Tim Cowart, B.F.A., M.S., M.F.A.
Tim Cowart’s dance partnering is informed by thirty years of Contact Improvisation, including work with Steve Paxton, Daniel Lepkoff, Lisa Race, David Dorfman, Alito Alessi, and Chris Burnside. He studied somatic-based partnering with Mark Taylor, and alignment-based partnering with Bella Lewitzky. Tim is a certified Ballroom dance instructor of 10 different dance styles using a gender-neutral partnering.
Tim has been practicing Kaeja Elevations for 15 years. He is a certified master teacher in Kaeja Elevations Partnering Techniques. He regularly travels to Canada to work with Allen Kaeja and he has permission to certify teachers in the Kaeja Elevations methodology. Tim is a widely sought-after teacher and choreographer. He teaches Kaeja Elevations at workshops, seminars, master classes, and in guest artist residencies around the country. Tim infuses his choreography with momentum-based partnering techniques, and continues teaching his partnering classes in the dance program at Western Oregon University.
Professionally, Tim Cowart has performed nationally and internationally as a company member of the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company, and The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy. He has also performed with Elizabeth Streb/Ringside, David Dorfman, Minh Tran and Company, and ClancyWorks Dance Company. Cowart is an Associate Professor and is the Director of the Dance Program at Western Oregon University. His research interests include modern dance partnering techniques, Screendance, and the life, work, and influence of pioneering dancer/choreographer Michio Ito (1883 – 1961). He teaches coursework in all levels of modern dance, dance partnering, contact improvisation, kinesiology for dance, dance history, dance in world cultures, and dance on camera. He received the 2016 LVAIC Dance Consortium Distinguished Service Award in Dance, and the 2017 Distinguished Alumnus Award in Dance from the University of Oregon.
Cowart received a B.F.A. in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University, an M.S. in Arts Administration, and an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Oregon. He has teaching certifications in Kaeja Elevations, DanceAbility, and STOTT Pilates.
