Emily A. Culbreath
Assistant Professor of Dance
About
Emily (Lady Em) Culbreath, MFA, is a dance maker, educator, writer, performer, and practitioner whose work inhabits the crossroads of street and club dance, choreo-activism, theater, and collective practice. She is best known as a former core member and rehearsal director with American street dance theater company, Rennie Harris Puremovement, and currently as the co-founder and director of Snack Break Movement Arts, a Hip Hop theater and education collaborative that presents work nationally and internationally, including at the San Francisco International Hip Hop Dance Festival and Summer Dance Forever (Amsterdam).
Her research examines the intersections of critical race theory, gender studies, autoethnography, Hip Hop theater and pedagogy, and collaborative performance, tracing how embodied knowledge flows through identity, power, and collective authorship. Emily has served as a guest artist-in-residence at institutions across the United States and presented work at the American College Dance Association National Festival (Washington, D.C., 2025). She teaches and lectures in academic and community spaces and has contributed writing to the dance journalism platform thINKingDANCE (Philadelphia). Emily is thrilled to be joining the faculty at Bates as an Assistant Professor of Dance.
Current Courses
Fall Semester 2026
Embodied Anatomy and Kinesthetics
This course develops an understanding of foundational human anatomy and kinesthetics as applied to bodies in motion. Topics include an introductory study of anatomy; the mechanics of movement; sustainable approaches to functional training and injury prevention in creative and athletic movement modal…
Studio: Dance Ensemble, Intermediate
This intermediate-level course focuses on contemporary modern or African-American vernacular dance practices, clarity of intention, and general performance skills, in order to maintain a strong technique and develop one's personal contribution to ensemble dancing. Recommended background: intermediat…
Studio: Hip Hop II
This movement-centralized course will offer students a deep dive into Hip Hop social dances that span over five decades of American popular culture. This course highlights aesthetically interwoven themes that extend from the African Diaspora, ultimately informing the creation of Hip Hop dance over t…
Studio: Dance Ensemble, Advanced
This advanced-level course focuses on contemporary modern or African-American vernacular dance practices, clarity of intention, and general performance skills, in order to maintain a strong technique and develop one's personal contribution to ensemble dancing in the studio and on the stage. Recommen…