Member, Board of Directors
Elected September 2024, term ends September 2027
Krista Bower is Dean of the School of Fine Arts, Chair of the Dance Department, and a Professor of Dance at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi. She began teaching at Belhaven University in 2007 and teaches courses including Modern Dance Technique, Teaching Methods, and Dance Composition. Dean Bower has presented her research at the Congress on Research in Dance, Society of Dance History Scholars, and National Dance Education Organization conferences.
Dean Bower co-founded Front Porch Dance, a Mississippi-based contemporary dance company (2008-2016), and enjoyed collaborating and performing with dancers, musicians, and visual artists throughout the state. In 2006 and 2010, Dean Bower served on the USA International Ballet Competition staff and was the Administrator for the 2014 USA IBC Dance School and Teacher Training Program. Dean Bower is also a founding instructor of the Dance for Parkinson’s program in Jackson, MS.
In 2013, the Mississippi Business Journal named Dean Bower one of “Mississippi’s 50 Leading Business Women.” In 2011 and 2016, she received a Performing Arts Fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a merit-based award for “professionals producing works of high artistic quality.”
Dean Bower earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Choreography from Jacksonville University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Belhaven University.
__________________
Updated October 2024