicago, she has taught at The Chicago Academy for the Arts, University of Chicago, and The Academy of Movement and Music. At Loyola University Chicago Sandra was awarded the Sujack Award for Teaching Excellence in 2016 as well as chosen by the Maroon and Gold Society as Faculty Member of the Year. She serves as an Advanced Fellow of Innovative Experiential Pedagogies through Loyola University Chicago Center for Engaged Teaching Learning and Scholarship.

Degrees

B.S.Ed., Northern Illinois University
B.A., Northern Illinois University
Professional Studies Certification, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance

Awards

Sujack Award for Teaching Excellence, 2016

Faculty Member of the Year, 2016