LilaAnn Coates White is an Assistant Professor of Dance in the UMD Department of Theatre, a role she has held for 25 years. After retiring from her professional dance career, she earned her B.A. in Health Sciences and M.A. in Physical Therapy, enabling her to integrate both backgrounds into her work.
Ms. White has choreographed for numerous UMD dance concerts and operas, including Carmen, Hansel and Gretel, Die Fledermaus, Lucia de Lammermoor, Samson et Delila, and Street Scene. Other work includes choreography for Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, Arrowhead Chorale, Dances on the Lakewalk, Lyric Opera of the North, Sterling Dance, and the American College Dance Association.
Ms. White has a long-standing association with the Minnesota Ballet, where she has created numerous works for the professional company and school. In 2015, she was honored to receive a Fellowship Initiative from the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of the New York City Ballet. In 2019, she was awarded the Artist Award from the Depot Foundation.
Her research, in partnership with UMD students and faculty, focuses on dance science, and she is the co-author of two papers, "The Effects of Core Stabilization Training on Collegiate Ballet Dancers" and "Comparisons of Ankle and Knee Kinetics during Demi-Plié Ballet Movements.