The Department of Dance in the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University welcomed Joe Teeter (CWR ’18; GRS ’20, contemporary dance) for a nine-day visit in February. While on campus, he taught ballet masterclasses for both undergraduate and graduate students, and gave a talk on three choreographers who created dances to Bach's Goldberg Variations, which was his dissertation topic.
Teeter participated in the dual degree program between Case Western Reserve and Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), earning bachelor’s degrees in psychology and cello performance in 2018. He then earned a Master of Music at CIM in 2019 before returning to CWRU for a Master of Art in contemporary dance, which he completed in 2020. Teeter recently completed his doctorate in choreomusicology from the University of Roehampton in London.
Richard Oaxaca, assistant professor of dance, worked with Teeter on a new duet.
"It's a dream come true to collaborate with a cellist on a project I've wanted to create for 20 years,” Oaxaca said. “To now incorporate Joe not only as a musician, but as a dancer too, takes the project to even greater heights and we hope to premiere the work next season. It was also wonderful to take classes with him and witness his unique way of focusing on musicality in ballet."
We were delighted to give our students the opportunity to learn from one of our most talented alumni. Thanks to Joe for being part of our students' educational and creative experience in the department!
Article Date
March 18, 2025