Alyson Colwell-Waber

Profile

Professional biography

Alyson Colwell-Waber has been a strong presence in the North Carolina dance community since joining the faculty of Meredith College in 1984. She is a Professor Emerita of Dance, as well as a passionate teacher of mind-body integration, yoga, and mindfulness. Alyson enjoys her role as a guide and champion for students as they recognize their innate body wisdom, hone their creativity, develop fully their physical power and expressivity, and apply their knowledge in service of their craft and community.

After arriving at Meredith, Alyson founded Meredith Dance Theatre performing ensemble and led the development of the major in Dance. Always interested in new challenges, Alyson has also served the college in a variety of administrative roles over the years, including Dean for Special Academic Programs.

Alyson earned her Master of Fine Arts in dance at Arizona State University and her undergraduate degree at the Pennsylvania State University.  She is also trained in Embodied Yoga and is a registered yoga teacher, having completed her 500-hour advanced training at Asheville Yoga Center.

During her dance career, Alyson has trained with contemporary dance masters Hanya Holm, Daniel Nagrin, Ruth Currier, Clay Taliaferro, Betty Jones, Liz Lerman, and Douglas Nielsen.  She has produced two solo concerts in 1988 and 1995 and has been the recipient of two Dance Artist Project Grants from the North Carolina Arts Council, a Raleigh Arts Commission Emerging Artist Award, a Perry Artistic Achievement Award, and the Meredith College Presidential Award.  Alyson has served the dance community as a board member and board president of the North Carolina Dance Alliance and Even Exchange Dance Theatre, as well as a board member for Raleigh Dance Theatre. She is currently president of the board for Black Box Dance Theatre.

In 2016, she was awarded a sabbatical from Meredith College to research the topic of age and dance performance. This culminated in a presentation at the Mid-Atlantic American College Dance Association conference, as well as her return to the stage for both the North Carolina Dance Festival and the Meredith College Dance Faculty concert.

In 2012 the North Carolina Dance Alliance presented Alyson with its Annual Award for lifetime contribution to dance in our state.