Jenny Oliver has been teaching Afro-Haitian Dance and Culture at Tufts since 2016. She began training and learning about the traditions of Folkloric dance in 2005 and began traveling to Haiti in 2013 to further development and support the progress of dance in Haiti by helping local artists develop their artistic endeavors.
Her background includes a degree in dance, focusing on pedagogy and training in Modern, Jazz, Tap and Ballet; she's also completed the Horton Pedagogy Program at the Ailey School and the Cultural Traditions Program at the School of Jacob's Pillow.
She recently was awarded the first choreographer in residency at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and is one of the first Boston Dance Maker's Residence at the Boston Center for the Arts. This year her work has been presented at HUBWeek Boston, Mark Morris Dance Center, #HellaBlack: BCA Mixtape Vol.1, We Create Festival, BDA Gala, MayFair Festival, Museum of Fine Arts and right here at Tufts University.
As a member of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapog, she is passionate about black dance in the diaspora as well as Indigenous representation and brings her experiences to all spaces where she teaches.
10/2024