Elizabeth Coker

Elizabeth (Betsy) Coker, EdD, MA, is a dancer and movement scientist. Her research centers on developing technologies to track and analyze human movement in the lab and in novel environments. She is especially interested in how we use sensory information for balance, how balance changes during aging, and how new sensor technology, along with machine learning algorithms, can inform these processes to help people perform optimally at all ages. Coker is co-Artistic Director of Seán Curran Company. She has taught, created and set choreography with students and professionals across the country as well as at the Kansas City Ballet, Houston Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Opera de Montreal, San Diego Opera, Opera Lafayette, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, and Yale Repertory Theater. Coker received her master’s and doctorate degrees in Motor Learning and Control from Teachers College, Columbia University and holds a BA in Psychology (concentration in Dance) from Columbia University. Prior to initiating her academic career, she performed with the Washington Ballet and trained at the Ballet Nacional de Cuba.