Courtney Liu

Courtney Liu (MFA & BA, Duke University) is an Assistant Professor of Music Theatre at Elon University and Director-Choreographer whose credits include Forestburgh Theatre, Timber Lake Theatre, and the American Dance Festival amongst other concert dance and educational venues. 

Performing credits include the Broadway cast of the Phantom of the Opera, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Queen of the Night, AEA & Disney Developmental labs, the Broadway Dance Lab, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Busch Gardens Theme Parks, various performances sponsored by the American Dance Festival, and performances with the Cincinnati Ballet and the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. Courtney served as Assistant Dance Captain at the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and as Assistant Director for Norwegian Cruise Lines. 

Prior to launching her dance career, Courtney managed an NIH-funded study evaluating the effects of Aprepitant for opioid withdrawal at Bellevue Hospital/NYU Langone Medical Center. 

Influenced by these early experiences, Courtney frequently collaborates with colleagues in STEM fields (e.g. robotics, psychology, neuroscience) to publish research on flow states, performance, and leadership. Her research has been published in the Journal of Dance Education (JODE) and she has presented papers/posters/workshops at the Embodied Learning Summit, CORPS de Ballet International, the Appearance Matters Conference, and the National Dance Educators Organization.